//-------------------------------------------------------// Binky Hooves -by Betty_Starlight- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Endless Love //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Endless Love I don’t understand? Do I intend to play house, with this foal, now? NO! I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings! … And caretaker to Binky… So the question now becomes, how do I get even more love? I’ll admit that Binky has made me more powerful than I thought… Soon, it will be time… Soon… <*****> I wake up on the white changeling-bed and I notice something very strange… I see a small nest of sorts, with three glowing orbs in it! The nest seems to be some sort of colorful material I’ve never seen before, and is strange hues of blue, red, and yellow! I widen my eyes, “Mommy! Look! There’s something new over there!” The bed glows, to form aninsect creature, with a greenish-blue carapace, and those light purple eyes, over a muzzle, that soon frowns, “I laid changeling eggs!” I stare at her wide-eyed, “Oh, cool! Does that mean I’m gonna have brothers and sisters?” She stammers, “I-I knew your love was powerful, but I didn’t think… “ before staring at me carefully, “Binky! You could be the real secret to restoring my hive!” “Say what now?” She gulps and nods, “Yes, Binky! With your endless supply of love, I could create enough drones to repopulate over time!” and her eyes widen, “Hurry! Come hug me!” I frown, “Endless supply of love? What in Equestria are you talking about?” She begins taking two paces towards me, while I stare up at her, and she soon scoops me into her hooves, and I feel her embracing me in a tight warm hug! Yeah, I love her, but endless? I mean, is that even possible? <*****> I don’t understand? She had all sorts of love earlier, but now she’s just standing there, and we aren’t really feeling any affection… There is no love flowing into me… I ask the obvious question, “Binky, what’s wrong? Are you not excited?” She slowly returns the hug, with her own hooves… I begin to feel smaller amounts of love beginning to pour into me… “Well mommy, it’s not that I don’t care, and I really do want to see you happy, but um, are you sure starting a new hive is really what we need to be doing?” I release her and stand in front of her, “Of course, that’s what we want, Binky! Just think, with your genuine love pouring into me, I could easily raise an entire army of drones! Then of course, it’s just a matter of finding love… “ She gazes at me with those piercing pinkish-purple eyes of hers, “Um, finding love?” I nod, “Well, yes Binky! Love is what changelings feed off of! Although, “ my eyes go to the ceiling, “I haven’t been hungry in a couple of days now, ever since we met?” Wait… If Binky’s love was not only enough to sustain me, but actually give me the necessary energy to reproduce… “Mommy?” If her love is truly all I need… But then, how will I feed these new changelings? “Uh, mommy? Are you there?” I snap to attention, “Sorry, Binky! I was considering a lot of things, and our precise position, in these matters.” “Do you have a plan?” I smile, “Of course!” I absolutely have nothing of the sort! … I won’t tell her that, though… She smiles, and trots over to me, to hug me for real this time… “I love you mommy!” I return the love with my own hooves, “I love you too, Binky… “ I soon feel that delicious surge of love flowing into me, once more… <*****> I’m watching Starlight Glimmer exit the building from my perch, up in the darkened clock tower… Getting binoculars was simple enough, once I found the right shop… I used my foreleg to hold the flat black field glasses to my eyes, allowing me to gaze closer at the magenta unicorn… She’s talking to Trixie! The other one who was there, when my hive betrayed me! I see her chatting with a blue unicorn, sporting a tall pointy purple hat with tacky gold stars, on it… Wait, what’s this? I see the two ponies nuzzling and kissing affectionately, before they both begin trotting towards the gate on the other side of the school from me… Interesting! I could exploit this in the future! <*****> I stumble back to the cave, in the dead of night… I hear crickets chirping from the outside, as I trot into the cavern, and the cool breeze soon leaves me, as I travel into the earth… “Mommy! Where did you go?” I hear my foal ask me, from 20 feet away… I smile and trot towards her, for a loving embrace! “Mommy needed to check on some things down in Ponyville! No need to fret sweet child! I’m here, now!” “Um, mommy, I uh, I get kinda lonely, and well, I was wondering when the eggs would hatch?” I smile at my foal from a few inches away, in the darkness of the cave, “It should be any minute, now!” Suddenly, I notice that the egg on the right side is indeed cracking open! I release the filly to walk around her towards the eggs with a smile on my face, “Changeling gestation is magical in nature, and not very lengthy… “ I grin at the eggs as they begin to crack open… She trots up on my right side, and says, “Oh, wow! So uh, what should I do, mommy?” and turns up to stare at me… <*****> I feel all the liquidy gooey slime around my body as I hold the strange changeling larvae happily in my loving embrace… I hear my new mommy say, "You can start