For the next two days, you traveled across valleys and fields with only your supplies and your undying willpower to complete your mission. More than once, you hid when you thought there was a pony approaching (although it actually turned out to be either a rabbit or a squirrel). During those two days you had tried to contact Pharynx again, but every time you got the same response-nothing. You still had no idea why he wasn't answering you, but now you were pretty sure that he wasn't checking up on his squad.

At the end of the second day, you wound up in another heavily-wooded area. Judging by the abundance of plants, the way the animals behaved, and how the clouds were slowing drifting high in the sky, you came to the conclusion that you were now in the Everfree Forest. A smirk formed on your face.

Perfect. The ponies won't even try looking for me here.

Once again, you decided to set up camp for the night. After setting up and igniting the campfire, you grabbed your blanket and lied down. Fortunately it wasn't as cold as it was the first time you rested, so your body didn't feel chilly. Soon, you yawned and went to sleep.

When you woke up the next morning the fire had mostly gone out, but there were still a few embers burning. Normally you'd leave them alone, however since you were most likely a wanted criminal due to you not accepting that pathetic king as your leader, you didn't want to get your enemies' attention. You opened up your saddlebag, pulled out the water bottle, and sprinkled some of its contents onto the firewood making a small hissing sound.

Shortly after you heard a rustling noise coming from behind you.

Whipping your head around 180 degrees to the left (thank you changeling anatomy), you saw that one of your saddlebags was shaking; the one that was left open when you grabbed the water bottle. Setting the plastic container down, you quietly walked towards the saddlebags.

Out of the bag first came a fluffy gray tail with black stripes, which was followed by the creature it was attached to backing up: a raccoon. In its mouth it was dragging a piece of one of your apple fritters, which appeared to have been torn off.

The blood in your body began to boil as you quietly snarled.

You took a deep breath and let out a raspy screech like a mantis, which took the raccoon by surprise. It looked up and saw you angrily barring your fangs at it, which caused it to drop the fritter, chitter frantically, and run off into some bushes.

Stupid animal. You thought, watching the raccoon disappear.

Once it was gone, you peered into the saddlebag to see how much damage had been caused. A frown crossed your face as you saw that there was only one apple fritter left, along with the piece that the raccoon dropped and the cucumber sandwiches at the far back which were miraculously left untouched.

You knew you should've fastened the bag shut before you put the fire out.

There was no way in hell you were going to find the queen with only one piece of edible food; sure you could go back to Whitetail Woods to restock, but that was too far away and you weren't sure if the rest of the fritters were still there. Not to mention you still didn't know how far away the queen was and you'd be getting hungry halfway through the journey.

You paced back and forth, wondering how you were going to find enough love to keep you from suffering an unexpected starvation. The now-empty water bottle sitting near the extinguished campfire caught your attention.

Suddenly, an idea formed in your head.

Returning to the saddlebags, you levitated one of the sandwiches out of it and held it up to your face, which had a devious smirk. You opened your mouth and proceeded to chew up the sandwich; the taste was bland, as most pony food was to your species' taste buds. With a gulp, you swallowed it and proceeded to pack up, placing your blanket, the half of the fritter and the empty bottle back into your saddlebags.

Soon you reached a small clearing where some bushes and tall grass could be found-a perfect place to execute your plan. Standing still you began to focus on a certain part of your body, and soon you felt something cool and sticky travel up your throat. Puffing your cheeks up, you looked down at the ground and spat out a glob of changeling slime-its dark green color blending in seamlessly with the grass.

Perfect.

You took out the torn apple fritter and set it down close to the gooey puddle, before retreating to a nearby bush. Staring at the trap, you waited for whatever creature would come by and take the bait.

As luck would have it, one of the bushes began to rustle and a raccoon emerged from it. You weren't sure if this was the same raccoon from earlier or if it was a different one, but it didn't matter right now. All you wanted was for it to spring your trap so you could test out your idea.

You watched as the raccoon sniffed the air for a bit, before catching the sweet and sugary scent of the fritter. It took one step and stopped for a bit, which made you frown and think that it was somehow smarter than you thought. But then, you suddenly gasped in delight as the critter ran towards the pastry and into your slime puddle, getting its front paws stuck first followed by its hind ones.

Satisfied, you jumped out of the bush and buzzed over towards the trapped animal. A evil grinned crossed your face as you saw it frantically trying to pull itself loose, but to no avail. You chuckled to yourself.

It was time to put your idea to the test.

Opening your mouth, you began to inhale and drain the raccoon of its love, feeling its warm, refreshing taste rest in your mouth. After about two seconds you stopped and quickly closed your mouth with your cheeks all puffed up with love (you had to be careful not to swallow any of it).

Opening the saddlebag with your magic, you levitated the water bottle out and placed it up to you mouth, before exhaling all the love into it. Once you were done, you quickly closed the bottle and gasped, taking in a few gulps of air before you smiled happily.

Your plan had worked.

Looking at the bottle, you noticed that the love from the raccoon only filled up a quarter of the bottom, but you knew that eventually you'd get it filled up all the way. You placed it back in your saddlebag and let out a happy squee: Now you had a way to stock up on love when you ate the last apple fritter.

