I knelt down before the throne at Caterlot castle, my knees aching as humans and ponies dressed in bright white uniforms pranced about, watching me, judging me. The way they looked at me, it was the way one would look at a sick dog. With disgust, pity, hate. But there was something soft in the air, from the princess herself, a glowing warmth staring down at me.

But a cold followed me, watching me. Walking around me was a dark coated pony, staring at me. I wanted to bite him, I wanted to rip his nose to shreds, but I wasn't dead yet, and there would be no sooner a sentencing than attacking a guard. So here I was stuck, in tattered clothes, cold, sick, all while kneeling waiting for a princess I was taught to hate passed judgment.

A man in a tall pair of boots walked before me, pacing gently back and forth. He joined the dank pony in his judgment. "Princess...this, thing, was found by the guards in White Tail. It can talk, but has refused to say anything in the day it took to get her here." The man glared at me, clenching his fist. "It's a changeling...but, nothing we have any documents on. I suggest euthanasia and an autopsy."

My gut sank at that word. I didn't know exactly what it meant, but I knew that it would end in my death. "...I'd- I'd rather not die...." I muttered, my dull voice grumbling low over the clicking of boots and hooves. I slowly lifted my head up, looking over the white blur that made up the crowd. "...I guess I don't get a say though." I mumbled, looking back down at the white stone floor.

I counted the individual blocks as the ponies in the room spoke of my demise. "We can't let a possibly dangerous creature go."

"Well we can't just kill it."

"So what, you'd rather send it to Tartarus!?"

"...The dungeon was what I was thinking."

"Death would be quicker...."

A loud voice boomed above all the others. "Enough!" Celestia's regal voice silences the cackling crowd, leaving me stunned for a few moments. "Somepony bring me Able, Luna and Night Sky!" I slowly lifted my head, finding Celestia walking up to me. "You, stand up." she commanded, lifting me up with her magic and holding me steady. "Follow me, alright? We're not going to hurt you, we just need to talk."

I stared at the princess, eye to eye. "...You're going to kill me...just do it."

Celestia grew a deep grimace. "We're not going to hurt you, I promise."

I let out a small huff, tugging at my arm bindings. "...Sure...."

Celestia's grimace turned to a worried frown. "This way...." She nudged me towards the way out, the guards in the room tensing up as I walked towards a small door behind the throne. A pony with a pistol holstered against his flank shook his head as I passed, nervously nodding his head and shooting sparks out of his horn.

I did my best to ignore it. I was too dazed to flinch, too tired to feel offended. I had been days without the warm feeling that kept us alive, and hours without a proper meal. I was barely awake as Celestia walked me towards the door, forcing it open with her magic and watching as I passed.

I slowly lurched into the small hallway, looking around at the dull grey walls and the huge windows that lined the east wall. "...Pretty...." I muttered, leaning against the opposite wall and enjoying the faded crystal blue light as it shown through. "...Warm...."

Celestia walked up to me, leaning her head back and looking me over. "Are you feeling well?"

I took a deep breath, "...Nap...I want a nap."

Celestia nudged me forward. "Come along...you can rest in a bit." Her hoof brushed my ribs, causing me to flinch. "Oh dear...you're so thin...."

I mumbled incoherently as I was nudged forward, sliding along the wall until losing my balance and slamming into the ground. I closed my eyes, letting my world go dark. Everything felt hollow before suddenly shooting back with me in a small chair, a large square table with two princesses, a human and a bat pony sitting and staring at me.

A soft bustle filled the room as I drifted around on the edge of consciousness. I looked around, spotting the human looking at me. He was staring at me while the others chatted, burning a hole in my head. I tried to look down, receiving a loud snap and tap on the table to draw my attention back to him.

I tried to ignore it, focusing on Celestia. "It can speak, that alone warrants some sort of self awareness." She whispered, looking to Luna.

"We need to- you remember what happened last time. We ignore the problem and suddenly it blows up in our face." Luna mumbled, leaning over towards her sister.

Celestia looked troubled, her face scrunched up hard. "That was years ago...we haven't seen any evidence of the Queen being alive any--"

The bat pony tapped his hooves on the table. "Is this not proof enough? Her mane, the colors, this thing is obviously connected...."

My eavesdropping was cut short as the human stepped before me, glaring at me and putting his hands up my shirt. "Hold still...." His hands roamed my sides, focusing on my ribs. "...Last time?"

I looked up at him hazily. "...I don't know...."

His face tightened into a heavy frown for a few moments. His hands continued to feel around me, touching my skin and slowly falling to my waist. He removed his hands from my shirt, ducking down and sticking his finger through the holes in my legs. "...Brittle.... What do you eat?" He asked, looking up at me.

I shook my head, "I'm fi--"

The man turned around, facing the group of ponies. "Celestia, I'll be back." He walked out, leaving the ponies to watch him leave. Celestia's gaze fell back upon me, the room slowly joining her in her.

Luna cleared her throat. "...Do you understand us?"

