Swamp and Snow

by Cake Sparkle

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Adventure
Length: 6095

Follows the story of Murmeltier, a changeling hiding among a small village of deer north of Vaverfront

Murmeltier was born in a hive, but was raised in Olenia. He has never seen a hive nor the Queen who he is expected to submit all loyalty too, it's only fitting he would never see eye to eye with his older peers. But as the winds of revolution and coups blow through the nations, he realizes there is more to life than mindless work as a drone.

Published 2021-03-25 01:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-03-25 01:20:00 UTC

Is it cold?

Is it right to say that it's cold in Olenia? Colder than the Crystal Empire or Yakyakistan?
For a pony, yes. Ponies control their own weather and for them, snow is seen more as a cultural event that could be taken away in a heartbeat. For a pony, winter isn't cold or famine, it's Hearth's Warming with friends and family. But for Murmeltier, winter was just like it was for every other changeling. A time of uncertainty and hunger, where love is as rare as diamonds among their close neighbors. And not a drop of it to be found within their own borders. Only recent technological advances allowed for preserving love for times like this, but they were only found in hives, hives Murmeltier had never seen before, only heard stories about from travelers and passing soldiers. To him, love was just what changelings ate. Deer had grass and vegetables, ponies had their apples and pastries, and changelings had love. Changelings were the only species to consume love from other creatures, severely weakening those they fed on, or in extreme cases killing them. He understood why other species were paranoid of changelings and why they hated them so, but alas he still had to eat just like every other creature.

Murmeltier stared at the golden crown from behind the glass protecting it. He had seen it nearly every week he had come into the museum, laying on its red cushion with the large red gem staring back at him. No one knew where the crown came from, or who it belonged to, only that it had been found in a cave and brought straight there to be put on a display. The plaque under it was really more of an advertisement offering a small reward for any information any deer could find on it. The crown didn't bring very much attention though, it only had had about one, maybe two visitors a week not counting the changeling. But then again no deer would have counted him as a visitor, since on paper he worked there as a janitor.

After cleaning the glass and making sure his disguise as a peasant was buyable he continued on with his shift, until his eyes crossed over a young doe looking at him shyly. He could already taste her emotion from the ten meter gap. He expected her to know something about him, that he was a changeling hiding among her kind, but instead, she was feeling nervous. She closed the distance and walked closer to him and she kept her book close to her chest until she was a meter away, then she cleared her throat.

“Hey, can you tell me when the Däggdjur wing will be open?” asked the doe in an anxious tone.

“Sorry, I can't say,” Murm lied. He did know when it would open, but he didn't want to interact with any deer he didn't have to.

“Oh, that’s a shame, I have been waiting for it to open since I saw it advertised in the newspaper.”

“Come back next week and it should be open,” is what Murm thought he had said. Instead he told her “come back next week and we can see it when it opens.” More or less. Even if it was a bit of an awkward sentence the doe still blushed at the offer.

“Alright then, I'll be back next week,” the doe said with a wink. The changeling almost stuck his tongue out as he felt her warmth rush over him. He didn't care for her, she was a deer after all, but if he had an opportunity for a feast he wouldn't pass on it. After his shift he returned home to the small cabin in the woods and shifted back to his original drone form.

“How was work?” asked another changeling by a metal stove, reading a book.

“Like it always is… actually, something did happen today. I believe I accidentally set up a date next week for when the new wing opens…” Murm said as he laid cloth rags onto a dresser and joined the other by the warmth of the stove.

“Really, you? Well… you know father isn't gonna be happy about it.” The other laughed.

“He doesn't have to know, as long as you don't tell him I won't tell him anything either,” Murm said in a low tone.

“Oh please brother, you know I’d never do something like that. Tell me what they are like.”

“She's… nothing, just an easy meal,” Murm responded as he lay down on the floor.

“Who is?” asked a gravelly voice as an older changeling walked in.

