Raised By Wolves

Anon placed hoof after hoof on the ground as he walked through the hive in search of his mom. He'd always wondered why his hooves had long digit things on the end of them, but chose not to question it when no one else seemed to. Probably just something to do with the fact that he was the chosen one, or something.

At least, that's what mom had told him. She said that he was constantly in disguise because he was a special changeling, and that's why he didn't look like any of the other drones, and Anon was happy to believe that. He liked being special, even if he didn't understand how or why beyond some rudimentary inkling that he looked pretty weird.

Oh, and that he couldn't shapeshift or fly or do any of the other weird and wonderful things that the rest of his hive could.

But he was special, so it was okay!

His hooves would begin to ache after a while of walking like this. He'd tried walking on two legs before, wearing the strange boot things that Chrysalis had fashioned for him to protect his 'sensitive hind hooves', but the other changelings only looked at him even more strangely when he did so. Needless to say, Anon felt like a little bit of an outcast sometimes, but it was okay, because this was just another part of being special. Not everyone would totally understand you.

Anon didn't know if he was going the right way, because despite the fact that everychangeling else in the hive seemed to have some intrinsic sense of where everyone else was, referred to as a hivemind, Anon didn't have that either. Sometimes, in quiet moments, Anon did wonder what was so great about being special.

Ah well. His mom loved him, and that was what mattered. Only... he felt mollycoddled. They all were, in a sense. The male drones were expected to work, of course, but less than the females, who were truly in charge, and the high female elites, as well as mom herself, didn't like to see the male drones going through any amount of hardship. So it was that they were often given the easy tasks, or in anon's case, no tasks at all.

And that wasn't fair! He was a big changeling now, bigger than every other changeling, in fact. ...a different shape, too, but that wasn't the point. He'd outgrown the rest of the larvae (eating a diet of meat and greens rather than love, to be fair. He thought that might have something to do with it), and was now approaching the tender age of nineteen, yet he was still expected to do nothing! Mom and the other changelings had looked after him his whole life, and while some of them looked at him funny, most of them accepted him and made him feel like a valued part of the hive.

Having finally found his mom, Anon ~~crawl-shimmied on hands and knees~~ walked over to her on his hooves and sat on his haunches, which was a horseified version of saying 'ass'. "Hey, mom. Can I go be a spy yet?"

Chrysalis turned to him with a wide smile, nuzzling the side of his face, but then instantly grew icy cold the moment he made the suggestion. "No, you cannot. You're too young, Anon. Much too young to go off gallivanting and performing covert espionage. How many times do I have to tell you to wait until you're older?"

"Nuh-uh!" Anon eloquently responded, tongue out. "That's super unfair, because you let Thorax go invade Canterlot last year, and he's a year younger than me! Honestly, I'm starting to feel like you just don't want me to have any fun." Anon pouted, scrunching his face up, and Chrysalis stroked his cheek with one of her dark, chitin hooves.

"Anon, we've been over this." Chrysalis paused, choosing her words carefully. "Because you're a special changeling, it takes you a little longer to mature than the average drone!" She smiled, not a hint of deception about her, as far as Anon could tell. "I promise, once you're a little bit older, you'll be allowed to serve the hive in whatever way you see fit, so long as you get my permission first, and it's safe, and there's not even the slightest chance that you could get hurt or upset in the process. But until then, please, let me take care of you. I love you, my baby boy."

She went to ruffle his mane, and he 'nghhh'd and shook his head rapidly. "Mom! You're embarrassing me! The other changelings will see!" Having gained some distance from her maternal reach, Anon put a hoof-digit to his chin and considered her words. "Is there not anything I can do before being a spy, then? Something I could do to train, maybe, or to help in another way?"

Chrysalis considered his proposal. Anon knew she was trying to think of something that she was absolutely certain posed no risk to him, despite the fact that he was apparently to be the most powerful changeling in existence.

...once he grew up a bit more, that is. He was still waiting on that arbitrary age of maturity. And superpowers. Everyone else had superpowers.

Eventually, Chrysalis cleared her throat. "There is... something that you could do. Your brothers and sisters often practice drills for their eventual roles in the hive's shifting room. That room can become whatever you need it to be, wherever you need it to be. The changelings act out scenarios ranging from relationships to wars to sexual encounters to political meetings in there, all to prepare for the challenges they'll face when they're deployed in enemy territory." Chrysalis bit her lip in thought. "You're good with your words, Anon. I imagine you'd make a very good partner or participant for a lot of your brothers and sisters, if you felt like helping in there."

Anon mulled the notion over. While it wasn't exactly what he'd been looking for... something about it sounded quite fun. Okay, maybe it was totally risk free, but the idea of working in a room where he could essentially be anywhere doing anything, running elaborate spy simulations centred around romance, sex, action and drama with his many shapesifting siblings? "Sign me up. Sounds like a lot of fun, honestly. I still wanna be a megaspy though, so I'm gonna consider this practice."

"Oh, I know, you just want to make me proud..." Chrysalis leaned in, giving Anon a kiss on the lips. Mommy kisses weren't bad touches. "I might come and visit you in one of your training sessions at some point soon. I won't tell you who I am until after though... see if you can spot me."

Anon probably shouldn't have been aroused by his mom's words but that was kind of the point of them so he guessed it was okay that he was. In a roundabout sense. Maybe. "So, do you know what drills are being run right now?"

"Hmm... I think there's a relationship simulation going on right now between three unicorn mares and a stallion. They need someone to play the stallion. That said, why don't you go check for yourself?"

"Think you need to ask me twice?" Anon laughed, getting back on his hooves and doing his odd run-crawl out of the room. Maybe he'd just go back to walking, it felt more natural for some reason. "Thanks, mom! I love you!"

"I love you too, dear." Chrysalis kinda-purred, before going back to doing whatever changeling queens did in their time off.

Chrysalis watched as Anon scuttered away, before sighing. One of Chrysals' elite guards walked over to her, the guard's tone soft. "Do you think it'll be long until he figures it out?"

"I'd hope not," Chrysalis' eyes were downcast, she could barely stand the thought. "I've always enjoyed the idea of him being my special little changeling. I think it would crush him if he figured out why he was so different."

"You mean because you kidnapped him in infancy and replaced him with a changeling, right?"

Chrysalis scowled, rubbing at her eyes. "Must you spell things out so bluntly? Look, none of that matters. Whether he believes it or not, he could be an asset one day, but I do love him, and don't want to see him come to harm. Protect him while he's in there, will you?"

The guard narrowed her eyes. "But the shifting room is effectively risk free?"

"True, but there are still table corners and things he could stub his hoof-digits on, and one of his sisters might upset him. Also, while I'm not entirely sure he can, try to see that he doesn't get anyone pregnant." Chrysalis paused for a moment, thinking that over. "Actually, belay that. I'm rather curious to see if he can."

"Understood," the guard nodded, somewhat glumly, skulking off to be a glorified babysitter in the shadows.