caring for the newly hatched changelings, my little one," when I stare at her, and see a look of pride and satisfaction in her purple eyes... “The sight of my freshly hatched children, my newest creations, bonding with my adopted foal is a source of boundless satisfaction.” <*****> I watch as my pony child carefully examines the larvae, her eyes sparking with curiosity and tenderness, even as it slithers in her hooves, and I note she’s covered in goo. "They'll need love and nourishment to grow strong," I instruct her, before thinking, And you’ll definitely need a bath in the river, after this! The larvae squirms slightly, as if seeking comfort and affection, as it snuggles Binky in it’s slimy way, and I carefully pick up the delicate creature, cradling it in my hooves... I gave at the wriggling worm-like larvae with it’s insectoid tail, and polyps growing on it’s white slippery body… As I carefully cradle the newly hatched larvae in my hooves, I can’t help but feel a pang of concern in my heart. These creatures are not just any ordinary beings; they are my children, my very own creations. And yet, despite their unique nature, they still rely on love and nourishment to grow and thrive... I see Binky examining the wriggling larvae, I can’t help but feel a mix of pride and worry. Will she be able to provide the love and care these young changelings need? Can she truly be the one to help me raise them? … Wait… Since when do I think like this? And how am I going to get them love? <*****> I widen my eyes when I feel a strange shift in the universe, from somewhere… “Un…” I hear the blue unicorn grunting behind me… Do I tell her that I sensed something? “Ugh! W-what time is it?” I hear her mutter behind me… I peel my eyes at the clock on the nightstand, next to our huge soft bed, that she insisted we get for her! “It’s ten fifty-seven!” I say calmly, when I remember I love her, and that’s okay too… “Then why did you start, like that? Are you okay baby?” I smile when I realize that she cares about me too… “Yeah, it was probably just nothing? Lets snuggle and sleep now!” “Uh, Starlight?” “Yes, Trixie?” “I gotta go to the bathroom!” I grin and snicker as I begin to get off the bed, to let her off in the darkness… “Ow!” I say as my hoof hits her damn lucky horseshoe again… Celestia, I love this mare! <*****> Binky shall suffice, for now… And soon, it will be time for revenge… (To be continued… ) //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Wandering Through the Field //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Wandering Through the Field I screamed downwards, as I plummet towards the ground! I looked down, I see the grass, approaching fast, as I feel the wind blowing through my bluish-green mane! As I flew down towards the earth, I thought about a lot of things… I thought about that horrible bitch, Starlight Glimmer, and how she got my own hive to turn against me! I thought about Thorax, and his betrayal! I thought about the love I absorbed from him, and how it destroyed my throne, and blasted me out of my hive… A lot of this doesn’t make sense, but I don’t have time for that right now! I begin to flap my wings sharply back, in order to slow my descent, and I lose velocity just in time, to hover roughly 15 feet over the grassy dirt, and I then adjust my course to land on the ground… I raise my body, and look around to get a bearing on my surroundings… <*****> Oh, wow! I uh, I can’t believe that just happened… She stopped breathing… Her body doesn’t move anymore… She just laid there… … She just laid lifeless, and didn’t do anything else… I also knew that I couldn’t stay, so I set the house on fire and left… I don’t know what happened after I trotted away… Oh, I’m a unicorn filly! Should probably mention that? Yeah, I don’t really have my cutie mark yet, but I am pink, with a wavy orchid purple mane and tail! I really should brush that more, now that I think about it… I gaze around, as I trot through the grass, and feel dirt go into my hooves, I stare forward and I can’t help but notice a small black vertical line in the distance, surrounded by grass, and I while I’m pretty sure it’s marching down the hillside, I also can’t help but wonder what it is? I quicken my pace, while enlarging my view, because I want to know, now! I want to learn, and I don’t want to think anymore! Thinking is bad, and it only hurts me right now… No more thinking… <*****> I try to keep my mind on my trotting right now, but it’s so hard… How could they betray me? Me, their beloved queen, after all I had done for them? I only wanted to get love, because I know that’s what changelings feed off of! It doesn’t make sense! We could’ve had all of Equestria! But now… Now this has happened! I stare up at the grasslands, before me, as I trot down the hillside, on the grassy knoll, and as I look up, I can’t help but notice a pink dot moving towards me rapidly, through the tall grass! I widen my eyes at this, and mutter under my breath, “What the?” <*****> I see the small black line getting bigger, as I hurriedly gallop through the grass and dirt! My tongue is out the side of my mouth, and my gaze is enormous, because I really wanna know what the line is! Hooray for strange black lines, that keep me from thinking about death! I think