Rocky Road

[Pacifist]

<Pilgrimage Part 1>

On the first few nights that I spent at Maud's cave, the sound of the waterfall was on the noisy side. Now, it was background noise, and it actually helped me sleep. It's funny really, I imagine that if I had met Tempy sooner, I'd have a better time sleeping at the castle, but now when I'm at her room at night the silence makes it harder to sleep.

I reflected briefly upon my time with Maud and Tempest. The dinners, the early morning cuddles, the late-night love, the touch, the smell... My wings fluttered for a brief moment as nostalgia of my various firsts with them crossed my mind. But then the feeling of fine mist against my chitin brought me back to the present and I finished washing up in the river before climbing out and using my towel to dry off.

Once that was done, I got to work packing. I didn't need much, just some bits, pictures, and snacks.

"You're up early."

The voice drew my attention. I smiled as I looked up. "Good morning, Fizzyfizz." I said, buzzing my wings to float over to her for a quick nuzzle. From the state of her mane and tail, the nickname seemed apt. She happily returned my nuzzle, then looked at the saddlebag I was wearing (black with Maud's mark as a clasp, an old gift from Rock Horse when we first went steady). Tempest clicked her tongue as she tilted her head, looking somewhat confused. "Going somewhere?"

Oh, right. For all my anticipation, I had forgotten to tell her.

"He's going on his pilgrimage." From that monotone, I could tell that Maud was up as well. I gave her a brief nuzzle too, which she returned with a tiny smile that washed waves of love over me. I gave her a quick peck on the lips, then turned and gave the same to Edge Horse.

"Right, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about this." I said. "I... Am sometimes forgetful like that. Why don't you lovely mares that I love with all my love get cleaned up and I'll explain it."

A little morning show to go with my dry cereal breakfast never hurt.

---

I tipped the bowl back in my magical grasp as I poured the last few oats and marshmallows into my mouth, along with the fine powder consisting of both that is usually found at the bottom of a bag. I mentally added cereal to my shopping list. Both beautiful mares had finished drying up, and were putting on their usual attire. A frock for Rock Horse, a... Whatever the black thing was that Tempy wore for Edge Horse. I keep forgetting to ask her what it was called, though likely I had already asked at least twice before and forgot again.

"Alright. Um, so, ah... This trip. It'll last about, ah, two or three days I thinks." I said. "I'm, ah, going to the Hive. Back, I guess."

"To the hive where you grew up?" Tempest asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, you see, ah, it's something every, or I think at least most, changeling does that doesn't live at the hive itself, for the anniversary of our enlightenment." I explained.

"Enlightenment?" Tempest asked.

I briefly looked between Maud and Tempest. Sometimes I forget what I had and hadn't already said before. Usually it results in me repeating myself, but this time it seemed it resulted in me forgetting to say things in the first place.

"Y-you see, ah, changelings used to look a bit different." I said. In a flash of green flame, I briefly conjured up my old form. Black un-shiny chitin, no jewel thingies on my chest, holes in my legs and rough wings, fangs. "When we fed on love."

"Alright, I remember that." Tempest said.

"Then, our leader Thorax found another way to live, and transformed into a beautiful and elegant form that radiated love instead of siphoning it." I explained. "The other changelings, seeing the light, followed his example." I shifted back to my normal shiny self.

Maud was snuggled up to me by this point, having heard this story several times before. Tempest, meanwhile, had a playful smirk.

"Oh, Obsidian, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were crushing on him." Tempest teased.

I shrugged. "Some of us revere him, though I've heard that doesn't make him all that comfy, prefering to be seen as an equal. I don't know if I would go that far, but I do greatly admire him. His kindness, especially compared to the <<changeling explitive>> bitch of a 'queen' we were stuck with before, is half the reason why." I hummed for a moment. "Where was I...? Ah, yes. Anyways, Thorax showed everyling how to transform by sharing our love instead of hoarding it, they worked together to overthrow Chrysalis, and became our new leader before starting to introduce proper culture to the Hive, working to make us self-sufficient and allowing us to start creating true art for the first time." I teared up slightly, my wings fluttering and a wide smile upon my face. "It fills me with so much *pride*." I blinked a few times, then got to work to make coffee for my loved ones. "Which, um, brings me to why I'm packing. It's the anniversary of that day, which is a huge holiday among us changelings. Enlightenment Day. We all make a pilgrimage to our hive, we listen to a speech, hold a festival, cap things off with a play all about our Enlightenment, and spend the night at the hive before those who live outside the hive return to our normal lives."

"I see." Tempest said. "All that sounds really important." She seemed to turn a thought over in her head a few times. "...When you talk about Thorax, you refer to him as a 'leader', but when Twilight talks about him, she calls him a 'King'."

"Ah." I said. I passed the two cups of coffee to my lovelies and sat at the table, my special someponies taking seats across from me. Tempest sipped her coffee and decided it was a bit too hot.

"He doesn't call himself a king, but a leader, as he does lead the hive. Him and Pharynx, at least. When he's called a 'king' that's more referring to the type of changeling he is. You know how he is bigger than other changelings? Well, that's the reason. He became one when he transformed. Now, he leads the hive, lays the eggs-"

Tempest gave a blank stare as her brain seemed to short-circuit. "What."

"Huh? Ah, right." I took a brief moment. "Pony gender and Changeling gender don't work exactly the same. While we each sort of have a preferred pronoun to go by, we're all sort of non-gendered, or... Both gendered? Pony terms are strange. Anyways, while changelings end up going by certain pronouns due to our voice and some slight differences of our bodies, we, ah, are both male and female, if that makes sense...? I don't really know how to explain it. I spent a lot of my life disguised as a male pony, so I see myself as male, but technically I... You get the point. Anyways, same applies to Thorax. After all, someling has to lay the eggs for the next generation."

Tempest blinked, face unchanged.

"It makes sense, trust me. Anyways, pilgrimage. That's why I'm packing. Sorry for not telling you earlier." I said. "Once you two finish breakfast, I'll be off to the train station. If you're able to get a few days off on short notice, you can come with me."

Tempest smiled, her brain finished rebooting, and blushed slightly. "They... They'd let you do that? Let me come with you?"

"Yeah, both of you." I said. "Maud's coming too, of course. She came with me on my first pilgrimage, though it wasn't Enlightenment Day at the time since I ended up changing form after most pther Changelings already had. I can share the story on the train ride."

--To Be Continued--

(Trying something a little different. Not only making a special thing for my character to spend with my horsie waifus, but a way to spout some of my headcanon about changelings.)