Strange Bedfellows

Branches score me, roots trip me, and vines threaten to strangle me as I run for my life through a forest I know nothing about from a people I know nothing about. The angry cries grow louder with every step I take, am I running head long into them? Are they behind me? I do not know anymore, nor do I care, I just want to go home to my nice little town house with my nice warm bed and my nice room mate that isn't trying to kill me.

A spear hit the tree in front of me just after I trip and I thought in a calm that only those who are over the brink of sanity feel That would have killed me so quickly, huh, maybe I should have let it hit me... oh well. I pull myself off of the ground and sprint even faster as a loud sound resounded from the tree that the spear was stuck in and I hear a crashing in the forest behind me, I start ducking and weaving through the underbrush of this dense death trap.

I smash out of the brush and find myself on the banks of a river, it is wide, but swimable... the thing is I'll be a sitting duck in that water for them to pick off at their leisure. I don't have any other choice so I sprint at the water and manage to veer to the side as a crocodile opens it tooth filled maw for me to run straight into. I don't even bother to try again and run along the bank, looking for a tree or something to cross on... or at least a spot that didn't have a crocodile.

I found a spot that would have worked wonderfully, it was a set of rocks I could easily hop across and so I do just that... or at least I went to when the first rock slide out from underneath me with serpentine grace and I splash in the river as I gasp in shock. I drag myself back to the beach as I cough up the water in my lungs before standing up slowly. A serpent who's mouth is big enough to swallow me whole with room to spare is what I see when I stand fully. I fell a warmth trickle down my leg as I run in the opposite direction at full tilt, only to watch the ground in front of me explode violently.

Here I stand, too afraid to move, as I watch in horror as the people who chased me here stepped into the clearing. I would have laughed at this if someone else was telling me what they saw, but I'm not laughing now as the group of Techno coloured horse-things stood in front of me with fear and murder in their eyes. I think I know how Frankenstein's monster feels. The Horse-Things look at the serpent behind me and whinny angrily, I spare a look at the creature behind me, it was an off shade of teal, with fiery orange hair and a moustache that matched... but only on one side of it's face, on the other it was purple. The serpent looks shocked... theatrically so as he makes a quiet roar that seems to be a reply to the whinny, then a whinny resounds once more and the serpent's face changed to match the Horse's, his mismatched moustache quivering in rage

With a roar his head snaps forward and I jump above his gnashing maw, barely escaping. I run along the beach once more but he kept pace like it was nothing, I notice there are no spears raining down on me and I decide to press my luck. I ran back towards the forest, and notice smoke rising from the horizon as a spear hits the ground in front of me, so I immediately turn around and sprint full tilt at the roaring serpent, who lunges at me. I think to myself I'm dead. as I hop up and run along the serpent's head, along his back and hop off to run full tilt into the forest on the other side of the bank.

The beast roars behind me as I run, but my exhaustion is over coming my adrenaline, I can feel it slowly draining the fire from my veins. I don't dare slow down as I crash through the brush while making no attempt at finesse, because I know it will be my end if I do. I hear the angry voices behind me again and a surge of fear pushes me even faster.

I stumble into a clearing on the edge of a cliff, and through my exhaustion hazed vision I see a dilapidated castle across a rickety wooden bridge that hung over a fog filled chasm, "If I make it across that... I can untie it." it wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one I had, so I stumbled my way over to it, put my hand on the rope railing an- A hot pain lances through my right leg and I scream out in agony. I drop to my knee and look back at my injured leg, a spear stuck out of it like a REALLY big, and angry, splinter.

"There goes my plan..." I think sadly as the horses walk up to me, the leader is orange with a green mane, but that's I get to see before they reached up their left foreleg and bring it across my face. I fell my jaw crack as I spit out blood, "That hurt you fucker!" Another horse steps forward; this one is grey and had orange hair, and a tattoo on it's flank that looked like a loom. The gray horse neighs at me, I look at it uncomprehendingly, the orange one struck me again, and again more blood. I can tell I'm close to passing out from the black on the edge of my vision, I try to respond to the gray one's repeated neigh but all that comes out is blood and air. The gray one gives the Orange one a sharp look and barks out a neigh that seems to be belittling in nature, the orange one just eyes me angrily and neighs calmly.