to myself, as I continue towards it! <*****> Now that it’s closer, I can see that it appears to be a pink foal! A unicorn filly, I realize, when I notice the little horn bouncing on it’s head, while the dot, now bigger than it was, starts coming into view… Then, this strange pink filly does the unthinkable! <*****> I look up the hill, as I’m clopping my hooves up towards the mysterious line, and I now see that it’s some kind of creature! It’s kinda like a pony, but it has a crooked horn on it’s head, and insect-like wings at it’s sides! Well, it’s not exactly a pony, but it’ll do! I run right into it’s forelegs, and hug them! <*****> “Mommy!” I hear the foal scream, as it clings onto my forelegs! My eyes are enormous, as I turn my gaze downwards to stare at this ridiculous foal! “I beg your pardon? I know not who you are, but I am most assuredly NOT your mother!” She turns her blue eyes up towards me, and I see her eyes watering, as her cheeks puff, and mouth trembles, “W-what? You’re uh, you’re not my mommy?” I’m not sure what just snapped inside me at that moment, but I couldn’t help but frown and say, “You want a mother?” <*****> I nod up at the strange bug creature… I see what I guess is her muzzle frowning harder, “But what of your real mother? Where is she, and why is she not here?” I blink, “Um, she can’t… She can’t be here, right now… “ “And why not?” Demanded the creature as it moved it’s head an inch towards me, and furrows it’s brow! <*****> The filly blinks her eyes, as more tears fall down around her muzzle, and says, “She’s uh, she’s not here anymore… She’s gone… “ While initially, I was frustrated, I can’t help but feel something inside me now… I release my face, and normalize my mouth, as a sudden realization strikes me, “Your mother is dead, isn’t she?” She closes her eyes, and throws her face in between my forelegs, that she now hugs and holds tightly! <*****> That was the ONE thing I didn’t want to think about! She doesn’t move anymore… She’s gone now… I lit it all on fire, and burned it all down… Nothing is left… I hang onto the weird bug legs, very tightly, because this is all I have right now… I clench tightly, and close my eyes, because I know very soon, that too will be taken from me… <*****> I suddenly realize that this filly must be lost, and that her mother is dead… Knowing these things, I then chose to do something I never imagined I would ever do… I adopted a pony filly… I stare at her, “What is your name, foal?” She lifts her gaze back up to me, and her mouth quivers, while she sputters out… “M-my name is Binky Hooves! Uh, ” before her eyes widen, “I guess I should call you mommy?” before a small deranged grin begins to form on her muzzle… I smile, “Welcome foal! My name is Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, but you may address me as mother!” (To be continued… ) //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Adjustments //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Adjustments So, I brought the foal some blackberries and apples, I found just over the next ridge… While it was oddly convenient that that orchard would be over the next ridge, I certainly wasn’t going to say no, either! Still, I wanted to know more… I gaze at her intently, to see her using her magic, to hold a partially eaten red apple, in her blue glow, and I stare down at her, and ask, “So, exactly when did your mother die?” as a cool breeze blows here underneath the shaded forest canopy, amidst the trees, and the branches lightly sway, from side to side, and a few leaves fall down the trail behind her… The pink filly swallows, and looks up at me, underneath her disheveled purple mane, and as one strand falls down on the left side of her green eyes, says, “Oh uh, probably sometime between last night, and when the sun rose this morning. Um, she wouldn’t get up when I found her, and she wasn’t breathing anymore… “ before looking down, to float the apple to her muzzle, for another bite… And while she chewed, my eyes focused on her amidst the trees, in the shade, and as another wind gently blew down the trail, I suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Binky's tragic loss… I looked at the messy mass of the filly's mane, and I all of a sudden feel a sinking feeling in my gut… "I see," I say back softly, “That must have been very difficult for you to find her like that? Losing a parent can be incredibly painful, especially for one, so young…” and then I swallow, “And just what of your father? Where is he?” Her blue eyes widen, and she nonchalantly admits, “Oh, he wasn’t around… “ before turning her eyes skyward, “Come to think of it, I haven’t really seen him in years? Weird, that he’d just disappear, like that!” before looking down, shrugging, and floating the last of the berries to her mouth, for a bite… I frown at this story… Her mother just died, and she doesn’t really know her father… This filly is all alone… And she just talks about it so normally! She uses her magic, to chunk the apple core out into the woods, and looks back at me, with those eyes of hers… But then, why do I even care? This makes no sense! I lost my hive earlier, and now I care for a foal! I decide to ask the filly one more question, “Would you like a hug?” although I’m not sure why? Her