"I'll be quick and concise, the changeling kingdom is full of tyranny as you've seen, the queen keeps us in a horribly organized and chaotic regime, many of us have accepted fate, but on the other way, we Changelings are tired of the queen's tyranny, tired of the oppression that was imposed on us since we were mere little eggs." The man explained.
"Eggs?!" I thought disgusted.
"We just accepted our fate, or at least that was until we got tired of all this, and we decided to do something about it, we know it's impossible to do anything with the queen, it's not in our power, no one in the kingdom is capable of facing her, but escaping from the hive would free many of 'ours', I was in an investigation recently, but I was found out, I managed to disguise the mission with a minor crime, so they only gave me a minor charge for theft, for Luckily they didn't know what I was really up to, I'm not entirely sure, but if they had found out the main plan, they might have sentenced me to death." Said the man reluctantly.
"I see, so you are a group of Changelings looking to escape this realm and live your lives outside of the hive?" I asked knowing the obvious answer.
"Yes, and today is the day, the day we all escape or die trying." He said firmly and decisively.
"... Hey, don't be negative, everything will be fine... they will be free." I said imposing confidence and determination, his face was insecure, so I tried to impose confidence in the environment.
"...I see, you have determination, you are something 'new' kid, we hadn't done it formally, but I would like you to be by our side on this last mission." Said the determined and confident man.
"Sure, I promise not to spoil everything, I definitely need to get out of here too." I said determined.
"Very well, we just have to wait for my team to get us out of here, but for now I'll tell you the plan, it's simple, we'll use our ability to transform and make the guards believe we're one of them, it would be complicated if they knew we escaped, but that's already covered, we'll get out of here without attracting attention, we'll use decoys in the cell to give us time to get out of the kingdom before they notice our absence, when that happens we'll follow a formation that manages to steal from the planning room of the changeling guard." The man explained while he pointed to bags with padding inside to assimilate the shape of a body, to put them in the beds and pretend that someone is sleeping.
"Was that part of your espionage?" I asked mockingly.
"Yes, that will give us more credibility when disguising ourselves as guards, do you see this route in green?, It is the one we will follow, the red ones are the other formations that we will leave aside, we don't need them." The man said as he pulled out from under the bed a sheet of paper with the patrol routes of the Changeling guard.
"I see the one on the West side, the one on the East side and the one on the South side, we will follow the North route, but I see a route that is on the way to the North." I said while analyzing the sheet carefully.
"Yes, it is the route to the queen's room, that route is much more dangerous, but it is our only option, the one that connects with the main door of the hive." Said the man.
"...is there anything we can use in the queen's room?" I asked while he continued to analyze the route that goes to the queen's room.
"I suppose so, the queen has a personal library where she keeps exclusive spells for Changelings, as well as a very useful one called "Selformation", it grants the changeling who executes the spell the ability to transform into the appearance he wants, ideal to make your life from scratch as a new species, and avoid suspicion at all costs, I discovered it when I infiltrated the room, it's easy to enter, but getting out is complicated." The man answered naively.
"Okay… now tell me about the dominant race." I said with a plan in mind.
"Are you talking about the ponies? They are the race that covers the most ground, they occupy seventy percent of the Equestrence territory, they are passive, and in a matter of attitudes they are the ideal race for a changeling who wants to live in peace and tranquility after escaping from their kingdom." Answer the man.
"But we'll have to use another pony's appearance, right?" I asked knowing the answer.
"Unfortunately yes." The man answered reluctantly.
"..."
"..."
A moment of silence invaded the place, until the man knew that he was going through my head at that moment.
"Oh no." Said the worried man.
"I think it's the best option." I answered confident.
"Are you insane?, Do you know what that implies?" The man asked alertly.
"Yeah... of course I know, that spell, "Selformation", will be very helpful, I don't think we want to pretend to be another pony, we wouldn't live in peace." I exclaimed determined.
"Look, I know it's for the best, but no, we won't do that, it's too dangerous." The man replied stressed.
