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Description
Hi, my name is.... well, my name doesn't matter right now; I'll tell you later. I guess you could say I've never done this before: self-expression was something completely foreign to my kind. However, I've gotten a taste of it now and feel the need to share my story with anybody-- anypony who would listen (I was told that introducing my name would be a good
How about I just tell you my story from the start? I think we can all find ways to get along if we're all honest with each other.
I was at the attack on Canterlot... Yes, I am a Chageling; I am not proud of what we did, but it was all we knew to survive: feeding off the love others like ravenous, blood-sucking beasts... it was a hard life, but we lived with it. I did some bad things that day and it wasn't the first time I've had to do such things; a part of me felt sick whenever I saw my own reflection snarling and hissing back at me through the magical forcefield, but we did as our Queen commanded.
This was different, though.
When there was that blast that pushed us all away from Canterlot, I guess you could say I was one of the lucky ones... or unlucky, but that's up to you to decide. Either way, when it happened, I was blasted into a house wall. All recall is the sound of stone cracking, the smell of dust, the feeling of every part of my body throbbing with agony and the taste of my own blood in my mouth as I wracked against the fallen frame. After that, I went, what I can assume was both deaf and numb. I drifted out and thought, maybe I'd wake up and this would all be just a bad dream; that we hadn't really been such vicious monsters and that all our selfishness and evil ended up literally blowing up in our faces, resulting in the worst pain ever... But all the same... I woke up.
It must have been a few hours later; certainly felt like it. I couldn't see at first; I could hear talking, but it was faint and low sounding... almost like it was echoing... where was I?
As I fought to try and open my heavy eyes, I finally realized I was standing in an upright position. Finally, all the pain I had felt upon impact rushed back to me and I writhed only to be halted by a set of chains holding my two front hooves above my head. This only made me feel even worse. What was it, some kind of dungeon? It smelled like one, felt like one... and maybe I deserved to be in one, but all my body was doing was seething with sharp pains around my abdomen and neck. I noticed some Guards strolling by the cell from time to time... I tried to croak out an apology, a plea for help, an explanation... but I couldn't get a word out... I was thirsty, hungry and in a lot of pain... Looking back though, had I been able to speak, they probably wouldn't have wanted to hear what I had to say given what happened.
A few hours later, a guard opened the door, came up to me with a stern scoul and, without so much as breathing in my direction, unchained me from the wall... of course, he left the shackles on my hooves and walked with me closer than a mare and her foal would be; he started at me with the kind of tension that's usually found in lions who don't want anyone taking their kill away. He escorted me to what I think was the main hall in the Royal Court... I had a churning feeling in my gut that this wasn't going to end well for me. Surrounded by scouling eyes before the duo rulers of this nation that I had animalistically attacked just a few hours ago... I didn't blame them... and I honestly feared them; not something I thought I would do since, we only feared our Mother, Queen Chrysalis... but surprisingly, these silver and gold cladded armed ponies, standing aside two alicorn Princesses with flowing manes and magical abilities to raise the sun and raise the moon? I was trembling a bit (I didn't want them to see that, because then they'd see my weakness and so would be more brutal... at least, that's what I figured)
After a few moments of solemn silence, finally, the eldest sister with the rainbow mane said, "Why did you attack us? Why did you feel the need to try and harm us when we did nothing to you?"
My lips curled into a tightened grimace. What was I supposed to say? "We all were following our Queen... it didn't matter then and it doesn't matter now... If you commanded your ponies on us, they would be just as responsible."
The younger one spoke out in a firm voice, "You watch your tone, Changeling. We are offering you a chance to explain yourself; you are lucky to even be here."
"There's nothing more I can say! Your kingdom prospers and you all like to pretend everything is fine everywhere because it's all beautfiul and lovely here! None of you have ever had to struggle or fight to survive!"
Suddenly, I just started going on a tangent... I can't remember all of what I said, but I'm sure I've heard those words many times before from back home. To justify that kind of behaviour to others... since we had it harsh, we had to be harsh to everything else... kind of silly when you think about it. I do recall seeing the looks of sheer surprise, pity, anger, and annoyance the Princesses had as I continued. Eventually, my ranting just turned to more snarls (some of which were... words I don't want to repeat here in my native tongue).
They finally had enough and ordered me back to my cell.
"So how many more hours do you intend on holding me hostage?" I sneered.
"You've been here for two weeks." Celestia replied firmly. I turned round surprised... two weeks? There was no way I was there that long. Before my train of thought could continue--
"And you will stay here as long as we see fit; as long as you pose a threat, you will remain here."
And with that, the eldest sister again commanded the guard to herd me back to my cell.
