Changing a kingdom

Chapters

1. Out of your depth
2. Journey to the Empire
3. Unforseen conclusions

1. Out of your depth

The changelings have changed.

It sounds like a silly joke, like someone saying 'the water got wet' or 'the fire is hot.' Changelings change, that’s what they do. What they are.

But they had never changed like this before.

Thorax looked around the table. It was a simple thing: round, pale green and jagged, formed from the floors of the hive itself. Seated at the table were the higher ranked members of the hive, even if they looked nothing like how he remembered them. Where he would normally have seen a number of near identical black carapaced warriors, now he was looking five multi-coloured changelings, each with their own unique colour pattern.

So much change. He returned his attention to the current speaker, a changeling with a now green carapace and pink eyes. Vespid, the hive's military commander. "-and I have increased patrols around the border." the changeling finished his report.

The new leader of the changelings tilted his head. "Are you sure that's really necessary? I really don't want to go to war with anyling. Or pony." He still wasn't sure how this whole diplomacy thing worked, but he remembered Shining always having his 'Serious Captain of the Royal Guard' face on whenever he and Cadance were talking about troop movements and how everypony might react to them.

"I assure you, King Thorax, these are purely preventive measures. With the throne destroyed, our primary line of defence has vanished. Noling ever dared attack us without their magics, but now that they can..."

"But Princess Celestia gave us her word nopony would interfere with us." Thorax protested with a frown. "And I told you guys, you don't have to call me 'King Thorax.'"

Vespid lowered his head. "Apologies, Prince Thorax."

"Just Thorax."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Prince Thorax." The green changeling responded.

Thorax rolled his eyes. "I don't see why you guys can't just call me Thorax like you used to." he grumbled.

"Well," a blue tinted changeling began, tapping her chin. "you did sort of single-hoofedly defeat Chrysalis in single combat. A bit unorthodox, but the laws of the hive don't really make a difference between open combat or backstabbing. By all accounts you rightfully usurped the throne." She flashed Thorax a grin. "Then there's also how you changed the lives of everyling in the hive forever. You should at least, as I believe the ponies say, 'take responsibility'."

A round of chittering laughter went through the room as Thorax's head hit the table with a solid *thunk.* "Thank you, Chatter." he grumbled, but the smile dancing across his muzzle betrayed any attempt to make the grumbling seem genuine.

The changelings were joking and having fun. Teasing, pranking and laughing, but doing it all together. Just a few weeks ago, this would have been unthinkable. No changeling would so freely share love and joy with another when each was starving. Each would hoard every scrap of love they could get into their jaws to themselves, or even take what they needed to live to the next day from another. Friendship? Caring? Right of the strongest was the only way to survive in the hive.

The hunger of the changelings was eternal. It started as early as birth, as the larval nymphs hatched from their eggs and tried to sate a hunger that could not be sated. Drawn to the largest source of love, their queen, they fought and fed for the first time. It was one of Chrysalis's favourite private moments, watching a new brood fight for a drink of her store of love.

It was a lesson that would stay with the hatchlings forever: Fight for your food, and never share, for you will never sate your hunger if you do. Even a changeling recently fed would feel the pangs of hunger again in minutes, and they would grow to become agonizing as those minutes turned into hours.

To be friendly to anyone, even another changeling, meant risking opening up and letting that precious love go, to starve just because you were nice to someone else. No changeling had ever considered doing so.

No changeling except him.

Chatter was right. He had changed the lives of everyling in the hive. By showing them that love shared is so much more filling than love taken by force, he had shown the changelings another way. A way where they would not need to hunt, a way where the changelings could work together as friends. For Thorax, It was a lifelong dream come true.

Though apparently it did come with certain caveats.

Thorax sighed as he returned from his meandering. "I really don't want to be that important though. I even made this round table so we wouldn't have a head for someone to sit at!"

"Uhm, Ki-Prince Thorax?" Chatter said. "You're our prince, and almost twice our size. I'm pretty sure that wherever you sit down kind of becomes the head by default."

Thorax blinked, then looked down at the others, watching them all look up for a moment before realization sunk in. "Oh."

Another round of chittering laughter went around the table, and even Thorax felt the ghost of a grin play on his lips.

Pincer, a green carapaced changeling with orange eyes, smiled. “Look, my Prince, I understand you are nervous. But the hive needs you to be a leader. We've all changed in ways we're still learning to understand, and while we will be forever grateful for releasing us from the Eternal Hunger, all these emotions we're now freely experiencing, these new appearances... they scare us as much as we enjoy them. And everyling looks to you for strength."

Chatter's lips parted in a predatory grin, buzzing her wings as she stared at the changeling across from her. "Though some are probably more upset than scared, right Vespid?"

Vespid scoffed. "Oh shut it, at least you got lucky with your new all blue colours. Meanwhile I got stuck being this orange winged, green-chitined pink-eyed thing. I even got pretty pink jewels to match them. Pink jewels! Why did I get pink jewels? I'm a warrior!"

"Yes, why did you get the pretty jewels?" Chatter noted, her eyes narrowed and her voice dripping with envy.

"We're still not quite sure what decides how we look like now." another green changeling, this one with blue eyes, spoke up as she fluttered her pink wings. Miridae, if he recalled correctly. "Tarsus and I have spoken at great lengths about it, but until the next generation hatches, we can't do much but guess, but I'll leave that to Tarsus for his report."

At the mention of his name, the red carapaced changeling on his opposite end nearly flinched, and seemed to shrink in on himself. Thorax tilted his head at the lead caretaker. -'your lead caretaker' he mentally heard Vespid scold-. For some reason the changeling seemed extremely uncomfortable. In fact he had been visibly uncomfortable since the beginning of the meeting, and had meekly requested to give his report last. Thorax seen no reason not to accept the request, but he and every other changeling around the table had been keeping half an eye on Tarsus since.

Thorax resisted the urge to taste the emotions running around the table. Shining and Cadance had grown comfortable with him doing it during his stay at the Crystal Empire, but they often impressed on him that ponies generally did not like it when others read their emotions, and over time resisting the urge in new company had become somewhat of a habit to him. Instead he took a deep breath and straightened up again.

"Allright. Speaking of enjoying. Pincer, how are the workers doing?"

The worker grinned. "Giddy like nymphs on their first hunt. After you told them the hive didn't need to look uniform but could be what anyling wanted it to be, they practically exploded trying to come up with new designs. I'm half surprised none of them have snuck into the throne room for a total overhaul yet, given how this one is just temporary."

"And praise the Hive for that lingering bit of sanity." Vespid muttered.

