Bait’s hooves slammed into the bureau, nearly knocking over a bottle of pink nail polish. “What do you mean it’s not enough!?”

The other changelings in the room winced, immediately turning to their queen with ears folded. All Chrysalis had to do was arch one well-waxed eyebrow, and in an instant, Bait’s ire melted away. He backed off, looking down at his hooves, a look of the deepest remorse crossing his features. In just a few seconds, his demeanor went from wrathful subject to wounded puppy. “My Queen! I’m…I’m so sorry….”

“Do try to control your temper in the presence of your sovereign, my little changeling,” Chrysalis replied neutrally, waving for the changelings working on her makeup to continue.

“Y-yes, my Queen, I will.”

“As for your request…” she started. Bait leaned forward hopefully, even as Chrysalis gave him an obvious look of pain and sighed. “…you do not have enough evidence to justify an investigation on the scale you’re imagining.”

“But…my Queen! I…”

She raised a hoof out from under the apron shielding her body while her changelings worked on her hair, silencing the smaller changeling. “I will put some changelings into investigating this, but so far, you’ve yet to show me any solid proof that these crimes are connected, certainly nothing to justify anything more than a normal Internal Affairs task force!”

“Your Majesty, Internal Affairs has no idea how to handle this!” Bait insisted, resisting the urge to pound and claw on the armrest of the stylist’s chair. “These are criminals, rotting the system from the inside! Trust me, I know! I’m sure of it!”

She deadpanned at him, those pretty, green emeralds regarding him from beneath her hairspray-filled mane. “Need I remind you of the incident with that cow herd outside Appelloosa? The one you could have sworn was a target for abduction by Martian invaders?”

He grimaced, glowering back at her. “Your Majesty, with all due respect, that was one time!”

Her gaze remained on him even as a hole-filled hoof darted across her forehead, teasing up her hairline. “I’m sorry, my loyal subject, but even with a mission record as impressively successful as yours, you do have another record. One that I must also consider when weighing your request against our limited resources.”

Bait opened his mouth to protest again, then closed it, his shoulders slumping, his ears drooping. “I…understand…my queen.”

He turned to leave, trudging towards the ornate door with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner on death row. Chrysalis watched him go for a while, opened her mouth, closed it, hunched her eyebrows, and said: “Come back.”

His ears rose in surprise, then folded again as Bait trudged back to her side, sitting by her armrest and looking up at her with a look so pained and so agonizingly puppy-like that Chrysalis herself required an incredible amount of effort to keep from pulling him into a hug. Instead, she smiled pleasantly and leaned forward to cradle his chin in her hoof, much to the chagrin of the small platoon of mares working on her mane.

“I am going to say something, and I want you to repeat it after me,” she said. “That is an order, do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He whispered.

“That something is: ‘I am not the Irate’.” She cooed.

He flinched back, then looked at her, his brow shifting in confusion. “Er…what?”

“Just say that with me. ‘I am not the Irate’.”

He looked confused, but ever the obedient soldier, he repeated after her: “I am not the Irate.”

“Again.”

This time, the confusion was gone, and he sat up with his shoulders square. “I am not the Irate.”

“Louder, soldier!”

“I am not the Irate!”

“I still can’t hear you!”

“I am not the Irate! My name is Bait the changeling, one-half of the greatest team this Swarm has ever seen, an operative with a success record that has never been seen before and probably never will be again! So when I tell you to sit up and pay attention, you damn well better!”

He opened his eyes, not even realizing he’d closed them. The mares all stared at him, surprised, unblinking, all except Chrysalis, who leaned back in the stylist’s chair with a knowing grin stretching her muzzle. Bait laid his hooves back to the tile, having raised them high over his head in a victory sign. “Er…thank you, your majesty.”

“Of course, my loyal subject. Now, while I do enjoy your company…” she trailed off and tilted her head, raising an ear into the air. He responded by doing the same, and after a while, just under the occasional hum of the magic working its way through the crystal-lined halls, he heard what she heard:

“…nine-hundred and ninety-nine thousand, four-hundred and twenty-eight bottles of pop on the wall, nine-hundred and ninety-nine thousand, four-hundred and twenty-eight bottles of paaahhhhpp, take one down, pass it around…”

“…could you please return to your charge before she drives the sentries in the halls crazy?” Chrysalis finished, still smiling easily at the smaller changeling.

