In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.

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The water around you shimmered with light. Your new gills were pumping air effectively, and over night you had grown a tail with a large fin on the end. It was fascinating to you and everything else, that whatever form you took, you always had a white coat with black tiger stripes. Even the fin was white with black bones holding it at full size. As you looked at the new tail, something blocked the light slowly coming through the surface of the lake. You look up fearing the worst, but find a sail on your back with the exact colors of the fin on your new tail. You must be terrifying. A large creature with a long tail, a surprisingly sharp sail, white scales, and black tiger stripes. You still had feet and the three inch serrated claws were still there, along with the cage of eight inch serrated fangs that were as tough as steel. Other than the tail, fin, and gills nothing seemed different. You had grown a tail and a sharp fin in the middle of the night, you expected a bit more.

"What are you doing here?" Asked an old voice distorted by water.

You jumped at the quiet sound in the silence. You bear your teeth and whirl around to face whatever it was. Your jaw shuts tightly a you study the ancient thing. A massive crab was resting where the lake floor had been moments ago. You were trying to figure out how a thing large enough to fill a chasm in a lake, was able to rise without disturbing anything. The massive crustacean was around forty feet tall and was wide enough to qualify as a very small island. It shook itself and caused a great commotion. Pieces of rock peeled away from a murky green shell, fish swam away as fast as they could, urchins went flying. You would think that you were in a tropical place with all the sea life down here, but no one really knows what wonders are in the everfree.

"I've not seen your kind in centuries. Aren't you supposed to be extinct?" The deep raspy voice wavered in the water.

"I've only just found out that I am supposed to be extinct. Would you like that to happen?" Your growl was made much less threatening by the water.

"I for one think it would be a shame. You pose no threat to an ancient creature like me, and I don't like not being able to see things again."

"When was the last time you saw one of my kind?"

"About four hundred years ago, I would assume. It tried to eat me. Not even the nearly indestructible scales could save it."

The massive claw that was as big as you snapped shut and the water rippled with a deafening snap.

"Well I will not make the same mistake."

"I sense that you are stronger than him, feeding on emotions are we?"

"I'm far away from her."

"Oh, is that correct? I was alive before the alicorns took up their thrones, but I don't think I've ever seen a changeling in love." It chuckled at that.

"It goes against everything I have ever learned, therefore, I ran. Do you have any advice wise old crab?" You ask with sarcasm.

The claw flew over your sail as a reminder.

"I wouldn't be smart with something more powerful than you, didn't your half dead clan tell you that?" Its words were like venom, "As for advice, return to your rightful place as the elite of the changelings. Get out of this lake, go over the mountain to the south, and find the Elder Ent. Return to the hive friend, that is all I can say."

The massive crab began to root itself again, but you spoke up quickly.

"What do they call you?" The water distorted it into jibberish.

"Most call me the ancient one." He said before becoming one with the rocks yet again.

You decide that, since you don't plan on going back to Canterlot, seeing what a regular changeling was like would be a good experience. The light blinds you as your head breaches the surface. The surface was a lot smaller than the floor, due to the underwater caverns and such. As you climbed out, the gills folded over seamlessly, the sail shrank down to just your spine, the tail grew in again, and the scales were replaced by short fur. You immediately start walking, for you have nothing else to do, and within three hours you break through the southern tree line and the mountain looms overhead. There is about five miles of plains between you and the mountain, but they are filled with deer and other animals. You weren't starving, but there was such a thing as comfort food wasn't there?

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The Ancient was prepared to send a message to the Elder Ent. Sure, Queen Chrysalis wouldn't be happy when she found that her enslaved tree was awake, and she also wouldn't be happy when she found out that there was something extremely dangerous headed her way, but the Ancient never liked that old insect anyway. The magical pearl rolled through a tunnel and into the path of a geyser. It shot out of the forest, through miles of air, over the mountain, and landed in a hollow of the Elder Ent.

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The massive tree groaned. It was surprising that almost all creatures could forget about a ninety story tree.

"What am I awake for now?" Its groan echoed throughout the valley.

A new branch sprouted from the hollow holding the pearl, and carried it up to its face. The rotting bark flaked off as it started to stand, and fell off nearly completely when it lost its balance and fell back to the ground. The green tree flesh was rotting in some places due to the changeling hive inside. Why did it agree to that contract so long ago? It couldn't rightfully remember. The pearl shattered as the message sprawled out in a magical aura.

Chrysalis is under threat by an extinct changeling, be sure to sneak him in for me.

Have fun dear old friend,

Ancient

The tree chuckled to itself. This would be fun if Chrysalis didn't burn him to cinders.

Author's Note

Constructive criticism and compliments are accepted.