eyes widen and light up! “Oh, wow! My other mommy got real sick, and hasn’t given me one in months! That sure would be nice uh, new mommy!” and she smiles at me, hopefully… I finally decide to get up from my haunches, and trot slowly towards the filly… She simply stands there, as her face normalizes, and yet her sparkling green eyes seem enormous, now… Clip… Clop… Clip… Clop… I hear the leaves cracking underneath my hoofsteps… I finally get close to her, and I then take her within my hooves, for a soft, warm embrace… I know not what I’m saying anymore… “I’m so sorry, Binky… “ Her body feels tight, at first, as if she’s not sure how to react, but she eventually softens her muscles, and gently returns the hug with her hooves, while saying, “Sorry for what?” I widen my eyes, “Sorry for how you lost your parents!”* “Oh, THAT! Uh, yeah, that’s pretty bad, I think?” I hold the foal silently… “Thanks, mommy… “ Once her hooves were around me, something else happened… I felt peace and joy enter my heart, but it wasn’t like absorbing love earlier… I increase the firmness of my hug on her, as I feel morelove begin surging into me… It isn’t the same as before, because this was willing, and happy… And it’s strange too, because I’m sure I can feel her heart beginning to soar, as I hold her in my embrace, and while it’s certainly a good feeling, I don’t know where it comes from? Just what is happening to me? What does this mean? I hang onto the foal tightly… <*****> I love my new mommy! She got me food earlier, and now I’m hugging her! And she actually listened to me, when I talked! Nopony ever liked to listen to me talk about my life before… Um, I haven’t really seen her eat, but I’m sure it’ll happen later… I hold her tightly, to feel her insectoid carapace around my hooves, and while it is different, I still somehow feel warmth, as if this creature I was now calling mommy actually did care for me? I also feel her forehooves going over my back, and clenching onto me, tightly, and warmly… This is so great! I wish this hug would never end… I think to myself, while smiling and snuggling my way further into her body. I sigh happily from my snout… Thanks to my new mommy, I had food and love, again! She wraps her weird black insectoid forelegs around me, and curves her clear fly-like wings around me, when suddenly, she begins to glow… I open my eyes, to see to my horror, that I’m also glowing! “What’s happening?” I ask mom. “I don’t know?” She stammers, out, before she stops glowing, and I notice that she’s not black anymore, and her holes are gone! I gaze at the creature holding me, and I see that she’s greenish-blue, with wisteria eyes, and one big curved horn on her head, with three smaller horns on either side, with the one in the middle of each cluster slightly bigger, but they all seem to match to the larger horn, curving to the sky, on her forehead… I continue standing, while in her embrace, and say to her, “Mommy! Did you just change?” I see her purple eyes widen, “I uh, I’m not sure?” She releases me, and I take a couple of crackling steps back from her, over the brown leaves, and look up at her, and widen my eyes, when I take this all in… Her wings are really the only thing that didn’t change from before! Uh, I really should ask her what she is! “Just what are you, anyway, mommy? I don’t think you’re a pony.” I say, before frowning, and staring up at her, intently. <*****> I blink, and decide to tell her the truth, “I’m actually a changeling, Binky, and I can shapeshift… However, I did not turn into this, willingly, I assure you!” What just happened? She stares at me, with those sparkly eyes, “Oh, wow! Cool! So you can just change into anything you want, right? And why do I feel this bond with this annoying unicorn filly now? I smile and nod, “That is correct! Why do I do these things for her? She frowns, “But you say that’s not willing? That you just what? Look like that, naturally, now?” I blink my eyes, “I guess so?” Why did I suddenly change? I finally ask her the obvious question, “Did I just become reformed?” Her enormous eyes, somehow get even bigger! “How would I know? Reformed? Reformed from what?” She asks, as her purple tail, goes side to side… I stare at her, and realize that she knows nothing about me and who I really am, and so, since nopony will recognize the new design of my carapace anyway, I decide to drop it… I smile, “Uh, never mind, Binky! Did you get enough to eat?” She smiles back, and kinda nod-hops, when she says, “Oh, yes mommy! I’m well-fed now!” I grin as well, “Would you like another hug?” Her eyes widen, while her smile lowers, “Well uh, if you think it’s necessary?” I begin trotting towards her, “Of course, it’s necessary! You just lost your only parent, and you need emotional support!” and then, I embrace her in my forehooves again! There’s that lovely feeling again… Pure love… So innocent… She finally lifts her own hooves, to try and embrace me, “Thanks mommy! You really do care about me!” I feel more love beginning to surge into my body, from this filly, and it’s almost like a happy numb feeling… I’m starting to like this a lot… <*****> She seems to really enjoy hugging me? I think to myself, while being held in her forelegs, and closing my eyes in huggy bliss… It’s been so