“J- just my new supervisor at work. Another easy meal deer,” Murm stammered, not wanting to admit he was taking this risk out of greed and not job safety.

“Right, all these damn deer, can't wait till Queen Chrysalis marches on this place,” the elder replied before going to the far corner in a huff and lying down on the floor. He stopped for a moment before his focus returned. “Any news on the radio?”

“Not a signal coming from the hives, but the weather is clear and I'm picking up Equestrian radio in Vanhoover.”

“Don't play any of that pony trash, I'd rather sit in silence than hear any of that.”

“Fine, I’m going to bed then.”

With the other two changelings lying down to rest, Murm decided to grab his equipment and listen in on Equestria’s frequencies to pass time. Putting on his headset he began to search for the right broadcast.

“It is our time to rise above the Princesses. This is not our war, ponies! We should not let the decisions of Canterlot nobles dictate our lives! We, the workers, the common ponies, the proletariat-”

The signal cut out as he took the headset off, confused. What had the world come to now that the weak little ponies would seek to throw out the very princess that had kept them safe for a thousand years? How long did they think they would last on their own against Chrysalis or the Olenian Rike? It seemed so strange to him that the ponies who had once cherished every gift they had, and claimed it had been given to them by the very princess, from the sun, to their unity of races, to the peace they prospered in, would now turn against her the moment those promises became clouded by time and uncertainty. He had heard enough, he was disgusted by the words on the radio and turned it off, quickly moving to sleep next to the furnace with his brother.

When he awoke the next day, the elder had already left and his brother was nowhere to be seen. With the museum being closed he decided to use the radio to see if there was anything coming out of the hives. Flipping the dial to the proper channel and sliding back on the headset, he heard the static fade as a voice filled his ears.

“Chrysalis would seek to throw us, and our spawn, into the fires of war all for her humiliating defeat at the hooves of ponies. She wishes to spill our blood against Olenia all in the name of
Supremacy, as if death and cruelty would make us any better than the Rike! Take up arms and fight against her! Do not let this monster be the death of us!”

Once again the words of revolution were all he could hear fill his head, but this time he was not upset to hear them. For the last few years the only thing he had heard of Queen Chrysalis was how great she was, how she would unite the Changelings Lands, and bring forth a new age of glory. The only one reason in history why any creature would seek to unite the swamps under one hive queen would be to wage war. War that had only ever proven to fail miserably for them, united or not. He had read the reports of what happened in Canterlot when he was younger, a defeat that changed his views on the nearby ponies. In his own mind, one pony could never defeat a changeling, but they were never alone.

He continued to listen to the speeches, the powerful words and inspiration to build a new nation made him feel a pride he had never felt. Under the ideals of Harmony, the unity every changeling had longed for within the hive could become a reality without being pushed against their neighbors in the name of war or supremacy. It would not only be historic, it would be the end of the reign of terror Queens and Kings brought. The feelings of pride swept over him as he immediately began to think of ways he could help from the lines of Olenia.

Then his mind thought over the vats of love they would have in hives. In a time like this it would be crucial love got to the Harmonic fighters before winter in the swamps reached its peak. His mind instantly snapped back to the doe he had met yesterday. He did not wish to hurt her and drain her, but if he could convince her to keep giving him passive love he could give to other changelings it would be enough. For the next week Murm read dozens of romance novels and constantly tried to improve his disguise to be both believable and attractive in the eyes of the deer, until the day of his date came.

Making his way quickly through the town, prancing with eagerness to complete his mission and move to the front and help his brothers in arms, Murm walked into the museum and spotted his date standing near the wall with a warm smile on her face. Murm couldn't care as long as she was impressed by the fake disguise.

“Come on, let's go see what I'll be stuck polishing,” he joked. “We never did catch each other's names.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, you really did catch me off guard with your offer last week, most of the bucks here don't have that kind of confidence. My name is Lavendel, I am a student at the new seers college. One of my first tests is to find and prove the existence of Timberwolves in the wild. I had heard this museum would have an exhibit on them.” The doe spoke now with her own confidence and pride.