The conversation is not going well, I'll put a stop to it right now... I don't want to replace anyone, I'll just go with the flow for now.
"Okay okay, that's fine, it was just a suggestion." I finally said giving up.
"...very good, everything is ready, we just have to wait." He finally said.
He explained the basics to me, it was very simple, sneak out of the dungeon and go disguised as guards to the main door, it's simple, but, to be honest, replacing someone doesn't appeal to me, I know it's dangerous, but I'll make sure they're out of all this, I don't want to put them in danger, they're helping me, so I'll watch my steps, it would be time soon, and I would commit the biggest stupidity of my life.
2 hours have passed in which he explained basic and crude things to me about the exterior, he did not seem to know much since he was never in charge of going on expeditions, but he knew the basics, I took advantage of my age to tell him that I
did not know anything at all, if an adult did not know well what was out there except a child.
"Hey kid, we haven't been able to introduce ourselves yet, tell me, what's your name?, My name is Greed Rain."
"Greed Rain?, That's definitely not a name, at least in my home, does that mean I should have a name like that too?, I can't tell he my real name." I thought anxiously.
"Oh, I... my name is..." I dragged out the word hoping for a miracle.
I don't have a name, at least here, what do I do?, I tried to think of something but nothing came to my mind, I don't know what an appropriate name is in this "place" either.
"Hey, we're here Greed...is that a kid?!" The changeling said in confusion.
Saved by the bell, or rather, saved by a shifter part of an anti-imperial tyranny movement.
"Wow, they took longer than expected." Greed Rain said unsatisfied.
"Sorry, we were checking the guard formations one last time, this is the last day, it has to come out perfect." The changeling excused himself.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, this kid will join us on the escape mission." Said Greed Rain pointing at me.
"... hello." I replied.
"...is the kid also imprisoned?" asked the confused changeling.
"Yes, the queen definitely hit bottom with her cruelty." Greed Rain answered.
"...anyway, my name is Clear Cloud, what's your name little one?" asked ClearCloud.
"oh... my name is..." I answered in a panic, dragging the word out again.
"Do you want to hurry? This is full of guards, if they last longer I don't know if Dark Arrow will be able to distract them for longer... a child is imprisoned?" Asked confused a third changeling who came from the direction of the stairs that lead outside, outside this dungeon.
"Yes!, I'm also incarcerated, we can go now, this is taking a long time." I answered irritated.
I managed to evade the question twice, but a third time won't happen, we need to do something fast before they discover us, I'll worry about my name later.
"Hey kid, you remember the appearance of the guards, right?" Greed Rain asked.
"They dragged me roughly throughout the hive, I saw them everywhere, I remember them perfectly." I answered irritated.
As well as a high-ranking guard, the one in obsidian armor, that is the disguise I will use for my own plan.
"Okay, it's about time, quick, put the lures on their beds and let's go quick." exclaimed Clear Cloud in a hurry.
Maybe the decoys won't do any good, unless the guards are completely blind...it doesn't matter anymore.
"Child, transform." Whispered Greed Rain.
It was complicated, but I managed to stay calm when I transformed, I had succeeded, I kept the transformation, it wasn't so complicated anymore... it was a piece of cake, because I've had so many problems the first time... I guess it doesn't matter anymore.
"Well done kid, very believable, time to go." Greed Rain said as he transformed into another guard.
We left the dungeon, and the plan was working out perfectly, we left the room that leads to the dungeon, there were no guards around, I see what they meant by Dark Arrow's distraction, we continued cautiously along the agreed route, it didn't take long for two other Changelings to join us, they seemed to be Dark Arrow and another whose name was unknown, first step of the plan, distraction, successfully completed, the corridors seemed endless, we were In surveillance formation, the guards who were guarding the corridors didn't suspect as there should be a platoon of guards going through this very corridor at the same time as us...so there were casualties in this plan?...I hope they were just knocked unconscious.
