Loss Chapter 2

>Day Plots in Equestria
>You are Fluttershy
>You’ve spent the whole day consoling Twilight
>She feels terrible about what she did to Anon, but you’ve done your best to convince her it was the right thing to do
>A few days without food will teach him fear
>Then you’ll convince Twilight that perhaps she was indeed too harsh on him
>It’s funny; anyone with half a brain would wonder at a pony’s sudden shift from vindictive to forgiveness
>But if that pony is you?
>‘She’s so kind! She really is the element of kindness. Perhaps we should give Anon another chance after all?’
>Hilarious
>It’s only a matter of time until your plan comes to fruition
>You get wet at the thought of Anon in your arms again
>You wonder how he’s handling it all

>You are Anon
>You’re not entirely sure what to do
>You don’t understand why Twilight was so angry
>You know she treasured those books, but to banish you without a second thought?
>Someone framed you, but who?
>You were so sure Ponyville loved you
>You stand up, brushing the dirt of your clothes
>No time for dwelling
>You needed to get back to Equestria and prove your innocence
>‘Never return to Ponyville, Anonymous, or face far worse!’
>…
>Perhaps you should give her some time to calm down first
>You look around
>You see a lot of dirt
>The sun is still moving its way up the sky, so at least you know where east is
>But it doesn’t really matter which way you go; you don’t know which direction Equestria even is
>Hell, you don’t even know where you are
>You’re either going to go the right way and reach Equestria, or go the wrong way and die in the desert
>You like your odds, and setting the sun on your right, you begin walking
>You’re sure you’ll find someone soon enough

>Fucking empty wasteland
>The sun is above you now, and you’ve yet to see anything besides rock and sand
>You haven’t even seen any small animals
>Aren’t lizards supposed to live in environments like this?
>The thought of meat makes your stomach growl
>They sentenced you to exile, but you’re starting to think they really wanted you to starve to death
>Well, they did look pretty mad…
>No, there’s no way they would do that to you
>Not for something so small
>You do your best to ignore your stomach
>And the heat
>You’re not sure what would be worse, the sun on your bare head or the idea of your black hair absorbing the heat
>A tender touch to your scalp confirms that hair would, in fact, be preferable
>You take off your shirt and wrap it around your head
>It’s soaked through from your sweat, but at least it makes your head feel a bit better
>You can feel yourself becoming more and more exhausted; you won’t be able to stand the heat much longer
>Not at this time of day
>You wipe the sweat from around your eyes and look around
>In the distance to your left, you can see what seems to be a large, flat mountain
>Last time you checked, mountains aren’t flat
>More importantly, you see what look like a bunch of holes on its side
>Caves
>Shade
>Shelter
>You start heading towards them
>You try to jog, but it doesn’t work so well, and you soon get that idea out of your head
>The sooner you get there the better, but killing yourself on the way probably won’t help
 >After what feels like ages, you reach the mountain
>It’s enormous, even bigger than you thought
>Caves dot its side like some sort of bee hive
>You walk into one of the lower caves, relishing in the release from the heat
>It’s not quite cold, but it’s certainly cooler than outside
>You lay on the wall
>You know you won’t be able to stand the heat of the day
>Probably should wait for night and travel then
>You settle down, trying to get comfy
>You yawn; it’s been a long morning
>You try to fight off the sleep, but within moments, you’re out