“Lavendel. I did not expect one of high enough prestige to attend such a college would be found here, in a town like this.”

“Oh, yes, I'm from Vaverfront, but I would not have come here to the mountains had I not needed the information. It's even more dreadful that last week the museum had not completed this wing and I had to stay in a hotel.”

“I can understand how you feel, I am not very fond of this place either,” Murm said, truthfully not caring for the Olenian lands.

“Oh, where are you from then?” Lav asked with a confused look.

Murm was actually raised here, but he knew he had the opportunity to impress the doe by lying to her, something every changeling did. “Hjortland. But I left to get out from under my father’s hoof.”

“That does explain why you stick out a bit to me, I knew you couldn't be from around here. Seer gift I'm afraid.” The two trotted next to each other as they made their way deeper into the museum, until they came across the exhibit they had been looking for. A tall recreation of what a timberwolf had supposedly appeared to be in myths stood before them, made from crude planks of wood and bark supported by nearly invisible strings with a plaque below filled with detailed accounts of encounters with the beast.

Lav read over each account carefully as she stroked her chin to think. “Well… this is a start I suppose.” She sighed. “But this is not what I was hoping for.”

“Oh, what's wrong?” asked Murm, pretending to be concerned.

“The most common sighting location is on the border between the Changeling Lands and Olenia. It’s… concerning, given the recent developments.”

“Chrysalis or the recent fighting over there?” Murm probed.

“Both, in their own way. I'd rather not get caught by patrols by either, but if I wish to be a seer, going into the swamps and finding this creature must be done.”

“Are you just going to go there alone?” Murm asked with a slight hint of real concern in his voice, not wanting to lose his meal of course.

The doe turned to him with a smile. “No, you are going to go with me.”

At this point he couldn't tell who was really using who here, he for wanting her love or she for using him as muscle to get what she wanted. Either way it would be easier to have the love in her and a straight shot to the front line.

He nodded with agreement and smiled. “I wouldn't have it any other way, when should we go?”

The doe’s smile turned into a devious grin as she looked into his eyes. “Right now, we can get aboard a wagon to take us to the border with my paperwork from the college. We could find that timberwolf in only two days' time.”

Murm was unsure what to say, this was an unprecedented opportunity, but his family would suspect something was off if he was missing. In the very fleeting seconds he had to make his decision he nodded, unsure if the gamble would pay off. Lav was still bleeding a romantic interest in him that was softly growing as the two made their way out of the museum and back into town, it was now late morning and the perfect weather for traveling down the mountain. After a very brief conversation with a merchant about supplies for the journey the seer was ready to leave. Murm didn't expect to be the one pulling the wagon, but with the food incentive behind him and an empty stomach, he was eager to impress her.

Trotting down the mountain was rough. Deer had a hard time pulling carts, changelings more so. Even with the ability to shift and change into other creatures under the species’ illusion magic, they were still just an exoskeleton and thin muscle. If it had not been for his unknowing companion giving him the boost he needed he wouldn't have made it down the mountain, after he did he nearly collapsed as he unbuckled himself from the harness and looked up at Lav. She was unimpressed with his mediocre performance and raised her muzzle at him.

“I suppose you want a break and for me to pull now?” she said, obviously not too happy.

“Or you just give me a breather for a bit, maybe we could eat something?” Changelings could indeed eat food, but it did very little for them. What he truly wanted was more of her affection and a bit of water.

“Hmph, I suppose,” Lav said, rolling her eyes and getting down from the reins. Both sat at the back of the wagon, eating cheese and drinking from canteens as they both dodged each other’s glances and tried to not make eye contact. After his first accidental use of confidence paid off for him, he decided he would try something again. “I didn't really need a break, I just wanted to get closer to you, if I'm being honest.”

The deer fluttered her eyelashes as she stretched out her chest. “Oh, I know.” Then she hid her mouth with a hoof as she giggled. “I was just upset that you ruined the wonderful view I had.”