Pincer laughed in response. "As offended as I and my creative drive should be, I'll admit the stallion has a point. The workers seem to be getting a bit too into the spirit of things. I'll talk to them and see if we can tone things down before the hive looks like something out of Discord's dreams."

"Maybe get something like a team started? So you can still organize things a bit?" Thorax offered. At the worker's questioning gaze he felt his ears fall flat against his head. "Oh, right, we had a system like that already..."

Pincer chuckled. "Yeah, but maintaining the hive hierarchy is not such a bad idea. As enthusiastic as my workers are, some are also yearning for some structure. We Might want to keep some of the old systems around, rather than throwing away everything and changing things too fast."

Thorax's ears perked back up again, glad that his idea was well received. "Okay, let's go with that for now. Now as for the next report, Miridae?"

Miridea nodded. "As you all know, my team has been keeping an eye on the landscape and weather. The landscape around the hive had always been a barren wasteland due to the magic that kept the weather in Equestria so ordered fizzling out before it could come close to the hive. Now that the throne shield is gone, we have seen a noticeable increase in stray clouds travelling across our lands, and grass and weeds are beginning to slowly creep in from the outer edges. It will reach the hive eventually, but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems as of yet."

"We might need to start looking into waterproofing the Hive should rainclouds gather in force though." Pincer noted. "I'll order the workers to start looking into it."

"Can they do it?" Thorax questioned.

Pincers shifted uncomfortably. "I... cannot say right now, my Prince. The Hive hasn't had to worry about the weather since the creation of the throne several thousand years ago." Pincer's voice had gone softer as he spoke, his ears slowly flattening against his head and he almost mumbled that last part. "But I'll look into it personally!" he added quickly.

Thorax blinked at the sudden change in Pincer's mood. "Okay, well, do your best and let me know what you find." he answered with a smile.

Pincer's ears perked up again after hearing that, and Thorax once more resisted the urge to taste the emotions going around the table. Why did they seem to be so... unhappy one moment, then happy again the next? Was it because they didn't want to disappoint him? Thorax almost snorted at the idea. The changelings around this table were leaders in their fields, they were the kind of changelings he had looked up to before he had left the hive. They had skills he had longed for for years.

If anything it was he who was afraid of disappointing them.

"If that concludes the worker reports, I think it's time to finally address the giant manticore in the room." Chatter said.

The table almost as one turned their heads at Tarsus, who almost seemed to shrink under the sudden attention.

Strange. Thorax could not remember Tarsus having ever been a shy changeling, yet this was the second time Tarsus had shied away from attention.

Tarsus began to speak, his words shifting between painstakingly slow and rapid chitters. "I... as your highness is no doubt aware, I am currently leading the, uhm, the effort to understand our nature. That is, our new nature, the one after our change, and I- I-"

Tarsus hung on the words for a moment before almost slamming his head on the table, bowing as low as it would let him without crawling under it. "My most profound apologies my King! I will do whatever is in my power to find a solution! I swear on my carapace! I may have failed you once, but I will not do so I again! Please! I just need another chance!"

Thorax reared back from the display of utter submission. "Tarsus, what are you-"

Then it hit him. That foul, bitter taste of fear. When he'd reared back he had lowered his guard, and now the taste flooded his senses. It was as if someone had wrapped raw cocoa in citrus leaves and stuffed it in his mouth. He barely resisted gagging, the retch already beginning its way up from his stomach.

"Tarsus-" he began, but before he could form another word his stomach doubled over again. This taste! This wasn't fear, this was pure terror! Why? What had made Tarsus so terrified?

"TARSUS CARETAKER!"

The room almost seemed to freeze at the thunderous voice, and all turned to warrior-commander Vespid of the changeling army, forehooves on the table and pink eyes burning with rage at Tarsus.

"You will cease this unsightly behaviour in front of our Prince, you will recover yourself and you will give your report or First Queen help me I will drag it out of you myself!"

In the silence that followed only Tarsus's slowly calming breath was audible over Thorax's own. The bitter taste of his fear having been largely replaced by the salty coolness of shock. Vespid, despite having roared loudly enough that the Throne Guard had chanced a look inside to see what was wrong, had merely settled back and continued glaring at Tarsus.

"Tarsus," Thorax began once more. "I don't know why you're so terrified, but you're safe. We're in the hive. Noling is going to hurt you."

Putting what Cadance and Shining had told him aside for a moment, Thorax flicked out his tongue to taste the chamber. The fear was still there, but... lighter. A lot of it was replaced by confusion, and from the others too.

"Just take it slow. Calm down and tell us, what did you discover?"

"I-" Tarsus's eyes darted around the table, flinching slightly as they reached Vespid's glare. "We- we have been conducting various experiments with our new bodies. We have definitely never been more healthy. Love freely given is exponentially more nourishing than love taken by force, and with the vast personal stores each changeling has gathered over the years we have a lot of it to give.

A swallow. "But... we have... discovered... forgive me my Prince, but it seems to be a core part of us changelings that cannot be changed no matter what we try. I have tried and tried again to see if I was wrong, but I-"

"Get on with it!" Vespid snapped, and Tarsus winced in response. The next words came out in a blur, and Thorax almost missed them.

"We still need to feed."

Thorax blinked. Was that it? "Well, of course. We are changelings after all. But now that we have learned to share love-"

"It's not enough, your Highness. The changeling body consumes more love than it produces. Even though shared love is exponentially more nourishing, it has not changed the fundamental truth of the changelings: We need the love of others. We have managed so far because we are freely sharing the massive stores of love we have stolen, but no matter how many times I ran my tests, the results were undeniable: Those stores are slowly diminishing. Once those stores are gone, we will have to share our own love. And that is not an infinite supply. It will run out, and I suspect they will do so very quickly. And then half the hive will be consumed to keep the other half alive. And another half. And another. Until only one changeling is left."

A cold needle began worming its way into Thorax's chest at those words. "But surely now that we can share love..." the words that had sounded so encouraging seconds earlier now sounded hollow even in his own ears.

Tarus lowered his head once again, eyes screwed shut as the bitter taste of fear returned. "My Prince, there is no way around it, we still need to hunt. We cannot live on eachother alone."

The cold needle had grown to become a large spike. It stabbed into his chest, and he could feel his heart increase its pace. The dream, his dream of a happy hive where everyone got along in friendship was slowly vanishing from his mind with every word Tarsus said.

"This... can't be right." his voice cracked.

Tarsus dug his head further into the table, until he flicked out his tongue. His eyes flew open and his head jerked up to stare at Thorax in confusion. "... My Prince?"