You continued on your journey through the forest, stopping every once in a while to trap some animals and put their love into your new "reserve bottle" as you called it, which slowly filled up more and more.

A few hours had passed and there was still no sign of the queen. You knew she had to be somewhere where the ponies couldn't find her, but so far it seemed her hiding place couldn't even be discovered by you. Despite this, you didn't give up-it was your mission to find her and you were going to stick to that mission, goddammit.

You puffed out your chest and saluted: you were the last true changeling, and you had to prove your loyalty to the queen no matter the cost.

Continuing your walk, you came across something peculiar: It was a small hut, carved into the trunk of a large tree. It sorted reminded you of that library in Ponyville that you flew over during the Canterlot invasion-the one that Princess Twilight resided in before she got her big crystal castle. You're not really sure what became of that library.

You didn't think there would be any civilization in the Everfree, what with all the wild animals and monsters, but this place somehow proved you wrong. As you got closer you noticed there was a faint light coming out of the windows: yep, someone was definitely living here.

At first you were a little hesitant, worried that whoever was living in this hut would recognize you and get in contact with one of the princesses, who would most likely send you back to the hive to have you turned into...one of those things.

No. You didn't become a soldier just to chicken out at the last minute-you were much braver than that. You took a deep breath, then knocked on the wooden door.

In less than a few seconds the door creaked open and you came face-to-face with a female zebra. She was the same height as you, with blue eyes that almost matched your own. A pair of large hooped earrings hung from her ears and a series of bracelets were coiled around her neck and front hooves-all of which were made of yellow brass that shimmered like gold.

"In all my years I've encountered strange beings, but never have I seen one of the changelings." She said with a poetic rhyme.

"Well, we are pretty well-known," You replied. "Especially after our invasion of Canterlot."

"Ah yes, I remember that day when I visited Ponyville I heard the citizens say that Queen Chrysalis, your cunning leader, abducted Celestia's niece and began to deceive her."

"Eeeyep, pretty much. It's just a shame that little purple unitard saw through the queen's disguise immediately."

"Twilight is clever, I know this. She's quick to realize when something is amiss." The zebra replied. "Although you changelings can mimic someone's features, your mannerisms are repulsive to other social creatures."

You personally felt offended at that last sentence...or at least, you would've been if it wasn't for the fact that you treat other members of your species with respect and honor, while every other creature on this planet was basically a free meal ticket.

You quickly looked around you and asked, "Do you think we can continue this conversation inside?"

"By all means, come right in. You must feel chilly wearing nothing but chitin."

You followed the zebra into the hut, amazed at how spacious it was inside. To the left of the entrance was a small living room-like area with some cushions, which you proceed to sit down on. The zebra sat down on the cushion across from you.

"My name is Zecora, shaman of the Everfree. And what, may I ask, would your name be?"

"Umm I was...never really given a name." You replied. "However, some of my fellow infiltrators called me Blue Eyes...for obvious reasons." You then pointed a hoof at your eyes.

Zecora placed a hoof on her chin. "Hmm, Blue Eyes, that's not a bad name since most of you changelings look the same."

Now that sentence you definitely found offensive.

"Tell me why you're out here on your own; it's very rare to see a changeling alone."

You took a deep breath and sighed. "It's a long story."

And so you proceeded to tell Zecora everything that happened to you, from the day you and the rest of your squad infiltrated Ponyville, to getting separated on the way back to the hive, to finding out what happened to your former home, and so on. All the while, Zecora sat and listened with great interest.

"...and now here I am." You finished. "I hope I can find the queen before the rest of Equestria does, otherwise I am royally screwed...no pun intended."

"You're very brave to trek so far from your home without saying Au Revoir," Zecora replied. "If what you said so far is true, then I wish the best of luck to you."

You felt a familiar warmth in your stomach shortly after the zebra complimented you, which tasted pretty much like a candy bar. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

"Hey Zecora, I was wondering, when exactly did the Chrysalis Hive fall?" You asked.

Zecora pondered for a second. "That has also been on my mind, so the other day I asked Pinkie Pie and she told me the day you lost your home happened approximately nine days ago."

The blood in your body went cold when you heard that.

This...this seemed impossible. You couldn't have been knocked out for more than a day, could you?

Your eyes darted around the room until they were fixated on a calendar hanging on the back wall. When Zecora got up and walked towards the kitchen, you used this opportunity to quickly hover towards the calendar. You raised a hoof up and pointed at the day your squad took over Twilight's castle, then one by one, you slowly counted the days after it.

Sure enough, it had indeed been nine days since Ponyville was seized. Guess you were out cold longer than you thought. As you moved your hoof away from the calendar, you noticed the date of the ninth day which was previously covered up; your eyes widened when you realized what today was.

Oh shit, IT'S MATING SEASON!

Turning around, you flew back towards the front door, wings buzzing frantically. But before you opened it, you addressed Zecora who had just left the kitchen.