I had two weeks alone with my own thoughts... they weren't all that bad considering they had every means to be harsh, nasty or even deny me water... odd creatures, these Ponies... But it did give me time to think... We Changelings feed off of the love that other creatures have; it sustains us. It keeps us alive... That's why we attacked Canterlot; we were starving... But... I'd been in Canterlot's dungeon for two weeks... did they feed me? If so, what? It's not like you put love in jar and spread it on toast; it doesn't work that way... So, if we Changelings needed consume love like predators or parasites to survive... why wasn't I dead? I shook my doubts away figuring they must have put me under some kind of spell or witched me eating habbits temporarily with another creature (I knew tales of Ponies with less power able to accomplish such a feat.)
While the guards gave me the minimal to stay alive, they weren't... social or entirely friendly. To be fair, I didn't want their "friendship". Such a thing is what makes a hive weak. All my struggles bounced between doing what I had grown up with and, when being alone, having some kind of identity since, my hive was nowhere to be found.
The alicorn sisters were walking down the dungeon halls, illuminating the dank catacomes with the magic shining from their horns; it looks warm, the mixtures of gold and sky blue... I did my best to avoid eye contact with them and retreat to a corner, hoping maybe they wouldn't see me.
"It has worked before... do you believe it can work again?" Celestia spoke with Luna in a soft voice.
"I admit, I have had my doubts of such things in the past... but we are all capable of change." Luna looked down recalling her own past and how she thought she couldn't change... But she has, and for the better!
The were at the front gate of my cell. Celestia started in a motherly voice:
"Young Changeling... what is your name?"
I didn't know how to answer that; legitimately, I had no clue. I also didn't want to speak to any Pony Royalty who threw me in a dungeon.
"What is your name?" Luna pleaded gently. She then assured, "You can tell us."
I felt myself try to curl up, as though I could hide from them (childish, I know, but please try to understand)
I tried my best to ignore all outside sights and sounds... I could overhear the Princess's talking with other ponies to try and "help" me... Or... was it to "change" me? Something along those lines. I could feel eyes from the outside cringing at the sight of me. Not just my appearance, but what I was capable of.
After a few days, I heard a very odd, very chipper sound; like a mix between a puppy and bird. I turned to see where the source of the noise was and in trotted a lavander coloured pony with a gold mane. She sat in front of my cell like a filly eager for story time. She looked at me with such... intruige and... happiness. It was baffling; it threw me off guard... I didn't even realize I was staring at her.
"This is rediculous," I thought. "This Pony is just sitting there smiling like such a creature who has no problems and has never had to fight to live, and--" my brain then just spaced out, replaying over and over what was taught to us. It was just white noise at this point... but all my inane bastardization of right and wrong was popped like an overblown bubble when she chirped:
"Hello!"
My mind drew a blank! Hello? She was sitting there looking at me for a solid 2 minutes with a big smile; why is she saying hello now?
"My name's Violet Canvas" she beamed.
Why was I still staring at this pony? Was it her optimism? Her naivitae? Was I that hungry that I was just catatonic? I stuttered a bit; I was actually trying to speak... to a pony?
"I don't mean to bug, but... I was hoping I could get to know you." She smiled warmly. She noticed me stuttering and held up one hoof reassuringly, "I hope I don't... make you nervous or anything but... Would you please tell me your name?"
I was about to say something but felt my forked tongue swell, as I didn't know how to explain my situation to a creature that wasn't my own species.
"What is it? What's wrong?" She coaxed.
"I... I don't..." finally able to grasp words, I uttered, "I don't... have one."
After a moment, I noticed the big blue eyes of this... Violet Canvas, cocked to the side in confusion.
"I-I don't have a name." I explained with remorse. I then continued coldly, "We aren't given names when we hatch... we're given numbers."
"Oh..." she sighed empathetically and her ears drooped slightly. Her hears then perked up as she smiled sweetly and added, "Well... how about we give you one?"
I tilted my head slightly and squinted in confusion. "Really? It's something that can be just given? Doesn't have to be taken from somewhere?"
"No, a name is given! Like a present... Where do you think Chrysalis got her name?"
That's a good point... I stuttered and sputtered and grunted figuring out this name thing... does it have to be something sparkly or fancy? Can't it just be a word? How does it work? Amongst my grunts, I accidentally stumbled upon a name:
"Fff-d'uhhh... Rrrr... Iiiii-uhhh...? K--hmmph...errr...?"
"Hey, there's a good name!"
"Huh?"
"Ryker! That sound spretty cool actually... I've never heard a name like that!"
"I... I didn't even--" I was dumbfounded; was that really a name? Did I make it up? She seemed either easily impressed or I just did something... actually kind of cool.
"Y'know, for someone without a name, coming from a place where names aren't given... you're good at giving names" Violet grinned warmly.
I felt myself chuckle at this; her mannerisms, her goofy, high pitched voice, her praising the very little... it made me feel funny inside... in a good way.