Thorax peddled back. "No, nonono! This can't be right, it shouldn't be right! We were supposed to live alongside one another! Us! Ponies! Everyone! In friendship! I can't- we can't just!"

"Prince Thorax, please calm down." Miridea's voice pleaded. Thorax barely registered the mare's worried look as he started pacing.

"There has to be a way. I've got to find a way! I won't allow everything to go back! I need to- I have to-" Thorax tried to think of something, anything at all, but the harder he tried to grasp at a solution, the more his mind became a mess of jumbled thoughts. But he had to find a way! He had to! He-

"Then command us, your highness."

His pacing stopped, his head turned to Vespid.

"What?"

"You are not alone in this, Prince Thorax. This is your hive. Every changeling here is at your command. Be it gathering through guile or dominate through conquest, you command and we will follow."

"You are not alone, Thorax." Those words warmed him, even if Vespid had not meant them in the same way. He remembered the first time he had heard them from Spike, his first ever friend.

Friend...

Friends!

"That's it!" Thorax shouted as he leapt to his hooves. The other changelings reared back in confusion.

"Prince Thorax?" Pincer ventured.

"My friends! My friends in the Crystal Empire! They can help us! Shining Armour always knows what to do, and Sunburst knows a ton of magic, and Cadance is the Princess of Love itself! They've got to have an answer for this!"

The changelings at the table all exchanged glances. "If you think that is wise... do you have a way to contact them, Prince Thorax?" Miridae asked.

"I'll go there."

Chatter choked. "Go there?"

"Yes?"

"To the far north? To the empire guarded by the most powerful magical relic currently known?"

"I have lived there for the past year before I returned you know." Thorax returned with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, yes, that is true. My apologies my Prince, I meant no offence." Chatter squirmed.

"None taken, but let's not tarry. If Tarsus is right we will need to leave as soon as possible. The Crystal Empire is a long journey away."

Vespid bowed his head. "I shall begin arranging the escort at once."

Thorax blinked for a moment in confusion, and was about to ask why he'd need an escort before he remembered his new status and scratched his head. "Oh, right, escort. I guess I need that now?" He remembered Cadance always having to worry about escorts whenever they went somewhere. Being a Prince himself he supposed he would need to get used to that too.

"Just, keep it small would you? I don't want to create a stir."

"As you wish, my Prince."

"Right, then if there are no further issues?" he paused for a moment glancing around the table. No changeling made any move to offer another report. "Then I'll get ready. We need to leave as soon as possible." Thorax said, his mood noticeably lighter at the thought of visiting his friends.

He barely noticed how all the other changelings bowed deep as he left, or how they made no motion to follow him.

As the Throne Guard closed the doors, every changeling slumped on their place.

"That was... new." Pincer groaned. "I had expected Prince Thorax to be upset, but I was expecting yelling, screaming, maybe a magic blast or two and a call for the guard. Not a nosedive into panic."

"I think I would have preferred the yelling." A deflated Tarsus grumbled, as Miridea moved over to rub his back. "And probably even the blasts. A King should not taste of such complete dread. Is he even aware of just how powerful his emotions are in his new form? Of how much his mood affects the hive? Queen Chrysalis may have loved to keep us under her hoof in fear, but she never allowed herself to radiate anything but pure confidence."

"It should be clear by now that Prince Thorax is not like any of the Queens in recent history." Vespid rumbled. "He has never been the confident type, or one to lash out at others."

Tarsus's eyes narrowed at the warrior-commander. "You knew!" he hissed.

"I knew Prince Thorax would not punish you for what you could not control. I did not expect the panic attack either."

"He confuses me." Chatter groaned. "I dropped a dozen lures during our meetings, but he didn't even nibble at any of them. Vespid, he served under you, didn't he? Before the change? What's his game plan? With that calm air of kindness and innocence, I feel like I could have been the new Queen five times over."

Vespid barked out a low laughter. "You've seen it, keeper Chatter. When he served under me, the Thorax I know was the worst changeling I had ever seen. He had no spine, never stood up for himself or even tried to fend off those targeting him. Even his pranks were crafted with concern for his victim in mind, he just didn't find them funny if the other couldn't laugh about it as well. His skill at deception was abysmal even by warrior standards, though he seems to have improved in that regard given how he tricked all of us except Chrysalis during his return."

A small smile tugged on Vespid's lips at that memory. Chatter flicked her tongue out and caught a hint of.. pride?

"But you kept him off the field anyway." Pincer noted.

Vespid snorted. "Oh yes. He seemed almost afraid to hurt someling, much less somepony. I put him on reargaurd duty, I figured that this way he would at least be able to alert us of flanking enemies, or at the very least distract them for a second or two. After the Canterlot invasion I had written him off as dead, until we got news of him living in the Crystal Empire. Not infiltrating, but living with them." He sighed. "I had wished to report to Chrysalis that this was all part of a plan, that he had revealed himself to them to gain their trust. But I knew at that point that Thorax had... left us. It was simply not in his nature to come up with a plan that required such betrayal."

Chatter had felt her jaw slowly drop wider and wider as the conversation had carried on. "So you mean to say that all those openings I saw-?"

"-Were not lures to attempt to draw out traitors or test your mettle. You really could have been the new changeling Queen five times."

Chatter snapped her jaw shut with an audible clack. "That's it, I'm going with the Prince."

"Oh? Want a shot at the throne?" Pincer asked, but his face held no amusement this time.

"What? No! No, but after what Vespid just said, there are complications that mean I have to-"

"Does this have anything to do with the infiltrators that failed to report back? The ones you left out of your report?" Vespid asked.

Chatter's head snapped back to the warrior-commander. "How do you know about that?" she hissed.

Vespid simply grinned. "You may be the keeper of secrets, Chatter, but I am the warrior-commander of this hive. Just because you and your infiltrators are impossible to track on the field does not mean they don't report back when they return to the hive. When changelings fail to report back, I notice."

The head of the hive's infiltrators clenched her jaw. A rather embarrassing oversight. "No need to report that, until we have something to report." she said, quoting an old changeling saying. 'Never report bad news until you can soften it with good news.'

Miridea tilted her head. "Chatter, surely the event with Tarsus has shown that Prince Thorax does not punish failure as the previous Queens have."

"No, instead he worries about them as if they were his own and risks setting the hive into a panic with his emotions." she shot back, and sighed. "The thing is, even I don't know where those changelings went. They just vanished off the grid. No trace, not even the usual infiltrator markings. I don't know where they are, or what they're planning, but if Prince Thorax is as kind hearted as Vespid is suggesting, he'll never see them coming."