long since anypony actually cared for me… I ponder to myself, matter-of-factly… She got food for me, and makes sure I’m safe… I guess she is my mommy? (To be continued… ) Author's Note *So, that was the second time I got amnesia! The first and third times, were a bit different… Anyway, while I did find my mother that way, back when I was 21, I didn’t actually burn my own house down. Although that did happen, much later on… Between that and my amnesia, there’s really nothing left of my childhood, and that’s one thing ponies do for me… //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: The First Layer //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: The First Layer I feel the small pink filly in my forehooves again… I love hugs… “You sure seem to like hugging me, mommy?” “Yes, I do Binky. You’re very special to me… “ As I held the filly in my embrace, I felt that rush in my body again… “It’s okay! I haven’t been loved in so long, I don’t really mind… “ “All the more reason to ensure that you feel loved, Binky… “I matter-of-factly state, and do my best to remain analytical… That rush is intoxicating… <*****> I love my new mommy! She really seems to like hugging me… I open my eyes, and I see the sun going down, behind the changeling, and I mention, “The sun’s going down!” She releases her grasp, to stare at me, with those same freaky purple eyes of hers… I’m still not used to that! “Well, we must get you to shelter at once!” I widen my eyes, “Well, I did kinda burn down my cottage earlier? I guess that makes me homeless?” I see her peculiar eyes training on me, “Well, that is simply unacceptable! Come foal! We’ll find a cave, and make it our own! That will have to do, until we establish ourselves within the local community.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about!” She grins widely at me, “No worries, Binky! You will!” <*****> Am I still Chrysalis? I wonder to myself, as I fly into the forest… I gaze out over the treetops, to see the treeline approaching fast, and I know that’s The Everfree… I know someplace there, where we will be safe… Of course I’m Chrysalis! Who else could I be? I just need to make sure it’s safe… I think to myself, before wondering for the umpteenth time, exactly why I love this peculiar pink foal? The sun is going down, and I cannot linger! Her real mother is dead… I think to myself, when I think about her predicament… Why did she burn down her house, though? I ponder… I shall have to ask her about that! I turn my gaze left and right, as I fly over the treetops, of vibrant leafy greens, and various branches, this way and that… Did she really have much? I wonder to myself, when I suddenly spot a familiar red fir out the right corner of my eye…. I stop moving in the air, to hover, when I stare out over the trails, because I think I know where I am now? I strafe to the left, in the air, and crane my neck that way, because I know what’s in that small meadow just past the red fir trees… <*****> So uh, long story short, the next two hours for me, were boring as Tartarus! I laid in the grassy field, and felt the soft blades tickle my hide, and I looked up at the sky to witness many clouds, as they traverse the open space, and I suddenly felt the whoosh of a breeze, as it blew through the field, and almost sprayed me with the tall grass, as it swayed to and fro… I wonder what my new mommy is doing? I ponder to myself… I pause for a moment, as my mind suddenly goes blank… She’s never coming back, is she? My mother is dead… I feel my eyes begin to well up with emotion, before it begins to pour out onto my snout… … My mother is never coming back… <*****> I fly with my wings, over the grassy fields, towards the hillside, where I know I left Binky… What is happening to me? I’ve never behaved this way before! I keep wondering why I care so much for this filly? I see the hill coming up, and I see a small pink filly on top, laying down, as she stares up at the sky… I wonder what she was thinking about? <*****> “Binky! Wake up!” I hear a feminine voice say to me, while my eyes continued to gaze up at the sky, as fluid poured out of them… I look down, away from the sky, to see a bluish-green bug like creature there, staring at me with pinkish eyes, that carry a concerned expression, “I’m fine! Yes! Everything is perfectly fine! We’re all fine here! Yes! Uh, how are you?” She flatly states, “Binky, you are absolutely not FINE! You will explain to me, what’s going on in your mind, this instant!” I blink… I wonder if she noticed I was crying? “She’s gone… I uh, I kinda never thought this would ever happen… And it was so soon!” Then, the bug creature did the unthinkable… She trotted forward, and lowered herself, to the ground, while on her feet, from my right side and turned her neck towards me, “Death is part of life… “ “Yeah, I know that! But why, mommy? Why was it so soon?” “Nobody really knows, but I do know that I care about you now… Come on! I found a cave in the Everfree that will work for now, and I already made sure it didn’t have any bears or snakes!” “I just wish things could be different… I just wish they weren’t like this… “ I say, before closing my eyes… I soon feel a leg going over my body, before warmth soon envelopes me… “I love you, mommy… “ “I love you