>You wake up to total darkness
>You must have slept through the rest of the day
>Wasn’t the moon full last night though?
>You try to get up, only to find yourself unable to move anything but your eyes
>You feel some cloth-like material all around you
>You squirm, but it remains tight around you
>You feel your eyes begin to adjust
>What at first you thought was complete darkness, you realize, is actually filled with a dim green glow
>You definitely aren’t outside
>You strain your eyes more
>You peer into the abyss
>And it stares back at you
HOLY SHIT
>Is what you would have liked to have said
>Unfortunately, your mouth is bound, so it comes out muffled
>The pair of green eyes is soon accompanied by more and more
>Within seconds, what seems like thousands of eyes all stare at you
>Before you’re able to freak the fuck out ever more, a bigger set of eyes appears
>They blink, and the glow brightens
>Oh
>Oh this isn’t good
>You hadn’t seen one personally, but you’d seen pictures of them, and Twilight had talked about them a couple times
>Changelings
>And you seem to have found their nest
>At least you weren’t hot anymore
>The largest pair of eyes, now the largest changeling, walks closer to you
>”Hello there, Anonymous. You appear comfy”
>You mumble
>”Oh my, how rude of me! I guess we should fix that, now shouldn’t we?”
>You feel the cloth release your mouth and head
>You look down, and see that the material is some kind of web
>Not much was known about changelings
>Apparently they could turn into spiders though
>The large changeling is still standing in front of you
Where-
>Oh god your throat is sore
>What you wouldn’t give for some water
>You clear your throat, trying again
Where am I? How do you know my name?
>The changeling laughs, and a moment later, the rest follow suit
>The sound echoes off the cavern walls
>Nice acoustics
>”Oh Anonymous, do you really think I don’t have any spies in Equestria? We’re changelings. Subterfuge and information is what we do”
>Oh.
>Duh.
>”As for where you are, you are in my home. Which, I must say, is quite the impressive feat. However, I didn’t bring you in here for you to question me. In fact, the opposite is true”
>She steps forward, stroking your face
>Her hoof is smooth…
>Focus
>”Tell me, Anon. How did you get here? Why did you sneak into my lair? Did that insufferable sister of my old whipping boy send you?”
Whipping boy? What are you talking about?
>The hoof pulls back and slaps you
>Smooth, yes
>Hard, even more so
>You feel a tooth fly out, and blood fills your mouth
>”I thought I said I was asking the questions here. Now answer me. Did. Twilight. Sparkle. Send. You?”
>You pause for a moment
>You then start to laugh
>Blood dribbles out of your mouth as you do so
>The large changeling stares at you for a moment
>She looks confused
>You try to stop, but you can’t help it
>”Why are you laughing? Are you mocking me?”
>She pulls back her hoof again
N-no! That’s not it at all! It’s just too much, that’s all!
>You’re still snickering a little
>Perhaps you’ve gone mad
>You wouldn’t be surprised
>The changeling’s eyes narrow
>”And what do you mean by that?”
I’m sorry, but just this morning, I was banished from Equestria, and now I’m being held captive as a potential spy for them
>The changeling’s eyes widen
>She turns away from you, and her wings extend, vibrating
>A moment later, a smaller changeling appears before her, holding a parchment
>She opens it with her magic and reads it
>A moment later, she turns back to you
>You’ve stopped laughing, having regained control
>You’re lucky she didn’t kill you for that
>She doesn’t look angry right now though
>Just thoughtful
>A moment later, she vibrates her wings again
>A couple of changelings fly over to you
>Oh god
>Her lackeys are going to kill you
>You close your eyes as you hear a ripping sound
>You hope that wasn’t your chest
>You look down, to see yourself free of the cocoon
>You look up at the changeling
>She beckons you with her head, and begins walking away
>Not entirely sure what just happened, but this seems like good news
>You walk after her, trying not to stumble
>God damn pins and needles in your legs

