Learning With Changelings

"I'm no better than those demons in Feita."Raven thought bitterly to himself. He just committed one of the most heinous acts possible; Necromancy. One of the most taboo when it comes to magic, but the man couldn't understand how he could perform such a thing. The former Captain certainly didn't study any form of dark magic back in his day, and he had no affinity towards dark El.

"Hey, Reaper."

Then again, many things had changed when he infected himself with Alterasia. He could no longer perform fire-based moves with his nasod arm. The process was beyond painful and cost him half of his sight, but it was worth it; Raven no longer would have his mind swayed by the Nasod."Ironic, I spent all that time trying to free myself from the nasod, only to be controlled by my anger and sorrow. And my claw has converted it into something far worse. Maybe if I chose another path, like focusing on my swordsmanship." Raven shook his head, he made his choice, and there's no going back.

"Oh, Handsome~."

Raven felt someone poke at his side but ignored it. Another thing he found disturbing was the thoughts he had about his charges. "I thought of them as property." He was genuinely disgusted with himself; they saved him, and the Human thought of them as possessions. "How low can I truly sink?" Maybe it was time to visit a therapist? He nearly laughed at the thought. Any sane doctor would run out of the room screaming bloody murder if they caught wind of how he truly felt and learned what he did.

"We having sex or what?"

"Oh, by the goddess." This woman was getting on his last nerve.

Raven stood there with a frown as he watched the bonfire roast the cockatrices. The Human found and killed another six of them, while the rest of the Outcasts tried to ignore the aroused Queen. The giant cockatrices' tail had to be thrown out; the Valasia ruined most of the meat.

Most of the changelings came out of the old homes after the cockatrices were taken care of, but they kept their distance from the Human. The drones saw what he did and how he felt while doing it, and they were terrified. The Reaper, in their eyes, was the top predator, and they didn't want to draw his ire or hunger. The only changeling who wasn't afraid of the Human was the Queen.

The Outcasts kept their distance from the Changelings, not trusting them. They kept close to the fire, but not too close because of the smell. "You think they'll try anything?" Night Twister asked, a little worried. His sister, Dew Twister, was the first to answer. "Nah, these guys are terrified of mister Maxwell." The albino thestral flew up and whispered into Oleander's ear, "Keep that horn of yours ready, don't know what they might do." Oleander couldn't agree more; these were changelings, after all.

"Oh, come on, Reaper, you still can't be upset," Ambrosia whined; she stood next to the Human while he watched the meat cook.

"My name is Raven Maxwell, not 'handsome'." He grumbled, feeling annoyed that this mare was bothering him while contemplating. "You bent over and exposed your genitalia to me, foals, and one minor. I'm a little more than annoyed." He gave her a sideways glance. "So please, keep your gift."

The Queen frowned and started circling the Human, looking him over. "I am a changeling Queen, you know. I don't need your permission. I take what I want." She stopped in front of him and looked up to see that Raven was glaring down at her. But Ambrosia didn't flinch or shy away; she flew up and got in his face. " I know you fought and beat Luna, but I can tell you're still recovering."

Ambrosia started circling him again, trying to goad the Human. "I'm sure you've already heard of Celestia's defeat against Chrysalis, another changeling Queen. I wonder how you would fair? Considering you're still recovering."' She felt his anger rise, which made her shiver. She just had to push him a little more. " I have an army, and you're one Human." She moved in closer and whispered in his ear. "Make it easier on yourself and strip."

Beyond the anger and sorrow, she felt that feeling of hunger that dwelled within Raven. The desire to take and make it his and no one else's. It was directed at her, and she couldn't be happier, but Ambrosia was disappointed to find that he was repressing that feeling. The Human Repressed it all, leaving mild annoyance.