too, Binky… “ I sniffle… <*****> I led the foal, through the forest, on hoof… This is insufferable! Why am I lowering myself to this level of actually trotting, with the filly? And suddenly, I got an idea… <*****> I laid with my belly on the insectoid carapace, as we flew into the air, and I felt the cool wind blowing on my face! I don’t know where I’m going, but I trust her now… I feel the vibrations on my belly, and hear the tweeting sound of her beating wings, as we continue to fly forward at a fantastic pace… I just met her! Why do I trust her so quickly? Well, she’s been good so far? I blink, as I stare at the treetops flying underneath, as I heard the chirping noise of her clear wings, beating up and down, and I could only think about how exhilarating this is… Maybe, I’ll be okay, after all? I love my new mommy… I finally speak up, “Where are we going, mommy?” I hear her reply, “A cave in the Everfree, that I know about! You’ll be safe there, for the time being!” I guess she really does care about me? She doesn’t have to do this… <*****> I feel the foal, resting on top of me… I feel the harsh sensation of her hooves, gently kicking in her sleep… At the same time, I feel the sensation of even more love, flowing into me! I’ll admit, that with all the love this foal is now freely giving me, I’m beginning to feel a lot better, although I also have a numb sensation, that somehow shoots to my brain, and it just feels, oh so good! ** I morph my side into a soft, warm blanket shape, to go over her, and keep her warm, as I notice she’s shivering… The foal rested there, and I loved her… I love this filly… <*****> As I slumbered, I felt warmth come over me, and make me comfortable… I know that’s her… She must truly care for me? Maybe I’m not so alone, after all? I push my head into the pillow-top of the changeling bed, and feel the soft cloth underneath me… She sure feels like a real bed… … I burned it all down… It’s all gone, now… There’s nothing left of my old life… I begin to feel tears forming in my eyes again… Not now! Anytime but now! … Dammit… <*****> And so, I wrapped the filly in my right forehoof, to hold her close to my body… “Why mommy? Why did I burn the house down?” I frown when I remember that I was going to ask her that! “You were scared, Binky… You were scared, and so you destroyed everything, and just left… “ “I had a home… I had a home, and I just… “ I continue, “You were terrified Binky… You were afraid and didn’t know what else to do… So you did the only thing you really could… “ “Did I really HAVE to do that though, mommy?” I blink, when I realize that I’m actually not sure? “Well, regardless, what’s done is done! How do you feel?” She pulls away from me, to look at me there, in the dark, from a few inches away, while still in my hoof, “I still don’t know why I did that?” * I smile at her, in the blackness, because I know she can make out my face, and needs comfort, “It’s okay, not to know, Binky… It’s okay, not to understand yourself?” I see a frown form on her muzzle, “What? W-why? Don’t I need to understand myself better?” I nod, “And so you shall, Binky! But know that you are my charge now, and I take my responsibility as your guardian, very seriously… “ “Uh, you don’t say?” She sniffles, “Um, can I have something to eat now?” “Are you not tired? Don’t you need some more rest?” She blinks, and says, “Well, I guess I could sleep some more?” I pull her closer to my body, to give her the comfort of my body near hers, “Very well, Binky! You shall rest now, and I’ll get you some more food, later!” “I love you, mommy… “ “I love you too, Binky… “ I soon feel more precious love seeping from the foal, into me, and making me stronger, and happy… (To be continued… ) Author's Note *Truth be told, after my mother died, I left my house… I left it out there in the country, and it burned down later… I don’t know why I did this? **Binky Hooves is a lot like methadone to Chrysalis, now… //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5: A Changed Changeling //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5: A Changed Changeling Well, Binky snuggling the larvae appears to have done it a world of good? I note in my mind, as I gaze at the impressive looking worm-like creatures, wriggling on the ground, in the cave… I’ve never seen anything like it! My new children are so strong! Wait! If one foal could do this, imagine if we got more of them? I smile to myself, before turning towards the small pink unicorn, as she stares at six worms, on the cave floor, “Hey, Binky! Don’t you have some friends at school, whom you could bring to the cave?” Hereyes grow large, and she turns right towards me, “What? No! I don’t really um, I don’t actually have any friends… “ I frown, “What do you mean, you don’t know anypony at school? You’re a child’s age, yes? Shouldn’t you have friends?” I ask the strange looking pink pony, who now stares at me with huge green eyes. She glowers, “Well, that’s just it! I don’t really talk to anypony else, and kinda just do my own thing… “ before gazing up at me, nervously, with a smirk on her muzzle… I stare at this foal carefully, “Do you mean to tell me that you’ve never played with other fillies?” Her eyes somehow get bigger, “Um, maybe? Uh, not really, I don’t think?” as