When the Mask Fallsby StarChaser01ChaptersPrologueChapter 1: InterrogationsChapter 2: More QuestionsPrologueChangelings. A name synonymous with fear, thievery, and deceit.They are ruled over by their tyrannical queen Chrysalis, who thirsts for power, wanting nothing more than to drain the world until nothing’s left. If you see one, or suspect somepony you know of having been replaced by a Changeling, please contact the Royal Guard immediately, it may not be too late to save somepony from a fate worse than death. Solid Light set down the piece of paper he had picked up off the ground while on his morning walk and sighed, getting up from the table and heading towards his cellar. It had been a week since the invasion and, despite the efforts of the Royal guard, not a single Changeling had been arrested. Sure there were plenty of arrests, but all those arrested turned out to be just regular ponies, not the shapeshifting emotevores they were accused of. Opening the door to his cellar, Light quickly glanced around to make sure that nopony was looking through a window and went down the steps, closing the door behind him. His cellar was like many others, shelves of food lining the walls with a single light in the center of the ceiling. Walking up to one of the shelves, Light’s form was suddenly consumed by blue flames, revealing a Changeling in his place. Unlike those that attacked Canterlot, however, this one’s eyes had a green tint and its form was bulkier in appearance. Moving a few jars aside, the Changeling revealed a small hole which it put its front leg into, twisted, then pulled it out, letting the false wall slide open. The room beyond also had shelves adorning its walls, however, instead of dried flowers, fruits, and canned vegetables, these shelves held jars full of a jell-like substance. If one were to turn off the lights, they would notice that the jars glowed faintly, like almost dead glow-sticks. Directly opposite the door sat a small orb, about the size of a pony’s hoof. The Changeling walked up to this orb, cast a spell on it, and waited. It didn’t have to wait long, as soon the orb began displaying the image of another Changeling, much like the one in the cellar. “Slasher, you’re later than usual. I hope nothing happened.” A concerned voice came from the orb. “No, nothing yet. It’s only a matter of time though. Anything new from the hive?” Slasher responded. “Nope, the Queens are still arguing over what to do. You would think that with the future of our species at stake they would at least come up with a TEMPORARY plan!” “Still no progress? At this rate Canterlot would have fallen off the mountain, the sun would have gone out, and Discord would get free before they come to a decision!” “I know, right?” The Changeling on the other end said, exasperated, “Anyway, Queen Coleoptera has requested that you remain in Canterlot, and let us know of any developments.” “Orders received. Slasher out.” And with that, the orb went dark. Sighing, Slasher turned to leave, levitating a jar along with him, and closed the secret wall behind him. Doning his disguise as he ascended the staircase, he reflected on the current situation. ‘The hives are still arguing, most of Canterlot’s Changelings have fled, and I’m still stuck here waiting for something to happen!’ The solder class Changeling thought frustratedly, ‘And it’s only a matter of time before I am caught!’ Entering his kitchen, he set the jar on the counter as he levitated out some slices of bread and stuck them in the toaster. ‘And considering the current view on Changelings is, I’ll probably be executed before they even notice that none of the attacking ‘lings had green eyes like I do!’ The instant the toast popped up, it was caught by Light’s magical field, layered in a bit of the gel, and set onto a plate. ‘Maybe that’ll get the Queens to come to a decision, an innocent Changeling getting caught and executed.’ He thought bitterly as he took a bite out of his sandwich, the taste of mild love calming him down. ‘Well, if I do get captured and executed, I’ll at least go down with dignity. For the Hive, and for us all.’ Light was eating another gel sandwich, reading in the news about how another pony had been falsely accused bo being a Changeling. The paper was spinning it like Changelings were to blame for the false accusation but Light knew better. He was about to turn the page to that day’s comics when a knock on his door caused him to set the paper down. Walking to the door, he opened it to find a squad of Royal Guards. “Hard Light, you are under arrest. I suggest you come quietly.” The lead guard said, advancing slightly, attempting to be intimidating. “Under what charges?” Light replied, not intimidated in the least. The lead guard hesitated, obviously not expecting that reaction, or more specifically, the lack of one. “Multiple third party reports have indicated that you may be a Changeling.” Came his response as he narrowed his eyes. “You know, I was wondering when my name would get pulled out of a hat. You guys might as well get it over with and arrest all of Canterlot, you’ll end up having to do so anyway at the rate things are going. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to the funny pages.” Before closing the door on their face, turned towards the cellar, and started running towards it. He had barely taken a step before the front door was blasted in, hitting him during its short flight, breaking his disguise in the process. “SON OF A-” “Resisting arrest, assaulting a Royal guard, and impersonating a member of society have now been added to your charges Changeling” the lead guard spat upon entering through the now doorless doorway. Spitting out something that would require knowing Changelish to understand, Slasher turned towards the the guard and noticing that most of the squad looked frightened. “You want assaulting a Royal guard? Fine. I’ll give you assaulting a Royal guard” Slasher spat out, before giving the guard a dented helmet with his hoof. Taking advantage of the fact that the guards were offbalance, Slasher quickly bolted for his cellar again, slamming the door behind him before locking it. Flying down the stairs using his wings, he through the jars out of the way, jammed his hoof into the hole, twisted it harder than he needed to, and threw open the wall. Already casting the spell on the orb before the door was all the way open, he slammed the wall shut behind him, already hearing the guards breaking down his cellar door. “Slasher, I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon. Is there a develo-” “No time!” Slasher cut his superior off in Changelish “The guards are on their way and they know I’m a Changeling! I am unable to continue my previous orders!” The unspoken question of ‘what do I do’ didn’t need to be asked. The Changeling on the other side seemed shocked for a split second, before turning to their side and calling out something before turning back. “Keep them out for as long as you can while we determi-” before being cut off as a much larger Changeling stepped in front of the other crystal. “What’s your status Solder?” The Changeling Queen asked “My cover has been blown, and the Royal guard is entering my cellar my Queen” he responded as his cellar door was smashed to pieces and rapid hoofsteps could be heard descending the stairs. The Queen looked thoughtful for a moment before muttering “The mask has been broken, it’s time for the actors to be revealed for who they truly are.” “You are to surrender yourself to the guard and answer their questions truthfully. Do not reveal the identities of any Changelings in Canterlot or the location of our hive however unless asked directly by one of the Princess. Do you understand your orders Solder?” “Yes my Queen.” “Then go, and, good luck Slasher.” She said, her tone turning gentle, and the orb went dark, just as a hoof kicked through the fake wall and hit him in the back of the head, sending him straight into unconsciousness. Author's Note Yes yes, I know. ANOTHER story. It's just how my mind works. I CAN'T just work on one story for some reason, so I'm trying two at once. Hopefully that'll satisfy my ADHD enough that I can actually keep working on both of them. Chapter 1: InterrogationsSlasher’s head hurt. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that he was undisguised, the third that his head really hurt, the fourth was that there was the sound of metal clinking when he moved, the fifth was that this was most definitely NOT the hive or his bed, and finally his head hurt too much to count past five, which was saying something considering that his pony job involved numbers. FIghting past the pain he managed to open eyes and immediately regretted it as his headache only got worse, causing him to groan. “Well look who finally decided to wake up.” A voice sneered not too far away, “Wakey wakey little bug.” Slasher tried to reply with something clever, but the only thing that came out was another groan. “GET UP!” A second voice shouted as a hoof kicked him in the chest. Slasher cried out in pain as he felt his chitin crack slightly from the blow as he rolled on his side, his vision threatening to go dark on him again. “Now now, no need to kick the prisoner,” the first voice said, “there’ll be plenty of time for that after we get some information out of it.” “Could you two PLEASE not injure my patient further?” Came a third, annoyed voice from his other side. Cracking his eyes open, Slasher saw that he was in a windowless cell, chained to the floor, with two Royal guards in front of him, and he could sense a third pony behind him. “Honestly,” the voice behind him said as he felt the telltale tingles of scanning magic “it’s almost as if you two DON’T want to get anything from her.” ‘Her?’ Slasher thought, ‘Oh yeah, anyone not knowing our biology could easily mistake us all for females.’ “I’m not female” Slasher groaned out before coughing, hoping that the doctor/medic would hear. “Oh? Then explain the lack of male genitalia.” Came the interested voice of his healer. “Internal” he groaned as he felt his chitin being slid back into place, like a broken bone being set. “Interesting... I assume that’s so you can disguise as either gender?” “Partialy” ‘Just keep talking, talking’s good, talking means not passing out and not getting beaten up any more. Just stay useful to them.’ Slasher reassured himself. “Wow, that’s SO interesting.” Guard 1 said, sarcasm obvious in his voice. “We know next to nothing about Changelings, any info we can get can be useful” ‘Doc’ snapped back at G1 before asking Slasher another question “A number of jars full of some sort of gel where found in the cellar of the pony you replaced. Care to tell us their function?” “I didn’t replace anyone, Hard Light is an identity I created years ago.” Slasher replied angrily before answering the question “and that gel contains emotional energy.” “DON’T LIE TO US! WE KNOW YOU INSECTS CAPTURE PONIES AND IMPERSONATE THEM TO DRAIN THEIR LOVED ONES! NOW TELL US WHERE THE REAL HARD LIGHT IS!” Guard 2 snapped, surprising amounts of anger flaring from him as he did so. Had Slasher been an Infiltrator, a Gatherer, or even had some warning, he would have been able to prevent his own emotions from being affected by the sudden surge in rage and hatred. “Go buck yourself! Here I am, not having gotten a decent night’s sleep in a WEEK, chained to the bucking floor, wearing a useless inhibitor ring that’s giving me a headache that can give TARTARUS a run for it’s bits, being kicked with enough force to BREAK MY EXOSKELETON for doing NOTHING! The only reason why I’m answering your questions as nicely as I am is because I was ordered by my Queen to do so!” Slasher snapped “I’m tired, hungry, and in pain. So you can just BUCK OFF!” “AND WHY WOULD CHRYSALIS WANT YOU TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS?!?” G1 shot back. “THAT TRAITOROUS SLUG IS NOT MY QUEEN!” The ponies all froze. “What?” ‘Doc’ asked, stunned. “Chrysalis is a traitor to her own kind. She broke the two biggest laws we have between our hives: ‘Don’t reveal Changelings to other species as a whole’ and ‘if the reveal is unavoidable, do so in a peaceful fashion’. These laws are to ensure the continued survival of our species, and that SLUG is guilty of treason for breaking them. Death is too good for her now.” Silence reigned for a good minute before ‘Doc’, bless him, broke the silence. “Chrysalis isn’t your Queen?” “I thought I just made that clear. No, Chrysalis is NOT my Queen, Coleoptera is. We don’t even have the same prefered emotion.” “You don’t? What is your prefered emotion?” “No, we don’t. And you don’t have a word for my hive’s preferred emotion in your language.” “Well, what’s the closest translation then?” Slasher had to think on this one for a bit. “The closest words would be either ‘Love’ or ‘Friendship’.” “And that’s different from what Chrysalis’s, hive, feed on how?” G1 asked, seemingly torn between anger and curiosity, which was almost in enough concentration for Slasher to passively feed upon. “HER hive’s prefered emotion is, or was, depends on if that wave wiped them out or not, more of a romantic love,” here he said a word in Changelish, “while my hive prefers love more of as a friend, rather than a significant other.” “What was that you said? That... chitter?” ‘Doc’ asked while what sounded like a quill on paper came from behind him. “It was the word in, Changelish, for the emotion that HER hive prefered.” Slasher responded, hesitating as he had to throw together a new word to describe the Changeling language. “So, you’re bilingual then? Are all Changelings bilingual?” ‘Doc’ asked, still writing what Slasher assumed were notes. “Yeah, I have to be in order to have any chance of blending in. And no, not all Changelings are bilingual. Only those who have to interact with those outside of the hive are required to be bilingual.” “I see...” ‘Doc’ muttered as he continued to write in silence for a few seconds. “So Doc, how badly beat up am I?” Slasher broke the silence, surprising the guards with his question. “We’re the one’s asking the questions prisoner.” G1 said, with only a hint of anger in his voice. “No, it’s okay, he does deserve to know his own condition.” ‘Doc’ replied back, almost absentmindedly, “and the back of your head has quite a few cracks along it, as does your barrel where the Captain kicked you.” ‘Wait, ‘Captain’? As in Captain Shining Armor? The one whose wedding took place the day of the invasion? That... explains the amount of hate radiating off of him.’ “Yeah, for a Unicorn he’s got one heck of a kick.” Slasher chuckled weakly, quickly regretting it as his chest hurt from the action. “It’s not a good idea to insult him, especially when he’s in the room.” ‘Doc’ advised as Shining's glare increased in intensity. “I wasn’t insulting him, I was complimenting him on how strong his kick was. To be able to crack the shell of a Solder class Changeling in one blow is quite the feat.” Slasher replied honestly. “Solder class? Could you explain these, ‘classes’?” ‘Doc’ asked, trying to steer the discussion in a less dangerous direction. “Sure, I could explain the different classes to you, you’ve got clearance from my Queen.” Slasher replied with a bit of a grin. After waiting for a few seconds, ‘Doc’ groaned and asked “Will you explain the different Changeling classes to us at this point in time?” “Fine, ruin my fun why don’t you? When a Changeling hatches from their egg, they are referred to as a ‘Nymph’ or a ‘Grub’, sort of like ‘Child’ or ‘Kid’ in your language. As they grow, they’ll develop into one of the following classes: ‘Infiltrator’, ‘Gatherer’, ‘Solder’, ‘Drone’, or, if one of their parents is one, ‘Princess’. These classes aren’t fixed, however, as it’s quite common to have something who fits into multiple classes. For example, my mother is an Agent, an Infiltrator/Solder mix. Most of these classes are self-explanatory for the most part. Any questions?” “What do you mean by ‘Princess’?” G1 asked, anger almost gone. “Well, while there can only be one Queen per hive, there can be multiple Changelings per hive that physically can be considered a Queen. They are the rarest class, and are just below the Queen politically. Think of them as the royals or nobles of Equestrian society.” ‘How many pages does that pony have?’ Slasher thought to himself as ‘Doc’ continued writing. “What other... mixed classes are there?” G1 asked when ‘Doc’ failed to ask a question. “Well, there are ‘Harvesters’, ‘Agents’, ‘Spies’, and ‘Elites’. Please note that the names only a ‘best fit’ due to Equestrian not having the correct words. Other mixes exist but don’t have specific titles to go with them, for various reasons.” “Such as?” ‘Doc’ asked. “Such as what?” Slasher asked, confused. “What are some of those reasons?” “Ah. Think about this, what would you call a Gatherer/Drone mix? Dones, for the most part, lack the specialization that a Gatherer needs to do their job.” “Sounds like Drones get the short end of the stick.” G1 muttered. “Not as much as you would think,” Slasher pointed out. “Drones keep the hive running. They are the builders, the bakers, the everyday individual. Without them, the hive would quite literally fall apart.” “Well, this is interesting” A new voice said from behind the guards. “Your Majesty!” The three ponies said as they bowed to somepony just out of Slasher’s sight. “At ease,” the voice said as princess Luna walked into view “We have come to see the prisoner with Our own eyes, and from what We have seen, they belong in a hospital bed, not a dungeon cell.” “But, but” Shining stammered. “Forgive me if I don’t bow your Highness, but I’m in too much pain to move right now.” Slasher said from his spot on the floor. “Thy transgression can be forgiven for now,” Luna commented as a touch of amusement floated off her. “Interrogator, what hast thou discovered?” ‘Interrogator? THIS was an interrogation? I was expecting more bright lights, a table, and food just out of reach.’ “Well your Majesty, the subject has been quite cooperative, however many of their claims have yet to be supported by outside evidence.” ‘Doc’ said “I can have a full report to you within the hour.” “See that thy do so, We must depart to perform Our duties. See to it that the prisoner has something to lay on that won’t aggravate their injuries. It wouldn’t do to cause unnecessary suffering to our source of information,” Luna declared, seeming to direct the last part at Shining whose anger flared slightly, before departing. ‘Doc’ and Shining left soon after, leaving Slasher with G1 who also exited the cell before locking the door behind him, staying about a leg’s length from the bars. Closing his eyes, Slasher could feel his headache returning with a vengeance now that the distraction was gone. ‘As SOON as noone’s watching I’m shifting to an Earth pony to get this damn thing off me.’ He thought bitterly as he focused on G1’s emotional output, waiting for some sign that he was clear to do so, and to keep his mind off of his headache. Author's Note Questions, comments, concerns go in the comment section as usual, you know the drill. Chapter 2: More Questions‘Wait for it... Wait for it... Aaaaaand NOW!’ Slasher thought as he snapped up an Earth pony disguise, a small smile crossing his face as he felt the inhibitor ring start to slip off his head. Moving his hoof to catch it, he prevented it from clattering to the ground as he dropped his disguise. Taking advantage of his newly freed spellcasting ability, he started by casting a basic diagnosis spell, one that all Changelings regardless of class had to learn. ‘Let’s see here... bruised ribs, cracked chitin on the back of my head and my barrel, mild dehydration, and some minor bruising under the chitin,’ Slasher thought as the results of the spell came in ‘All things considered, I’m in pretty good shape!’ Casting a set of minor healing spells to fix up his chitin, Slasher was surprised to find that none of the guards outside had noticed anything yet. ‘Pitiful, if this was back at the hive they would be getting yelled at by a superior if not suspended from duty as they re-took basic.’ Slasher shook his head slightly at the thought, already feeling the effects of the chitin repair taking effect. Getting up slowly, Slasher stretched out the minor cramps and kinks that his muscles had developed from being in one place for so long, before looking at the ring and getting an idea. When Shining and ‘Doc’ got back with some bedding (really only Doc had the bedding, Shining was of the opinion that stone floor was too good for the Changeling), they were greeted by the sight of the captive sitting up, bouncing a small blue ball against one of the walls, without their inhibitor ring. “WHERE IS YOUR INHIBITOR RING PRISONER?!?” Shining bellowed while Doc quietly noted at the lack of sound as the ball bounced against the wall. Catching the ball, Slasher let the bubble dissipate, along with the barely noticeable glow from his horn, revealing the inhibitor ring inside. “Right here sir.” He said, holding it out to them, grinning slightly. “And how did you get it off?” Doc asked, cutting off Shining for the sake of his eardrums. “I transformed into an Earth pony and it fell right off. It wasn’t doing anything other than give me a headache, and I had nothing better to do.” “But... the inhibitor ring prevents any spell casting, either on it or around it!” Shining blurted out, a hint of curiosity mixed with horror making itself known in his emotional output. “Disguising doesn't use the horn, and if you're wondering about the bubble, the ring is slightly magnetic due to the enchantments used, I simply had the bubble also be of the same magnetic polarity and the ring floated inside it. Basic physics.” Slasher explained, wrapping the ring in another bubble, this time clear, showing that the inhibitor ring was floating in the exact center, spinning slightly. As Doc nodded slightly, his emotional output revealing that he was impressed, Shining’s revealed that he was internally panicking. “Dude, relax. The only spells I cast while in here, besides to disguise, were basic healing spells and the bubble spell I used to make my bouncy ball. I’m still restricted to where this chain lets me go, and I highly doubt that I could overwhelm the enchantments on it. Although I doubt that the stone it's connected to is similarly enchanted...” Slasher trailed off thoughtfully, tapping his chin in thought. “So what? You show us that our methods can’t hold you and you’re still there to MOCK US?!?” Shining yelled. “No,” Slasher replied calmly “I’m still here because of my orders. ‘To surrender myself to the guard and answer their questions truthfully.’ Not to put up with the second worst headache of my life when I could easily fix it.” Shining just glared at him as hatred flowed from him like a flood. “You... might want to be careful about your emotions sir.” SLasher said, concerned. “Unless you’re trying to cast dark magic, you shouldn’t have that much hatred.” “What?” Shining asked, stunned at the sudden change. “When there is that much hatred coming from one pony, it’s usually a sign that they’re trying to cast dark magic.” “You can sense emotions?” Doc asked as Shining attempted to recover. “Of course. It’s one of our food sources. Why wouldn’t we be able to sense it?” Slasher asked with a slight tilt of his head. Doc processed that for a moment before asking, “ONE of your food sources?” “Of course! Did you think we fed solely on emotional energy? We need physical sustenance too! Where do you think our physical mass comes from, solidified magic? We’re not Mana constructs!” “Well... to be honest, we kind of did.” G1 replied sheepishly, reminding them all that he was still there. “Well now you know.” Slasher nodded “Also, you guys sucked at your job. I was able to disguise right behind you and you didn’t even notice. From one solder to another, you might want to fix that.” That last part was directed at Shining Armor, who looked and felt torn between numerous conflicting emotions. Looking up from the paper that he had pulled from somewhere, Doc asked another question. “So, how does your kind get emotional energy? Do you just, suck it up like a the vamponies of legend?” “Well,” Slasher looked a bit uncomfortable at this, “we CAN do that... that’s probably where the legends came from in the first place. But we have another method as well!” Here he sat up straight. “If the concentration of emotional energy in an area is high enough, we can absorb it that way.” “You mentioned this ‘Emotional Energy’ before, could you explain it further?” “Emotional energy is generated by most living beings, with sapient beings generating far more than non-sapient beings. Changelings are the only sapient being that don’t release emotional energy as far as we know. While we do generate it, our bodies absorb it long before it can exit our bodies.” “You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject...” “I pay attention in class. As a Solder, my emotional gathering abilities are... weaker than that of Gatherers. I was kind of hoping that I could figure out some trick to boost my ability to passively gather emotions.” “So, your ability to, passively, gather emotions is weak? No offense.” “None taken. And no, it’s not weaker than normal, it’s just average, and I may have been a bit jealous...” Slasher glanced to the side at that, not that they would be able to notice. “Oh, um... just curious, but earlier you mentioned that the ring was giving you the second worst headache, what was the first?” “The morning after my classmates and I celebrated our graduation. It was also the only time I’ve drank alcohol. I STILL don’t know all of what happened that night...” “Bit of a Lightweight?” Shining snarked. “Actually, from what I do remember, I outdrank them all. I just don’t really like the taste of alcohol.” “I find it hard to believe that Changelings drink alcohol other than to maintain a disguise.” Shining deadpanned. “Name me one species that has alcohol and DOESN’T have drinking contests.” Slasher replied in an equally deadpan tone. Once more, coming to Shining’s rescue, Doc asked another question. “And, where is your hive?” ‘And this is where the QA train stops’ Slasher thought “I cannot tell you.” Doc paused, “Can you tell us why?” “Yes” “Not this again” Shining groaned. Ignoring him, Doc clarified, “Would you tell us why?” “I cannot reveal the location of my Hive unless asked directly by one of the Princesses. The same holds true of the identities of any Changelings within Canterlot.” Slasher stated, noticing G1 sigh slightly, although not detecting any change in their emotional output. “I... see,” Doc said, writing quite a few somethings down on his paper “Well this has been enlightening, but I originally came back to deliver some bedding.” ‘That explains the wimpy mattress and sheet.’ Slasher thought eyeing the thin mattress indicated. “Tis far too convenient dear sister.” Luna told her sister as they reviewed the interrogator's report. “How so?” Celestia replied, sipping her tea from a, in her option, far too small cup. “First they attack us, then the first Changeling arrested was apparently supposed to be captured, answering every question none the less! It’s far too easy.” “Perhaps this hive does not desire conflict but wishes for peace. I do not see an issue with that.” “Yes, ‘different hives’,” Luna rolled her eyes, “Do you honestly believe that? For all we know that could be a fabrication!” “You were not there Luna, all the attacking Changeling’s eyes were blue. This one’s eyes are green. This supplies evidence towards their claims. Not to mention that they had an opportunity to escape and did not take it, even going so far as to point out a flaw that could grant it freedom. A flaw, mind you, that was intentionally included for this very reason.” “I was not aware of this sister, what other so called ‘tests’ have become standard in Our absence?” Luna asked, not pleased at this development. “I’m sure that it was mentioned in your textbooks Luna, haven’t you been studying them?” “I... must not have gotten to that part as of yet.” Luna faltered “See that you do, it would be a shame if one of the ‘Nobles’ took advantage of a gap in your knowledge. Regardless, I’m not saying that we should give them free reign, I’m just saying that we should give them the benefit of the doubt. If what they’re saying is true, then we have an innocent locked in the dungeon when they should be treated as an ambassador.” “And what happens when they get hungry? We will not have Our staff drained in the name of ‘Diplomacy’!” “Assuming that what they said is true, they don’t need to drain ponies to feed, and if the castle staff were drained, we would know that they were lying and go right back into the dungeon.” Celestia said as she pointed to part of the report. “Fine. But they should be under constant guard!” Luna relented “Of course. It would be a shame to have diplomatic relations broken due to one of our Ponies attacking them out of fear. Not to mention the fact that we still don’t know for certain if they are telling the truth or not. Although, they should have SOME privacy in their room.” “So, just guards outside their door and windows then?” Luna asked incredulously “And then some.” Author's Note More info dump! So, questions, concerns, comments, etc. in the comment section! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a midterm to study for! For some reason my muse works best when I'm supposed to be studying... Seriously, it's weird. Any theories as to why?
