Chapters Chapter One- The Beginning of the End
In the seemingly peaceful time of Celestia's rule before the great war, myths and legends abounded. Ponies would tell each other stories around the campfire on a dark night, about the creatures that still roamed the land. The Cockatrice, a mix of beast and bird, that could turn your skin into stone in the mere blink of an eye. The cunning three headed serpents of Draconic lake which lured sailors to their doom. Gilded Mirror Beasts which revealed the future that could have been. The Diamond Dogs, wolves that lived right underneath your feet, waiting to pounce at any time...
The one story most feared though, told with squeals and whispers, was something completely different.
Changelings.
"V'tara! Do I have to repeat myself again?"
The exclamation brought V'tara out of her daydream, her attention returning to the tall, frowning changeling in front of her. She could taste his emotions in the air, the frustration practically palatable. "Sorry Korak!" She winced, trying her best to remember his words. "Heh. What were we talking about again?"
The changeling sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hoof. He was old, eyes faded with age. "Shifting. We were talking about shifting. Now can you assume the chosen form or not?" Considering these words, V'tara nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I can! Just watch..."
Concentrating, green eldritch fire shot across her body, the gleaming black of her carapace shifting to blue fur as her wings vanished with a spark. Her emerald green eyes flooded with new colour, changing to a bright cerulean. As the transformation slowed, Korak regarded V'tara with disinterest. Where once had been an ordinary if hyperactive changeling, there now stood an equally impatient earth pony, her blue coat and cream mane a stark contrast to the surroundings.
"Impressive." The older changeling said sarcastically, "But not good enough. Your tail is flickering."
"What?" V'tara glanced down at her treacherous tail, which sure enough was flickering, revealing her true form beneath.
"Focus on your control and speed. Those ponies," he spat out the word in disgust as V'tara shifted back, embarrassed. "Those ponies above ground will destroy you the second you reveal yourself. Don't give them the chance-"
Wearily, V'tara shifted her focus, used to Koraks speeches. "Surely up there can't be that bad..." She thought, looking at the familiar low ceilings of the hive with eyes well adjusted to the near darkness. Orbs hung from the shiny black carapace-like surface of the walls, flooding the area in a faint green glow. Tunnels led off in countless directions, one of which lead to the overground, forbidden to all but the harvesters.
She sighed. She'd probably be stuck down here converting emotional energy into food for the hive her entire life. Not that she minded- if that was what the Queen decreed, then who was she to disagree? Still, the idea of the outside couldn't help but spark curiousity. All wind and rain, with a ceiling that never ended and a burning orb that hung in the sky through magic undreamt of.
"Korak..." She started, hoping he'd calmed down enough to answer a question. "What's the sun like?"
"The sun?" He stopped, taken out of his fervor. "Tell me young one, did you listen to a word I just said?" He was no doubt about to berate V'tara for asking such a question when they were both interrupted by a low rumbling sound, the lights flickering as a layer of fine dust fell from the ceiling. "I-Is it an earthquake?" V'tara asked. Earthquakes weren't unheard of, but something about this felt... off. The rumbling didn't fade or increase. It just ecohed constantly.
Korak had gone uncomfortably quiet, motioning for her to be quiet as the changeling strained his ears. All around them the faint emotional link all changelings shared could be felt as the rumbling echoed throughout the tunnels.
Fear, confusion, panic... And realisation? And then V'tara could almost feel the breathlessness of a scout running into the throne room in terror. Time seemed to freeze as thousands of changelings stopped to hone in on the emotions of one very small, very scared scout.
Her eyes went wide as the Queen's rage emanated from deep within the hive. Changelings everywhere seemed to erupt from every tunnel, Korak himself disappearing with the wave of bodies rushing towards their positions, shouting at V'tara to find cover. The din was unbearable as she hurtled down a tunnel, the days lesson a distant memory. The impossible had happened.
They were under attack.
Author's Note
Hey there! So this chapter one of what I hope will be a fairly long, enjoyable story. I've got a bunch of ideas where this will lead, and will be updating/editing pretty regularly.