It hadn't shown through the disguise, but the changeling did blush at the comment, making him quiet for a moment.

“You are quite the sight yourself, you know? Most of the does back at that little village could not compare to a seer, you remind me of all the best parts of home back in the capital,” the fake buck flirted. Unfortunately he could feel her roll her eyes, even if she didn't physically do so.

“Of course,” she said matter of factly, “But that does not matter. I have met peasants who can read your mind and nobles who can't read books. One's origins do not matter where their abilities are concerned, only the challenges they face do.” She looked away as though she was recalling some different time or place. “Are you ready to get moving again?” she asked.

“Um, yes, I should be able to get us to the border checkpoint before sunset.” The changeling knew that he probably couldn't, not with his limbs burning.

“No, you can't, but I can!” The deer’s devilish smile returned as she lifted up her muzzle and rubbed his ears with a hoof. Once again he felt the rushing warmth of love from her. The seer got up and moved to the front of the wagon and strapped herself in as Murm went up to the reins and looked down at her, a bit guilty, as she began to pull the cart. “The road ahead is perfect! We may be able to find a den before midnight.”

Lavendel was moving at a much faster pace than the changeling had been, showing no sign of struggle against the wagon's weight or the thick carpet of snow below her. Murm decided to keep his eyes open for any troubles the seer might miss, but with exhaustion still burning within him he couldn't see much. Just as the sun was beginning to kiss the horizon the pair had reached a small concrete building with a large radio antenna built on top. After parking the wagon the two trotted in, to the surprise of a young stag sitting behind a desk who nearly fell out of his chair.

“Um, hoj, are you two lost?” he asked, fixing himself and hastily tidying up his desk.

“No, we are here to cross into the changeling borders. We have our papers,” Lav replied, pulling them out of seemingly nowhere with a quick motion.

The stag took them and looked them over deeply before clearing his throat. “These papers say you have clearance, but they clearly imply it’s only for the Equestrian border… Do you really want to go into the swamps right now? During winter?” A very concerned look came over his face.

“We will not be going that deep into the territory, we should only be a few miles in at the worst.”

The stag stopped for a second as if to think, before he quickly opened a drawer and laid a mauzer onto the table, filling the room with tension. “I insist you at least take something to defend yourself. This is not the… best time to go into love sucker territory. They seem to be going through some kind of war with a rogue hive right now.”

“Do you really think we should arm ourselves? Surely changelings would not kill us for simply trespassing onto their lands,” Lav said, holding a hoof up to her mouth in shock.

“They would, yes. It would be more common for one of them to sneak onto our side and drain you. If you see one of their drones out there keep your head down, but if you have to defend yourself be fast, and don't miss.” The stag then pulled a small box of ammo out and laid it next to the pistol, as the deer anxiously picked it up and looked it over.

“You take it, I don't want to drop it… or something.” Lav forked the gun into Murm’s chest, who quickly took hold of it and pointed it at the floor and away from himself.

“And I have to warn you… if you two don’t come back, I can't send a rescue party out… I have strict orders from the Church.” The buck lowered his eyes and did not make eye contact as he spoke the words.

“No problem. We will not need one, will we?” The doe turned over to Murmeltier and fluttered her eyelashes.

“Um, no no, of course not!” he stammered, rubbing the back of his head.

“Well we must be going, have a good day.” Lavendel turned and walked out of the building while the changeling struggled to hold both the gun and its ammo as he staggered out behind her. After strapping herself back in and watching her companion slide on a saddlebag to keep his sidearm secure, Lav trotted past the stakes and into the Changeling Lands.

“What are we going to do after we find the timberwolf?” asked Murm.

“The college gave me a very expensive camera they had to pay a very high price to import from Equestria, the Coltak Thirty-five. They oddly sold it to us for oil.”

“Is the college sure you won't lose it? Sounds very expensive.”

“I think they would like that, after all they have been looking for a way to kick me out.”

