Leviathan was tired. He was absolutely exhausted. Thankfully Periwinkle/Clarity was fast asleep, allowing the Changeling to slip out of the shelter and away into the forest. As he stood up, the purple Unicorn shifted in his sleep, poking his horn into Leviathan’s leg. Inhaling deeply, the Changeling prince could smell the magic coursing through his veins. Two more days and he’d be able to feast for real.

After all this time hiding away in the royal guard, Leviathan hadn’t been able to feed as much as he’d like. The royal pet, Philomena, was a phoenix that could resurrect itself after every death it suffered. This loophole allowed for the Changeling to feed off of its energy for years on end, at least once a month. No one ever found out about his secret, or rather, no one mentioned it if they knew.

Changelings from Chrystalis’ Hive had made their way into common pony life. They found themselves in relationships and no longer needed to trick ponies into feeding off of their love. Now they were happy, all thanks to one of their own.

Leviathan didn’t necessarily yearn for peace like that, but he did yearn for something. He had hunger deep within his bones and he wasn’t sure what would satiate it. Was it love?

“Leviathan! My darling boy,” His mother’s voice sounded suddenly from the crystal ball in his possession, and the prince was quickly stolen from his contemplation. “Have you met the little pony thief?” The queen hissed, her tongue flicking out from her mouth as she spat the word “pony.”

Transforming back into his regular black form, Leviathan nodded. “Yes, mother. I’ve located the Unicorn and I’m on my way to the hive.”

There was a gleeful squeal on the other end and Leviathan felt a rush of pride go through his body. “Excellent work, my dear! Will you be here shortly?”

The prince’s face fell quickly. Right. It wasn’t a long trip between Canterlot and the hive if a Changeling teleported or flew. Unfortunately, Leviathan was still under the disguise of a Pegasus pony and his prey was a Unicorn. Plus two guests. “Um, no,” He tried to explain, unsure of what words to use. “It’ll be closer to about two or three days, I think.”

Queen Lilith looked shocked, “Has something happened? Did you feed already?”

He shook his head quickly, “No, no. I just needed to trick him into following me and he already had two ponies with him, and, well…”

“And they’re all with you?” Leviathan nodded. “Are any of them Unicorns?” Another nod. His mother grinned and clapped her two front hooves together, grinning. Her white fangs shone under the crystal ball’s light. “Then there’s no reason to feel ashamed for the late arrival, my dear! Another Unicorn just means more food for the hive! I’ve needed to repopulate this place anyway.”

“He’s under the impression I have a cure for his crystal curse,” Leviathan explained, red eyes glinting mischievously. “I said I’m taking him to a monument that clears it upon contact!”

Lilith cackled at that, throwing her head back and exposing her jelly-like neck, filled with what may have been nectar to feed her young, should she have more. “Oh, you devilish child of mine!” The queen smiled. “Please, rest easy knowing you are truly bringing a blessing upon the hive. I will speak with you tomorrow, darling!”

The crystal ball was dim again, signaling his mother had halted her communications with the prince. Taking a deep breath, the Changeling transformed back into Emerald Shield and made his way back to the shelters the four ponies were staying in. Snoring was coming from one of the tents, but he wasn’t sure which. The question was soon answered, though, as he approached his own tent and saw Periwinkle/Clarity with his mouth open, snoring away. The Unicorn was shivering slightly.

A conflicting feeling filled Leviathan’s stomach all of a sudden. It wasn’t hunger; he knew what that felt like. This was that strange longing he’d been thinking about earlier. He got closer to the Unicorn and lay down, thankful for the heat that the other pony brought him. He hadn’t even realized how cold the forest had gotten before he came in contact with the other stallion. Laying with his side pressed up against Periwinkle, Leviathan shook away his conflicting thoughts, settling to think about them some other time. For now, he’d lay here and sleep in warmth.

Waking up to the dim sunlight that was provided under the Everfree Forest’s sky of trees, Leviathan smiled to himself as he rolled over. He’d feed at noon and then he’d run trials with the Changeling guard in preparation for an attack on the Canterlot Castle. There was a royal coronation coming up, right?

“Wake up,” A voice came from his left and Leviathan screeched as he sat up suddenly, knocking his head against the stick shelter he was beneath and he felt the whole thing crumble upon him, dropping sticks on the head of his fellow tent-dweller.

“Oh,” Leviathan’s face ran red, absolutely embarrassed about what he’d just done. “I’m sorry. You scared me!”

The purple Unicorn had a very irritated look on his face and Leviathan felt his ears press back against his head in embarrassment. “A royal guard,” Clarity/Periwinkle started, clearly unphased at the explanation, “Was scared of someone suddenly waking him up?”