“Ah…yes, of course your highness,” he enthused, ending with a little bow before turning to gallop out of the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy had grown used to the routine by now. She stirred as something scratched around in the room outside her prison, and slowly pushed herself towards the seam that ran along the pod’s length. No use fighting it: might as well go with it. This time when the pod fell open, she was ready to throw herself along the opening’s lip and pull free. As she shifted her weight over the edge, however, she was surprised to find her guard’s hole-filled hoof around her shoulders, ready to offer support should she lose her balance.

“Uh…just…you haven’t moved much in a while, so…I don’t want you to fall or…anything…” he said, slowly lowering her to all fours.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Don’t…uh…don’t mention it,” he replied, releasing her shoulders and reaching for the tether and collar, just in time to hide the green blush glowing on his cheeks. “And sorry about this. It’s not that I don’t trust you at this point, it’s just standard protocol, you know?”

“I know,” she replied, closing her eyes as he applied the collar with an unusual amount of tenderness. However, there was a quiver in his touch as he pulled away, one she decided not to mention once her eyes slid open again. She noticed the color still tinting his cheeks and frowned. “Um…I’m sorry, but are you feeling sick?”

“What?” He tapped his cheeks with the edge of a chitin-covered hoof and gave a sharp intake of breath at the heat he felt there. “Oh, Chrysalis above! Uh…it’s...allergies.”

“Allergies?” She asked innocently. “What are you allergic to?”

“Uh…I’m allergic to…I’m allergic to…” he trailed off, dragging the ‘to’ out far longer than necessary as his eyes scanned frantically around, which she found ever so odd. What was he afraid of? Was there some other changeling in the room? She just started to follow his gaze when he pointed back to the remnants of her prison. “That! Changeling goop!”

“Changeling goop? But aren’t you a changeling? How can you be allergic?”

“Oh, well, it’s quite inconvenient, yeah, very terrible, I don’t like talking about it,” he stammered, turning to stride robotically out the door. “W-we should get going.”

She frowned again. That was the very first time she could remember him stammering, and with the blush, it was obvious something was up with him. But she decided to table that discussion, probably for good. If he didn’t want to say anything, it wasn’t her place to push him. She was just his prisoner, after all.

She followed the large changeling into the hallway, where an awkward silence waited pre-hung for them, remaining even as he nodded and they began walking, shoulder-to-shoulder this time. Figuring she should at least attempt to break the silence, she turned to him, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth, only to feel her natural shyness paralyze her vocal chords. The moment she looked up at the strange, black creature, his one milky eye staring off into nothing from beneath that intimidating scar, the only thing she could manage in spite of her best efforts turned out to be a barely-audible squeak.

“I thought we’d try something a little bit different for today,” he said, mercifully sparing her the massive, internal struggle she’d been embroiled in with her own shyness.

She let out a little sigh of relief, only for that feeling to be replaced with a deep foreboding. He could have meant anything, and what could she do about it? Nothing! “Wha-what do you mean by ‘a little bit different’?” She asked, trying to keep the dread from her voice.

“Well, the hatchlings obviously aren’t working out, yeah? I mean, the stress you’ve placed on your body these past couple days is crazy.”

“Really?”

“You’d be amazed,” he replied, and then, so deep under his breath that she couldn’t possibly hear him, he added: “I know I am.”

“So, what are we doing today?”

“I thought we’d try going a little bit older.”

As she turned to ask him just what he meant by that, they had started to pass under that one damned window, still being worked on by that one damned changeling; the one who made a habit out of scaring her every time she passed by. Once again, Dave the changeling peered in through the window, scrunched up his features, and hissed threateningly. With a frightened squeak, she turned to take off running again, but a lanky, hole-filled hoof barred her path, stopping her just as her eyes started to squeeze shut to begin her terror-filled run.

She opened her eyes, and watched as the massive guard turned, bared his fangs up at the window, and unleashed a powerful roar. The hall reverberated with the sound as it echoed along the vaulted ceiling, traveling until the goop coating most of the windows absorbed it. The changeling on the window lost his grip, his forelegs pinwheeling in a desperate attempt to remain on the window, and for a moment it looked like he might, the sheer force of his panicked motions levelling him just so slightly. Then he slid all the way off and dropped out of sight, disappearing behind the solid goop shield covering the bottom half of the window.

The guard turned to her wearing a smile brimming with self-satisfaction, his fangs bared in pride. Then realization dawned on him and his ears folded back, the smile turning sheepish. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he said. “You gotta put these guys in their place sometimes. Hope I didn’t startle ya too much.”