“Did you do something to warrant that?”

“Hm… yes. I was not born a noble, and my tuition was paid in blackmail.”

“Beeindruckend! Well don't leave me on the edge of my seat, tell me the story.”

“Hmm… maybe on the way back, I think this is the place some of the stories I read described.” The cart came to a stop and Lav began to look around deeply at the woods, checking over every detail with precision. “Scratch marks on the trees, a distinct smell I can't quite pin…” She trotted over to a tree and stared up at the branches for a moment. “Something is definitely out here, it's very defensive of its territory.”

Murm started to feel a shiver run down his back as the sun set and darkness began to cloud his vision. Most changelings were accustomed to the dark from living in the hives, but he did not share such traits and feared the silence that followed after the moon rose.

“Would you be a dear and get me my camera and a lantern,” Lav asked as she made her way around to the other trees to look them over.

“Uh s- sure,” he replied. Once he made his way to the back of the wagon his wings began to itch with the suspicion something was watching him. Hastily grabbing the camera’s box he moved back to where Lav had been eyeing over the scratch marks on a tree.

“These claw marks are inconsistent with those of wolves, made out of wood and wild magic or not,” she said, running her hoof down the bark.

“Here's the camera, do we have a lead on its den?” Murm almost slipped and used his magic to levitate it to her, before he quickly grabbed it out of the air and held it out for her, barely in time before Lav turned around and grabbed the box.

After ripping it open and placing film into the camera, she ran around Murm, constantly taking photos with the Coltak. After taking plenty of photos she put the camera around her neck and began to trot away and into the forest.

“The den is… close, but not here. We are going to have to leave the wagon and go on hoof.”

“Are you sure? It's getting late, we should have slept at the checkpoint!” Murm protested, but followed close behind her.

“Are you a stag or are you a pony!? Pick up your hooves and let's go get that picture!” Lav said, picking up her pace. After a brief trot she slowed and hid behind a bush as Murm sneaked to her side. In front of them lay a large cave mouth, filled with scratches deep in the ground and bones of unidentifiable woodland creatures lying around. The sight of it made Murm feel colder than he already was. As he stared into the eye sockets of an animal he could not recognize, he wondered if whatever would remain of him would be recognizable or just a broken mess of a changeling.

“We- we really shouldn't go in there,” Murm pleaded.

Without saying a word, Lav turned and stared him in the eyes, fluttering her eyelashes once again, then focused back on the cave as she began to creep into its entrance. Murm swallowed, and followed her. Once the darkness became too much for the pair, he ignited the lantern and was relieved to feel the warmth coming from its fire, but relief quickly faded as he looked at his surroundings. Wooden boxes, makeshift floor boards, desks and chairs, along with much bulkier radio equipment than what he used back in his small cabin.

“I knew those bones had something wrong with them…” Lav said, more concerned now.

“This- this isn't just a listening post,” Murm mumbled, glancing between documents on the desk and maps on the walls. “It's a staging area for an invasion. Chrysalis wants to use the rebellion as an excuse to sneak in changeling infiltrators posing as refugees into Olenia, and Equestria.”

“Don't be ridiculous, no one would waste resources on something so risky during a civil war. Besides, seers can see right through a changeling's disguise.”

Murm looked her dead in the eyes and swallowed hard. Then the silence broke when loud hoof steps were heard coming into the cave.

“The wagon was abandoned, all the cargo intact. Something seems strange.”

“They didn't have many supplies, and that path would have taken them past their border checkpoint.”

“Maybe they turned tail and ran when they saw where they were, you know how easily it is to scare deer.”

“No, not this far into the swamps. They would have ran, but they would have kept their wagon too.”

Both of the trespassers were hiding behind boxes on opposite sides of the room. Murm could feel the fear coming off the doe as she began to softly whimper behind her crate. Deciding there was no other choice, he flashed off his disguise and slowly raised his hooves over the box in surrender.

“Uhh... Hoj?” he asked with a fake smile.