she trails off and brings her eyes towards the ceiling… * Incredible! This filly has no friends… Well, there is one thing I could do? <*****> So I walked into the North entrance of Ponyville, with the filly trotting next to me… I turn to her, “You don’t have to do this, mom!” and see her small purple body, and wavy long silvery mane, with the horn on her head. She keeps her gaze forward, and chirps, “Yes, I do! I’m playing with my child, in the playground, and we’re going to have fun, is that understood?” authoritatively, as we both trot down the cobblestone streets of Ponyville. I widen my eyes at her determination, as we pass yet another house, “Uh, yes ma’am!” before gazing forward, to see nopony but us on the road, with rows of houses, neatly arranged in file. What is wrong with her? I just told her I didn’t have any friends! I think, before feeling the gulp go down my throat… “Where is the playground?” She asks me in a squeaky, albeit authoritative voice. “Um, I’m trying to remember. I think there’s one on the East side of town?” I used to play by myself at home, all the time… But with another filly, er uh, I just don’t know? “And we are heading south! That means at the intersection coming up, we will turn left!” I turn forward, to see more vacant roads, and nod, “Right!” <*****> I want this foal to enjoy her childhood… What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking like this? Well, playing with her might help me blow off some steam? I see the chain link fence in the distance, with it’s metal top, and rails every 7 feet or so, approaching from the right, as we both trot through the neighborhood, in Ponyville… Nopony seems to pay much attention to fillies? Then again, nopony seems to be around? We pass by a brown earth pony, with a fedora hat, and red scarf, as he says, “Pardon me, fillies! I guess you’re off to the playground, huh?” before he trotted away… He acknowledged me! Maybe ponies are friendlier than I thought? <*****> “Um, it’s a slide!” I say, as I stare down into the metal tube, with the ramp heading down… Mom stood there on the wooden platform next to me, her purple body and wavy silvery mane gleaming in the sunlight, as she smiled at me, "So, what do you think of this playground?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of excitement. I look around at the various equipment and slides, as we both stood on top of the large wooden structure, and widen my eyes, as I feel them quiver! I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever been to a playground before, and everything looks new and interesting! "It's huge!" I finally manage to stammer out. I look over at the swings and think I’d like to try that next, when I hear her say, “Go down the slide, when ready!” I gaze back down the shiny metal tube, while surrounded on all the other sides but behind, by a little metal railing, to keep fillies like us from falling down.. Wait a minute… “Well, what say you, Binky? Would you like to go first, or should I?” I gulp, “Uh, I think you should go, because uh, you’d enjoy it more! Yes!” She widens her eyes as her face empathically says, “Do you need me to help you down the slide, Binky?” “Um, n-no!” I say, before turning to look down into the big scary tube… “I can do this! Yes!” I blink, and nod… I take a few timid steps towards the slide, and stare down into the drop-off… “It’s okay, Binky! You’re not alone… “ I’ve seen other fillies do this… I can’t remember if I ever have, though? “Are you alright, Binky?” I nod at the other filly standing on my left, “Yeah, just uh, gimme a second!” She smiles at me, “Take your time, Binky… “ I’m gonna die… There’s gonna be bloodthirsty cannibals on the other side of that slide, and they’re gonna eat me… … That was oddly specific… I take a few more steps, and breath… In and out… “You’ll be okay, Binky!” I smile, “Yeah, thanks mom… “ before laying my body on my back, and sliding down the tube, with a woosh… I finally land on the other side, on my hooves with a small thud, in the sandbox… I actually did it… I went down a slide… “Clear the way!” I hear the filly up top say! I take a few paces away from the slide, and soon hear a second small thud… I turn around to see the red eyes of this small purple pony wide with excitement as her silverish mane jitters, “Whoa! That was a lot of fun!” I stare at her with a big grin on my face, “I wanna try the swings, now!” She stares at me, “Yeah! Lets go play on the swings!” And so, we both galloped off in the direction of the swing set… We swung on the set, climbed the wall, explored the little jungle gym, and she had a blast playing on the monkey bars… We did all of these things, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like an actual filly… <*****> We both trot towards the gate in town, as she stares at me with excitement in her eyes, and a vibrant pace, “Oh, wow! That was so much fun, mom! I haven’t been on a playground since uh, well, since my mother started to pass on… “ My hooves go, clop, clop, clop… I stare back at her and smile, as we trot side by side, “Yes, I don’t know how long it’s been since I actually just had some fun, and playing with you was great, Binky” While hers’ go, clop clop cloppity clop clop!!! “Yeah… “ I say, while keeping my eyes trained on her, at