Revolution

March 17, Year 1001 of the Eclipse, 11:57 AM

The city of Canterlot, jutting out from the mountainside, is nearly invisible, surrounded by a sea of creatures pressing against its weakening purple shield. The queen's orders were clear: eliminate all resistance and capture anyone possible.

I never liked this plan; infiltrating would be simpler, and perhaps we could find alternatives. But the shield has fallen. My comrades attack without hesitation. I hesitate for a moment before flying in, but then I see six ponies fighting side by side against our overwhelming numbers. I also notice another changeling who, like me, struggles to feed on love.

The ponies are eventually captured, but I still can't move as I watch almost all resistance crushed. Only then do I join a smaller group cornering a few guards.

"Surrender!" one of us demands, spitting slime at the guards. They reluctantly succumb to the sticky trap as the others eagerly begin to feed. Sweet, deceitful love tastes bitter to me. I drain a little from them, but it feels wrong. The queen emerges from a palace window, declaring victory. It doesn't feel like a victory to me, but my opinion doesn't matter.

The ponies try to resist, but without much success. A huge explosion shakes us. Along with my comrades, I fly out, and suddenly the world goes dark.

I open my eyes and find myself deep in a forest. I need to get back... Pain shoots through my wing. I glance at it—nearly torn off. It will take months before I can fly again.

Until then, it looks like I'll be stuck here. The forest is dark, and hunger gnaws at me, but there's no love in the air, except for a faint trace coming from the ground—probably from some small animals. Then I witness the worst scene I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty. Another changeling is draining a helpless fox dry, which is trying to protect its pups with its last breath. Rage and sorrow fill me as the poor creature lets out its final gasp. My hooves launch forward.

The other changeling snaps out of its feeding trance as I shove it aside and pounce on it. "What are you doing?" it asks, stunned, but anger consumes me, and I respond without thinking.

"You'll pay for this!" I don’t even know what I’m doing, and before I realize it, I’m wringing a lifeless body to the extreme. Horrified, I step back, clutching my mouth. "What have I done? What have I done? Oh, what have I done?!" A tear slides from my chitin, and suddenly the love I've absorbed turns bitter in my stomach. Did I just kill? Did I take the life of one of my own kind?

I spend a long time in shock there, but then a faint whimper catches my attention. The fox pups are there, lying beside their mother—two near her and four scattered around the den. My heart goes out to them. I change into a different fox and catch a rabbit. I leave it for them, but the little ones also need to be taught. I’m not very good at that, so I resort to an alternative.

I set out and soon encounter another fox. I transform into a rabbit and let it chase me. When we near the pups, I transform into a fly and let the fox approach the two whimpering little ones. It felt like the right thing to do, and I ran off in my original form.

As I step out of the TARDIS, I find myself in a familiar place at a familiar time. The Everfree Forest—this was the day that defined my future, and now it was time to set the second significant event in motion, even before the first one. I don’t know why it’s so important, but there’s no arguing with the Doctor.

A changeling rushes past, and the joyful sounds of two little foxes can be heard in the distance. It's like seeing Vuk... I transform into a white goose and soar into the air. If I didn’t know what was about to happen, I wouldn’t be this brave. I land in front of the changeling and revert to my true form.

The changeling stops abruptly, surprised, and perhaps ready to attack, but I know what I have to say. "Calm down! I’m not an enemy."

"And why should I trust you?" Understandably, it's wary of me. It was forced to fight against us not too long ago.

"I know you don’t want to return to the hive. I also know what you did."

"How... and who are you?" I lift my head and speak with pride, sharing the second most important words of my life.

"May the protective veil of the night embrace you, brother." It raises an eyebrow—if it had one. "I come from the Children of the Night, and I’m here to meet you, right here, right now. I know you don’t want to go back, do you?" Its eyes look downward, or at least as much as they can, and I can feel its anxiety.

"How could I return, after taking the life of one of my own kind? I would be executed for such a crime. They’ll turn the whole world upside down to find me, and I’ll have to hide." Yes, I’ve found the right one; it’s undoubtedly him.

"Listen, I can’t stay long, but if, in half to three-quarters of a year, you find a little fox hunting alone, reveal yourself to it. This is very important."

It looks at me, puzzled, then slowly asks, "Who is it, and why does it matter to me?" This is harder than I thought. I quickly have to come up with an answer.

"He... He is one of four beings who can free changelings from their eternal hunger. But he’s unaware of this ability, and you need to guide him, Sawtooth." The name startles him.

"How do you know my name?" I should bang my head against the wall, but my watch beeps, reminding me that I have only one minute left. The truth is my only escape.

"You'll tell me after I defeat you, but that’s still a way off. Now, I must go. Goodbye!" I quickly transform into a small tank and make my escape...

The TARDIS barely waited for me. The Doctor, with his usual quirky seriousness, asks, "So, did you manage?"

"Hopefully. But it was much harder than I thought. Now, to the cave and timberwolves, if you please." I stare into space, wishing I had told him where the plane was.

Sawtooth spent weeks pondering whether to believe the mysterious stranger or not, but life went on. He thought there must be some truth to it, yet only time would reveal if the prophecy was real.

Six months passed, the first leaves began to turn yellow, and one fine day...