The Gray one did a double take and stomps over to the orange one, and when it gets about halfway there a roar splits the clearing. They both stop and turn slowly to the way they came, my gaze following theirs. standing In the entrance to the clearing is a monster, it is a lion, but it has bat wings protruding from it's back and a scorpion tail hovering over it's head. It roars again, but pounces on the closest horse, a green one with black hair, the screaming stops abruptly as the monster crushes the horse's head in it's jaws. The rest of the horses panic and run away from the monster... towards the bridge I was laying on. The orange and gray horses were already on the other side of the bridge when the monster stung another horse, a blue one that died screaming as it's flesh melted from it's bones, and had pounced another... but it was toying with that one like a kid with a new toy as I watched in horrific fascination as six more horses ran past me, one breaking my right arm with his hoof as he ran past.

The deep red horse had a bright blue mane before the monster was on it but now it is a red that matches it's coat, with twigs and such sticking out of it. The horse would wiggle out of the Monster's grasp just to have the tail hit in front of it, which scared him back into the creature's waiting paws that would bounce the horse between them for a few seconds before "Miscalculating" and the horse go to escape, just to repeat the process all over again. After a few minutes of this I SAW IN IT'S EYES when the creature got bored, again like a little kid, and it just stomped on the horse's head that popped like a under ripe grape. It looks over the bridge at the horses that had escaped it, then it's gaze lowered. It is staring right at me and it's eyes lit up once more with predatory glee as it stomps over slowly, savoring each step. I force myself forward, off of the bridge, and crawl to the side. I look into it's eyes once more, it was smart... too fucking smart, it knew what I was about to do.

"Fuck you, you furry little shit." I spout with venom as I push myself off the cliff, It lunges and it's paws miss me by a hair's breadth, and I fall into the fog below. The last thing I hear before the blood loss and adrenaline knock me out was an angry roar that split the heavens.

*-*

I open my eyes to find myself in a cave that was lit with a strange green glow and a faint buzzing filled the room, I shook my head and went to stand up... A few moments later I woke up again and decided I wasn't going to move my Torso again," I apparently now have broken ribs on top of everything else, great!" I sigh and shook my head, and almost threw up "and a headache too..." then look around the cave slowly, which I now call "Healing cave number six" for shits and giggles, though I am neither shitting nor giggling at the moment. It was just a cave with a glowing lichen on the walls that I had never seen before, there was nothing blocking the exit that lead into another cave that sported more lichen, not that I could run or anything. There is also a pile of stones beside me arranged in the shape of a desk, it even has papers on it, I was curious but I can't reach with my left arm... I look at my right arm and almost scream at what I see, It was encased in what looked like a green goo, I tap it and it thunks like a normal cast would. "I'm not liking this at all..." I say quietly as I inspect my similarly encased leg.

"Oh, really? Your alive aren't you?" I almost made some shits and giggles right then and there.

"Who said that? Where are you... Where am I?" I ask out loud as my eyes flick around the room trying to find the source of that... sound? "I'm not sure it you could count it as that..." I think to myself.

"In order; Queen Chrysalis, in the throne room, in one out our hospital rooms, and you couldn't constitute our conversation as being carried by sound"

My eyes went the size of dinner plates and I say "Can I go home now?" in a small voice. The voice laughs at that, but not happily.

"No, I am sorry to say you can't... Truly"

I feel madness start to tear at my mind as I scream out "WHY!? Why won't you let me leave, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOUR PEOPLE THAT CONSTITUTES TRYING TO KILL ME?!" after a moment of stark raving madness and fear, I feel a calming presence in my mind and I calm down after a moment of sputtering and break down crying "Why can't I go home, I just want to leave... I want my mom... I don't even like my mom... and my cat... I miss my cat..."

From between my hands I see movement in the exit, I move my fingers apart and see a peculiar creature standing in the door way: It was black and had a smooth, almost insectoid, body; It had wings that were definitely insect-like that had holes in them... just like it's legs. I find myself asking it "Does that hurt?" but it just tilts it's head and looks at me with it's flat, turquoise eyes uncomprehendingly, It's mouth moving as it produced a sound I don't recognize and I glimpse sharp pointed teeth. A sickly green glow surrounded the horn on it's head that he hadn't noticed before and I was lifted out of my bed as my eyes go the size of dinner plates once more.

A chuckle fills my head as I am hovered towards the door, "No it does not hurt, they are like your mouth or your nostrils, there from birth."

All I could say to that was "Oh." in a shaking voice, as I float behind the black creature's back as it carries me down the hall shaped cave. After floating down a series of halls I ask to my escort "Are you Chrysalis then?" The laughter fills my head once again.

"No, He is Drone number three hundred forty eight, and he is a rather nice fellow when you get to know him and he is also a wonderful carpenter."

I tilt my head in confusion and say "So how do you know you don't have him mixed with Three hundred forty seven, or Three hundred forty nine?"

