Chapters
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The request sounded simple on its face: find herself a name to steal. But what did that even mean? With everything else she’d done during the invasion, H had been able to rely on either instinct or imitation to get her through. She knew that food was good, and she knew that the bigger changelings would help her get more of it. She knew she wanted to be like them, not like the thousands and thousands of other drones who didn’t even have a single letter to their name.But as she slipped into the pony…-
102.0 K •
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The process was neither swift nor pretty. But changelings were creatures of instinct, and H could do nothing if not follow them. Unlike when H wanted to know information about pony concepts that she had never seen, where the things she saw often didn’t make sense, the process of converting a pony into one of their own was something that came quickly. Eventually the hours were over, and a few drones arrived to lift the new cocoon onto the ceiling to join the others. H bounced out of the cage with an…
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102.0 K •
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“That sword… it’s yours now,” Hydrus said, as soon as his entourage were done encouraging her. But for all their support, none of them had done anything for Dark’s fallen body. “Here, the scabbard.”Hydrus removed a belt from the dead guard, made of the same gold-looking metal as the hilt of the sword. He settled it around her, tightening it until it held fast without constricting her wings. “It’s been a long time since I first killed. I wish I could remember. But now you can.” He turned…
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102.0 K •
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H held still as noises sounded from the other side, coming from the door. There was something mechanical to them, but she didn’t actually know what let some doors open and kept others closed. Maybe they’re giving up? Her promotion was coming for sure.The door opened in a crack, and H got her first look at the other side. There were three ponies just as she had sensed, an adult mare in some fancy cloth that had been torn in ways that didn’t look intentional. A much smaller filly, even smaller than she…
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102.0 K •
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H knew that things were looking up the instant she joined the other different changelings. Some of them were like Hydrus, with a strange name and access to others like them that somehow had the power to give directions.Her guess was right—they all had names. H was placed into the back of the line, without ever having to be told exactly where she ought to go. But she was the smallest, the newest, so it made sense.The crowd of drones below moved like a single organism, with buzzing ripples that passed…
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102.0 K •
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Even after hours of assault on the surface, her eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the brilliance of sunlight. Everything was washed out, colors drained away to a few feeble pastels.She was one drone among hundreds of thousands, a creature of black chitin and sharp teeth. She could fly, without having ever been taught to fly. There were others in the air beside her—creatures that were like her and also nothing alike. They were so much bigger than she was, and every time they spoke the things they said were…
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102.0 K •
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Diplomacy had never been Ocellus’s strength, even before the world got torn apart. It had taken every drop of determination and cleverness to keep her group from fracturing—or worse, from inviting the humans to go to war. But after hours of fancy parties, of listening to speeches and promises of peace from both countries, she dared let herself feel a little pride. She had done it. There would be no wars today. Humanity would’ve made a dangerous enemy, but now they would become a friend.Even so, she…-
68.0 K •
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The human airship had been impressive in its own way, even if it became incredibly frustrating as soon as the engines actually turned on. But Ocellus kept her mouth closed and didn’t complain during the flight. Compared to her friends, she was fantastically lucky. At least she didn’t have to spend the entire trip strapped into one place for fear that walking around would unbalance the whole thing.Equestria might not know how to make airships stay as warm inside, they might not know how to make them out…
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68.0 K •
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Marie was the only one of her friends not wearing one of the outfits chosen for them by the boring child phycologist and military people. Her dress and blouse and gold-buttoned sleeves looked quite convincingly like she’d worn the real thing. But they were as illusory as her lack of weird eyes, wings, or fangs.It was not physically uncomfortable to remove her wings, not the same as it was to keep them trapped by her clothes. But as she walked down the blind cloth tube, she found herself still feeling…
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68.0 K •
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“Uh…” Ocellus spoke up from the front of the group, raising her imitation human hand to get their attention. “I really don’t want to make this more difficult Princess, but when you say ‘everypony’ what about…” She looked down, struggling to complete the thought. She’d been so brave over the course of this whole adventure, but Ocellus was running out of energy. She’d already saved the world her fair share of times.Twilight waved a wing dismissively. “Oh, uh… I think that’s better…
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68.0 K •
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