PrologueChangelings. A name synonymous with fear, thievery, and deceit.They are ruled over by their tyrannical queen Chrysalis, who thirsts for power, wanting nothing more than to drain the world until nothing’s left. If you see one, or suspect somepony you know of having been replaced by a Changeling, please contact the Royal Guard immediately, it may not be too late to save somepony from a fate worse than death. Solid Light set down the piece of paper he had picked up off the ground while on his morning walk and sighed, getting up from the table and heading towards his cellar. It had been a week since the invasion and, despite the efforts of the Royal guard, not a single Changeling had been arrested. Sure there were plenty of arrests, but all those arrested turned out to be just regular ponies, not the shapeshifting emotevores they were accused of. Opening the door to his cellar, Light quickly glanced around to make sure that nopony was looking through a window and went down the steps, closing the door behind him. His cellar was like many others, shelves of food lining the walls with a single light in the center of the ceiling. Walking up to one of the shelves, Light’s form was suddenly consumed by blue flames, revealing a Changeling in his place. Unlike those that attacked Canterlot, however, this one’s eyes had a green tint and its form was bulkier in appearance. Moving a few jars aside, the Changeling revealed a small hole which it put its front leg into, twisted, then pulled it out, letting the false wall slide open. The room beyond also had shelves adorning its walls, however, instead of dried flowers, fruits, and canned vegetables, these shelves held jars full of a jell-like substance. If one were to turn off the lights, they would notice that the jars glowed faintly, like almost dead glow-sticks. Directly opposite the door sat a small orb, about the size of a pony’s hoof. The Changeling walked up to this orb, cast a spell on it, and waited. It didn’t have to wait long, as soon the orb began displaying the image of another Changeling, much like the one in the cellar. “Slasher, you’re later than usual. I hope nothing happened.” A concerned voice came from the orb. “No, nothing yet. It’s only a matter of time though. Anything new from the hive?” Slasher responded. “Nope, the Queens are still arguing over what to do. You would think that with the future of our species at stake they would at least come up with a TEMPORARY plan!” “Still no progress? At this rate Canterlot would have fallen off the mountain, the sun would have gone out, and Discord would get free before they come to a decision!” “I know, right?” The Changeling on the other end said, exasperated, “Anyway, Queen Coleoptera has requested that you remain in Canterlot, and let us know of any developments.” “Orders received. Slasher out.” And with that, the orb went dark. Sighing, Slasher turned to leave, levitating a jar along with him, and closed the secret wall behind him. Doning his disguise as he ascended the staircase, he reflected on the current situation. ‘The hives are still arguing, most of Canterlot’s Changelings have fled, and I’m still stuck here waiting for something to happen!’ The solder class Changeling thought frustratedly, ‘And it’s only a matter of time before I am caught!’ Entering his kitchen, he set the jar on the counter as he levitated out some slices of bread and stuck them in the toaster. ‘And considering the current view on Changelings is, I’ll probably be executed before they even notice that none of the attacking ‘lings had green eyes like I do!’ The instant the toast popped up, it was caught by Light’s magical field, layered in a bit of the gel, and set onto a plate. ‘Maybe that’ll get the Queens to come to a decision, an innocent Changeling getting caught and executed.’ He thought bitterly as he took a bite out of his sandwich, the taste of mild love calming him down. ‘Well, if I do get captured and executed, I’ll at least go down with dignity. For the Hive, and for us all.’ Light was eating another gel sandwich, reading in the news about how another pony had been falsely accused bo being a Changeling. The paper was spinning it like Changelings were to blame for the false accusation but Light knew better. He was about to turn the page to that day’s comics when a knock on his door caused him to set the paper down. Walking to the door, he opened it to find a squad of Royal Guards. “Hard Light, you are under arrest. I suggest you come quietly.” The lead guard said, advancing slightly, attempting to be intimidating. “Under what charges?” Light replied, not intimidated in the least. The lead guard hesitated, obviously not expecting that reaction, or more specifically, the lack of one. “Multiple third party reports have indicated that you may be a Changeling.” Came his response as he narrowed his eyes. “You know, I was wondering when my name would get pulled out of a hat. You guys might as well get it over with and arrest all of Canterlot, you’ll end up having to do so anyway at the rate things are going. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to the funny pages.” Before closing the door on their face, turned towards the cellar, and started running towards it. He had barely taken a step before the front door was blasted in, hitting him during its short flight, breaking his disguise in the process. “SON OF A-” “Resisting arrest, assaulting a Royal guard, and impersonating a member of society have now been added to your charges Changeling” the lead guard spat upon entering through the now doorless doorway. Spitting out something that would require knowing Changelish to understand, Slasher turned towards the the guard and noticing that most of the squad looked frightened. “You want assaulting a Royal guard? Fine. I’ll give you assaulting a Royal guard” Slasher spat out, before giving the guard a dented helmet with his hoof. Taking advantage of the fact that the guards were offbalance, Slasher quickly bolted for his cellar again, slamming the door behind him before locking it. Flying down the stairs using his wings, he through the jars out of the way, jammed his hoof into the hole, twisted it harder than he needed to, and threw open the wall. Already casting the spell on the orb before the door was all the way open, he slammed the wall shut behind him, already hearing the guards breaking down his cellar door. “Slasher, I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon. Is there a develo-” “No time!” Slasher cut his superior off in Changelish “The guards are on their way and they know I’m a Changeling! I am unable to continue my previous orders!” The unspoken question of ‘what do I do’ didn’t need to be asked. The Changeling on the other side seemed shocked for a split second, before turning to their side and calling out something before turning back. “Keep them out for as long as you can while we determi-” before being cut off as a much larger Changeling stepped in front of the other crystal. “What’s your status Solder?” The Changeling Queen asked “My cover has been blown, and the Royal guard is entering my cellar my Queen” he responded as his cellar door was smashed to pieces and rapid hoofsteps could be heard descending the stairs. The Queen looked thoughtful for a moment before muttering “The mask has been broken, it’s time for the actors to be revealed for who they truly are.” “You are to surrender yourself to the guard and answer their questions truthfully. Do not reveal the identities of any Changelings in Canterlot or the location of our hive however unless asked directly by one of the Princess. Do you understand your orders Solder?” “Yes my Queen.” “Then go, and, good luck Slasher.” She said, her tone turning gentle, and the orb went dark, just as a hoof kicked through the fake wall and hit him in the back of the head, sending him straight into unconsciousness. Author's Note Yes yes, I know. ANOTHER story. It's just how my mind works. I CAN'T just work on one story for some reason, so I'm trying two at once. Hopefully that'll satisfy my ADHD enough that I can actually keep working on both of them.
