It's been over a year since the Arrival of Ford Mustang, a former human being from Earth, now a full-fledged Pegasus in Ponyville, and things have been going really well with him and Rainbow Dash ever since they became a couple nearly a year ago. W...
After befriending the changeling commander, Trapjaw, the grateful warrior leads Ford Mustang to the hidden location of his Colony in the haunting forest north of Equestria. From there, the blue-haired Pegasus hopes to meet Queen Chrysalis, so that she can help him take down Arrogon the Destroyer within the seized castle of Canterlot as well as rescue the imprisoned Elements of Harmony.
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"So, just out of curiosity..." Ford cautiously asks his new traveling companion. "Since you guys can only feed off the emotions of other creatures, how do you guys manage to do that without drawing any suspicion from everypony?" "I'm not at all surprised to hear such ignorance spewing from that mouth of yours, pony!" the changeling scoffs with a smirk. "But very well, I shall elaborate with you! When it comes to emotions, each of them has their own distinctive flavors, which only we can taste the difference. For example, anger has a bit of a spicy kick while sadness can have a bitter taste to it. But above all else, there is nothing sweeter or more fulfilling than the taste of love!" he says in ecstasy as he licks his lips upon reflecting that delicious energy he tasted earlier. After composing himself, Trapjaw continues, "So, in order for us to survive, the Colony's elite infiltrators go from town to town undetected as they gather up as much love as possible. Mostly, it's easy for us to gather our daily dose of love from a large crowd, since it's less likely for multiple hosts to faint on us. And there are several ways to approach this; usually it's by disguising ourselves as random ponies or by using our invisibility spells." "And... you don't unintentionally hurt anyone by doing that, do you?" "Of course not!" the changeling snaps in response. "We only need the energy from their emotions, not their lives! We not as savage as you ponies have perceived us!" Once he calms down, he then states in a quieter voice, "But recently, our sources of love are extremely low for some reason. Something has filled the ponies' hearts with constant fear and despair. So we had to result for other... desperate means." "You mean how you were trying to capture me?" the deadpan pony assumes. "Y-y-yes..." Trapjaw admits with a hint of disgrace. "But I assure you, we weren't going to harm anypony nor will we keep them imprisoned for long! We've even gathered lots of fruit and vegetables to help replenish their strength afterwards! And after a simple mind-wiping spell, we would set them free and it will be as if they were never here in the first place!" After taking a moment to process all this, Ford comments respectfully with a small smile, "Well... I can't say that I fully approve all of that, but I'm glad to hear that you took a lot of consideration for their sakes." Some time later, the two flyers arrive at a large tree in the center where its fruitless limbs and trunk are more twisted than the rest of the trees surrounding it. "Ah, we're here!" Trapjaw announces with delight. Using his slightly gnarled horn, the trunk of the tree reacts upon the changeling's command as it glows an oval-shaped ring of green-colored magic. As the glowing ring disappears, the cutout portion of the trunk magically vanishes as well. After the reveal of the secret entrance, Trapjaw lightly pushes the stallion to go first. "Go on ahead, Ford, but be sure to mind your step. The drop can be quite long." Carefully, the pony enters the crooked tree's opening and gentle hovers down while Trapjaw seals the entrance behind him and makes his descent as well. Eventually, they touch the soft ground as Ford gets use to the darkness they are in right now. Surprisingly, there is no need to amplify his eyesight as he spots a tunnel that's filled with tiny, turquoise lights. Seeing Trapjaw taking the lead once more, Ford follows right behind. As they walk within the tunnel, Ford couldn't help but awe at the welcoming source of the pretty lights around him. Within the dark passageway, the concave walls are littered with hundreds of fluorescent fungi, all in various shapes and sizes. Also, he notices the changes on the ground and walls as he feels the smoothness of the slightly slimy floor and sees the cave's unusually organic architecture. Quite possibly, the tunnel's ongoing construction is all made by the changelings. As for how these creatures were able to come up with the organic material to reinforce the passageway... well... the less the Pegasus knows about it, the better. At the end of the tunnel, Ford nearly lets out awestricken gasp at sight of the massive chamber of the Colony's hive. The central station is literally buzzing from the activity of the ever-working changelings as they travel in and out of the hundreds of entryways. Busily, the workers are either transporting cocoon-cased supplies or are in the middle mending newly constructed tunnels and chambers. It may look very foreign through the eyes of a normal pony, but through Ford's eyes, the large, domed structure is as magnificent as a classical gothic architecture. While the visually pleased Pegasus is distracted by the hive's architecture, the majority of workers suddenly halt their progress as they gaze at the unexpected visitor. One by one, they are drawn towards the mysterious pony as they are lost in their own self-induced trance. Finally, taking notice of the multitude of changelings surrounding him, Ford is slightly startled by ravenous looks on their faces as they slowly close in on him. "Food... Food... Food..." Like zombies, their hunger is the only thing that's on their minds right now as the changelings sought to consume the emotional energy of the vigilant Mustang. But before Ford prepares to respond in self-defense, Trapjaw makes a menacing hissing sound towards his famished race as his wings rattle like mad. "Keep away, all of you!" Trapjaw barks with authority. "This one is for Royalty only!" While some of the changelings respond to the challenge with their own intimidating sounds, Trapjaw's display of intimidation is more effective as he hisses louder while constantly encircling the severely perplexed pony. Gradually, the sapped changelings gave up their pursuit as they reluctantly return to their posts and schedules. Once the supposed threat has passed, Trapjaw faces Ford with an apologetic expression on his face. "Please forgive my brethren, Ford." the commander apologizes. "They can be quite impatient when it comes to the distribution of our vital energy supplies." "What's happening to them, Trapjaw?" Ford asks concerningly. "They look so... sickly." With a heavy sigh, the changeling turns his head and looks at the poor state of his comrades. "As I've stated, our sources of love have been extremely low for nearly two weeks. Because of the mysterious, grim situation, our Queen had to rationalize our reserves into very small portions. If it keeps going this way, I fear that my beloved Colony will fade into extinction." Following the commander's gesture, Ford also observes the behavior of the other changelings nearby. In one corner, the observant Pegasus sees a group lining up for food. Managed by two armored soldiers, they serve tiny portions of energy of love from its special cocoon sac. But what really pulls his heartstrings is when he sees a motherly worker feeding her portion of emotional energy to her crying hatchling. It nearly breaks his heart for Ford to see this level of poverty from such misunderstood creatures. "Trapjaw..." Ford says to him in a soft tone. "If you don't mind, I would like to see Chrysalis at once. "Oh yes, of course! Follow me! The Royalty's throne room is right down this passageway!" Refocused on their mission, Ford follows Trapjaw as they enter a much larger corridor. Towards the end of the main hallway, the two can see two green colored torches. Upon entering the next chamber, the green fire illuminates the room quite clearly. Besides each flickering torch are two armored, poised guards, who are holding their spears as they stand in place on top of the steps. And in-between them is an elongated throne that also serves as a lounge where the Queen of the Changeling herself is leisurely stretched across it and her hooves are crossed over with each other. "My Queen!" Trapjaw announces joyfully as he bows before Chrysalis's presence. "I have return!" Following suit, Ford Mustang shows his courtesy by bowing to the queen as well.
