The inside of Trixie’s trailer was dimly lit; the entire chassis of the wooden carriage shaking as a terrible storm raged on outside. The black, ominous clouds cracked a thunderous cacophony of electric from time to time, growing more frequent as the storm droned on; blazing the inside of small living space with a blinding flash of light that allowed the pony to better observe the large creature that she had placed in her bed.

Originally, Trixie had suspected the object that laid in the road to be some kind of strange rock formation, considering the chitinous material displayed a number of holes randomly dotted across the Changeling’s body and, when you complete the entire ensemble with exceptionally long, mossy green wet hair clinging tight to its thin, malnourished frame…

She looks… almost… feeble?

Again, the situation hits her like a ton of bricks.

I must be crazy… what in Tartarus am I going to do?! I just… this is perhaps one of the worst ideas I have ever had. I mean, sure, I’ve had a few bad ones but this? This definitely takes the biscuit.

After all, this was not just some ordinary drone—this was the Queen of the Changelings, resting in her bed… and she was the one that had put her there!

I-I know she’s dangerous and all but… but her body… she looks nothing like her posters… she’s thinner and… it’s like looking at a completely different pony… uh… bug? Whatever she is…

Trixie had used her magic to levitate the large creature into her abode and, upon her inspection, she had noted a great many differences to the information that she knew about the Queen.

I think she needs a doctor… I mean… her wings… where are they? The wounds on her back; it almost looks like as if they were pulled out, or something… and, her horn? What happened to her horn? It almost looks like someone had taken saw to it and...

Trixie gulped.

Just what could had done this to the entity that almost took over Canterlot and even bested Princess Celestia in single combat?

She looks so thin… and she’s breathing really funny… Oh, what if… what if she dies? She must had lost a lot of blood when her wings were… um… removed… I mean, the wounds look quite fresh so... what kind of monster could do such a thing?

Whatever the answer, Trixie certainly hoped that whatever had done it was not still after her.

Trixie shifted nervously on the spot at that rather scary thought, taking herself away from the bedside to move up to the carriage’s bolted shut door and to stare outside of the window.

“Well, Trixie, you certainly chose the time to be compassionate to somepony else… I mean, just what are you going to do with the most powerful of the Changeling—wait a minute…” Something had occurred to her, causing her ears to perk in excitement. Her eyes had widened. “The posters… they said they had a reward for any information that led to her capture...”

A thousand? Was it a thousand bits? I can’t remember but…

Her mind raced with the possibilities of this most fortunate outcome.

What if I hand her over in person? M-Maybe they’ll give me more? Maybe… just maybe if I say it it was I that captured her, then, wouldn’t that make me some kind of hero? Ponies would reverie me! The Princesses would honor me and… and if I use that to my advantage… I could sell out shows across Equestria with no problem at all!

Smiling wide, Trixie stole a glance back to the immobile entity, listening to the short shallow gasps it was taking.

Id finally get the recognition I deserve… and get stinking rich off of it, to boot…

Turning about to silently walk back to the bed, Trixie gnawed at her lower lip.

“But, what if she wakes up and isn’t as weak and feeble as I think she is,” Trixie whispered to the air, as if the wooden walls that surrounded her would answer back, “and then… eats me?”

Isn’t that what Changeling’s do? Eat you?

Trixie was not entirely sure if she wanted to find that out.

Nervously, Trixie glanced to the bedside cabinet, releasing a trembling sigh.

M-maybe if I…

She glanced from the heavy candlestick, then back to the sleeping face of the monster she had just only realized that could very well wake up at any given moment.

Using her magic, she levitated the lit candlestick up and then glanced down to the Changeling’s head, then trailed a path back to the heavy brass bottom of the object she now held suspended; ready to strike with every single ounce of force she was prepared to muster to complete her sinister purpose.

I-I can do this… sh-she’s not a pony… she’s a monster and… it doesn’t say… t-that they need her alive and…

Sweating profusely, Trixie sucked in a deep breath through her nose in an attempt to calm her nerves. Unfortunately, it did not help one bit. She was debating on killing another living being after all and, although she has done many terrible things in the past, she had never once thought of physically causing harm to anypony before in her entire life.

Well, not to this extent of finality... there was a rather long list of ponies she would love to give a good slap with the back of her hoof.

“I-it’s me… o-or her…” Trixie swallowed hard as she brought the candlestick high above her head, her magical grasp trembling rocked side to side in a poor attempt to motivate herself to finally do the deed.

With one final gulp of air, Trixie moved her head to lunge the candlestick forward, only to stop midway when she heard a pathetic and hoarse whisper.

“I-if you’re going to kill me, just do it already…”

Stunned, Trixie opened her eyes, taking a sudden step back as she met eye-to-eye with the Queen’s half-lidded emerald gaze staring back at her.

“I-I…” Trixie stammered, fear gripping her heart as she stumbled over a stool she had forgotten was close by, causing her to lose her magical grip upon the candlestick. As it clattered to the ground, the the flame upon the wick was forcibly snuffed out, throwing the room into a momentary darkness; brightened only by the occasional flash of lightning.

However, when the darkness did once again encroach to blacken Trixie’s sight, the Queen’s tired gaze; like two green serpentine beacons shining in the night, was more than enough for Trixie to keep her gaze transfixed in horror upon the thing in her bed.