“Murmeltier? What are you doing all the way out here?” asked the elder.

“Um, I uh.. Um…” He stammered, and if he’d had the glands to he would have been sweating.

The elder moved over to his box and quickly stuck a leg into one of his saddle bags and drew out the pistol. “What the hell are you doing out here, you are supposed to stay at the cabin.”

Looking for any excuse he could, the changeling began to fabricate a story. “I went on a date with my new supervisor. And it turns out she was a seer from the college sent to uh, keep an eye on that new crown in the museum and I think she noticed I wasn't a deer. I came here as quick as I could to warn you.”

The elders' eyes turned to pin pricks “What,” was all he could say, more out of rage than curiosity.

“Look I know that sounds bad but I thought we could use the lo-” He was hit across the face, hard. Hard enough to leave a ringing in his ears and throw him to the ground.

“WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP A LOW PROFILE HERE AND YOU GO ON A DATE WITH A SEER?” the elder began to scream. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY WILL DO TO US IF THEY CATCH US, WHAT QUEEN CHRYSALIS WILL DO TO US? WE HAVE SPENT YEARS SETTING UP AN OPERATION HERE AND YOU'RE GOING TO DESTROY IT ALL FOR A DAMN DOE YOU FANCY!?”

The brother who had remained silent until this point now stood between Murmeltier and the elder, with his chest out and his head lowered. “Go outside and blow off some steam, right now.”

In a huff the elder left, while small tears began to go down Murmeltier’s face as his brother stood over him. “Get up, stop acting like a fresh spawn.”

“Of course you’d say that, Veränderung,” Murm said as he lifted himself to his hooves.

“You just caught him at a bad time right now, he’ll calm down later,” Veran said.

“He never calms down, he’s always either upset or enraged,” Murm whimpered.

“What are the odds of you finally seducing a deer and her turning out to be a seer? You must be one of the most unlucky changelings I've ever met,” Veran joked, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah. very unlucky.” There was a brief pause as Murm dusted himself off and looked around. “You two couldn’t even tell me about this place?” he asked.

“We have orders from VOPS not to tell any changeling about it, even you,” Veran reassured him. “Where did you, uh, get the gun?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it. Can you give me some time alone? I need to think.”

“Of course, brother.” Veran turned to trot out, then he stopped for a moment and began to sniff the air. “Something is off…” He turned his head slowly and lowered it to the floor as Murm closed the distance.

“Do you smell something strange, brother?” Murm asked, trying to mask the scent with his own.

“N- no. Probably just some excess love coming off you from your date,” Veran said as he raised his head and trotted out.

As he left Murm looked over the nearby crate at the now red faced doe. She quickly rose up and stared at him. “That was what I was seeing in you. You weren't special, you were just an imposter.”

“Yes, I'm sorry,” he murmured, lowering his head.

“No you are not. Changelings do not feel remorse,” Lav said as she lifted her muzzle.

“W- we… do… I’m sorry,” Murm whimpered.

“Let's get back to the wagon. I won't report you to the college if I never see you again.”

Something in her words hit the changeling harder than the elder had. A few more small tears began to roll down his face. “Please, I didn't mean for this. I never wanted any of this!” he begged.

“Of course not, what kind of spy would want to be exposed.” She trotted out the cave and back into the wilderness. Outside she could see both changelings staring at the treeline fifty yards away, not turning to face her. Without making a noise she quickly turned and walked back to the wagon with Murm following behind her. She strapped herself into the harness and began to try and turn it in the opposite direction in vain, the thick snow was too much for her. Not wanting to lower himself to beg for her forgiveness again, Murm shifted his hooves into black spades and began to shovel the snow out the way for her. Once they were finally facing back to Olenia the deer began a slow but steady trot as Murm held the lantern out for her to see where she was going.

After a long silence Val let out a loud sigh. “I can’t tell what’s worse, the fact I didn't get any proof Timberwolves exist, that I just found a massive conspiracy to put infiltrators into Olenia, or you being a damn love sucker!”