my right, as we both trot out the wrought iron North gate of Ponyville, towards the farmland, and the Everfree, beyond that… Her face starts, before she turns towards me, “What?” “I just think it’s interesting? I lost my mother, and never really had friends, and here you are, trying to fill all these roles for me… “ She stops, and I do the same, “I uh, Binky… “ My eyes widen, “Yes, mom?” She’s silent, before asking me, with enormous red eyes, now brimming with curiosity, “Who am I?” I gulp and turn my body towards hers, “You’re my new mommy, and the kindest, most wonderful changeling I know!” Her eyes widen, “I uh, I think we need to talk to Celestia, soon?” I frown, “What?” She gulps, “Yes!” and nods, “We shall see the Mayor of Ponyville tomorrow, and I’ll tell her who I am and what happened… I will rebuild my hive, but I’m going to do it differently this time… “ “What are you saying, mom?” She smiles at me brightly, “I’m saying we’ll soon both have everything we want!” <*****> The brown earth mare stared at me from the other side of the bleached oak, desk, with it’s ultra shiny finish, and frowned heavily, “Wait! You’re the evil Queen Chrysalis?” as her blue eyes studied me, underneath her white mane. I sigh, “Okay, hang on!” I say, before feeling my body shift and I become my old self with my black jagged horn, and insane green eyes, to shout, “I AM THE EVIL QUEEN CHRYSALIS! BLEH!” She nervously squeaks out, “O-okay! I believe you! Please change back!” That was pretty easy! I think to myself, before feeling my body shift again, and I now have the familiar bluish-white body, that I’ve been growing used to… “So, I guess this means, you’re giving yourself up and becoming reformed?” I smile, “Well, yes… After all this time, I realize that sharing love is a give and take sort of thing, and that if I am indeed to participate, it would be in my best interest to have the backing of ponies… We can share Equestria! I only wish for a part of the Everfree for my hive! And we can simply give and share love, from this point out, rather than jealously hoarding it, for our own selfish ends… “ I take another deep breath, in and out… “Love was meant to be shared… “ The mare is silent for another moment… “This is going to be a long letter!” <*****> The gray pony, sat with a pen in her mouth, and a long brown mane over her shoulders, while sitting hunched at the desk, and ready to dictate… “Go ahead?” She says out the corner of her mouth… I clear my throat, “Take the following dictation: Dear, Princess Celestia As you’re aware, I have been an enemy to Equestria and have attempted to take over Canterlot in the past, as well as made at least two attempts on overthrowing the government. That said, I come to you now, a changed changeling and I would like to extend an olive branch! I don’t wish to fight anymore, although I would very much like a section of the central region of the Everfree Forest, in order to rebuild my hive. I’ll have you know that I have adopted a unicorn foal named Binky Hooves, and desire to raise her within the confines of this new hive, and I’m also interested in (I shudder at this point) sharing love with the ponies of Equestria. Any assistance you’d be willing to provide on this endeavor would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Signed, Chrysalis <*****> I have lived for over a thousand years… And yet I had never known true love, before this foal… She was older now, and living in her own room, in the new hive… I stared at her to the right of my white throne, in the brightly lit hive, with it’s polyps on the walls, and the baby bluish weaving's of the structure, and smiled at my wonderful filly, “It’s almost slimy time, Binky! Are you ready?” and once again admired the rising phoenix cutie mark on her flank… She turns her head left to me, and I see her purple mane, unkempt as always, with her bright green eyes and a smile on her muzzle, “You bet, mom! It’s been years, but rebuilding your hive is neat! Uh, I’m uh, sorry I couldn’t be of more help… “ I sigh, “Nonsense, Binky! Go play with your siblings now! I shall call you when the drones are back with your dinner!” Suddenly, we both her a CAW! As the yellowish-orange fire bird flies towards Binky’s shoulder, to land… She turns her eyes on the bird, at her left, “Hey, Sunny Dawn! We can’t play right now! It’s slimy time!” She caws again! Binky giggles, and nuzzles her beak, before saying, “Okay, maybe a quick birdy treat!” before trotting off with her feathered companion riding her back… (The end… To be continued?) Author's Note *”Not remembering sucks!” - Blackjack, Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons And thus ends another hypothetical thought experiment in pony format, for my therapy… While I never really got the chance, it does make me happy to know that Binky did… I’ll also admit, I’m thinking about writing a sequel from Binky’s POV called The Hive, which details Binky’s bizarre new life, living with her new mommy? Her classmates call her “bug horse” because of where she lives, and she has several changeling siblings in school with her… Her cutie mark is a rising phoenix among flames, and she has a peculiar affinity for that particular bird… The phoenix being an adequate metaphor for my own life, after all…