>Soon, you’re inside another large cavern
>Instead of being filled to the brim with changelings, however, this one contains a large stone throne
>It’s simple, with a green cushion on its base for padding
>The walls are covered with mosaics, depicting different events
>Some involve wars, while others show times of peace
>One in particular grabs your interest: a pair of green eyes, hanging in the darkness above what appears to be two ponies kissing
>So they really do feed off love
>Fascinating
>The changeling sits on the throne and vibrates her wings
>You’re positive now she’s the Queen Twilight had spoken of
>Her name was crystal something, you think
>A smaller changeling appears, turning into a chair for you to sit on
>Weird, but ok
>You sit down, waiting for her to talk
>The Queen examines you for a moment, before nodding
>”So, you speak the truth. You were banished this morning, after being accused of burning down Twilight’s library. Quite harsh, I must say.”
>You open your mouth to argue, but she cuts you off
“Ah ah! I don’t care if you did it or not. What I care about is you, Anonymous.”
>What
>The Queen laughs at what you assume must be a dumbfounded expression on your face
>”Oh yes, that’s right. Anonymous, I don’t think you realize what a creature like you means for us changelings. We’re a race that excels at information gathering, and yet never in our thousands of years of existence have we encountered something such as you.”
>She sighs, slumping down dramatically
>”Imagine our surprise when, one day, one of our Ponyville spies reports back that a sentient, hairless monkey appeared!”
>Ah yes, the days of being known as the hairless monkey
>It had taken you months to get them to call you a human
>”So, Anonymous. What I want you to do is to tell me everything you know about humans. Most importantly, their physical characteristics. The more forms we have at our disposal, the greater our infiltration of the other races will become.”
And if I refuse?
>The Queen flies down to you
>She gets right in front of you, and you notice your changeling chair now has binds on your hands and feet
>”Well, imagine what kind of pain we can inflict on something when we can turn into any creature we wish”
>Well
>Can’t argue with that logic
>You clear your throat again
In that case, your wish is my command, Your Highness.
>The Queen’s eyes flash, and she smiles
>”Oh please, Anonymous. Call me Chrysalis”

>The chair releases you, and you get to your feet
>The chair disappears a moment later, though the changeling doesn’t reappear
>You look back at Chrysalis
If you don’t mind me asking, I didn’t think changelings could turn into inanimate objects?
>Chrysalis looks at you for a moment
>”They can’t.”
>Without any further explanation, she walks away, signalling once again for you to follow
>The two of you make your way through the caves, until finally you reach a small room
>The door is made of the same green goop that gives off the light, but hardened more and given a hinge
>Inside are a desk, ink, several quills, and a large amount of parchment
>”This will be where you work. Any questions?”
Um, one. You have any food or water?
>Chrysalis smiles at you
>”I’m afraid not, Anonymous. We only eat love here. However, I suppose I can look into it.”
>She leans in close enough for you to feel her breath on your ear
>”I can’t have you dying yet”
>And with that, she leaves
>You look at the door for a moment
>’..yet’
>Yeah, you aren’t getting out of here alive
>You sit down at the desk
>You stare at the parchment for a while, trying to decide what to do
>Torture doesn’t sound so fun
>But the moment you’re done your work, you’re sure Chrysalis will have you killed
>She may even torture you beforehand for fun anyways
>So why even bother helping her? It’ll only put Equestria at more of a disadvantage at stopping them
>You grow bitter at the thought
>Those ponies are the whole reason you’re in this mess in the first place
>They left you in the middle of a wasteland with nothing
>And there’s no way they didn’t know changelings lived in this part
>Plus, you doubt the changelings being able to turn into humans would make much difference to Equestria’s well being
>It’ll hurt them less a lot than your inevitable torture will hurt you
>Strengthening your resolve, you rack your memory and get to work