Raven waved off the Queen with a claw and snorted. "I've heard better bluffs from a dying bandit." Although his temper flared, he quickly repressed it and saw through Ambrosia's lies. "From what Oleander has told me about this Chrysalis, she could only take down Celestia because she engorged herself on so much love." He wasn't defending the sun princess; she deserved that loss. But he needed to make a point. He raised an eyebrow and continued. "I fought off hordes of monsters and demons; I think I can handle myself against opponents not even half my size. "

These changelings used deception, which meant they weren't too effective at fighting head-on. He could be wrong about this, but legs filled with holes don't speak highly of their durability. "Now, do you think fighting me is a good idea?" It was a genuine question; it held no anger or malicious intent. He stared at the Queen, who stared back with an unreadable expression. Her mask only lasted a few seconds before she broke out in giggles.

Ambrosia landed, still giggling. "Hehehe, Geez, you're so serious. But nah, I was joking, but I was serious about you stripping." She licked her lips and stared at his pants. Raven briefly wondered if this world had invented bug spray because he wanted a can of it. "I still want to give you a gift. I would feel... uh." She couldn't believe what she would say to a non-changeling. "bad." The Queen physically cringed after saying that.

The Human lets out a tired sigh and walks past the cringing Queen. "Fine, answer some of my questions, and we can call it even." Raven removed one of the cooked cockatrices and took a bite of its leg. Even without salt, this bird was fucking delicious. The meat was tender, not too fatty, and it tasted like chicken! The former captain cursed himself for destroying the giant cockatrice; he could only imagine what it tasted like. He looked at Ambrosia with sparkles in his eyes and asked her between bites. "Where can I find more of these!"

The Queen gave him a strange look; she didn't mind the fact he ate meat; she found the child-like excitement odd. "Uh, in the Everfree forest back in Equestria."

He was definitely going back to Equestria and wondered if these things laid eggs. The Human took another bite and swallowed. "What are you guys doing out here, and not near some town?" It doesn't make much sense being out here without some way to feed on love.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Ambrosia sat on her haunches and looked up at the Human. "You can thank chrysalis for that." she spat out with venom in her voice. Raven was a little surprised by her frown, but anything is possible. "Shining and Cadance sent my love collectors flying out of Equestria. Ponies started getting suspicious and started developing spells to see through our disguises! We had a good thing going on!" She snarled, causing some of her Changelings nearby to flinch. The drones rarely saw their Queen become angry, and when she did, it was terrifying. "I had a catch-and-release system, catch ponies wandering into the forest, feed on them, and release them a couple of days later."

"I'm guessing you're not the only Queen upset by this?" He asked while grabbing another cooked cockatrice. Raven also found the concept of the capture of release interesting as well.

"Hah! Miasma was furious when she was forced to move to the sewers." Ambrosia paused to think about what had happened to her fellow Queens. "Myxine found herself a hollowed-out cove to live in, and she's been really depressed, more depressed." She started thinking about where the last Queen could be found; after a while, she just shrugged. "Noling knows where Calliphora is." Raven knew the meaning of the name and found it disgusting, especially while eating. "You can usually find her in a graveyard; she's weird." This made her giggle.

"What about Chrysalis? Where is she?"

Ambrosia went back to frowning and hissed at the Human involuntarily. She covered her muzzle with a hoof and blushed slightly, "Whoops! After Chrissy," Raven's brows furrowed at that; he despised nicknames. They were lazy and sounded wrong, especially 'Chrissy.'. "was sent flying. She crawled back to her castle, and she had been sulking and planning ever since. Hehe" Again, the Queen giggled, looked Raven directly in the eye, and said. "I want her fucking head on a pike." She said with child-like glee.

Raven nearly choked on his third helping of cockatrice on a stick. The drones nearby didn't need to hear what they felt over the hive mind to make them shiver in fear. The Outcasts moved closer to listen to the conversation; Xuez and Amber were terrified. Moon Charm and the twins were a little unnerved. Cozy and Oleander were unphased by this. Jade just babbled, and it smelled like she needed a diaper change. "You're not the only one who feels like that, huh?"