“Did I scare you? I-i I might be weak right now, but I can manage this much... but, It’s okay, pony… I’m tired, now… I just want to rest... besides if I wanted to stop you, don't you think I would had done so by now?”

The Changeling Queen’s voice, sent every hair on Trixie’s body to stand up on end. Even if she sounded weak and feeble, there was a quality to it that just simply instilled some kind of fight or flight response.

It was the voice of a predator; an injured and perhaps dying one, but, still… something that was still able to instill fear and to intimidate without little effort.

“I… wasn’t going to…” Trixie began, but was immediately interjected by a dark chuckle.

“I saw it in your eyes, pony… I know that look so well... it’s okay… it’s only natural to eliminate your enemy… it is the order of things… go on… do it… become a hero and kill the Queen… it is what is best for Equestria, right?”

Trixie could not contain herself. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind; confused as to why she was being encouraged to end some other pony's life.

“You… you don’t want to live?” Trixie asked meekly. “Why?”

“It is as I said… I am tired… and I am in so much pain… I just want it to stop… besides, I have nothing to live for… no place to call home, or a family… nothing to depend on me… I’m alone… so please, let me die alone and in peace...”

The beacons of green faded as the Queen’s eyes drifted to a close and, as the lightning threw Trixie’s carriage into a wash of white, she saw something that tugged at her heart she had never thought possible.

She... She's like me...

The monster was crying. Her hideous face was covered in fresh tears that fell across her chitinous flesh like a water skating across a leaf.

Taking a step forward, Trixie levitated the fallen candlestick up into the air, using her magic to relight it so that she could properly see the Changeling’s position.

Opening her eyes for what she felt like was one last time, the Queen felt a smile tug at her lips upon noticing the determined expression upon the face of her executor. She wanted to drink in the pony that would finally put her to rest. To make her enduring pain finally ease on into the afterlife... not that she believed in such a thing.

“Thank you," the Changeling whispered, "you... you are doing the right thing."

Slamming the candlestick down, the flame flickered violently as the base came into contact with the hard wood of the bedside cabinet.

The Queen winced at the noise, but and half expected it to land a fatal blow—or several, onto her skull. Instead, she felt her head lift up from the soft hay and then for an even stranger occurrence to commence.

Embracing the Queen, Trixie bit so hard on her own lip that she had broken the skin and had caused to bled.

W-what am I doing? It's like I'm hugging a damned Manticore and not expecting myself to be eaten!

“I-It’s okay. I a-Im not going to hurt you.” Trixie whispered nervously.

Don't eat me. Don't eat me! DON'T EAT ME!

"Huh?" Came the confused response from the Changeling.

“I… don’t think I could take another’s life… I’m… not that kind of pony… I... I don't know what I was thinking and... you deserve to live. You, deserve a place to call home and... well, that is what I believe anyway... I mean, I... I don't exactly have a place, or a family either so... maybe Trixie thinks you should not think like that...”

Stunned, the Changeling could do nothing but accept her fate. She hadn’t the energy to lift a single hoof let alone reject this sudden display of affection… and it was affection that was what she so desperately needed.

It made her hungry.

“You feed on love, right?” Trixie muttered. “I’m being compassionate right now so can you just, do it is whatever you do to feed? Do you like, drink my blood or something?”

“It... doesn’t work like that… and… w-why are you doing this?” The Queen asked. “I… but, I’m… I’m your enemy. I tried to enslave your kind... ”

“You’ve done nothing wrong to me directly, so… yeah...” Trixie responded, still hugging the monster in her bed. Granted, she was absolutely terrified and half expected to be gutted at any given moment. But, still, she still embraced the chitinous thing as gently as she could, even if it felt like she was trying to hug a suit of armor. “B-besides, I’m not exactly well-liked myself. I’ve done some pretty bad things in my time… well… most of the time… So, can you just, like, hurry up and do whatever it is you need to do? I am not sure I can hold up this amount of courage for much longer.”

Stunned into a momentary silence, the Queen moved her muzzle to rub her lips into the nook of Trixie’s neck. She felt the mare tense up, causing the Queen to chuckle. “I’m not some kind of vampony… I’m a Changeling… what you are doing is enough.”

“Oh.” Trixie remarked, somewhat a little disappointed. “So… T-Trixie just hugs you? And… that feeds you?” She blinked. “How does that even work? I was expecting something a little more… monstrous?”

“There are other methods…” The Queen grinned to herself. “None of which I really don’t think you want to be a part of.”

“Yeah, no… no thank you.” The mare made a face of disgust. “Sorry but you’re not my type. Or gender. Or anything.”

"Urgh... Could you please just kill me? Your voice is annoying."

Trixie blinked. "Excuse me?"

"But thank you," the Changeling whispered, "this is the kindest thing any... pony has done for me..."

"N-no problem." Trixie nodded a little stiffly. "Just... just stop smiling against my neck... I-I can feel your fangs and it's freaking Trixie the hell out."

Author's Note

Love, hate, flame, kill, death, whatever it is all good.

Thumb shit up if you like it.

I apologize for the unedited state but, hey, fuck it.