Vespid's eyes darkened. "Are you suggesting they will be going after him?"

"I don't know! And that's what bothers me. I don't like not knowing. But I do know that I'm not going to risk our Prince going in there unguarded."

A moment of silence reigned around the table until Miridae cleared her throat. "Then I'm coming too. The team here doesn't really need my full attention given how slow the climate is changing, and I am every bit the caretaker Tarsus is. You might need me."

Nods went around the table, and Pincer chuckled. "Heh, look at us. We're actually worried about him, aren't we?"

"He is our Prince." Vespid simply answered.

But no nods followed this time, and as the changelings all left the improvised throne room, they all wondered just how much the changelings had changed.

And just how much they had to change still.

2. Journey to the Empire

"But your highness-"

"No."

"But it is our duty-"

"No."

"But your safety is of paramount importance-"

"Vespid." Thorax glared down at his warrior commander. "No."

Vespid did not glare back. A warrior commander does not glare at his liege. It was unbecoming, undisciplined, and usually very, very dangerous.

Even when his prince was being incredibly stubborn in regards to his own safety.

"At least permit me to bring the Throne Guard. While they will not be able to halt an army, they should be able to adequately shield you should a hasty retreat prove necessary."

"The Throne guard still means forty well armed and armoured changelings, Vespid," Thorax said evenly.

"I am aware of the low number your Highness, but these forty are the best our hive has to offer. They will make up for their numbers with their training." Vespid returned resolutely. Perhaps he had gone down a bit too much in the number, but given that his previous suggestion of half a battalion was rejected outright, he had thought the number sufficiently low. If this was too low, then perhaps the prince could see reason.

The sigh and accompanying facehoof dashed those hopes before they took flight. "That's not the point Vespid." Thorax groaned. "Look, imagine for a moment that an armed force of highly trained ponies arrives on our doorstep, what do you do?"

The reply came without hesitation. "I would rally our forces and prepare for an imminent invasion, call the war council, recommend infiltration of the enemy force to the keeper of se-"

"That's my point!" Thorax interrupted. Loudly. "You'd see it as a threat, why wouldn't they?"

Vespid shrunk in on himself as Thorax raised his voice. Yes, they ponies would see the prince's force as a threat. But that was the point, wasn't it? All negotiations start from a place of power, so Prince Thorax would have to show that theirs was not inferior. Plus... "But what about the dangers, my Prince? The journey to the Crystal Kingdoms is long and arduous, with many great beasts in between."

Thorax blinked "Huh? Well, the nearest train station isn't exactly close, but I would hardly call the journey there 'arduous'."

Now it was Vespid's turn to blink. "Your highness, are you... saying you wish to use the pony transportation system?"

"Well, yes," Thorax nodded. "I've used it to travel Equestria before, it's really comfortable and fast. We'd be in the Crystal Empire in no time."

Vespid worked his jaw, unsure of how to point out to his prince the inherent dangers of using the roads of their opponent (political opponents, but opponents nonetheless). He was about to carefully word an alternative, but the far too cheerful voice of Chatter interrupted him before he could voice it.

"Just think of it as an infiltration, Vespid. Small team goes in, small team gets out, nopony is any the wiser."

"Something like that, yes." Thorax nodded. "And again, a lot faster too."

"As you wish, my Prince," Vespid said, a sigh in his voice betraying a lingering disapproval of the whole idea. "I do humbly insist at the very least on two of the Throne Guard as well as myself accompanying you."

"Of course." Thorax smiled.

"Counting Miridea, that would make six total. Not unusual for pony travelling parties, we shouldn't draw too much attention." Chatter nodded.

"Speaking of which," Thorax glanced around. "Where is she?"

"Over there, talking with Tarsus," Vespid said, pointing down a hallway as Tarsus and Miridae approached the group. Vespid tried to catch a snippet of their conversation, but they stopped to bow before prince Thorax before he could catch anything.

"Everything alright?" Thorax asked.

"Yes, your highness," Miridae answered. "Tarsus and I were just going over what we've learned about the changes to our biology, and how to move forward. We've found several volunteers who are willing to help the caretakers in their research."

Thorax let one ear drop in hesitation. "Volunteers for research? I'm... not sure I like the sound of that."

"We need to figure out how our bodies work, my Prince. All changelings involved agreed on this, and are prepared for the risks."

Hesitation still marred Thorax's face, but he relented with a stiff nod and turned to give Tarsus a firm stare. "Keep them safe, Tarsus. And if you find anything that may help us through this problem, let me know at once."

The red changeling bowed. "I swear on my eggshell, Prince Thorax, I will do whatever I can to find a solution."

Thorax smiled and put a hoof to his shoulder. "I know you will."

Spreading his wings, the Prince of the changelings took to the sky. The two throne guard immediately taking up formation just behind him, while Miridae and Chatter buzzed to his sides. Vespid decided to make up the rear, flying slightly higher than the rest to keep a good view of the travelling party. Even as his prince gave the order to go -a cheery "let's go guys!" counts if it comes from a prince- Vespid continued to feel ill at ease with the party. Prince Thorax was the single most unorthodox changeling ruler he had ever heard off, but he had not imagined his new prince to be so careless of his own safety. New rulers usually surrounded themselves with as many guards as they could, both to show off their power to the Hive and the outside and to safeguard themselves from any would be usurpers before they had come fully into power. Prince Thorax had done none of that, and while the faith he had obviously placed in him did feel good, there was a slight nagging thought somewhere. Something that protested against this open display of trust.

Shaking his head, he buzzed along with the group. If he felt nervous, he would just have to pay twice as much attention.

It took the better part of a day for the group to reach the nearest train station in Dodge Junction and as they reached the outer edges of the town the changelings switched to their disguises. The two Throne Guard changed into two unassuming brown pegasi, Chatter held true to her new colour pattern and changed into a unicorn mare with blue eye, coat and mane, Miridae a pegasus with a green coat and mane and blue eyes. Vespid, on the other hoof, took on a black coat and silver mane which drew a few chuckles from the other changelings.

"Compensating for something, warrior commander?" Chatter teased, a grin on her face.

Vespid did not reply, but merely send a glare to the Keeper of Secrets, and an angry flick of his new tail to the Throne Guard behind him, who were doing a poor job of hiding their snickering.

Thorax put a hoof on Vespid's shoulder. "Don't worry Vespid, I think your normal colouring looks great." he said with a smile, which only led to the group to falling over in peels of laughter as Vespid groaned and repeatedly thumped his head against a nearby rock.

"Your Highness?" Miridae said after stifling another giggle. "Your turn."