“No, it’s…it’s okay,” she said, and to her surprise, it really was. She should have been terrified, or startled at the very least. But as she gazed up into that once-intimidating, scarred visage, set in a face that practically screamed power, she saw something other than a monster to be feared. Something she never thought she’d see in a changeling. She couldn’t quite put a hoof on what that something was, but it was there, and for reasons she couldn’t quite understand, she wanted to see more of it.

“So, as I was saying,” he completed, falling back into step as if nothing had happened. He led her to a small doorway leading off the hall, just a few yards down from the nursery. “The hatchlings will be feeding from the swarm’s public stores today, but I think it’s about time a few other changelings knew what fresh love tasted like.”

“Changelings like who?” She asked as he stepped through, holding the door for her. He simply nodded inside, and she took a look around. Her eyes widened. A dozen smaller versions of him were running around on the linoleum floor, playing with building block towers, pedaling around on tricycles, dueling with paper swords, and generally acting like a bunch of…

“Welcome to the toddler room!” The guard enthused, turning to secure her tether to yet another ring on one of the walls. “These kids actually know a thing or two about temperance, so feel free to just give all you want! They know when they’re full!”

He turned confidently, eyes shut and chin raised in pride. “Pretty smart of me, right?”

When he opened his eyes again, his confident little smile vanished. Fluttershy had backed against one of the walls, curling up into a little ball in the corner. The tiny changelings all stared at her, all stopping their playtime to turn their massive eyes towards the pony as she quivered in fear.

“Um, Fluttershy?” The guard asked. The little pegasus looked up at him, a pathetic whimper growing at the back of her throat. “L-like I said, it’s okay. These guys won’t drain you like the hatchlings.”

She turned her wide, fear-filled gaze back to the tiny group. At that moment, it wasn’t a small gathering of changeling toddlers in front of her. It was them. The laughing voices, the ones waiting on the sidelines every time she had been about to take off during a flight exam, or the judging eyes she'd felt in the back of her head every day walking through the hallways. Those constantly-judging voices that had always waited on the sidelines, that she knew were always there to smirk and guffaw at every tiny, little mistake. Of course, one look into those wide, pupil-less eyes would have told her the fear was mutual, but she was a bit beyond noticing details like that.

"Fluttershy?" She snapped out of her fear-induced trance long enough to look up at the large changeling, his one good eye clouded with concern, then she snapped right back to the group before her.

"They're...staring..." she whispered.

The chitin on his forehead scrunched up and he turned to the toddlers, then back to her. "Well, yeah? You are the most colorful thing in here, and probably the first pony they've ever seen."

Those wide, blue pools started to tear up. "Just...staring...always staring..."

The scarred changeling ran his tongue over his fangs, seeming to consider this. "Okay...uh...wait right here," he said, turning to trot over the changelings. She did as she was told, more due to the fact that she was frozen in fear than anything, but perked an ear to listen as he leaned in close to one of the tots.

"Hey kid, what's yer name?" She heard him hiss.

"Jason?" The little one said, his wide, light-blue eyes widening at the changeling towering over him.

"Seriously? That's a funny name."

"Well, I'm a funny kid," he replied, sticking his little tongue out.

The large changeling's face lit up. "Yes, you are. Care to explain that to the pretty pony over there?" He asked.

"Uh..." Jason looked over the guard's shoulder at Fluttershy, who promptly let loose with a frightened little squeak before cowering back into her hooves. He took a few steps back and looked up at the guard with the same scrunched up, fearful look all children got when they were told to try one night sleeping with the nightlight off. "D-do I hafta?"

The guard's look softened and he cocked his head at Fluttershy. "Kid, what're you scared of?"

"Scared!" The colt puffed out his chest and inflated his cheeks in an attempt to look intimidating, but his tongue poked out between his lips and deflated the entire image. He kept a frown up to maintain some intimidation factor. "I'm not scared of any prissy little pony!"

"Then why don't you go over there and introduce yourself?"

The colt visibly shrank. The frown morphed right back into that scared little scrunch. He peeked over the guard's shoulder again. Fluttershy promptly cowered back behind her hooves, shivering at the sight of those cold, ice-blue eyes. He looked up at the guard and bit his lip. “O-okay,” he stammered, obviously suppressing fearful tears as he slowly walked around the guard, his head hung like a prisoner on death row walking the last few hundred yards they would ever walk in their lives. Head still hung, the colt’s pace steadily slowed to a crawl as he neared the pegasus, nearly reaching the point where he was standing still. Fluttershy, for her part, had pulled her head out of her hooves and was watching him curiously, though she didn’t make any motion to close the remaining distance between them. Instead, she looked Jason over and quickly recognized the look of some small forest creature trying to approach her for some bits of bread, yet not quite able to overcome its innate fear of the unknown.