That was much easier than expected, no one suspected, but if the queen were here, she would detect me by my magic, luckily she isn't, but it would be better to go much faster, I don't want to risk running into her and ruining the whole plan.
"See that guys?, It's the main entrance, our route is outside the castle, in a blind spot we can disappear and run as fast as possible." Greed Rain whispered as we cautiously walked inconspicuously through the corridors of the hive.
"Hey Greed, about 3 kilometers to the South East there is a peaceful pond and away from here, if the formation breaks, I'll meet you there." I whispered heading towards Greed Rain.
"I don't think it's necessary child…child?!" Greed Rain whispered, disturbed by the disappearance of a guard from his
platoon.
I hope you guys complete the mission successfully, but I always go alone on this kind of work.
They only saw how I walked away with another platoon, I learned the routes perfectly, and immediately after the external surveillance platoon, (our platoon), a surveillance platoon would pass from inside the hive, and yes, I was right, there was the high-ranking guard.
They were alone from now on, if they want they can wait for me at the pond, but if I had a coin for risky and stupid things that I did, I would be the richest man in all the kingdoms, but I am alone now, and it is up to me to get out alive.
According to my calculations they are already outside, and I am about to reach the queen's room, no one suspects, I am just a simple guard in charge of internal surveillance, I am just that, this reminds me of many things in particular, and I must admit that I love this kind of adrenaline.
We are standing in one place, luck is on my side, there is no guard where we stopped.
I got it, this is the rest room for the guards, they are located closer to the queen to ensure her safety.
They entered one by one, when the penultimate guard passed I slowly backed down, and when the last one entered, I hid behind a wall, the last guard looked around to make sure there was no one, I saw his face of confusion, it seemed that he was missing someone, but after a moment he went into the room.
He closed the door, I had a free way to enter the queen's room, I became the high-ranking guard, it was all or nothing, I took a deep breath, I didn't think about it much and I just moved forward, it was the fourth floor of the hive, before we went through some huge stairs, it was difficult for me to walk, but the nerves and courage of the moment helped me to concentrate on the walk and the transformation.
Being a guard of the rank that I now had was a symbol of respect among the other guards, I walked by and everyone greeted me with respect, it was useful to have transformed into this type, I don't know if there is another type of guard, but this one worked perfectly.
A little walk later I arrived, it was very evident, this room screamed its identity, it was an important room, the queen's room was in front of me.
The security of this place is disgusting, there are no guards guarding it; I only needed to enter and steal the "Selformation" spell, it was the only thing missing, I quietly opened the door, nothing was heard at all, but it seems that I attracted the most dangerous threat in the hive, the queen followed me cautiously.
Upon entering I found the largest room in the hive, a bedroom fit for a queen.
There was my goal, the bookstore about the spells that the Changelings don't know, it was complicated, but with my wings I managed to take out the book, it was a book explaining absolutely everything about the "selfformation", it was long, later I would read it completely and carefully, I had what I needed, curiosity invaded me a bit and I took a look through it.
☆☆☆
SELFORMATION:
Changelings do not have the ability to generate their own appearance based on other species, they are only capable of transforming into any other species based on something already existing, or at least I thought so, until I succeeded, I managed to create a spell that gives a changeling, (male or female), the ability to generate their own appearance, an appearance that is not shared with anyone in Equestria, a unique appearance of the changeling who decides to use my spell.
- King Changeling - Crimson Flash's Annotations -
☆☆☆
Another Changeling King?, well, I guess it's understandable, from Crimson's notes, I can deduce that he wanted to provide this information to the changelings, but the queen avoided him?, what the hell is wrong with this kingdom?
"well well well, what do we have here?" Said the queen from the door of the room.
Those words were enough to leave me frozen, the plan had failed, how the hell would I not recognize that voice?
"S-sorry my queen, I think I have the wrong room, my men dispersed the formation and it seems that they wanted to play a joke on me, and I was trying to find them." I replied with the voice of the high-ranking changeling, it seems that my vocal chords also change with my appearance.