>After a while, you hear a sound as your door opens
>You stop writing as a changeling walks in
>It looks… nervous?
>It doesn’t say anything, just stares at you for a bit
Um. Hello?
>It starts, as if it forgot you could talk
>”O-oh! Sorry Mr. Human Anonymous Sir but I just wanted to visit and talk to you and I had something I wanted to give you but I wasn’t sure if I could make it here safe because I’m not-“
>Holy
Whoa there, slow down. Now, what’re you doing here? Did Chrysalis send you?
>The changeling winces at the name
>”Not at all, Mr. Human Anonymous Sir, in fact it’s the opposite. If Chrysalis knew I was here I’d be dead.”
So she kills her own people for minor things?
>Oh yeah, you’re definitely getting tortured
>The changeling shakes his head
>”Nope, nope, Chrysalis is a fair Queen to her subjects. I’m just not considered one of them. Plus, this isn’t a minor thing. I’ve brought you a gift.
>A gift?
>Please be food or water
>The changeling’s mouth opens, and it makes a slight sound as it begins to regurgitate whatever is inside
>Please don’t be food or water
>A rolled up parchment covered in green slime falls out
Uh, ok. What’s this?
>The changeling looks up at you, and smiles
>”Well you see, it’s a-“
>He cuts off, his head snapping to attention
>He looks at the door for a moment, then turns back to you
>He looks terrified
>”Oh no, she’s coming! I have to hide!”
>The changeling runs to a couple corners of the room, before remembering the parchment
>It grabs it in its mouth, swallowing it whole, then looks back at you
>”Put me somewhere safe!”
>What?
>The changeling jumps up, but before he lands on your desk, he turns into a quill
>What
>You hear footsteps approaching
 >You grab the quill and put it with the rest, and get back to work
>A moment later, Chrysalis opens the door
>”So, Anonymous! How has your work progressed?”
>You look up from your work, trying your best to look annoyed at the interruption
>If there was anything you had learned when it came to working for super powerful creatures doing something only you could do, it was how to make the perfect look of annoyance
>Made them less likely to interrupt you in the future if you got that scowl just right
It’s going just fine, Chrysalis.
>You motion to a small pile of parchment
>Both sides of each is filled with text describing different traits and mannerisms of humans
>She looks at them greedily, grabbing them
>She flips through them
>Once she’s finished, she puts them back on the table, and looks at you
>”I want a drawing.”
What? Dammit Chrysalis, I’m a chemist, not an artist
>She slams her hoof down on the table
>”I don’t see you having much choice. If a changeling could turn into anything found in text, do you really think we wouldn’t have conquered the world by now?”
>That’s a fine point she’s got there
>”We will need some kind of visualization of a human besides you. Get to it”
>With that, she walks out, leaving you alone
>Suddenly the quill jar explodes, and a changeling is sitting on your desk
>Not alone. Right
>”Phew! That was close Mr. Human Anonymous Sir!”
Ok, first of all, please just call me Anon. Second of all, who are you, and why are you so scared of your own queen?
>Besides the obvious reasons
>The changeling’s head falls, before looking up at you sadly
>”My name is Greg, Mr. Anon. I’m a changeling, but I was born different from the rest. No matter how hard I try, I can’t turn into anything living. You think they’d be impressed that I could turn into objects instead, but…”
>He looks like he might cry for a second, but he regains composure
>”More importantly, I’m the changeling that first found you! I watched as you were brought in by the ponies, how you befriended them despite being different… it made me so happy, until Chrysalis decided you were too important to be watched by something such as myself.”
>He breathes in deeply
>”And that’s why I’m going to help you get out of here! I owe nothing to the changelings, but you?”
>He smiles again, looking visibly better
>He hops off the table, spitting out the parchment again
>”You gave me hope. So I’m returning the favor”
>He wipes off the slime and unrolls the parchment on the table
>On it is a map of the wasteland

>You stare at it for a moment
>The map is mostly empty, except for a few noticeable landmarks
>One is clearly the changeling hive
>Another is a large grouping of what look like rocks
>Most importantly, on the other side of the rocks, is a city
>The map is fairly basic, no headings, just pictures and a scale
>Using the scale, you realize that the city would only take you about a day of walking east from the changeling hive
>If you could just get there before…
>No, there’s no way you could outrun the changelings
>They’d fly after you, bring you back and probably kill you right then and there to avoid you getting away again
>Kill you right then and there
>Suddenly, option 3 is looking pretty promising
>You might escape, and if you don’t, you’re less likely to be tortured!
Greg, this is great! If I know where to go, I might be able to make it to this city! I owe you my life if this works
>Greg smiles at you sadly
>”It’s no problem at all, Mr. Anon. I hope you make it out safe”
>Greg stands up and makes his way to the door
>What, he’s leaving?
Greg, stop!
>Greg turns around, looking at you with a confused expression
>You smile at him; even changelings are adorable in this world
I can’t have my new friend staying behind now, can I? You’re coming with me.