Working from experience, she slowly extended a hoof towards the changeling colt, keeping her head low. “You’re almost there, c’mon,” she said in her usual, melodic tone. The colt bit his lip and finally froze in place. He leaned forward as if to take those last few steps towards her, but darted back once he’d reached a random point that was apparently too close for his liking. They remained where they were, Fluttershy’s knowledge of dealing with fearful animals keeping her from closing the distance, and the colt’s fear holding him at bay. There was a good chance they might have remained that way for the rest of the day, with her patience, if not for the guard who suddenly darted towards the colt, moving with a speed and silence that made him appear like a racing shadow in the middle of the daycare. In the same amount of time it might take most ponies to blink their eyes, he appeared at the colt’s side, just far enough back back to remain out of sight, and whispered a quick “Boo” in the little one’s ear.

Jason leapt forward, propelled by legs already tensed in fear. He practically crashed into Fluttershy’s grip, her forehooves grabbing him just in time to keep his small, black body from slamming into the floor. “Careful!” She gasped, looking him over in her grasp. Immediately after confirming everything to be intact, she glared at the guard responsible for the “accident,” who in turn just shrugged and urged her along with a wave of his hoof.

Turning away from the larger changeling, she returned her attention to the small black body in her grip. The tiny changeling trembled, the very beginning of fear-inspired tears creeping into the corners of his eyes. “Um…hi, little one?” She said in a tone that was about as sure of itself as a high-schooler attempting to synthesize cold fusion. “Wha-what’s your name?”

“M-my name’s…” the little changeling swallowed and shivered fearfully, avoiding her gaze. But, fully aware of the roomful of eyes watching him from behind, he persevered on. “My name’s Jason.”

“Well, um, Jason,” she eyed the guard, who shrugged and urged her on. Thank you, how very helpful, she thought. “My name is Fluttershy. Um…I’m supposed to feed you now, okay?”

“O-okay,” he stammered, his head rising almost imperceptibly. The pair locked eyes for a few seconds, each staring, each apparently wondering what was supposed to happen next, when the guard stepped in.

“This’ll be his first time feeding on something other than pre-packaged love stores,” he explained, taking the smaller changeling in his magic’s grip. “Usually, we start them off on sedated ponies, but I figured they wouldn’t have any problems with you.”

“Oh…um…thank you?” She said questioningly, never knowing that compliment was meant to say so much more than the face value she took it at, never knowing it meant he thought she was the kindest and most loving mare he’d ever met in his life.

Now, he just held the smaller changeling in front of her face. “You don’t need to do much, Miss Fluttershy. Jason will be the one doing the heavy-lifting today.”

“Okay,” she said quietly, standing ramrod straight. The expression on the tiny changeling hovering in front of her face had weakened from all-out terror to simple embarrassment and unsureness, a light-green blush rising on his little cheeks, but the guard held him firm.

“Alright, Jason, you’re moving up now,” he whispered in the colt’s ear. “It’s just like draining a love sac, only bigger. A pony can hold a ton more love than a sac, but as bountiful as this pony’s love may be, it’s not infinite. Any pony, no matter how wonderfully loving, will become drained if you feed on it too long, and your classmates still have to feed. Just cut yourself off when you’ve had enough, and you’ll be fine.”

The smaller changeling nodded as a light blush rose on Fluttershy’s cheeks. She couldn’t be absolutely sure that those comments had been directed right at her, but something in the way he met her gaze as he said them told her they were. At any rate, her thoughts were interrupted when a wave of fatigue washed over her, causing a quick stumble.

“Ohmygosh,” Jason gasped, his mouth clamping shut.

“I’m okay,” Fluttershy said quickly, rising to all fours and smiling. “You just surprised me, is all.”

“You were doing great, kid, just fine,” the guard replied. “Just a little bit more, then I think we should let someone else have a turn.”

The colt nodded and opened his mouth again, and once again the invisible feeling of fatigue settled over Fluttershy, forcing her to suppress a shiver that welled up from the base of her spine and threatened to light up her entire back. After a moment, the colt backed away, though it was obvious he could have gone longer. “Th-that’s good,” he whispered.