Murm decided to remain silent and let the doe vent for a moment before saying anything. “I should just report you straight to the authorities, but consider it repayment for not letting that other bug find me,” she continued.

“Thank you,” was all Murm could say.

“Oh please, you only did that so you wouldn't get in more trouble.”

Now that the doe was getting on his nerves he decided he would start to retort back to what she was saying. “Oh please, I could have told them I tracked you out here and I stopped you from exposing their operation. They would have you sent to VOPS for interrogation and replacement in a week. And you did such a good job seeing through my disguise.”

“But- but seers are supposed to see through those!” she protested as her steps slowed down.

“Just propaganda I'm afraid.” He chuckled. “Just like those myths about changeling not having any emotions! We are not mindless animals. Our hives are twice as advanced as your cities will ever be.”

“R- really?” asked the now curious doe.

“Yes. We invented the diesel engine, the tape recorder, and the printing press. Only when one of the hive queens smuggled this tech to Equestria in exchange for guns did the world begin to learn about them… and those damn ponies took the credit…”

“W- wait, so do you really absorb the love out of a creature?” the doe whimpered, increasing her pace.

“Yes… and no. We can absorb it two ways, passively like I was through you before, and aggressively. But we tend to avoid that as it is… um… a bit savage,” he said, trying to find the right words to describe it.

“That explains why you have evolved to become infiltrators! Who knows how many changelings are out there just… living among civilizations like every other creature, quietly feeding off their neighbors' love.” Lav sighed.

“That's what my family was doing, we never meant any harm to you. Well, I never did. My father is another story…”

“Yeah, I guess that fake story you told me about being a noble was only a half truth?”

“Yes, me and him have never seen eye to eye with each other,” the changeling said softly.

“I know how that can feel, I only became a seer to get away from my mother. She was very heavily involved in the Church before the coup… and even more so after.”

“So… I take it you support the true queen, Velvet?” Murm asked, trying to change the subject.

“Yes, I used to think the deer party had some points until I found a pamphlet that must have been sent over by Equestria. I still have it in one of my bags, it goes all through the family line and explains how Johan has no ties to the buck, he’s just a bastard who thinks he has some royal blood in him.”

“I don't care for queens or kings. But I do agree with the changes Velvet would make here.”

“Why? Because Harmony would make us weak?” Lav asked in a low tone.

“No, because it would make you strong. And you will need to be strong if you want to stand against Chrysalis.”

“You… don't support her, your own queen?”

“Why should I? She would gladly trade my life and the lives of every other spawn for revenge against Equestria after she lost to ponies.”

“I- I think maybe we shouldn’t split up just yet, maybe if we go together to expose that post we can-”

“No! I may not support them but those two are the closest thing I will ever have to family, and I will not outright betray them… It's why I'm not fighting in the revolution for Thorax…” Murm sighed.

“Thorax? Is that the one leading the other side of the civil war?” asked Lav.

“Yes, he hates what Chrysalis has planned for the hives and wants harmonic reform. He has the guns but not enough drones to support him. Last I heard his forces were fighting over control of Varks but… that was weeks ago. And if Chrysalis is confident enough to make that post it can’t be going well.”

“It seems so strange these days… everything is just terrible everywhere.” The seer sighed.

“Equestria isn't that bad… It still has hope,” Murm said, trying to give the doe hope.

“Maybe… maybe I should go there, they sheltered Queen Velvet, if I offered them info as to the seers they'd probably welcome me with one of those famous hugs they love so much.” Val chuckled.

“You got room for one more?” asked Murm, clearly desperate.

“Of course I do. I could always find room for the faithful buck who helped smuggle me past the Church who will be prosecuting me for supporting Velvet and sneaking over intel to foreign powers.” The pair changed directions one last time, going off the road and through the swamps towards the Equestrian border. both where unsure they would make it, but too them getting caught and killed would be worth it too live free.