Thorax let the last chuckle die down before he lifted his head. It had been a while since he had used his changeling magic. Not since his transformation into a changeling king, he flicked his ear as he idly wondered if it would work the way he wanted to... the form he wanted to take was considerably different from his current one. Though then again, none of the Queens ever had any trouble shapeshifting. Quite the contrary, few in known changeling history had ever been able to see through Chrysallis's disguises.

Thorax channelled his magic through his horns. All three horns. It felt weird to channel magic through three horns at once, as if he had suddenly grown an extra limb to help move around. And more powerful too. It was as if he had shaken of a dead weight that had been stuck to his leg and suddenly felt like he could run twice as fast.

Familiar green flames burst around his body, and he could feel it begin to change. Shrinking down until it stood slightly shorter than an average pony, wings melding into a crystalline coat, horns shrinking before being covered by a shimmering mane, in a flash the majestic form of Prince Thorax had been replaced with the small, fragile form of Crystal Hooves. He stretched his legs first, then his neck. Wow, it felt weird to suddenly be shorter than everyling -or everypony at the moment, really- again.

"Well, let's go then guys!" Thorax said enthusiastically, raising his head as his eyes brimmed with excitement.

Only to notice that all the others were staring at him with expressions varying from stunned amazement to complete horror. The two guards were just staring at him with their jaws dropped. Miridae's mouth was opening and closing like a fish. Chatter managed an expression that was somewhere between amusement and... nervousness? While Vespid looked like he was about to scamper on top of that rock he'd been banging his head against.

"Guys? What's wrong? Did I mess up my transformation somewhere?" Thorax asked nervously as he turned around to study his disguise. Legs? Check. Tail? Check. Cutie mark? Check. Maybe... "Is it something on my face?"

"No! No! It looks like a regular crystal pony face." Chatter quickly waved her hooves in reassurance, though the nervous flicking of her ears ruined any reassuring effect it had. "It's, er, very... unassuming?"

"Oh, heh, yeah." Thorax rubbed the back of his head. "I did kind of want this face to blend in. I just wanted to make friends at the time so I tried to make it look as non-threatening as possible."

"Well he's done a good job there," one of the guards muttered to his companion, before wilting under a toxic glare from Vespid.

Miridae raised her voice before Vespid could start his own objections. "We know, your majesty. And were it not for your desire to have friends, we would not have gotten this far. It's just... should your form not be a bit more... regal?"

Thorax tilted his head, one ear flopping down and confusion evident on his face. "Why?"

"Well, I can't claim to be an expert on diplomacy, but we are going to be negotiating with the heads of state. These affairs to my knowledge require a lot of regal posturing, which is perhaps why Vespid was so insistent on taking the guard," she said, nodding to the pink-eyed changeling who nodded vigorously from his spot next to his rock.

Flicking out his tongue for just a second, Thorax scrunched his nose as the fizzling taste of confusion filled his mouth. But why would they be confused? They were just going to- "Oh. Oh!" Thorax said, his eyes widening in realization. "You guys thought this was going to be a massive diplomatic excursion?"

All the changelings turned to stare at one another, various degrees of confusion on their faces before they turned back to Thorax.

"... What else could we call this?" Miridae asked, her head tilting.

"A friendly visit?" Thorax returned. "Cadance and Shining Armour are good friends of mine, so I'm going to ask them for help. Or probably Sunburst, he always has answers to tricky questions." His ears perked up as he remembered his bookish friend, always ready to look up an answer for whatever silly question he could come up with.

The other changelings, on the other hoof, were still gaping at Thorax.

"Look, just trust me on this one guys." Thorax sighed. It was still hard to explain concepts like trust and friendship to other changelings. Thorax knew how hard it was to understand them, if it hadn't been for Spike he never would have found the answers himself either.

Vespid sighed, but nodded. "As you say, my Prince." Thorax could still taste a hint of uncertainty in the air, but the resolution in the eyes of him and his fellow changelings made it clear that they would follow him regardless. They might not have understood it yet, but they had already found their trust in him.

It warmed his heart.

"Well then, let's go!" Thorax pumped a hoof in the air and turned to continue into Dodge Junction. He missed the amused stares and choked laughter of his subjects.

Dodge Junction, a small frontier town right on the edge of pony-kept lands. While still a ways from the Badlands, it had been the closest settlement to the changeling borders since its founding just a few years ago. The changelings had been keeping a close eye on this town as a result, always wary for intrusions into their realm. Small as it was, the town never had never made it a good spot for love to harvest, but its small number of citizens had made it a prime spot for changelings to practice impersonations. Almost every changeling that had gone out on missions had been in Dodge Junction at one point or another.

Almost all changelings. While most of the group walked through the small town with a confident stride, Miridae was gaping at every little thing like a young nymph exploring the hive.

"What's that?" she asked for what seemed like the dozenth time.

"The ponies call it 'their local watering hole.' It's a place where they all get together and share salt and drinks," one of the Throne Guard answered.

"Salt?"

"Yeah, never really got that either. Seems to have to do something with their biology, ponies sweat a lot."

"Really, sweating? So that's what this water on my coat is. Do you think-"

"Ahem," Chatter coughed to get the curious caretaker's attention. "Perhaps we should save the discussion of the biology of our fellow ponies for later?"

Miridae's eyes widened in realization before her green pony ears fell flat against her head. "Oh, er, right. Sorry."

Chatter sighed and moved closer, lowering her voice. "Look, I get that you're excited. You caretakers rarely leave the hive after all, but you have to be careful with what you say outside the hive. Even if you're not talking directly to a pony."

If it were possible, Miridae's eyes flattened even further as she lowered her head. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're a caretaker, you were never trained for infiltration." Chatter raised her head to glare at the Throne Guard. "He should know better though."

"Yes. He should," Vespid spoke up, his eyes drilling into the Throne Guard who seemed to wilt under his glare. The unspoken 'we will have words about this' was visible to anyone.

A panging sensation flared in Miridae's chest. Getting the Guard in trouble because of her own curiosity did not sit well with her for some reason. "My Prince, how much further will we go?" Miridae asked, trying to shift the subject.

"Crystal Hooves."

Miridae blinked. "I'm... sorry?"

"My name," Thorax said as he turned around. "As long as I'm in this form, call me Crystal Hooves."

"That is..." Chatter had to fumble for the words. "quite possibly the most generic crystal pony name I've heard. I'm impressed."

"Thank Spike, he came up with it."

Chatter raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Spike? As in your draconic friend?"

Thorax nodded. "To be fair to him, he had to come up with it in the spur of the moment."

"..."

