What Could Have Been: Director Sugar Hoof

Witness Testimony of the Treant and Changeling War

Witness: /Spoken Name: Thorax / Given Name: NA-CT

Interviewer: Prison Warden T103817

"Queen Chrysalis was giving a speech, I recalled that much. Once Sugar Hoof had been defeated by the hooves of the ponies, we thought that would be the end, that there wouldn't be anymore trouble from him or his treants, but we were wrong. They dug their tunnels into our home and demanded that we get out of their land... there were too many of them, too many of his trees, they'd haul away anyone who didn't get out, and then keep digging. Our Queen, hadn't slept since then. She'd fought against the treants, but even her magic wasn't strong enough to beat their sheer numbers.

Morale was low, most of our home was destroyed, we had already gone through most of our food and water... we thought we couldn't get any lower, but then the nursery hive...

Hundreds of hatchlings, up in flame. The queen couldn't even penetrate the magic field the treants had set up, but that didn't stop her from trying, she couldn't have known that the field was designed to hold any changeling who touched it in place. Even miles away from there, I can still remember her cries, she begged for her children as any mother would. The treants had no mercy to give.

I never even knew why the treants hated us, it's not like we ever fed off of their love, we've tried, they don't have any to take. But that was back then...

Now, the treants are a whole other monster. Their numbers were only barely ahead of their own technology. They started bringing big green tubes to fight with instead of their magic. I remember when I first saw one, I thought it was a toy, but it definitely wasn't a toy. Beams of magic shot out from the tubes, and whoever was unlucky enough to get hit just ceased to be. They didn't even leave a body to be buried, there was just ash left."

Prison Warden T103817 passes NA-CT a drink of water, liquified love, and a heavy dose of Sugar Hoof's magic, the creature drinks it greedily. It is clear that it has not had much to drink in a few days.

NA-CT: "Oh, thanks, Now... uh..."

Prison Warden T103817: "What about the Queen's speech?"

NA-CT: "Right... The Queen gathered us all in what little space we had, and told us that she planned to surrender to the treants. It wasn't a very popular idea, but... there were so few of us left, and the treants... we couldn't even find them, they had to find us. How do you fight a people when you don't even know where they're at?

The next time they attacked, Queen..." Witness seems lost and shakes it's head roughly.

"The treants declined. She pledged loyalty to Sugar Hoof, she begged for mercy, and if they wouldn't give all of them mercy, she asked to be killed in exchange for the rest of us to live. She... The Queen... Queen... She tried to sacrifice herself for me, why can't I remember her name?"

Prison Warden T103817 places a paper plate with some pears enhanced with love and Sugar Hoof's magic into NA-CT's cell

Prison Warden T103817: "You probably haven't eaten in a few days."

NA-CT: "Thanks."

The witness consumes the pears with a smile.

Prison Warden T103817: Do you remember the Queen?"

NA-CT: "Queen... I don't know any queens."

Prison Warden T103817: "Do you remember your name?"

NA-CT: "My... T... uh..."

Prison Warden T103817 offers another drink to NA-CT, which he happily accepts.

NA-CT: "Thank you, My name is Nact, by the way."

Prison Warden T103817: "Do you remember how you got here, Nact?"

NA-CT: "I'm undergoing an interview to see if I'm worthy enough to live here."

Prison Warden T103817: "Why do you want to live here, Nact?"

NA-CT: " There's nothing for me outside, I'm unemployed, I don't even remember my family... come to think of it... I don't remember where I live..."

Prison Warden T103817: "You are aware that if you are permitted to stay here, you will have to undergo orientation, correct?"

NA-CT: "Oh, yeah, that's fine."

Prison Warden T103817: "Alright, just one last question for you, do you remember the Treant and Changeling War?"

NA-CT: What's a changeling?"

Prison Warden T103817: "You?"

The Witness is clearly distressed at this discovery.

NA-CT: "Oh... I-I'm sorry, I didn't know... I hadn't even heard of a changeling before now."

Prison Warden T103817: "Think nothing of it, Nact, you passed."

NA-CT: "I did? Oh, thank you!"

Prison Warden T103817 and NA-CT leave the prison together and head into the orientation room, where they see the sight of a female changeling tied up with numerous wires and vines. She looked like a mangled Halloween decoration due to the top of her skull and her brain being removed. Her body rippled with magic as it worked overtime to produce healthy eggs, that would fall onto a conveyor belt underneath her hanging form and shipped off somewhere else throughout the facility.

NA-CT didn't seem distressed be his old monarch's condition in the slightest.

Prison Warden T103817 helps get NA-CT hooked up to one of the brain-wiring chairs before starting the machine.

Prison Warden T103817: "Just for the record, can you state your name again?"

NA-CT: "Oh sure, my name is Nact, I'm a changeling... sorry, about that again."

Prison Warden T103817: Tell me, Nact, what's your favorite food?"

The device begins it's work on rewriting Nact's brain

NA-CT: "Ahhh... my head... what's..."

Prison Warden T103817: "Repeat, what is your favorite color?"

NA-CT: H-h-hey could you s-stop thi—"

Prison Warden T103817: "Repeat, what is your favorite color?"

NA-CT: "My favorite... green. Green is my favorite color."

Prison Warden T103817: What do you like to do?"

NA-CT: "That's... that's a tough one... I can't remember..."

Prison Warden T103817 turns the machine on HIGH

NA-CT: "I like resting and relaxing... though napping is also pretty good."

Prison Warden T103817: ""Do you like to go out?"

NA-CT: "No, not really... I like the quiet..."

After analyzing NA-CT's brain waves, it is safe to say that he remembers nothing of his old life, and is ready for integration with the town.

Long Live the Master