“Good, real good, kid,” the guard clapped the colt on the shoulder and sent him off, directing him to the toys piled up in one corner. He turned to the small crowd still gathered in the middle of the floor, some of whom had leant forward in curiosity, but now cowered back beneath his gaze. “Now, who’s next?”

A few moments of hesitation passed, and then a pair of fillies left the rest of the group, trotting side-by-side. They were joined by another colt, then another, and just like that the group disintegrated and became a small mass of changelings toddling towards the pony. She cringed as they approached, but the eager little faces settled any doubts she might have had.

“Okay, um…form a line, please, that’s it…” she whispered passively, glancing up as one of the pink-shaded fillies waited to be scooped up in the guard’s magic. “Just…do what comes naturally.”

“You’ve got it,” the guard encouraged, picking up the filly and holding her up to Fluttershy’s face in a hue of glowing green. “Just remember to save some for your classmates; we’ve got a whole group in here.”

The next couple foals fed without word and without incident, all under the adults’ continued encouragement. Those who did feed usually bounded off to join the others who had just completed their first successful feeding on a live pony, rolling around in their victory and using their newfound energy to practically bounce off the walls.

“Gosh, I can’t believe how easy it is for a changeling to feed,” Fluttershy said mildly. Her tone sounded like something between awestruck and mild concern, like what a mother might say upon discovering her son had built a bear-proof robot suit, complete with bear-strangling claws.

“Well, it’s easier with a pony whose heart is so open,” the guard replied, looking on in concern as she shivered again. “Do you need to stop?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” she said, pasting a smile on her face, even though it was already almost impossible to hold her eyes open. Still, though her knees quaked and her head swam with every motion, she turned to the last foal, a particularly small filly with pink, glowing eyes and nubby little fangs that had barely begun to extend out from between her lips. The pegasus softened instantly on seeing the fear in the filly’s eyes. “Ohh, now what’s wrong?”

The filly looked up at the pegasus with big, wide eyes, then over her shoulder at the group of foals playing in the corner. “N-nothing,” she whispered shyly.

Fluttershy recognized the look instantly. In the filly’s mind, every single one of those other foals was staring at her, just waiting for her to screw up, ready to break out into mocking laughter the moment she made a mistake. And she would make a mistake, that much would be clear in the filly’s mind. The possibility that this was about to explode into a life-affecting, traumatizing moment would be steadily growing in her imagination, her wide, fearful eyes watching the group behind her. She should start hyperventilating in three…two…

The filly’s chest started rising and falling rapidly, her breath whistling between her fangs. She just barely managed to turn back to face the pegasus, whimpering in between frantic breaths. The pony smiled. For one of the very few times in her life, she knew immediately what she had to do.

“Mr. Guard, sir?” She asked timidly. “Could you maybe unstick my wings?”

The filly continued shivering in fear as the guard scanned Fluttershy, eyeing the goop gluing her wings to her body. “I’m…really not supposed to.”

“Please? I’ll still wear the collar, so it’s not like I can fly anywhere.”

“What do you need ‘em for anyway?”

Fluttershy looked down at the shivering little pile of chitin at her hooves and smiled warmly. “Something important.”

He shrugged and sighed. “I…guess I could, for a little while.”

“Thank you.”

“No funny business, though!” He said warningly, though his tone was as light and passive as could be. “I mean it! If anyone finds out I did this, we’ll all be in a lot of trouble!”

“Promise.”

He sighed again, then touched his horn to the hard, green shell sticking to her feathers. After a few moments, the goop took on a new shine, then slowly liquefied, and finally lifted away in little tendrils of green smoke. Fluttershy quivered and stretched them out, working the muscles for the first time in days. Though she never considered herself much of a flier, having her wings constricted for such a long time still felt like having a leg in a cast for too long.

“Thank you,” she whispered to the guard as she circled around the filly, placing herself between it and the rest of the group. The filly still shivered fearfully, though she did manage to look up at Fluttershy. Smiling reassuringly, Fluttershy dropped to her knees and fanned her wings out to encircle the little one. The filly squeaked fearfully, panicked eyes locking with Fluttershy’s baby blues.

“Hey, what’re you doing!?” The guard asked, but she simply ignored him.

“I know you’re scared, but look, now no one else has to see!” She whispered. The filly paused and looked around, finding herself almost completely surrounded by soft, yellow feathers. A little smile started to tug at the corners of her lips.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll close my eyes too, if you want,” Fluttershy added.

