Strange Bedfellows

Wide eyed, I freeze in place and stare at our newest, and by far the biggest, problem we have encountered this morning. The mind was buzzing with everything from Rage, to Panic, to Mild Irritation; but all of it was directed at what I was staring at.

Stories have been created and told for years about the creature in front of me, none of which were good, happy, or entertaining. When it's name was whispered behind closed doors; curtains would be drawn, children would be gathered up in hushed tones, and doors would slam shut. When it was seen; Ponies and Changlings alike would flee for there lives. When it's voice was heard everything would cover their ears.

It inspects me for a moment, seemingly completely oblivious to the Changlings slowly gathering behind me, and I take a single step back just before it opens it mouth and ushers a command, "What sort of foul creature are you?" I just stare at it in shocked confusion for a few moments longer before I start to giggle.

Did I mention all of the above was done out of embarrassment?

"What's so funny, The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you answer her!" She accentuated her outrage with a stamp of her hoof and a flare of her horn that I gather was supposed to menacing. I just continued to laugh to the point of doubling over, "Answer, creature!"

"I never thought I'd meet her, honestly!" I shout through the mind as my amusement floods along behind it, "Honestly, man!" The Changlings around me shuffle in place as my amusement conflicts with their confusion, embarrassment, and fear. "I'm- I'm-" I start but another bout of laughter cuts me off, "GOD, THAT HAT IS STUPID!"

Trixie gives me an indignant glare, "How dare you mock the Great and Powerful Trixie's fashion sense!" she stamps her hoof again, "She demands that you tell her who you ar..." she trails off as she notices the Changlings, "Oh dear..." I takes a step back, "The Great and Powerful Trixie no longer cares to know, good day!" She turns around to leave rather hurriedly but runs right into Three Forty Seven's chest, and she just repeats herself, "Oh dear..."

Giggles still wrack my body, but they slowly subside as Three Forty Seven asks her a simple question in hoovian, "How did you get here?" Trixie gulps loudly as she stares at his face in blatant fear, "Don't make me ask again."

"Your going to kill her with fear, Forty Sev." I toss at him

"She is trespassing and is now in possession of our Hive's current location, so I ask you; is that a bad thing?"

"I was just saying that I've never seen that..." Just then Trixie blasts Forty Sev out of the way and books it outside, "Oh dear..." I thought idly just before I grasp the severity of the situation and chase her with an army of Changlings all around me.

*-*

A retarded, blind, deaf, legless squirrel could follow the path she was carving through the forest; broken branches, deep hoof prints, scared animals, shouts of fear and very shaky threats... Yeah, hardest chase ever. We caught her in a clearing as she spun around in confusion, we circled around it and the Changlings slowly move into the clearing... It was rather menacing actually. She spun around again, this time in fear instead of confusion, and then she started wildly blasting at anything that moved... She missed every time, thought she did take the branch right beside my head off it's tree rather cleanly.

I hear some smashing behind me and I turn around to find Raul coming into sight, only to get the previously mentioned branch to the face, I stifle a giggle as he flails around in confused indignation. "What's the hold up?!" he demands in a rather loud voice, which causes Trixie to whip around and blast a bolt in his direction, she missed...

"Damn..." I mumble under my breath as I point over my shoulder to the magic wielding maniac in the clearing, "That's the hold up."

"My Queen, what do we do?" Forty Sev asks Chrysalis.

"Who is it?" Raul asks me as he uses me for cover and peeks over my shoulder.

"Take her in for questioning." Was Chrysalis' response.

"Trixie, The Great and Powerful." I told Raul off handedly, "That was kind of confusing." I think to myself as I shake my head. Then an idea shot it's way through my mind, "Maybe we can use her, a mage as powerful as her is rare, and if we motivate her properly..." I ponder on this for a moment as I watch the Changlings slowly close the ring around her, "I leave today... So I won't be able to convince her at anytime but now..." I walk forward calmly as she blasts wildly around the circle, still missing every time, then I pass the Changlings, feeling their bewilderment, irritation, and curiosity as Trixie is busy blasting in the other direction.

"Hey, Blasto!" I shout at her as I come to a stop a few feet away; she whips around, wild eyed, and blast one of her bolts right into my chest. I hit the ground just in front of the Changlings and a few of them openly laugh as the others place their faces in their hooves at varying speeds. "Ow." was all I said

Trixie belted out a "Sorry!" at about the same time.

"Well, at least she isn't a sadist."

"Wait, Trixie is not sorry!" she corrected herself. I look down my chest from my spread eagle position on the ground, "She's rather glad that one of you beasts got what was coming to you!"

"Ow." I repeat as I stand up slowly, wobble, catch myself, then finish. "All I'm trying to do is give you a chance at freedom... or another kind of prison, depending on your view..."

"What ar-" Chrysalis begins, but I sever the connection with the hive and calmly walk towards the frazzled unicorn.

"Work for me." I say as I hold out my hand.

There is a pause, even the rain seemed to stop for a moment, Then... "WHAT!?" says the Changlings, along with the diamond dog, and the absolutely bewildered unicorn all at the same time.

Trixie recoils from my hand like it's a snake, "The Great and Powerful Trixie does not bow to anyone!"

I stifle a theatrical chuckle with my extended hand, "Who said anything about bowing?" "One wrong word..."