>A few minutes later you and Greg are sneaking your way through the hive
>Apparently you aren’t too far from the exit; there are just a lot of twists and turns
>Greg assures you he knows where he’s going
>He spent most of his life here, having not been deemed worthy to do anything but the lowest of grunt work
>He explained to you that the only reason he was in Ponyville in the first place was because after Chrysalis’s attempt to destroy Canterlot, Ponyville’s security had increased drastically. They’d begun scanning the city’s habitants regularly
>So they sent a chair instead
>Soon, you and Greg see one of the exit holes
>A moment later, and you’re back outside
>You never thought you’d be so happy to be uncomfortably warm
>Greg had planned his visit: changelings, despite having lived in the desert wastes for centuries, still hated the heat
>They stayed inside for the warmest hours of the day, only coming outside for evening and most of the night
>Unfortunately, this means you have two people who hate the heat trekking through a wasteland at high noon
>There’s no time to waste though; you only have so much time before they realize you’re gone and send out a search party to bring you back
>You take a breath, setting towards the rocky plains

>After what feels like ages, but the sun tells you was only a few hours, you reach the rocks
>The rocks are spread out, all varieties of sizes
>One of them is practically a hill in its own right
Greg, what exactly is this place?
>”Well, Mr. Anon-“
Greg. Just Anon, remember?
>Greg coughs
>”Sorry, Anon. Anyways, Queen Chrysalis says this was once a mountain, but a powerful spirit once ruled this land as well as Equestria. Before it did, it brought the leaders of the races to this mountain under the ruse of a meeting for peace. When they arrived, he shattered the mountain into pieces, killing them all.”
>You stare at Greg
>Greg continues walking for a bit before noticing
>”Um, what’s wrong, Anon?”
>You sigh
Fucking Magic
>”What?”
Nothing, don’t worry about it
>Greg looks at you for a moment, but before he can say anything else, he stops walking
>He stands straight, his wings stretched outwards
>”Anon, crouch on the ground”
What? Why?
>”Just do it, Anon!”
>You can hear the fear in his voice
>You crouch down, and suddenly something is enveloping you again
>You look up to see… the inside of a rock?
Greg, what is this?
>”Shhhh! They’re coming!”
>You don’t hear anything, but after a moment, you hear buzzing
>It steadily becomes louder, until it’s all you can hear
>After what feels like forever, the buzzing fades away in the opposite direction
>Greg breathes out, and suddenly you can see the sky again
>You and Greg look at each other
>Without having to say anything, you both pick up the pace

>After a few more close encounters, you finally see the city in the distance
>You start walking even faster now; it’s almost morning, and you’re beginning to feel the cold fade away
>You’re incredibly tired, and your feet and throat are planning a coup d’état
>Greg seems to be doing better, but not by much
>You just need to get to the city before-
>In the distance, you hear it again
>That god damn buzzing
>You look around; you left the rocks a couple of hours ago
>There’s no way they won’t notice one rock in the middle of a desert by itself
>You look at Greg
>Time for a brilliant plan of epic proportions
RUN
>Brilliant
>You and Greg start sprinting towards the city
>You didn’t think you had any energy left in your body, but adrenaline is a beautiful thing
>The buzzing continues to grow louder
>It jumps in volume a moment later
>They saw you
Greg, just fly on without me! At least one of us can make it!
>”No! I won’t leave you behind Anon”
>God dammit
>You shouldn’t have asked him to come with you
>Now the changelings will kill you both
>You try to think of a way to get out of this or to convince Greg, but you can’t concentrate
>If only that infernal buzzing would stop
>Wait a second
>The buzzing isn’t getting any louder
>You look behind you, to see a cloud of changelings floating on the spot
>You stop running and look at them closely
>They’re stopped at some kind of invisible line
>Greg comes up beside you
>”We made it…”
What? We’re not in the city yet
>”Doesn’t matter. We’re in their territory, and the changelings aren’t foolish enough to declare war on them by trespassing without reason”
>Something the changelings are scared of, then?
Whose territory is this, anyways?
>You hear a screech, and Greg yelps
>He turns into a quill again
>You pick him up and turn around to see what made the noise
>Oh
>So that’s what they’re scared of
>Griffins

End Chapter 2