Chapter 1: InterrogationsSlasher’s head hurt. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that he was undisguised, the third that his head really hurt, the fourth was that there was the sound of metal clinking when he moved, the fifth was that this was most definitely NOT the hive or his bed, and finally his head hurt too much to count past five, which was saying something considering that his pony job involved numbers. FIghting past the pain he managed to open eyes and immediately regretted it as his headache only got worse, causing him to groan. “Well look who finally decided to wake up.” A voice sneered not too far away, “Wakey wakey little bug.” Slasher tried to reply with something clever, but the only thing that came out was another groan. “GET UP!” A second voice shouted as a hoof kicked him in the chest. Slasher cried out in pain as he felt his chitin crack slightly from the blow as he rolled on his side, his vision threatening to go dark on him again. “Now now, no need to kick the prisoner,” the first voice said, “there’ll be plenty of time for that after we get some information out of it.” “Could you two PLEASE not injure my patient further?” Came a third, annoyed voice from his other side. Cracking his eyes open, Slasher saw that he was in a windowless cell, chained to the floor, with two Royal guards in front of him, and he could sense a third pony behind him. “Honestly,” the voice behind him said as he felt the telltale tingles of scanning magic “it’s almost as if you two DON’T want to get anything from her.” ‘Her?’ Slasher thought, ‘Oh yeah, anyone not knowing our biology could easily mistake us all for females.’ “I’m not female” Slasher groaned out before coughing, hoping that the doctor/medic would hear. “Oh? Then explain the lack of male genitalia.” Came the interested voice of his healer. “Internal” he groaned as he felt his chitin being slid back into place, like a broken bone being set. “Interesting... I assume that’s so you can disguise as either gender?” “Partialy” ‘Just keep talking, talking’s good, talking means not passing out and not getting beaten up any more. Just stay useful to them.’ Slasher reassured himself. “Wow, that’s SO interesting.” Guard 1 said, sarcasm obvious in his voice. “We know next to nothing about Changelings, any info we can get can be useful” ‘Doc’ snapped back at G1 before asking Slasher another question “A number of jars full of some sort of gel where found in the cellar of the pony you replaced. Care to tell us their function?” “I didn’t replace anyone, Hard Light is an identity I created years ago.” Slasher replied angrily before answering the question “and that gel contains emotional energy.” “DON’T LIE TO US! WE KNOW YOU INSECTS CAPTURE PONIES AND IMPERSONATE THEM TO DRAIN THEIR LOVED ONES! NOW TELL US WHERE THE REAL HARD LIGHT IS!” Guard 2 snapped, surprising amounts of anger flaring from him as he did so. Had Slasher been an Infiltrator, a Gatherer, or even had some warning, he would have been able to prevent his own emotions from being affected by the sudden surge in rage and hatred. “Go buck yourself! Here I am, not having gotten a decent night’s sleep in a WEEK, chained to the bucking floor, wearing a useless inhibitor ring that’s giving me a headache that can give TARTARUS a run for it’s bits, being kicked with enough force to BREAK MY EXOSKELETON for doing NOTHING! The only reason why I’m answering your questions as nicely as I am is because I was ordered by my Queen to do so!” Slasher snapped “I’m tired, hungry, and in pain. So you can just BUCK OFF!” “AND WHY WOULD CHRYSALIS WANT YOU TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS?!?” G1 shot back. “THAT TRAITOROUS SLUG IS NOT MY QUEEN!” The ponies all froze. “What?” ‘Doc’ asked, stunned. “Chrysalis is a traitor to her own kind. She broke the two biggest laws we have between our hives: ‘Don’t reveal Changelings to other species as a whole’ and ‘if the reveal is unavoidable, do so in a peaceful fashion’. These laws are to ensure the continued survival of our species, and that SLUG is guilty of treason for breaking them. Death is too good for her now.” Silence reigned for a good minute before ‘Doc’, bless him, broke the silence. “Chrysalis isn’t your Queen?” “I thought I just made that clear. No, Chrysalis is NOT my Queen, Coleoptera is. We don’t even have the same prefered emotion.” “You don’t? What is your prefered emotion?” “No, we don’t. And you don’t have a word for my hive’s preferred emotion in your language.” “Well, what’s the closest translation then?” Slasher had to think on this one for a bit. “The closest words would be either ‘Love’ or ‘Friendship’.” “And that’s different from what Chrysalis’s, hive, feed on how?” G1 asked, seemingly torn between anger and curiosity, which was almost in enough concentration for Slasher to passively feed upon. “HER hive’s prefered emotion is, or was, depends on if that wave wiped them out or not, more of a romantic love,” here he said a word in Changelish, “while my hive prefers love more of as a friend, rather than a significant other.” “What was that you said? That... chitter?” ‘Doc’ asked while what sounded like a quill on paper came from behind him. “It was the word in, Changelish, for the emotion that HER hive prefered.” Slasher responded, hesitating as he had to throw together a new word to describe the Changeling language. “So, you’re bilingual then? Are all Changelings bilingual?” ‘Doc’ asked, still writing what Slasher assumed were notes. “Yeah, I have to be in order to have any chance of blending in. And no, not all Changelings are bilingual. Only those who have to interact with those outside of the hive are required to be bilingual.” “I see...” ‘Doc’ muttered as he continued to write in silence for a few seconds. “So Doc, how badly beat up am I?” Slasher broke the silence, surprising the guards with his question. “We’re the one’s asking the questions prisoner.” G1 said, with only a hint of anger in his voice. “No, it’s okay, he does deserve to know his own condition.” ‘Doc’ replied back, almost absentmindedly, “and the back of your head has quite a few cracks along it, as does your barrel where the Captain kicked you.” ‘Wait, ‘Captain’? As in Captain Shining Armor? The one whose wedding took place the day of the invasion? That... explains the amount of hate radiating off of him.’ “Yeah, for a Unicorn he’s got one heck of a kick.” Slasher chuckled weakly, quickly regretting it as his chest hurt from the action. “It’s not a good idea to insult him, especially when he’s in the room.” ‘Doc’ advised as Shining's glare increased in intensity. “I wasn’t insulting him, I was complimenting him on how strong his kick was. To be able to crack the shell of a Solder class Changeling in one blow is quite the feat.” Slasher replied honestly. “Solder class? Could you explain these, ‘classes’?” ‘Doc’ asked, trying to steer the discussion in a less dangerous direction. “Sure, I could explain the different classes to you, you’ve got clearance from my Queen.” Slasher replied with a bit of a grin. After waiting for a few seconds, ‘Doc’ groaned and asked “Will you explain the different Changeling classes to us at this point in time?” “Fine, ruin my fun why don’t you? When a Changeling hatches from their egg, they are referred to as a ‘Nymph’ or a ‘Grub’, sort of like ‘Child’ or ‘Kid’ in your language. As they grow, they’ll develop into one of the following classes: ‘Infiltrator’, ‘Gatherer’, ‘Solder’, ‘Drone’, or, if one of their parents is one, ‘Princess’. These classes aren’t fixed, however, as it’s quite common to have something who fits into multiple classes. For example, my mother is an Agent, an Infiltrator/Solder mix. Most of these classes are self-explanatory for the most part. Any questions?” “What do you mean by ‘Princess’?” G1 asked, anger almost gone. “Well, while there can only be one Queen per hive, there can be multiple Changelings per hive that physically can be considered a Queen. They are the rarest class, and are just below the Queen politically. Think of them as the royals or nobles of Equestrian society.” ‘How many pages does that pony have?’ Slasher thought to himself as ‘Doc’ continued writing. “What other... mixed classes are there?” G1 asked when ‘Doc’ failed to ask a question. “Well, there are ‘Harvesters’, ‘Agents’, ‘Spies’, and ‘Elites’. Please note that the names only a ‘best fit’ due to Equestrian not having the correct words. Other mixes exist but don’t have specific titles to go with them, for various reasons.” “Such as?” ‘Doc’ asked. “Such as what?” Slasher asked, confused. “What are some of those reasons?” “Ah. Think about this, what would you call a Gatherer/Drone mix? Dones, for the most part, lack the specialization that a Gatherer needs to do their job.” “Sounds like Drones get the short end of the stick.” G1 muttered. “Not as much as you would think,” Slasher pointed out. “Drones keep the hive running. They are the builders, the bakers, the everyday individual. Without them, the hive would quite literally fall apart.” “Well, this is interesting” A new voice said from behind the guards. “Your Majesty!” The three ponies said as they bowed to somepony just out of Slasher’s sight. “At ease,” the voice said as princess Luna walked into view “We have come to see the prisoner with Our own eyes, and from what We have seen, they belong in a hospital bed, not a dungeon cell.” “But, but” Shining stammered. “Forgive me if I don’t bow your Highness, but I’m in too much pain to move right now.” Slasher said from his spot on the floor. “Thy transgression can be forgiven for now,” Luna commented as a touch of amusement floated off her. “Interrogator, what hast thou discovered?” ‘Interrogator? THIS was an interrogation? I was expecting more bright lights, a table, and food just out of reach.’ “Well your Majesty, the subject has been quite cooperative, however many of their claims have yet to be supported by outside evidence.” ‘Doc’ said “I can have a full report to you within the hour.” “See that thy do so, We must depart to perform Our duties. See to it that the prisoner has something to lay on that won’t aggravate their injuries. It wouldn’t do to cause unnecessary suffering to our source of information,” Luna declared, seeming to direct the last part at Shining whose anger flared slightly, before departing. ‘Doc’ and Shining left soon after, leaving Slasher with G1 who also exited the cell before locking the door behind him, staying about a leg’s length from the bars. Closing his eyes, Slasher could feel his headache returning with a vengeance now that the distraction was gone. ‘As SOON as noone’s watching I’m shifting to an Earth pony to get this damn thing off me.’ He thought bitterly as he focused on G1’s emotional output, waiting for some sign that he was clear to do so, and to keep his mind off of his headache. Author's Note Questions, comments, concerns go in the comment section as usual, you know the drill.
Chapter 2: More Questions‘Wait for it... Wait for it... Aaaaaand NOW!’ Slasher thought as he snapped up an Earth pony disguise, a small smile crossing his face as he felt the inhibitor ring start to slip off his head. Moving his hoof to catch it, he prevented it from clattering to the ground as he dropped his disguise. Taking advantage of his newly freed spellcasting ability, he started by casting a basic diagnosis spell, one that all Changelings regardless of class had to learn. ‘Let’s see here... bruised ribs, cracked chitin on the back of my head and my barrel, mild dehydration, and some minor bruising under the chitin,’ Slasher thought as the results of the spell came in ‘All things considered, I’m in pretty good shape!’ Casting a set of minor healing spells to fix up his chitin, Slasher was surprised to find that none of the guards outside had noticed anything yet. ‘Pitiful, if this was back at the hive they would be getting yelled at by a superior if not suspended from duty as they re-took basic.’ Slasher shook his head slightly at the thought, already feeling the effects of the chitin repair taking effect. Getting up slowly, Slasher stretched out the minor cramps and kinks that his muscles had developed from being in one place for so long, before looking at the ring and getting an idea. When Shining and ‘Doc’ got back with some bedding (really only Doc had the bedding, Shining was of the opinion that stone floor was too good for the Changeling), they were greeted by the sight of the captive sitting up, bouncing a small blue ball against one of the walls, without their inhibitor ring. “WHERE IS YOUR INHIBITOR RING PRISONER?!?” Shining bellowed while Doc quietly noted at the lack of sound as the ball bounced against the wall. Catching the ball, Slasher let the bubble dissipate, along with the barely noticeable glow from his horn, revealing the inhibitor ring inside. “Right here sir.” He said, holding it out to them, grinning slightly. “And how did you get it off?” Doc asked, cutting off Shining for the sake of his eardrums. “I transformed into an Earth pony and it fell right off. It wasn’t doing anything other than give me a headache, and I had nothing better to do.” “But... the inhibitor ring prevents any spell casting, either on it or around it!” Shining blurted out, a hint of curiosity mixed with horror making itself known in his emotional output. “Disguising doesn't use the horn, and if you're wondering about the bubble, the ring is slightly magnetic due to the enchantments used, I simply had the bubble also be of the same magnetic polarity and the ring floated inside it. Basic physics.” Slasher explained, wrapping the ring in another bubble, this time clear, showing that the inhibitor ring was floating in the exact center, spinning slightly. As Doc nodded slightly, his emotional output revealing that he was impressed, Shining’s revealed that he was internally panicking. “Dude, relax. The only spells I cast while in here, besides to disguise, were basic healing spells and the bubble spell I used to make my bouncy ball. I’m still restricted to where this chain lets me go, and I highly doubt that I could overwhelm the enchantments on it. Although I doubt that the stone it's connected to is similarly enchanted...” Slasher trailed off thoughtfully, tapping his chin in thought. “So what? You show us that our methods can’t hold you and you’re still there to MOCK US?!?” Shining yelled. “No,” Slasher replied calmly “I’m still here because of my orders. ‘To surrender myself to the guard and answer their questions truthfully.’ Not to put up with the second worst headache of my life when I could easily fix it.” Shining just glared at him as hatred flowed from him like a flood. “You... might want to be careful about your emotions sir.” SLasher said, concerned. “Unless you’re trying to cast dark magic, you shouldn’t have that much hatred.” “What?” Shining asked, stunned at the sudden change. “When there is that much hatred coming from one pony, it’s usually a sign that they’re trying to cast dark magic.” “You can sense emotions?” Doc asked as Shining attempted to recover. “Of course. It’s one of our food sources. Why wouldn’t we be able to sense it?” Slasher asked with a slight tilt of his head. Doc processed that for a moment before asking, “ONE of your food sources?” “Of course! Did you think we fed solely on emotional energy? We need physical sustenance too! Where do you think our physical mass comes from, solidified magic? We’re not Mana constructs!” “Well... to be honest, we kind of did.” G1 replied sheepishly, reminding them all that he was still there. “Well now you know.” Slasher nodded “Also, you guys sucked at your job. I was able to disguise right behind you and you didn’t even notice. From one solder to another, you might want to fix that.” That last part was directed at Shining Armor, who looked and felt torn between numerous conflicting emotions. Looking up from the paper that he had pulled from somewhere, Doc asked another question. “So, how does your kind get emotional energy? Do you just, suck it up like a the vamponies of legend?” “Well,” Slasher looked a bit uncomfortable at this, “we CAN do that... that’s probably where the legends came from in the first place. But we have another method as well!” Here he sat up straight. “If the concentration of emotional energy in an area is high enough, we can absorb it that way.” “You mentioned this ‘Emotional Energy’ before, could you explain it further?” “Emotional energy is generated by most living beings, with sapient beings generating far more than non-sapient beings. Changelings are the only sapient being that don’t release emotional energy as far as we know. While we do generate it, our bodies absorb it long before it can exit our bodies.” “You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject...” “I pay attention in class. As a Solder, my emotional gathering abilities are... weaker than that of Gatherers. I was kind of hoping that I could figure out some trick to boost my ability to passively gather emotions.” “So, your ability to, passively, gather emotions is weak? No offense.” “None taken. And no, it’s not weaker than normal, it’s just average, and I may have been a bit jealous...” Slasher glanced to the side at that, not that they would be able to notice. “Oh, um... just curious, but earlier you mentioned that the ring was giving you the second worst headache, what was the first?” “The morning after my classmates and I celebrated our graduation. It was also the only time I’ve drank alcohol. I STILL don’t know all of what happened that night...” “Bit of a Lightweight?” Shining snarked. “Actually, from what I do remember, I outdrank them all. I just don’t really like the taste of alcohol.” “I find it hard to believe that Changelings drink alcohol other than to maintain a disguise.” Shining deadpanned. “Name me one species that has alcohol and DOESN’T have drinking contests.” Slasher replied in an equally deadpan tone. Once more, coming to Shining’s rescue, Doc asked another question. “And, where is your hive?” ‘And this is where the QA train stops’ Slasher thought “I cannot tell you.” Doc paused, “Can you tell us why?” “Yes” “Not this again” Shining groaned. Ignoring him, Doc clarified, “Would you tell us why?” “I cannot reveal the location of my Hive unless asked directly by one of the Princesses. The same holds true of the identities of any Changelings within Canterlot.” Slasher stated, noticing G1 sigh slightly, although not detecting any change in their emotional output. “I... see,” Doc said, writing quite a few somethings down on his paper “Well this has been enlightening, but I originally came back to deliver some bedding.” ‘That explains the wimpy mattress and sheet.’ Slasher thought eyeing the thin mattress indicated. “Tis far too convenient dear sister.” Luna told her sister as they reviewed the interrogator's report. “How so?” Celestia replied, sipping her tea from a, in her option, far too small cup. “First they attack us, then the first Changeling arrested was apparently supposed to be captured, answering every question none the less! It’s far too easy.” “Perhaps this hive does not desire conflict but wishes for peace. I do not see an issue with that.” “Yes, ‘different hives’,” Luna rolled her eyes, “Do you honestly believe that? For all we know that could be a fabrication!” “You were not there Luna, all the attacking Changeling’s eyes were blue. This one’s eyes are green. This supplies evidence towards their claims. Not to mention that they had an opportunity to escape and did not take it, even going so far as to point out a flaw that could grant it freedom. A flaw, mind you, that was intentionally included for this very reason.” “I was not aware of this sister, what other so called ‘tests’ have become standard in Our absence?” Luna asked, not pleased at this development. “I’m sure that it was mentioned in your textbooks Luna, haven’t you been studying them?” “I... must not have gotten to that part as of yet.” Luna faltered “See that you do, it would be a shame if one of the ‘Nobles’ took advantage of a gap in your knowledge. Regardless, I’m not saying that we should give them free reign, I’m just saying that we should give them the benefit of the doubt. If what they’re saying is true, then we have an innocent locked in the dungeon when they should be treated as an ambassador.” “And what happens when they get hungry? We will not have Our staff drained in the name of ‘Diplomacy’!” “Assuming that what they said is true, they don’t need to drain ponies to feed, and if the castle staff were drained, we would know that they were lying and go right back into the dungeon.” Celestia said as she pointed to part of the report. “Fine. But they should be under constant guard!” Luna relented “Of course. It would be a shame to have diplomatic relations broken due to one of our Ponies attacking them out of fear. Not to mention the fact that we still don’t know for certain if they are telling the truth or not. Although, they should have SOME privacy in their room.” “So, just guards outside their door and windows then?” Luna asked incredulously “And then some.” Author's Note More info dump! So, questions, concerns, comments, etc. in the comment section! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a midterm to study for! For some reason my muse works best when I'm supposed to be studying... Seriously, it's weird. Any theories as to why?