Description
Hi, my name is.... well, my name doesn't matter right now; I'll tell you later. I guess you could say I've never done this before: self-expression was something completely foreign to my kind. However, I've gotten a taste of it now and feel the need to share my story with anybody-- anypony who would listen (I was told that introducing my name would be a good
How about I just tell you my story from the start? I think we can all find ways to get along if we're all honest with each other.
I was at the attack on Canterlot... Yes, I am a Chageling; I am not proud of what we did, but it was all we knew to survive: feeding off the love others like ravenous, blood-sucking beasts... it was a hard life, but we lived with it. I did some bad things that day and it wasn't the first time I've had to do such things; a part of me felt sick whenever I saw my own reflection snarling and hissing back at me through the magical forcefield, but we did as our Queen commanded.
This was different, though.
When there was that blast that pushed us all away from Canterlot, I guess you could say I was one of the lucky ones... or unlucky, but that's up to you to decide. Either way, when it happened, I was blasted into a house wall. All recall is the sound of stone cracking, the smell of dust, the feeling of every part of my body throbbing with agony and the taste of my own blood in my mouth as I wracked against the fallen frame. After that, I went, what I can assume was both deaf and numb. I drifted out and thought, maybe I'd wake up and this would all be just a bad dream; that we hadn't really been such vicious monsters and that all our selfishness and evil ended up literally blowing up in our faces, resulting in the worst pain ever... But all the same... I woke up.
It must have been a few hours later; certainly felt like it. I couldn't see at first; I could hear talking, but it was faint and low sounding... almost like it was echoing... where was I?
As I fought to try and open my heavy eyes, I finally realized I was standing in an upright position. Finally, all the pain I had felt upon impact rushed back to me and I writhed only to be halted by a set of chains holding my two front hooves above my head. This only made me feel even worse. What was it, some kind of dungeon? It smelled like one, felt like one... and maybe I deserved to be in one, but all my body was doing was seething with sharp pains around my abdomen and neck. I noticed some Guards strolling by the cell from time to time... I tried to croak out an apology, a plea for help, an explanation... but I couldn't get a word out... I was thirsty, hungry and in a lot of pain... Looking back though, had I been able to speak, they probably wouldn't have wanted to hear what I had to say given what happened.
A few hours later, a guard opened the door, came up to me with a stern scoul and, without so much as breathing in my direction, unchained me from the wall... of course, he left the shackles on my hooves and walked with me closer than a mare and her foal would be; he started at me with the kind of tension that's usually found in lions who don't want anyone taking their kill away. He escorted me to what I think was the main hall in the Royal Court... I had a churning feeling in my gut that this wasn't going to end well for me. Surrounded by scouling eyes before the duo rulers of this nation that I had animalistically attacked just a few hours ago... I didn't blame them... and I honestly feared them; not something I thought I would do since, we only feared our Mother, Queen Chrysalis... but surprisingly, these silver and gold cladded armed ponies, standing aside two alicorn Princesses with flowing manes and magical abilities to raise the sun and raise the moon? I was trembling a bit (I didn't want them to see that, because then they'd see my weakness and so would be more brutal... at least, that's what I figured)
After a few moments of solemn silence, finally, the eldest sister with the rainbow mane said, "Why did you attack us? Why did you feel the need to try and harm us when we did nothing to you?"
My lips curled into a tightened grimace. What was I supposed to say? "We all were following our Queen... it didn't matter then and it doesn't matter now... If you commanded your ponies on us, they would be just as responsible."
The younger one spoke out in a firm voice, "You watch your tone, Changeling. We are offering you a chance to explain yourself; you are lucky to even be here."
"There's nothing more I can say! Your kingdom prospers and you all like to pretend everything is fine everywhere because it's all beautfiul and lovely here! None of you have ever had to struggle or fight to survive!"
Suddenly, I just started going on a tangent... I can't remember all of what I said, but I'm sure I've heard those words many times before from back home. To justify that kind of behaviour to others... since we had it harsh, we had to be harsh to everything else... kind of silly when you think about it. I do recall seeing the looks of sheer surprise, pity, anger, and annoyance the Princesses had as I continued. Eventually, my ranting just turned to more snarls (some of which were... words I don't want to repeat here in my native tongue).
They finally had enough and ordered me back to my cell.
"So how many more hours do you intend on holding me hostage?" I sneered.
"You've been here for two weeks." Celestia replied firmly. I turned round surprised... two weeks? There was no way I was there that long. Before my train of thought could continue--
"And you will stay here as long as we see fit; as long as you pose a threat, you will remain here."
And with that, the eldest sister again commanded the guard to herd me back to my cell.