"No, you may not recruit him to help create codenames for your infiltrators."

"I didn't even say anything!" Chatter grumbled, letting loose an indignant snort.

"Chatter, I could taste your mischief without even trying," Thorax replied back with a grin.

"Will we meet him?" Miridae asked. "I've never seen a dragon up close before."

Thorax's ears drooped and his head fell. "I doubt it. He lives in Ponyville, which is a long ways from the Crystal Empire." He missed his friend, he really did. They barely had gotten any time to talk after the whole 'depose Chrysalis and become the new king' debacle.

Maybe he should just go pay him a visit. After he was done. Just for the buzz of it.

"Pri- Sir Crystal Hooves." The voice and a prod of Chatter made Thorax's head snap up. She nudged her head down the road, where a brown coated stallion with a stetson with a sheriff's badge on it was approaching the group.

The reactions of their group were varried. Miridae sucked in her breath and nervously shuffled backwards. Vespid remained where he was, right next to Thorax, while the two guards took up position to either side of the group. Thorax himself just shifted from hoof to hoof, eyes darting as he tried to come up with a story. Chatter just smiled. "May I?" She asked Thorax.

"Please. I was never really good at this bit," Thorax replied, gratitude rolling of his voice.

Chatter nodded in response, the smile still on her muzzle. The sheriff had stopped in front of their group and tipped his hat. "Well howdy, strangers, and welcome to Dodge Junction. I'm Road Spurs, the sheriff of this here settlement. If ye don't mind me askin', what brings you to our little town? We usually get our visitors by train, not walkin' in from the direction of the Badlands."

Chatter lifted a hoof to her muzzle and cleared her throat politely, but from his own angle Thorax noticed that at the same time the hoof was hiding the small flick of her tongue as she took a taste of the emotions surrounding the sheriff. With the sheriff's attention on Chatter, Thorax risked the same.

Caution, a small hint of suspicion, but mixed in with a lot of worry, especially directed towards him. Well, he did look a bit on the young side for a pony. Glancing back and the now blue-coated mare, he saw Chatter had noticed too.

"We're a touring and exploration company. I'm Far Away, explorer and part-time tourist guide. We just returned from the edge of the Badlands with young sir Crystal Hooves here, who had been extremely curious about what he could find all the corners of Equestria." The on-the-spot lie of a cover story flew from the leader of the changeling infiltrators muzzle as natural as breathing.

"Touring and exploration? That don't sound like a grand combination of jobs to me." the sheriff questioned. The suspicion thickened.

Chatter didn't let the suspicion get to her, waggling her ears with a huge grin on her muzzle she continued. "Well, exploration costs a lot of bits, so I figured 'why not combine the two?' The customer gets to see more of Equestria, and I get to get to explore it while getting paid for it."

"And that led you to the Badlands?"

Chatter nodded, then gestured towards Thorax. "The young sir here is financing my latest expedition slash tour. Poor dear had been cooped up in his Crystal Empire for a thousand years, he was practically begging to see more of the world." The blue mare put a hoof to her chin. "Actually begging, now that I think of it." A low rumble of a growl from Vespid drew everyone's attention to the stallion, who was sending a withering glare in Chatter's direction. Chatter almost jovially waved him off. "Right, right, respect for the young sir. I get it." She turned back to the sheriff. "The young sir's guards. Bit uptight, but good folk. Don't really like me being casual with the young sir though."

To any pony observing, the exchange would have looked like how Chatter presented it. But the changelings knew better. Chatter was 'spinning the web', an game changelings always played as nymphs. Chatter was spinning a story and inviting everyone to make up their own role in it. Chatter the young vibrant explorer, Vespid and his guards the bodyguards of their charge. Thorax had never been really good at it, as normally each changeling was expected to find their own strands, but right now he saw the opening Chatter had given him. Smiling timidly he drew his own strand into the web of lies.

"I don't really mind though. Miss Away is fun to talk to."

A myriad of emotion ranging from surprise, to frustration to resignation flew across Vespid's face, though behind them Thorax could only taste his dry amusement. Vespid was getting into the spirit of the game. With a soft sigh, he seemingly relented. "As you say, young master."

Sheriff Road Spurs had been observing the exchange while it had gone on, and the changelings could taste most of the suspicion fading. Just one more push, it seemed. Then he turned to Miridae.

"And what about you, miss? You don't look like no crystal pony, you part of the team?"

Miridae blinked and her ears flattened at the sudden attention. "No, I, uhm, I joined up later. Recently. I heard they were going to the Crystal Empire next to bring back the, uhm, young sir and I- IreallywantoseetheCrystalEmpire!"

The Sheriff stood stock still as he observed the changeling-turned-mare. For a moment, each changeling held its breath, but then the sheriff smiled. "Don't we all, lass. Well, don't let me stop you. Mighty shame y'all are just passin' through our town, but safe journeys to you. If ya ever find yerself in Dodge Junction again, drop by and say hello." And with a final tip of his hat, the sheriff wandered off.

The group politely waved after the sheriff for a moment before continuing on. This time with a bit more silence, for which Thorax was grateful. He never really liked infiltration, it always made him nervous to lie to other ponies, always scared they'd see through his disguise. He couldn't wait to be in the Crystal Empire again, where ponies knew and loved him for who he was.

The station wasn't too far. Dodge Junction was only a small frontier town after all. Thorax insisted on paying for the tickets, much to Vespid's protests, cheekily reminding the group that 'he was their employer, after all.'

The moment the train arrived was something of a shock to most of the assembled changelings. Many had seen a train before, but aside from Thorax and Chatter, none had ever really travelled with one. Poor Miridae hadn't even had the luxury of seeing one, and the big, metal beast huffing and puffing as it pulled into the station send her scampering behind Vespid.

"What- what is that!?"

Thorax tried to keep his voice calm as he explained. "It's a train, ponies invented it to travel quickly and easily through their land. It uses steam to pull the cars and it's really quick and comfortable."

"Is it safe?" the caretaker squeeked.

Thorax smiled. "Perfectly safe, come on." He calmly trotted through the doors of the cart, Chatter following close behind him. As their prince stepped on board without fear, Vespid and the guards swallowed their nerves and followed. Miridae carefully, very carefully, followed last.

Inside was not what she expected. She'd half expected some sort of great metal digestion tract, but instead it was like... like a room. A room with many colours. It didn't change the way a changeling room would, which felt weird to her. Rooms should change, why even bother having them if they just stayed the same? Might as well sleep in a cave.

Though on the other hoof, she hadn't ever seen a room like this either. So many colours, so many shapes she had never seen before in the hive.