I haven't tried writing a full story before so hopefully the writing/plot will improve as I continue- If you don't like it, please let me know why via a comment etc- comments or criticism are appreciated!
-Quantum
"Now, never attack a changeling if you can help it. When discovered they would rather flee then fight, but corner one or threaten it's hive? Its Queen? Bad idea.
The changelings form is designed for fighting, their fangs, claws and wings combined with their innate magic gives them far greater durability then the average beast you'll find in the likes of the Everfree forest.
Most importantly don't let one near your heart. Keep the emotional shield spells raised as the previous chapter had discussed. No, the average changeling doesn't have spells, but they can drain a pony of any emotion if they feel the need. Celestial forbid, if you're ever unlucky enough to spy a Queen...
My dear students, you have not yet seen the blood frenzy of a truely enraged Queen. I pray you will never have to..."
-Rose Leaf, Changeling Biology and Practices Vol I
V'tara ran through the tunnels, bumping into fellow changelings as the rumbling stopped.
Large, armored changelings of the warrior caste moved swiftly throughout the crowds towards the tunnels that led to the overground. Clad in overlapping plates of chitin and steel, their faces were locked into a scowl behind fanged helmets. Strapped tightly to their backs were evil looking spears. The blades glinted in the dull green light.
"I have to... I don't know what I need to do!" She thought, stopping in her tracks. The shelters were for the workers, hatchlings and the sick. Safe, but they wouldn't be able to help...
The young, scared changeling shook her head. No, if the hive wanted the workers in the shelter then that's where she would go. She took off again, ducking into a side passage. Ahead lay the shelter doors- thick and reassuringly resilient to attack.
She'd almost made it to the shelter, lungs heaving, when the first spell found its mark. It ruptured through the ceiling as it made contact with the doorway that she'd just ran through. A flash of scarlet fire caught her eye as V'tara looked behind. And then a scream caught in her throat as the changeling was flung to one side by the force of the explosion. Everything went black as rubble rained down from the ceiling.
Pain shot up one foreleg as her eyes snapped open. The smell of brimstone was overpowering as she painfully and slowly staggered onto her feet, wincing as the pain shot upwards and into her horn.
Ahead lay the remnants of the spell, an orb hovering at one end of the tunnel. Scarlet flames spilled outward, licking the walls as the wildfire started to spread. In the distance explosions and distant screams could be heard as similar spells ripped the hive apart. "No... this can't be happening! W-what would Korak do? H-He'd find a way out... Spinning around, a hoof raised in front of her eyes as they rapidly accustomed to the daylight now streaming through the ceiling, V'tara's heart dropped. The shelter door was intact but rubble blocked the doorway. "Hello? Anyone? Please let there be someone in there!" Her eyes widened. She couldn't sense any changelings on the other side.
Which only left one other option if she didn't want to be burned alive. The crack in the ceiling.
V'tara started coughing, the smoke almost overwhelming as she hauled herself into the crack. The spell had been efficient, boring through the ground and leaving a cylindrical, upwards tunnel in it's wake. Pressing her back against one side of the wall and her hindlegs against the other V'tara started to climb, the wildfire now burning fiercely underneath.
Slowly, painfully, she inched her way upwards, tears streaming down her face as the smoke burned her lungs. "Can't stop now... I can't. " An eternity seemed to pass, and then eventually she'd reached the top, clambering over the holes edge and collapsing, inhaling lungfuls of fresh air in relief.
She was on a hillside, looking over a forest... and in between the knurled, crooked trees and blackened leaves a battle was raging, oddly quiet and disconnected from her position. Hundreds of ponies, draped in gold and purple were meeting the changeling forces head on. Ponies with bizarre pointed hats were casting the spells that had nearly killed her. Wildfire whipped through the trees, finding their targets with brutal precision. It was obvious who was going to win.
"We... we're losing..." V'tara said in shock.