"The other Queens want her dead too, even some of her changelings. That wending would have kept us fed for years! But Chrissy got greedy! She got my best love collectors killed that day!"Ambrosia Fumed!

"Why not try invading her castle, or ask the ponies for help?" Raven asked while finishing up his third helping.

The Queen gave the Human a look that said, 'Are you stupid?', which the Human didn't like. "I have around one thousand two hundred drones; Miasma has around three thousand. Myxine only has less than five hundred, and Calliphora has...?" She shrugged again, not knowing. "Chrysalis has over seven thousand drones; we can't compete with that! Also, she has this awesome-looking throne that nullifies any magic that isn't changeling magic so that the ponies would be useless; even the spirit of chaos would be useless."

That last part was rather interesting, a throne that nullifies magic that could be useful. "Okay, why not use artillery?" Raven asked, wondering why they hadn't bombed the castle.

Ambrosia tilts her head in confusion. "Artillery? what does painting have anything to do with this?" Raven resisted the urge to facepalm at this mare's airheadedness.

"Cannons, guns, bombs, cannoneers!" He told the changeling, but she still had no idea what Raven was talking about. The man looked around, and everyone was equally confused. The Human couldn't believe it; they didn't have it. "You guys have fireworks, which means you have gunpowder" Again, everyone looked confused.

"You mean boom powder?" Amber asked innocently. Raven nodded, taken aback by the name; they gave this explosive chemical. "uh, I think Princess Celestia banned the use of it besides making fireworks. She said it was too dangerous, and ponies might get hurt. The only one who uses it outside of companies is the Amazing Trixie!" Amber sounded like she was a fan of hers.

"I need to find Trixie later."He mentally noted.

Raven was shocked that these ponies had no ranged weaponry besides magic and crossbows. Velder and Hamel would have had a field day in this place. All he needed was alchemy, destroyers, and his old airship, and he could take over the world! If he was a psychopath. The man had better things to do, like helping his charges."This whole planet is filled with primitives." He shook his head, disappointed. Of course, Oleander wasn't happy hearing this but held her tongue. Some of the changelings were offended by knew better and kept their mouths shut.

"Moving on. Do you really want Chrysalis's head?" Raven asked the changeling Queen, who perked up at the question.

The Queen gave the Human a sly smile and winked at him. "Aw~ you feel bad for Chrissy?" Ambrosia teased but already knew how he felt.

"Truthfully? No." Raven answered with a frown. "A starving mugger is still a mugger. I was orphaned after my father died, and I lived on the streets as a beggar. One day I had enough money and bought a loaf of bread, but a homeless man held me at knife point. He wanted my bread because he was starving, but I was also starving. You know what I did?" Ambrosia was genuinely curious and gestured for him to go on. " I grabbed a pipe and bashed him in the knee. Then I caved his head in; that was the first time I killed." His words were ice cold. The foals cringed at his telling of the events.

"Maybe things could have ended differently, like pleading with me. But the mugger didn't; he threatened my life, and I took his." He grabbed himself a fourth help of cockatrice on a stick. "What I'm trying to say is; Chrysalis chose violence and loss and got what she deserved for failing. The moron is lucky she still has her life, but" Raven takes a bite of his food and smiles. "If Celestia lost and had her kingdom taken over. I wouldn't be too broken up about it." Again he didn't know much about Celestia, but if her thousand-year reign ended because of some bug, it would be a footnote in the history books.

"You and Myxine would totally get along." Raven doubted that but didn't bother to correct her. Ambrosia flew up and was face to face with the Human again. "If only we had a big strong Human that could help us. You wouldn't know anyone like that, would you?" She gave him a wink.

"Possibly, but under one condition. Join us, and we'll help you take down Chrysalis." Raven gestured to his charges, who went wide eye. Ambrosia went wide eye and looked like she was about to ask something, but the Human stopped her. "No, we're not going to tell you how to rule over your hive—just an alliance. The kids and I are heading somewhere special, and we could use the help. One more thing." The Queen gave him her full attention, wondering what he would say next. "This special place is an archive, and it might have the secrets of alchemy. And it might be possible to synthesize love. You and your hive won't have to worry about starving.