"How could I? Three hundred forty seven, or "forty sev"," I could almost taste the sarcasm as she "said" that,"as his friends call him, is an intolerable fool with a mean streak in him a mile long... but he is the best pastry chef we have... And Three hundred forty nine was the nicest mare you'll ever meet, kind, caring, and generous..." there was a sad silence for a moment, "I was greatly saddened when the ponies killed her..." the sadness was replaced with an anger that scorched my mind "JUST BECAUSE SHE WAS A CHANGLING!" She continued to rage about the loss of three forty nine and other's like her, but I could no longer understand her as me mind was assaulted be the burning inferno. As I just wobble feebly in the air, on the verge of consciousness, "Three Forty Eight" looked back at me with a worried look in his eyes. There was a pause in the middle of the inferno before it was extinguished and sorrow rushed into the void, tinged with embarrassment. I am grateful to not be dying anymore, but if this continues any longer I may have to take my own life... It will hurt my head less...

After a few more minutes of silence I am floated out into a large cavern with an almost Gothic architecture, the roof was lost in the gloom of the cavern but I could plainly see it was sharply pointed like one of those cathedrals I learned about in school all those years ago, and I can see a throne on the other side of the room that was at the high of where my head would be if i was standing because it is at the top of a set of stairs that start about three quarters of the way between me and it. The room was lit with the green glowing lichen which was set along the room on top of carved rock that looked like torches in torch sconces. The creature carrying nods at the throne and proceeds to walk forwards as I float behind him.

I reach the steps in about a minute and set on the ground at the base of the stairs, standing on my good leg and supported by green sickly magic on my right side, I look over at Three Forty Eight to thank him but his horn isn't lit, So I look at the Throne to see why I was brought here. Dinner plates would be smaller then my eyes at this point as I look at the creature that towers above me as it descends the stairs and then stops right in front of me: It is taller then I am and has a very equine body; but it has wings and holes in it's legs that are similar to the other creature's similarly It's teeth are long and pointed and the canines point out like vampire's teeth just like the other's do... But the key differences make It seem like a completely different species of creature; It's eye's whites are tinged a slight green, with it's Irises being a non-uniform deeper shade of green that gets darker nearer the top, and where the pupil is supposed to be is an even darker shade of green with a vertical slit pupil resting in the center of it; the holes in It's legs are located near the bottom instead of going all the way up it's legs; It has a mane and tail that are a blue with a slight green tinge and have holes in them as well; and It's horn is huge compared to the other's, it also has holes in it like it's legs, which the other creature does not, and is glowing with what I assume to be the magic that is holding me up; and to top it all off there was a little crown sitting on It's head, sitting right on the top of her head. "Umm... Are... are you Chrysalis?" I say, then noticing my mistake, quickly correct myself, "I mean- Queen Chrysalis." and shuffle uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact like it will kill me.

It looks at me with a slightly amused look on It's face and says in my mind again "Yes I am Queen Chrysalis," She adopted a regal pose, then added in an amused "tone" "and I won't hurt you so you can stop cringing now." I relax a little, but not much, and look her in the face.

"So... your not going to kill me painfully?" I ask hopefully.

She laughs out loud as she says in my head "No, I wouldn't dream of it... I kill my pray painlessly." My eyes are now the size of hubcaps as I stare at her in fear, then she falls over laughing, I mean like collapses and holds her stomach like it was the funniest joke in the world. After about half a minute of this, and me barely avoiding a repeat of meeting the serpent thing, She stood up and said "I am only kidding, we feed mostly off emotions, but we do have to eat physical food as well."

"I want to skip all the happy banter and get right to the point," I say with a serious look on my face, then I shift my position and the serious look becomes seriously pained as I continue "Ow... that hurt... I want to know why I am here and why so far your the only things-" I gesture my head at Three Forty Eight "- that haven't tried to kill me yet, despite looking like you would enjoy it more then the sadistic cat thing that almost ate me?"

The Queen's looked quickly saddened, and it saddened me that there was no look of surprise on her face at my heartless comment, but before I could correct myself she spoke up in my mind "I do not know why, or how, you came here. I looked into your memories as you slept and was just as confused as you were when you went to sleep in your bed and woke up in the middle of the Everfree forest..." she trails off as sadly as she started before continuing even more sadly, which I didn't think was even fuckin' possible, "But the reason why you were attacked by the Ponies was-"

I snorted offensively very loudly and said disbelievingly "Ponies!? You expect me to believe that pack herbivores with barely the mental capacity to learn basic tricks broke my jaw by PUNCHING me? What the hell do you think I am, Retarded?"