Leviathan nodded quickly. “Just because I’m trained to wake up on command does not mean I’m trained to be composed when I do so.”

There was just a look of disbelief and a nod that followed. “Right.”

The pair made their way over to the other tent, undisturbed. The other ponies probably weren’t even up yet.

“Hey!” The purple Unicorn called from outside the tent. “Wake up! It’s dawn, we need to get moving!” There was a rustle and the blue Pegasus emerged first, followed by Hibiscus. Leviathan smiled as they both walked out. Hibiscus truly was a beautiful mare, the prince thought privately. If what he had been feeling truly was a longing for love, maybe she could satiate it. The ponies all suited up, placing their saddlebags back on their backs and eating their morning rations. Clarity had overpacked, so there was likely enough food for an additional day if the trip took more than three.

“How much further?” Cobalt groaned, wiping his eyes with a wing.

“About two more days of walking. If we keep sleeping through the night, that is,” Leviathan clarified. It would be less time if they didn’t take 6-hour breaks in between. The two Canterlot ponies shook their heads quickly.

“No, no, two days is fine!” Cobalt smiled, golden eyes clearly still heavy with sleep. Leviathan just laughed and gestured for the trio to continue following him.

The green Pegasus took the lead, waltzing further into the forest, getting closer and closer to the first stop within. Though he had flown to Canterlot when he was just a child, Leviathan knew the path back to the hive. He had to in order to lure this pony back to the queen. The prince had prepared for any scenario: just the one Unicon, a peaceful trip, a chaotic one, more ponies to follow than just two… he knew his way in and out of this forest. He also knew that in a few miles was a Dragon nest.

“How deep have you traveled into the forest, Clarity?” Hibiscus asked the purple stallion.

“Hmm up until the sign back there,” He responded simply, gesturing back with a nod of his head. His mouth quirked up, “That’s not my name, you know.”

“I knew it,” Cobalt leaped into the air by a couple of feet, fluttering his wings before touching back down. “So what is it?”

“We should guess!” Hibiscus exclaimed, grinning. Her curly pink hair bounced as she ran in front of Leviathan, nearly bumping into him. “If I guess the first letter will you tell me?” She asked the stallion.

“Hmm…” Clarity/Not Clarity thought for a moment, still walking straight on behind the green Pegasus. “Okay. You can try guessing the first letter. But you can’t go in alphabetical order and you need to all guess one at a time. No hints.”

Fair enough. He wanted to stay mysterious, so be it. Leviathan took the first guess: “Does it start with T?” A shake of the head. Darn.

Cobalt flew into the air, deciding to hover alongside the group rather than continue walking. Maybe he had more energy than the others. “I know! It starts with an O, doesn’t it?” Another shake of the head. Darn!

Hibiscus thought for a moment, being careful about her guess. “Does it start with an A?” Better to get the first letter of the alphabet out of the way, Leviathan supposed. Another shake of the head!

Clarity/Not Clarity grinned, “That’s all you get for the day.” The trio shouted at the stallion, angry at the sudden rule implementation.

“You said nothing about one guess a day!” Leviathan accused, turning around quickly to face the Unicorn. He was met with narrowed eyes and a sly smile.

“It’s my name! I can do what I want!” Was the response that followed. He suddenly whispered directly into Leviathan’s ear: “My real name is actually Turquoise.” The Changeling felt his body shiver at the near-contact. Same color as his eyes.

“That’s a pretty name!” Hibiscus chimed, mostly aware that this probably wasn’t an actual name confession.

“But you said it doesn’t start with T!” Cobalt added, leading to laughs from the other ponies. Leviathan couldn’t help but be amused at the little game. It was a fun break from the endless walking.

Continuing on through the forest, the deep greenery soon gave way to grey rocks, a smoky smell filling the air. Leviathan knew where they were headed. He’d confronted the leader of this tribe before and he knew how to get around her way of defending the creatures that lived within the rocks and flames. Heat replaced the cool forest air soon enough and the trio of ponies behind him began curiously inspecting the ground at their feet and the surrounding flora.

“I can’t say I’ve been this far into the forest,” Turquoise noted, looking around with wide eyes. “Where are we?”

There was a sudden rush of air and a screech that could shatter ear drums. Turquoise quickly put up a bright purple shield, protecting himself and the others from the figure that quickly attempted to dive-bomb the group. Sick laughter followed the impact, shaking the Unicorn and breaking the barrier.

A dash of yellow made its way back into the sky and Leviathan saw a glint of red look down, right at him.

“We’re in Dragon territory.”

Author's Note

so idk if you guys have guessed but i am setting this up to have my own Mane 6 going by the end of this story. I've got four characters and here comes the fifth! the sixth is on her way next!!!