"Sorry Zecora, but I gotta get going. Before I leave, do you think you can keep our little get-together a secret from the princesses?"

"Very well, Blue Eyes, you have a deal. From here-forward my lips will have a seal." Zecora motioned a hoof across the front of her muzzle.

You nodded and said, "Thanks." before a bright green aura surrounded the door handle and turned it, allowing you access to the outside world again.

You approached a small clearing which meant you were nearing the edge of the Everfree. Through the thick tree branches you could see the blue sky above, along with the clouds being static rather than slowly drifting like the ones you saw earlier. A tall bush stood in the way, so you hovered above it to get a better look at the other side.

Lush, green fields and a dirt road laid ahead, and off in the distance you could make out the familiar white-walled and yellow-roofed houses that made up Ponyville: the place where your whole adventure began.

A small tear rolled down your cheek as memories started to flood your brain: memories of you and your fellow infiltrators enjoying your victory, chatting about who you were gonna mate with, and the party you all threw. You sniffed as you realized those days were now gone, all because of Starlight Glimmer and that...traitor who destroyed your queen's beautiful kingdom.

You shook those thoughts out of your head. You weren't here to take a trip down memory lane, you're here to find a new place to continue your search. Looking past Ponyville, you saw a range of mountains in the distance and decided that's where you'll be heading next.

Princess Twilight and the remaining element bearers were without a doubt within Ponyville, which meant you needed to get past the town undetected. With a bright green flash, you took on the form of a small crow. You flapped your black feathery wings and took off through the clearing, sailing over the fields of flowers and passed the dirt road. When you reached Ponyville, you began to climb higher and higher, making sure to avoid the giant town hall in the center as well as the even more enormous crystal castle on the outskirts of town.

As soon as you were clear of the shiny behemoth, you turned left and flew towards the mountains. As they got closer you saw that the sky was turning gray and the air was getting warmer; this could only mean one thing.

Rain.

Being an insect, your flying skills were poor in rainy weather, so you needed to hurry and find some shelter. You looked around at the tall, crooked mountains that surrounded you in hopes of finding somewhere to rest before the inevitable downpour. One mountain in the distance caught your attention: it was very tall with a narrow stone path that spiraled around towards the base of the peak, which had a large cave.

Perfect. You thought. Should be nice and dry in there.

You began to flap your wings faster as the mountain drew closer and closer. Once you were close enough, you tucked your wings against the sides of your body as you dove down towards the ledge near the cave's mouth. Before you hit the ground, you quickly unfurled your wings and straightened them out, slowing your descent, as you stretched your talons out to land gently on the smooth, rocky surface.

Once you turned back to your normal buggy self, the rain started falling; lightly at first, then increased to a heavy monsoon. Thinking quickly, you shut your eyes and galloped into the cave. Once the air above you felt dry you skidded to a halt.

Opening your eyes, you noticed that your body was now dripping wet and looked like you just came out of a shower at a fitness center. You closed your eyes and shook the water off your body rapidly, thankful that the straps on your saddlebags were fastened tight. Once your exoskeleton was nice and dry you groaned.

You hated rain.

Suddenly you felt a strange tickling feeling in your nose-a drop of water had dripped into your left nostril before your drying session-and you started to sniff. Your chest began heaving as the tickling became stronger, weakening your resistance more and more until you let out a loud sneeze.

The noise echoed throughout the dark cave, crawling up the curved walls and rolling down the stalagtite-covered ceiling. You winced a bit at the sound but was glad that it was over.

You looked around the cave, seeing that it was quite large and seemed to stretch for what looked like miles. It made the round table room in Twilight's castle look small by comparison. Aside from the entrance, the entirety of the cave was as black as the night sky, with only a pair of small dots off in the distance-wait, a pair of small dots?

Sure enough, when you squinted, you saw two small round dots at the far end of the cave. Eyes-eyes that were staring in your direction. You froze up, not considering that this cave might have been occupied by someone or something.

Shit. I just hope the homeowner isn't afraid of bugs.

The eyes began to gradually move up and down and slowly grew in size, indicating that the creature was moving. You heard the faint sound of something clacking against the stone floor, like someone tapping a plastic bowl upside down on a table. Your eyes widened when you recognized that they were the sounds of hoofsteps.

There was a pony in this cave, and you just gave away your location. Damn your sensitive nasal passages.

Gulping, you got down on the floor and covered your face with your front hooves, trembling and whimpering like a stray dog. One of the ponies had found you, and there was no doubt that they would bring you to the princesses and have you assimilated under the reign of that false king.

The hoofsteps grew louder and louder, closer and closer to where you were until...they stopped. From the darkness of your closed eyes, a faint green glow emerged in your vision. You uncovered your face and opened your eyes, slowly looking up at where the glow was coming from.

The light was coming from a horn on the creature's head, which revealed its face. Thankfully it wasn't that of a pony, but rather it was someone you did not expect to find so soon:

Queen Chrysalis.

Author's Note

Bet ya didn't see that coming, huh?

Sorry this took so long; I wanted to take a break after the last chapter...also I realized that writing Zecora dialogue is harder than it looks.