"You can sit on these couches, you know," Thorax said from one of the couches.

The voice of her monarch brought Miridae back to the present. "Oh, I'm sorry your highness, I was just.. distracted." She hurriedly made her way to one of the couches and climbed up to sit next to Chatter. As she looked around again, she noticed that the changelings seemed to have the entire car for themselves. She and Chatter were sat opposite to Prince Thorax, the two Throne Guards on the couch next to them and Vespid opposite of the guards.

The blue-coated keeper of secrets sighed dramatically as she settled down. "Ahh, your first time out of the hive. I remember mine, a whole alien world to explore."

"That sheriff seems to be catching on to things, though. He never used to look out towards strangers so keenly," Vespid noted.

"Yes, it might be time to move our training grounds to a different location." Chatter sighed. "Pity, I like the place, and it's so conveniently close." She then turned to Miridae, a coy grin spreading across her muzzle. "Speaking of the sheriff though, well done on with that bit of improvisation, that bit of panic really sold the story of the bright-eyed tourist to him."

"Well, I really do want to see the Crystal Empire." Miridae admitted, feeling her cheeks wash with a blush. "Back in the hive, when we played I always mixed in the truth with the lies. That always seems to sell the lie better."

Chatter cackled and threw a hoof around the caretaker's neck. "Miridae, we'll make a proper infiltrator out of you yet."

"Was that... infiltration? It looked like you were just playing spinning the web."

Vespid laughed. "A lot of infiltration is spinning webs. There are times we do have very elaborate backgrounds and cover stories, which would be her department." He nodded at Chatter, who gave a proud grin in return. "More often than that though, we simply replace ponies or spin the web. Ponies are less likely to question friends or the story of a group."

"Deep cover is really only important during long term missions," Chatter added. "And we rarely send changelings on those. They tended to have a high casualty rate."

"Casualties?" The caretaker's eyes widened at that, ears flicking nervously. "What happened?"

Chatter shook her head. "We don't know. All we know is that after a long period of time, an infiltrator would drop off the grid entirely. There was never a set time, or a clear event, nor did this happen to every changeling. It was a statistically low amount, really, but big enough that combined with not knowing what caused it, the hive dared not risk too many changelings on it."

"Do you think they were discovered?" Miridae asked, shifting nervously in her seat as her head swivelled around the car to look for an invisible intruder.

"It's possible." Chatter admitted. "But if so, they were discovered by a something that could hide even from a changeling until the moment it strikes."

That was a sobering thought, and none of the changelings liked it. The idea that there was something that could hunt changelings was an alien thought to the predators. Vespid caught Chatter's eyes and wordlessly asked a question, but Chatter gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Whatever had caused her infiltrators to drop of the grid en-masse following Thorax's rise, it wasn't this.

As the mood in the car dropped, all changelings wrinkled their noses at the tastes of the now sour moods, which soured them even further. It started to feel far too much like the old hive, Miridae realized. Something had to be done to steer the conversation away from this sour-spiral. "So Prince Thorax, how is this thing going to take us to the Crystal Empire?"

Thorax looked up, blinking as his ears twitched at the sudden question. "Oh, the train should be stocked up by now and we should be leaving-" A sharp whistle made Miridae jump in her seat. "Right about now," Thorax finished sheepishly.

The cart jolted as the train jerked into motion. The changelings tensed at the motion, apart from Thorax and Chatter who had travelled by train before. The latter gave Miridae a reassuring nuzzle while Thorax smiled from the other couch. "You'll get used to it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. You'll know we're at the Crystal Empire when we get there."

"It'll take a few days, even by train. How about some games to last the day?" Chatter asked.

"I saw a poker set for passengers near the entrance," one of the guards piped up. "Anyone up for a game?"

Vespid grunted his approval. "As long as you're ready to lose again."

"What's poker?" Miridae questioned.

"A card game about bluffing and trying to read your opponent. Good training, and fun too." Vespid grinned. "I'd almost believe it was designed by changelings."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Bring out the set!" Thorax said.

The game lasted till well into the night, much of it at the expense of poor Thorax who was ever so easy to read to his fellow changelings. He didn't mind though, his changelings gave no quarter, even to their prince. And that was just the way he wanted it.

The journey lasted several days, during much of which Miridae was practically glued to the window trying to soak in the sights of the world beyond their hive. Other passengers came and went, providing the opportunistic changelings with the occasional snack to last them on their journey.

After several days, they arrived. Thorax had told them they'd know if they were there. And they did. It was hard to miss.

It was as if they passed an invisible wall, the heads of all the changelings in the car jerked up, eyes wide as their tongues instinctively lapped the air. The taste was everywhere, as if they were suddenly surrounded by an aura of pure, unfiltered love.

"What-" Chatter croaked, her voice cracking as her head turned left and right, trying to find the source of the love. "What is this?"

Thorax grinned broadly and nodded his head to the window. When they had last looked out, there was nothing but snow and the mountains of the North. Now the snow of the Northern mountains had vanished, replaced with lush green fields, crystals growing alongside the bushes. And in the distance, a gleaming crystal spire.

"That was the edge of the great barrier that protects this realm, both from the fierce northern weather and those that mean it harm. Out there is the Crystal Palace, seat of government to Princes Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armour, and also the place where the Crystal Heart is kept." Thorax's grin turned to a longing smile. "Welcome to the Crystal Empire."

Author's Note

Bler, that took way longer than I intended. I could blame life for it, but really all blame goes to me. Well, me and this blasted site. So many good fics, and with almost six years worth of backlog there's just so much to read. I get started on another fic and before I know it the day whooshes by.

I'll try not to get distracted so easily (or at least not so long) from now on.

3. Unforseen conclusions

Tarsus trotted through the ever-changing corridors of the hive, pausing at certain junctures and walls as old openings shut and new ones opened, and even entire hallways realigned themselves. It was largely instinct that let him feel when and where the best routes through the hive are. Builders may have always had the best sense for how the hive shaped itself -something they had made into a point of pride- but caretakers were no slouches themselves. A lifetime spent in a place means you eventually find your way in it.

He paused in front of what seemed to be an empty wall, lightly tapping his hoof against the stone ground, "Four, three, two, o-" just before he finished, the sound of wet leaves being torn filled the corridor, and a hole opened up right in front of him. Tarsus allowed a small grin to cross his muzzle. "Almost."

Stepping through, the caretaker found himself in his latest workspace. It was an isolated space deep inside the hive, an open room with several large, green blobs of slime arranged in a crescent against the wall of the room. The bedpods each had one changeling lying on them. These were his patients, Last he had checked them, they had not been doing so well.