"Yes. You are." Spoke a golden voice from behind. V'tara looked around, stumbling over her feet as she tried to get away. A tall white Alicorn was standing, watching. The daylight seemed to dull around them, unable to compete with the radiance that emanated. It's mane was a rainbow of color, flowing in a wind that didn't exist.
And It was crying. Crying with jaw clenched firmly, surveying the scene that was happening below with a terrible resolve. V'tara shivered. She wanted to scream, to attack the figure allowing this to happen with everything that she could summon. But all that could stumble out of her mouth was a pained whimper. "Why... Why are you doing this?"
The Alicorn looked at V'tara with a terrible sadness. "For my sister."
A roar shook the Goddess out of her stupor. V'tara's Queen had joined the fray, ripping through the pony forces with terrifying ease. The Alicorn sighed and strode down from the hillside. It stopped for an instant, glancing at the wounded, useless changeling that was staring back, pleading in her eyes. "You. In my sister's name.."
"Run. "
Chapter Three- The Blackwood
"A changeling is a dangerous creature my students. You want to know why? An animal has no malice if it were to attack. A changeling however... well, they'll get into your heart. They'll claw at your feelings and make you think they have emotions of their own.
Don't trust a changeling. It might be the last thing you do."
-Changeling Psychology, Chapter One.
The lesser traveled areas of the vast Everfree forest were known as the 'Blackwood'. Home to the fiercest animals of Equestria, it wasn't a place many ponies would have liked to end up in.
And as Cassy Roseheart stumbled over another upturned tree stump whilst knocking her horn against another low hanging branch, she couldn't help but feel the Blackwood didn't like her very much. Which was fine, she thought with a quiet swear. She didn't particularly care for it either.
And it wasn't just the way the trees arched and bent into knurled, crooked shapes either. Far off in the distance she could hear the sounds of combat, the clashing of spells and steel punctuated with the occasional scream. She'd caught rumours of Celestia's armies encroaching on the Blackwood, but nobody had seemed to know why.
Shaking her head, she tried to ignore whatever was happening and focused on tracking her quarry. The daylight peeking through the leaves was fading fast and the creature that she'd been tracking for days would be hunting soon. The tracks went down into a small clearing, and as Cassy peeked over the ridge she held her breath.
Down in the clearing, the fading twilight glittered off a Lapis Lynx. Its feline body was composed entirely of the gemstone from head to tail, shifting and shimmering as it stretched languidly in the light.
This was it. Carefully, she pulled a book from the battered saddlebags she wore with her teeth. Flipping to a certain page she reread the sleep incantation for the thousandth time, focusing on the intricacies and structure before concentrating on the Lynx. In her mind the spell easily slotted into place as her horn enveloped with a white glow. The Lynx opened one solid blue eye, ears perking up at the almost silent hum the spell generated.
"Wait for it..." She said softly, straining to slot the last few aspects into place. The Lynx had woken up by now and was looking around, trying to find the source. Now or never. Springing to her feet Cassy cast the spell, aiming...
And then everything seemed to happen at once. As the spell flew from her horn, a pegasus fell from the sky into the clearing, slamming into the soft undergrowth with a sickening crunch. The Lynx bolted, the spell going wild and striking the spot where it had been just a second too late.
"Oh c'mon! For bucks sake!" Cassy swore, scrambling down into the clearing. "Hey! You... you okay there? Oh. Oh hell." She froze. It wasn't a pegasus. Where a normal looking pony had been there was a changeling, its disguise falling away with crackles of green fire. "Sweet Celestia... You poor thing." She said, looking over the changeling with a wince. One wing looked torn, the pale green gauze ripped and burned. Its front leg looked broken, blood dripping over cracked chitin. Scratches and burns covered the changeling from head to hoof.
It's eyes snapped open causing Cassy to jump back. The changelings pained eyes stared at her as it spoke. "Please..." It said. "H-help us..." It fell unconscious. The mare glanced back in the direction of the combat, the distant sounds of fighting still raging on.
Cassy swore again.