I had two weeks alone with my own thoughts... they weren't all that bad considering they had every means to be harsh, nasty or even deny me water... odd creatures, these Ponies... But it did give me time to think... We Changelings feed off of the love that other creatures have; it sustains us. It keeps us alive... That's why we attacked Canterlot; we were starving... But... I'd been in Canterlot's dungeon for two weeks... did they feed me? If so, what? It's not like you put love in jar and spread it on toast; it doesn't work that way... So, if we Changelings needed consume love like predators or parasites to survive... why wasn't I dead? I shook my doubts away figuring they must have put me under some kind of spell or witched me eating habbits temporarily with another creature (I knew tales of Ponies with less power able to accomplish such a feat.)
While the guards gave me the minimal to stay alive, they weren't... social or entirely friendly. To be fair, I didn't want their "friendship". Such a thing is what makes a hive weak. All my struggles bounced between doing what I had grown up with and, when being alone, having some kind of identity since, my hive was nowhere to be found.
The alicorn sisters were walking down the dungeon halls, illuminating the dank catacomes with the magic shining from their horns; it looks warm, the mixtures of gold and sky blue... I did my best to avoid eye contact with them and retreat to a corner, hoping maybe they wouldn't see me.
"It has worked before... do you believe it can work again?" Celestia spoke with Luna in a soft voice.
"I admit, I have had my doubts of such things in the past... but we are all capable of change." Luna looked down recalling her own past and how she thought she couldn't change... But she has, and for the better!
The were at the front gate of my cell. Celestia started in a motherly voice:
"Young Changeling... what is your name?"
I didn't know how to answer that; legitimately, I had no clue. I also didn't want to speak to any Pony Royalty who threw me in a dungeon.
"What is your name?" Luna pleaded gently. She then assured, "You can tell us."
I felt myself try to curl up, as though I could hide from them (childish, I know, but please try to understand)
I tried my best to ignore all outside sights and sounds... I could overhear the Princess's talking with other ponies to try and "help" me... Or... was it to "change" me? Something along those lines. I could feel eyes from the outside cringing at the sight of me. Not just my appearance, but what I was capable of.
After a few days, I heard a very odd, very chipper sound; like a mix between a puppy and bird. I turned to see where the source of the noise was and in trotted a lavander coloured pony with a gold mane. She sat in front of my cell like a filly eager for story time. She looked at me with such... intruige and... happiness. It was baffling; it threw me off guard... I didn't even realize I was staring at her.
"This is rediculous," I thought. "This Pony is just sitting there smiling like such a creature who has no problems and has never had to fight to live, and--" my brain then just spaced out, replaying over and over what was taught to us. It was just white noise at this point... but all my inane bastardization of right and wrong was popped like an overblown bubble when she chirped:
"Hello!"
My mind drew a blank! Hello? She was sitting there looking at me for a solid 2 minutes with a big smile; why is she saying hello now?
"My name's Violet Canvas" she beamed.
Why was I still staring at this pony? Was it her optimism? Her naivitae? Was I that hungry that I was just catatonic? I stuttered a bit; I was actually trying to speak... to a pony?
"I don't mean to bug, but... I was hoping I could get to know you." She smiled warmly. She noticed me stuttering and held up one hoof reassuringly, "I hope I don't... make you nervous or anything but... Would you please tell me your name?"
I was about to say something but felt my forked tongue swell, as I didn't know how to explain my situation to a creature that wasn't my own species.
"What is it? What's wrong?" She coaxed.
"I... I don't..." finally able to grasp words, I uttered, "I don't... have one."
After a moment, I noticed the big blue eyes of this... Violet Canvas, cocked to the side in confusion.
"I-I don't have a name." I explained with remorse. I then continued coldly, "We aren't given names when we hatch... we're given numbers."
"Oh..." she sighed empathetically and her ears drooped slightly. Her hears then perked up as she smiled sweetly and added, "Well... how about we give you one?"
I tilted my head slightly and squinted in confusion. "Really? It's something that can be just given? Doesn't have to be taken from somewhere?"
"No, a name is given! Like a present... Where do you think Chrysalis got her name?"
That's a good point... I stuttered and sputtered and grunted figuring out this name thing... does it have to be something sparkly or fancy? Can't it just be a word? How does it work? Amongst my grunts, I accidentally stumbled upon a name:
"Fff-d'uhhh... Rrrr... Iiiii-uhhh...? K--hmmph...errr...?"
"Hey, there's a good name!"
"Huh?"
"Ryker! That sound spretty cool actually... I've never heard a name like that!"
"I... I didn't even--" I was dumbfounded; was that really a name? Did I make it up? She seemed either easily impressed or I just did something... actually kind of cool.
"Y'know, for someone without a name, coming from a place where names aren't given... you're good at giving names" Violet grinned warmly.
I felt myself chuckle at this; her mannerisms, her goofy, high pitched voice, her praising the very little... it made me feel funny inside... in a good way.