"She speaks Equestrian." Celestia stated, tapping her hoof on the table. "You are a--"

She was cut off as the door flung open once again, the human strolling by and dropping a bowl into my lap. "Hold the fuck still." He mumbled, grabbing my wrists and jamming something against the bindings.

"Able, Able, Able!" Luna snapped, quickly receiving a soft hoof to the chest by Celestia.

Celestia shared a calm look with Luna, eventually settling back as my hands were unbound. "We can't let this creature die, even if we decide later I don't want to lose this chance."

I felt my wrists fall to my sides, the soreness of the bindings rather intense. "...Thank you...." I mumbled, watching the man walk to my front and force the bowl into my hands.

"Eat, answer our questions, or I will put you in the ground myself." He grumbled coldly, walking back around the table and taking a seat. "Now someone tell me what the hell this bug is?"

Everyone in the room turned to the human. Celestia tapping his shoulder. "Changelings...I told you about them--"

"That's not a changeling." He stated, pointing to me. "That thing- maybe it's part, but it can talk, it's not hissing like an animal. She's not shape shifting or--"

Celestia shook her head, turning to me. "...Ms. are you a she?"

The human turned to Celestia with an indignant look. "...It has tits.... I think, probably."

Celestia looked around nervously. "Um...Able, they have both sets of genitalia...."

"What...?"

I looked down at the cheap bowl of rice, gently digging in with my hands. "...I'm a girl...." I groaned, "And...we don't- we have...parts...not.... Not reproductive...but parts...." I lacked the words to describe it, I could have sex with anything, but I couldn't reproduce with a mare.

The human scrunched up his right eye. "...Gross. Well, I guess- do the change thing!" He shouted, slamming the table. "I've never--"

I stared straight at him, feeling my body shift slightly, my hooves turn to feet as I shifted from my normal form to his. "...Like this?" I asked, stealing his voice.

The room stared at me, Luna letting out a rough cough as I changed back and went back to eating. "Celestia...you have a plan for this thing?"

Celestia looked around, finally focusing on me. "I do, but I wanted to ask your opinions all the same."

"We're keeping it." The man stated, crossing his arms and sitting back.

Luna and the bat snapped around to stare at the human. The bat speaking first. "You're joking, yes?"

I mumbled inaudibly and continued to eat. "Can I go?"

Celestia started nodding at the others. "I agree with Able."

Luna and the bat pony shot bolt stiff. "After everything they've done?" Luna asked, turning to me.

The human tapped his fingers on the table. "Everyone is telling you to kill it right? Or lock it up?" He turned to me, a soft frown curling around the corner of his mouth. "If you'd listened when they said you should lock me up, well...I'd be dead, humans wouldn't be here...so, I'm sympathetic I suppose."

Luna adopted a similar frown. "Can we trust a changeling? They've tried to reform before, but...."

Celestia slammed her hoof on the desk. "I'm taking responsibility if this goes wrong, but I won't have somethi- somepony--"

"Someone...." The man corrected with a bit of snark.

"Quiet you...." Celestia snorted angrily, "I won't have somepony innocent sitting in the dungeon without proper cause, and so far this--"

"My name is Misery...." I groaned, finishing the bland meal and setting the bowl down. "...It's not...a nice name, I know. But it's what I have."

The room went quiet, the human breaking the silence. "Well...hello there sunshine."

"Able!" Celestia snapped, "At any rate, I've made up my mind, I just wanted a few opinions."

Luna let out a soft sigh. "I suppose...it hasn't shown any violent or subversive behaviors yet.... I don't like it, but it's your choice, sister."

The bat pony grumbled loudly. "A crappy one at that, creatures...." He hissed, flying over the table and to the door.

Celestia's gaze faltered for a moment, turning to the door before snapping back to me. "I have questions to ask, rules to set into place for you, but I--"

The human walked around the table, taking the bowl from me and setting it on the table. "Don't be a bitch, don't change without telling someone, and if I catch you doing that sick thing you bug people do I'll snap your neck." The man was obviously bluffing, his emotions conflicted and rather intense. "Got it?!"

I stared at him, eye to eye as Celestia joined him. "...You're going to wish you'd killed me."

Celestia shook her head softly. "Is that so? Well then that's my regret to have. Now get some rest, we'll see about answering some questions in the morning." Her words were warm, sending a bit of energy through my spine and into my chest. I had no idea what was going to happen, I wasn't supposed to ever interact with non-changelings, but deeper than that sense of false loyalty to the queen was something else, something human. The drive to survive, and perhaps being docile and meek wasn't the greatest life, but it was life all the same.

The human nodded dutifully, putting his hands under my arms and lifting me up. "Jesus...you're like a twig." He muttered, throwing me over his shoulder, leaving me to watch as Celestia walked behind me, trailing after me limp body as I was carried back into the throne room and towards the main door.

Celestia nodded tenderly, sending another jolt of warm through my shoulders and into my fingertips. "You're a step forward, maybe a step to connecting with changelings as a whole."

"And if not, well, a grave isn't too hard to dig."

"Able...really...stop it."

Author's Notes:

I'll probably end up redoing this scene....just for the record.