"Her point is still made!" She stamps her hoof again as she regains a little composure.

"That's good, she can at least adapt to pressure... sort of." "I'm offering you a chance to avoid a cell you'll most likely never leave... You won't even get to see the sun once."

She visibly pales and, after a long moment of her eyes darting back and forth, her tongue slips out and wets her lips just before she says, "Wha- What might you be needing Trixie's assistance for, exactly?"

"Espionage, housing known fugitives, trafficking armaments... the list goes on and on." "Not much, mostly just need your silence and,-" I hold my hand out again, "-Your wonderful talents, do we have a deal?" She looks left and right as she thinks about it, then I decide to add a little more motivation, "We are fighting the government of your country-" Her eyes fly up and go wide in shock, "-Which includes a certain lavender goddess..."

Her eyes narrow in contempt and her hoof flies into my hand and, after a single firm shake, she says, "Deal."

I smile at her and calmly turn back to my allies and bow my head, they part for me with absolutely dumbstruck, or extremely angry, looks on their faces. "Come along my friend," I say to Trixie and she hurries to walk in stride beside me, "We have alot of ground to cover."

*-*

I definitely did NOT want to reconnect with the hive after so rudely cutting Chrissy off like that, "Chrissy?" I thought to myself as we got closer to the cavern, "We're not THAT close." I chuckle under my breath, Then I look over at my newly acquired minion, "How you holding up?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is completely fine!" She declares loudly as she stares straight ahead with a determined look on her face.

"Lighten up, save your game face for the fight." We pass through the mouth of the cave and I look up, "Hopefully you won't be in one though." We made our way to the cart with my things in it, "Say... don't you have a cart of your own?"

Trixie made a sour face, "Trixie lost that to Twilight Sparkle." The last two words were dripping with hatred, I laugh and her head whips up and throws daggers at me, "Would you laugh if you lost everything?"

"I'm laughing now... So yes." I shrug as I hop on my tip toes and sift through my things, "These are gifts and such from my hostess and her rather kind kin." I grab a comb and look down to pass it to her, only to catch her staring into the distance, "You alright?"

"Yes... fine." She says as her head turns to the side, I raise an eyebrow and garner no further response.

I toss the comb on her hat and say as I turn around to find Forty Sev to get our asses going, "I've had even less for alot longer, so I'll learn to cope." I turn my head away from Trixie to find the fact we were surrounded by Changlings. "Not good... though it was expected."

"Apprehend the Prisoner!" Chrysalis' voice rang through the cavern, The Changlings start forward and I just scratch my eyebrow as I step in front of Trixie, "Move!"

"Nope, not happening." I stood there with my arms crossed and watch as the ever regal figure of Chrysalis carves it's way through the crowd.

"You, I'll deal with you later, MOVE!" She glares daggers at me as she shoulders her way to the front of the line

"You heard me, No." I inspect to back of my hand nonchalantly as her head lowers.

"MOVE!" Her voice roars loud enough to hurt, the echos bouncing around loud enough to be heard for a full minute... which I waited for the full length of before I spoke up:

"What are my stakes in this?"

Chrysalis' head shakes as she's thrown off track (hopefully), "In what?"

I raise my hands and gesture vaguely, "This, all of it, the Hive, the war, this world... what is it?"

"I wasn't aware you had any other then the fact you have stressed several times that you owe me your life."

"I don't," I say with a shrug as my arms drop to my sides, "So you could say that the only reason I exist is to help you."

"Then what was the point of saying anything at all?" She asks, absolutely confounded, and so I hold my finger up and walk back to the cart and hop up, after sifting for a moment I find what I'm looking for. I grab it, pull it out and whirl it around my head before hoping down and grasping my newly equipped spear in both hands as I step back in front of Trixie.

"So you understand my exact meaning when I say that if you try to take her," I point the spear at her, "I will fight you," then gesture to the rest of the Changlings, "and as many of them as possible."

The cavern went absolutely silent, I can hear a faint dripping far off. "You woul-"

"I would." I state as calmly as a man would normally state his name.

"Your willing to fight ME, for HER?!" Chrysalis shouts in confusion as she violently throws out her forehoof, "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER!"

"I gave her my unspoken word that I would protect her with my life when she agreed to help me." I reconnect myself to the hive to show her exactly how determined I was, which was very.

"If you feel that you must fight us..." Chrysalis says with a defeated sigh, "You can keep her as your squire, or you concubine, or whatever it is you plan for her..." she turns away and adds, "But if you die, she joins you shortly afterwards... I can't let loose ends remain untied,: Now go, enjoy your trip." and with that she was off. The tense mood was slowly replaced by a somber one as she made her her way to the tunnel that lead deeper into the Hive and, with one last look of regret, she disappears.

I continue to hold the spear in my hand as the Changlings exchange looks and slowly disperse, some giving me looks of confusion, some giving my looks of contempt, and others still just sadly shook there heads. After every last one of the Changlings moved to their appropriate locations I lower my spear, and a few minutes longer before, with a sigh, I actually turn away. The look Trixie was giving me hurt, it was one of pure bewildered thankfulness, then she says "The Great and-"

I cut her off as I toss the spear back on to the wagon,

"Shut the fuck up."