I said something stupid, how the hell would the queen believe that?, Higher-ranking guards don't have such stupid problems.
I was trying to hide the book behind me, but it was useless, she saw me when I was reading it, it was useless, it's all over... I thought.
"It is useless to continue lying impostor, your magic led you to your sentence, you are not a child, your magic is so strong that I could follow it from my throne." exclaimed the queen.
From the throne?, We are too far from the throne, no guard could detect me, how come she could?!
"It is time for a proper punishment to be imposed on you, I was generous in sending you to the dungeon, I guess now I will have to kill you." The queen said hesitantly and anger.
She lifted me up with her magic by the part of her chest, I was completely still.
The queen shot a beam from her horn directly into my chest, I felt it burn me, I felt my soul being ripped out, I could only watch as my transformation faded little by little, my appearance was revealed, I was completely exhausted, I couldn't fight anymore, the queen only laughed as she saw me dying.
"Will I die like this?!, Because of a tyrant?!!!" I pondered in agony.
My thoughts blinded me, I could see my life before my eyes, I saw myself saving people again, being the hero that people needed... no, I won't die like this, I refuse to accept it, and with the little strength I had... it happened again.
"¡¡¡IT'S ENOUGH!!!" I yelled in anger.
My eyes started to glow red again, I felt like I was unconscious and conscious at the same time, I lashed out at her with my own magic and deflected her spell, a magic ray just like hers came out of my horn in anger, she shot me with the ray again.
Our shots connected, this was now a fight to see who had the more powerful magic of the two, but in my state I wasn't sure who would win.
"I know your magic was stronger than that of an adult, but at this level, it's impossible!!!" The queen exclaimed angrily, letting out groans of exhaustion.
"You don't know anything about me, you have no idea where I come from, and in the short time I've been in this place they treated me deplorably, enough!!!, I'm sorry I didn't release all the Changelings under your command, but for now, I need to get out of here!!!" I exclaimed in anger, letting out little whimpers of anger and exhaustion.
The two forces were too strong, we were at an impasse, but like any flow whose exit is blocked... it always finds a way to escape.
Our combined magics didn't hold up anymore, and the easiest way to get out of the clogged flow was the most anticipated.
A huge explosion hit the whole kingdom, the things on the floor had been saved, including the book, but the walls of the room were completely destroyed, rubble everywhere, and alarms began to sound, the queen's pride or ignorance prevented her from bringing reinforcements, she thought it would be an easy job, so she did not come with the help of her guards.
I had to run, and had to be fast, lots of guards were coming after me, the explosion was heard from miles away.
"I have little strength left, I have to get out of here." I ponder exhausted.
I found the book, I was about to escape, but I realized that in the rubble there was a saddlebag that was a little damaged and dusty by the explosion, I grabbed it and put the book there, this gave me more mobility, but something was still missing, and conveniently I saw it in one of the corners that was not damaged by the explosion, it was a table with what seemed to be war plans, a map that was of considerable size, and with most of the troops of the changeling kingdom in a single location.
"¿Canterlot?" I thought in confusion as I looked at a map of the entire region around us, with a large number of figures in the shape of changeling guards circling the canterlot like flies.
An invasion of Canterlot apparently, well, whatever, now's not the time to worry about it, according to the dates we're a few months away from that, it's time to flee.
I took the map and rolled it up, put it in the saddlebag and got out of there quickly, I only heard the footsteps of all the guards who came to see what had happened.
With the queen unconscious and with the wall facing the outside destroyed, the escape was easy, I raised my wings and flew away from there, the guards who protected the outside part entered the castle thinking that the explosion had come from inside.
I had the spell, I had a map, I had a method of loading, I had everything I needed to start over as another species, continue researching, and find a way to return home.
The resistance safe on the outside, the queen in the rubble, and me with one of the most guarded spells in the entire kingdom.
For me... that was a victory.