Ambrosia's jaw dropped, along with every changeling who heard this through the hivemind. The possibility of never going hungry again. It was almost too good to be true; she and her hive needed to discuss this. The Queen gave Raven a nervous smile. "Give me and my hive some time to discuss this." The Human nodded while Ambrosia landed and stared off into space.

"Raven Maxwell. A word, please." Oleander called out to the Human, and she didn't sound too pleased. Raven turned around to face his charges, and they looked upset. "Oh boy." He thought while walking over to them. Raven squatted so he could be at eye level with the group.

Moon Charm spoke up first. "Are you nuts! Those are changelings!"

Xuez spoke next. "You just agreed to assassinate somepony! That is wrong, mister Raven!"

The twins had nothing to offer on this one; they were indifferent about it. So were Jade and Amber.

Oleander was the most upset about this turn of events. "Changelings can't be trusted! They'll strike when you least expect it and throw you into their pods to feed off of your love!"

"I agree with Mister Maxwell." Cozy was the last the speak, and her words shocked everypony. Raven gave the pegasus a curious look. "We're going somewhere that's most likely super dangerous. We could use all the help we can get. Another thing, these guys most likely know the area better than any of us. None of us have been outside of Equestria, and" Cozy pointed a hoof at the Human. " He's only been awake for a week."

If Raven could, he would give Cozy Glow a gold star. The former Captain couldn't be any prouder of her. "Cozy is correct, but I have more to add to this." He gave Xuez a sideway glance and continued. "I will offer Chrysalis's head to the Equestrians as a sign of peace and apology. Something to keep the princesses happy for a while."Although, he wasn't sure how happy the alicorns would be if they found chrysalis’ head on their doorsteps. "And I doubt these guys will pass up the opportunity to gain access to near-unlimited love."

Oleander was intrigued by this. "Is that even possible?" The unicorn couldn't lie that Equestria was lacking in the science department. So she wondered if Human science would be any better.

Raven nodded. "I've dabbled with it. With the right materials, it's possible. Now, can we agree on allying with the Honeycomb hive?" He heard a few grumbles, but everypony agreed. "But let me be clear if any other of the Queens had the opportunity to invade Equestria, including Ambrosia, I have no doubt they would have tried. So keep that in mind. One more thing." Raven looked at Xuez, knowing the colt needed to hear this. "I may have been justified for defending my life when I was just a boy, but what I did next was horrible. Never forget, two wrongs don't make a right, but I won't blame any of you if." He didn't need to say more as the foals around him nodded; Xuez smiled at Raven and patted him on the knee. The human stood back up at his full height and walked over to the changeling Queen, who had a blank look on her face.

After a few minutes of waiting and eating, Ambrosia returned to her senses and gave the Human a big smile. "After careful consideration." Raven heard a few changelings nearby grumbling. " I, Queen Ambrosia of Honeycomb hive, agree to align myself with uh. What's your group name?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"The Outcasts!" Moon Charm said proudly.

Ambrosia stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Ew, that sounds tacky. Pick something else." Moon Charm's ears drooped when she heard that. She spent a lot of time coming up with the name. The changeling held her hoof out for a hoof shake to seal the deal.

"I had something in mind for a while," Raven said with a smile. Although the name does bring back some painful memories, it meant something when it was first used. Hopefully, it would mean something again. The man bent down and shook Ambrosia's hoof. "The Black Crows."

Author's Note

Alright, got another chapter out! Next chapter we're going back to Equestria to check up on twilight and the princesses.

Also, I'm not justiftiying the Canterlot invasion but I'm not doing the "woe is me" for the changelings. But I do want to hear your personal opinions on chrysalis, I have an outline written down, but nothing is set in stone.