“N-no,” the filly stammered, but this time a wide grin spread across her face. “I think I’m gonna be fine now.”

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Fluttershy assured, even as she felt yet another bit of emotional energy disappear from her mind. Though she could barely hold herself upright, the pegasus maintained the wing-shield until the filly backed away and the shivers stopped rising up her spine. Smiling tiredly, Fluttershy pulled the little one in for a hug, running a hoof soothingly down her back. “You did great.”

“Thank you,” the little one said, hugging the pony’s neck with her forehooves stretched as far as they would go. “Thank you so much.”

A small moan sounded behind them. Both turned to the guard, his eyes scrunched-up in pain, one forehoof clutching at his chest. “Um…sir? Is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked timidly, her big, blue eyes peering up at him from behind her mane.

The guard took one look and slammed to the ground, writhing. “HNNGH! HNNGH! HNNNGH!” He replied, but managed to hold up a hoof, changing it into a griffon’s talon for the sole purpose of flashing a thumb’s up. “A-OKAY!” He gasped between spasms.

“A-are you sure?” She asked, taking a few steps towards him, eyes still misting over with concern.

“HNNGGH…YEAH! Yeah, I’m fine!” He spat, suddenly darting to his hooves. “I gotta…go…do the thing to…the other thing.”

“Um…okay?” She said, visibly baffled. Before she could react, however, he touched his horn to her wings and re-secured them beneath a layer of changeling goop, giving it a quick spread with a forehoof before galloping towards the door. “Wait! You can’t leave us in here!”

“I gotta go!” He repeated, nearly stumbling over the little filly just a few yards short of the door.

“Mistew? Awe you sure you’re okay?” She asked, her big, wide eyes locking with his.

“Not fair,” he whimpered, walloping a forehoof against his chest again. “HNNGH – YES! Yes, just need some air! And the thing! Done to…the other thing!” And just like that, he vanished out the door, leaving Fluttershy alone with a roomful of changeling foals. She took a few steps to follow, but the tether around her neck gave a few tugs to remind her of her prisoner status.

The pegasus sighed shakily. If something were to happen, like a fire or if the foals in front of her were to decide to take more than their fair share of love, what could she do? Not a whole lot, that much was certain. A touch of that old fear started to rear its ugly head again, but a little tap on her forehoof bought her attention back into reality.

“Miss Fluttershy?” It was Jason, gazing up at her with his own set of big, wide, baby-blues. “We were wondering if you would like to play with us.”

All of her fear vanished in an instant, a warm, natural smile spreading across her muzzle. “That would be nice, thank you.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Switch managed a few steps out into the hall before taking a swing at the crystal wall. He didn’t even mar the sparkling surface, his hoof bouncing off harmlessly, but damn did it feel good. “Get a hold a’ yourself, Switch,” he muttered. “Just a pony. She’s just a pony.” Just a kind, loving, beautiful mare who probably never had a selfish thought in her life…

This time, he head-butted the wall, his skull slamming into the crystal just a few yards away from the door to the daycare. “Shut up!” He screamed, his breath coming out in long yet rapid gasps. “Just a pony, she’s just your charge. A mission, nothing else.”

He just needed to clear his head, that was all. A good walk, and the little yellow pegasus would go back to being just another thing to be taken care of, another chore to handle for the swarm, like the laundry or mopping the cafeteria floors. Yes, that was what he needed. A nice walk. Thing is, he wondered as he trotted down the hallway. Am I sure I WANT her to go back to being ‘just a pony’?

He waved the thought off with a shake of his hoof, though he did spare a forlorn glance back over his shoulder. She was still his charge. He was meant to guard her, not just babysit her to make sure she didn’t attack any of the foals (although he knew by now she was as likely to do that as Chrysalis was to court the Princess of the Night). But then, she was with the swarm’s own younglings. Who would be stupid enough to attack something as cherished and protected as the changelings’ toddlers in the heart of their latest conquest?

And so, Switch continued his trot down the hallway, picking up speed as he walked until the tiled floors were whizzing by at a galloping speed. He never even noticed the malicious eyes watching him from around a corner, or the way they ignited with glee as he disappeared.

“Okay Dave, coast is clear,” the changeling behind the eyes hissed.

The changeling from the window grinned. “Awesome, so the yellow pony is unguarded?”

“Almost certainly,” the first changeling nodded. “Time to teach the bitch her real place in the swarm.”