"How are they?" he asked Probos, one of his assistants, a green changeling with blue eyes who was currently scribbling notes down on a clipboard.

His assistant looked up from his work and scrunched his muzzle. "Worrying. While has been a few days, we're seeing an increasing decline in health the longer they are starved from love. Regular foodstuff seems to help, but only to a certain level. It can keep them alive, but it can't stop the hunger."

Tarsus frowned. "So we have been unable to find a substitute for love? What about the meat test?"

The changeling shook his head. "A bust. While it does seem to have a more powerful effect than regular pony food -in hindsight not surprising given our predatory nature- it still doesn't change the root problem: we need love."

Tarsus let out a long suffering sigh. "Let's run through the final analysis then. We've tried eating other emotions, which was a downright failure. We simply can't 'drain' emotions other than love."

"Historical notes suggest that there were other species that could. Sirens and Wendigo who fed on hatred and anger. Sirens maintain a threat to Equestria and are usually banished when they enter Equestria. The Wendigo... well, even we changelings know the tale of Hearth's Warming," Probos added.

"The war that was won without a single shot," Tarsus remarked. "So, not an option even if we could. Prince Thorax would never allow us to become enemies of Equestria. Next, we tried eating one's own love."

"Which also turned out to be impossible. We even had our hive's greatest narcissist give it a shot."

"I assume Mirrorshine took the disappointment with his usual grace and humility?"

"Last I heard he had started a quest for the first changeling alcohol to drink away his sorrow," Probos noted with a fanged grin.

"Noted. And second before last, we tried turning to regular pony food."

Probos flipped to the most recent page on his clipboard. "The initial results were promising. There was an initial recovery, and the body does seem to absorb the nutrients and remain alive. Meat proved to be even better at this, but after a certain peak was hit, we noticed a decline again. The body itself remains alive, but everything else just seems to... fade."

Tarsus sighed and rubbed his temple with a hoof. "We seem to have gotten all we can out of this experiment. If we cannot make any further progress, I am inclined to shut it down."

His assistant nodded, relief washing of him in waves. Tarsus raised an eyebrow.

A cough and Probos turned his head away, slight embarrassment tingeing his cheeks. "Apologies. I know I have assisted you with dozens of experiments far worse than this, but now... now I can't wait to end it, even though we could continue to gather every scrap of knowledge right up until the actual end."

Tarsus let those words run around in his head. What Probos said was right, they had done experiments far worse than this, but now that he thought back on them, he felt...

"Probos, do you remember our last experiment before Prince Thorax's return?"

The green changeling blinked. "That was the one where we perfected the magic sealant of our prison pods, wasn't it?"

Tarsus nodded. "That's the one. Now, I want you to think back on that experiment, and the subject. How does thinking back on it make you feel?"

Probos blinked, and Tarsus could see an uncomfortable look pass over the changeling, his eyes blanking slightly and the corners of his mouth dipping downwards. After a moment, the changeling furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I'd rather not. Is this relevant to our current experiment?"

Tarsus observed his assistant for a moment longer, but shook his head. "No. Not right now at any rate." Neither Tarsus nor Probos had had any problems with the experiment at the time, nor the poor pony that had been their subject at the time. But now, just thinking back on it... it made Tarus once again wonder just how much they had changed, and where it stopped.

Tarus shook his head. Probos was right. While concerning, the changes to their psychology were not directly relevant to the task at hand. He turned back to the bedpods to begin his rounds in earnest. One more check-up, if he did not find a breakthrough here, he would shut this experiment down.

Something told him Prince Thorax would want it that way.

Arriving at the first bedpod, Tarsus took a good look at the changeling. Spinner, one of the caretakers. His brown carapace had begun to lose its shine and his eyes had dulled.

"How are you doing, Spinner?"

The changeling tilted his head and smiled weakly. "Regretting volunteering for this. I feel like a pod gone bad. I'm hungry, tired, and even smiling seems like climbing the wall. The food doesn't seem to help much." A grunt that sounded like a chuckle bubbled forth from his throat. "On the bright side, I've found I really like fish, so yay for small things?"

Tarsus returned the chuckle and nodded. "We're nearing the end of this experiment. Just hang on for a little longer."

Another grunt, this one more of relief mixed with determination. Tarsus moved on to the next bedpod, and the next after that. So far, the results were as bad as he had expected them to be. The same symptoms, the same problems, all pointing to the same conclusion.

The last bedpod, his last patient. The worker he'd gotten to know as Scuttler was without a doubt the worst off. The poor changeling had looked underfed even before he had volunteered for Tarsus's experiment. As it turned out, Scuttler had refused to feed ever since the great change, even on the love that had been freely offered to him. When asked why, all Scuttler had done was look down, fear and disgust wafting off him like a forgotten nest with rotting eggs.

Approaching the bedpod, Tarsus noted that Scuttler had gotten even worse. His normally yellow chitin had lost almost all colour, turning into a light grey that seemed to be getting darker now. His normally red eyes had dulled almost entirely. "Scuttler? Can you hear me?" Tarsus spoke, unsure of whether Scuttler could even hear him anymore.

The changeling's head slowly turned until the eyes seemed to lock on to Tarsus.

"How are you feeling, Scuttler?" Tarsus asked.

"Hungry." The rasped response send a shiver down Tarsus's neck, and he involuntarily took a step back.

"How was the meat? Did it help any?" Tarsus had to force the questions from his mind to his mouth. The way Scuttler kept looking at him, eyes never blinking, never leaving his own, was unnerving.

"Hungry," Scuttler repeated. Now his tongue flared out and- did Scuttler's eyes just flash blue?

"I'll.. mark that as a no." Tarsus turned to his clipboard to mark the answer. This was insane, why was he even continuing this? Why was he letting this continue? "One last question, for the sake of finishing this properly, then we're stopping this. What are you hungry for?" The question was an obvious one, but asked after every new meal, just to see if something other than love had stuck in a changeling's palette.

Silence.

For one, brief moment, the question was answered with total silence. Tarsus looked up from his clipboard to see that Scuttler, despite his malnourished frame, had managed to crawl and turn to stand on his legs.

"...Love." The rasping voice finally replied. Scuttler was staring directly at him now, his tongue lashing out. "...Delicious love..."

"Scuttler? What's are you-"

Tarsus's words dried in his throat. Even as he was staring at him, Scuttler's dark grey carapace turned darker, until it became a dry black. His dull eye slowly turned blue. His wings dried until they started ripping.

An eerily familiar hissing sound rippled from Scuttler's throat. Then Scuttler lunged.