I immediately regret my outburst as the searing anger once gain filled my head, with an accompanying reprimand "DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO A THING I SAID EARLIER WHEN I SPOKE OF THREE FORTY..." It tapered off to a loud drone as I drop to my working knee and vomit what little was left in my system on the steps in front of me and almost fell over into it when a force stops me and lifts me back up. The anger was gone once more, and I could feel regret tinged with concern in it's place. "I'm sorry about that... You just happened to hit a nerve and I lost control..."

I cough up some more bile before saying "I didn't just hit the nerve, I stomped on it with cleats... I am very sorry about that." I sag a little as my headache returns with a vengeance, "It's just hard for me to believe that they could be so cruel."

Chrysalis whips her head to the side in an attempt to suppress her anger, but some of it got through and I could feel what it was made of this time... it was pain and sorrow, regret and loss, and It brought tears to my eyes: it wasn't the anger of hate, or even fear; It was the impotent rage of someone who watched as they lost the ones they loved were taken away from them and they couldn't do a thing about it... but despite all that pain, all the sadness, there was not an ounce of bitterness; she was sad but not jaded, angry but not hateful... she just wanted justice, not vengeance. I found myself hugging her with my good arm, tears are just streaming down my face, as a look of surprise crossed her features and her body went rigid... It felt strange hugging her: her body was hard as rock, but I could feel there was a softness beneath it's outer layers. After a moment I regain my composure and release her, my face as hot as a fire. "Uh... sorry about that... I was just... over whelmed...by the... you know..." I stammer out in an embarrassed tone.

She just looks at me with a sad smile on her face for a moment before saying "I understand, but thank you anyways, It felt nice." I look around the room as the fire in my face intensified a thousand fold, and I cough in my hand... which prompted a painful coughing fit because my ribs decided to not like that. I notice I didn't cough up any blood, which is good I think, and look at the Queen and shake my head. "I should let you get some rest." and she turned to walk back up to the throne, I place my hand on her shoulder and force her to turn around.

"Not before you tell me what I want to know: Why?"

She sighed and said "The ponies are highly xenophobic, they hate non-ponies with a passion that borders on obsessive, though it wasn't always so. That is the reason I think they attacked you, but from what I saw in your memories there might have been an outside factor in-" She paused and tilted her head for a moment, then said "I think I know why now... one of the ponies' houses was in flames shortly before you emerged from the forest, it was located near the forest, and fairly near your exit point... They may have assumed you did it."

"I did see some smoke when I looked back as I ran away..." I rub my cheek where the pony had smacked me, "I think I see why they were so angry now, doesn't mean I condone it, I just see why."

The Queen stiffens for a moment and says quickly "It was Fluttershy's house... that is not good, luckily she is in Canterlot right now." She theatrically wiped her brow in relief, "She is one of the very few ponies that isn't xenophobic to the core, she also was one of the ponies instrumental in stopping my take over of Canterlot, and it would have saddened me greatly to see such a kind heart injured in anyway."

I look at her with my eyebrow raised and state "You would be sad if one of our greatest enemies was injured?" She nodded like it was the proper thing to do. I shake my head, "Man, this whole world is fucked up..." Something from earlier clicked in my head, "What do you mean that the ponies weren't always assholes?"

Chrysalis shuffles uncomfortably before saying "Your language is starting to get rather offensive."

I shot her a glare that could have melted iron "You try going as long as I have, doing what I have, and being as used to swearing as I have and NOT swear for the whole time." My headache had intensified even FURTHER, which was fuckin' great.

She seemed a little put off by this but then answered my question [i"]The Changelings have a hive mind-" I guessed that much earlier but she seemed to have to tell me like I didn't anyway, "-We pass information and feeling freely through out the mind, though we can segregate ourselves from it to variable degrees. The mind is what keeps us together, and where our minds go when we die; it is our past, our present, and our future."

"So what your saying is that your great grand dad is chatting with his great grand dad right now?" I ask in an irritable tone, "Man this headache is fucking killing me" I think to myself quietly, so she can't hear.

"No, their memories are passed along but the personality is not... So I can remember what my "great grand dad" ate on his last day, but he doesn't exist as his own personal self anymore."

"Okay, so you can remember as far back as...?" I say as I clutch my head and clench my teeth and add "FUCK! Why does my head hurt so much?" I feel her enter my mind once again, her horn glows brighter, and the headache goes away.

"We must conclude our discussion, you were bleeding in your head and my magic may have made it worse... your mind is not made to handle this..." She broke off contact and I stagger.

I feel strangely alone... and sick... and dizzy... and now everything is black...