Days trickled by as slow as ever in the changeling inhabited canyon. The unicorns of Silverline’s group felt as restless as their students, reduced to waiting for a message from their leader. Despite not being empathically blessed, they could tell that the generals looked down upon them. Especially the tall and sleek one who required to be called Primo was problematic to deal with.
There was something dangerous in his intelligence and passive-aggressive compliance. He did exactly what he was told, with a scowl that spoke of contempt the likes a noble would have for a mud-dwelling earth pony. His comments had a razor sharp edge which cut deep, both into the professional pride and ego of the soldiers. The most irritating feature of the changeling was how he kept trying to ‘upgrade’ the combat doctrine that the ponies honed for generations. Granted, sometimes his methods would make more sense in a changeling-driven warfare scenario, but the way he presented them and demanded to be acknowledged made the unicorns exert all the professional cool they could muster.
Dagaal was a lot easier to deal with, if only because of how one could tell when the behemoth would blow up. Leading him would require iron shackles and a dozen whips, making him unfit for even a sergeant role. Still, Chrysalis insisted he be trained like the rest, a suggestion none of them dared to defy lest they be excluded from those brief moments she let them taste the hive mind’s glory.
Boulder was pretty much what you’d expect from a second in command. Strict, cool, very controlled, he did exactly as he was told. He didn’t question orders and the only queries he voiced were simple clarifications to his orders. A perfect soldier as far as they were concerned.
Still, the crown jewel was of course Wildstar. She was on par with Boulder in skill, but it wasn’t her prowess in battle that made her special to Silverline’s troops. It was her attitude towards them.
At first they didn’t pick up on her interest in them. Her attraction became more apparent as she grew and curved out, her body a smaller and more vixen-like version of Chrysalis. She was the only changeling to ever visit them in their quarters and chat, all the while enticing them with her swishing tail and sultry looks. She even went as far as sneaking into one of their beds at night and giving the lucky soldier ‘the biggest brainsplosion he ever had, would have and will have in his entire life’. Needless to say, each and every one of them had been trying to woo her ever since.
* * *
Primo looked around carefully to make sure everyone was busy. Wildstar was chatting up the soldiers that followed her like faithful puppies, as per usual. Boulder most likely sat in his small quarters doing nothing, something that struck the other spark-bearers as creepy and unnatural. And then finding Dagaal was hardly a challenge, considering the wild cacophony of howls and yelps coming from the northern parts of the slightly curvy canyon.
The first general spread his long wings and took off, challenging himself by flying through as many nooks and crannies as he could spot. Just because he was going to plant the seed of Dagaal’s demise didn’t mean he’d try and skip exercising and bettering himself. It was his sole purpose to be the best of the best every waking moment of his life.
Finding his brother was easy, with all the ruckus centered around a small dust cloud that howled in equal parts pain and anger. For some reason Mother allowed Dagaal to ‘exercise’ by slaughtering the damaged drones. It was always a lopsided battle that made Primo despise the monster even more - there was no challenge, no way to better yourself when fighting against a disabled enemy.
Primo landed nearby and pressed his belly against the hard rock, skulking towards the messy battlefield. As gently as he could he probed around Dagaal’s mind - the oaf never used the hive mind much, but his whiney secondary spark was elusive to detect. If he was to speak to the dominant one, he had to be sure its snitchy companion was distracted.
The faint buzzing of the other spark was barely audible and the first general had to exert masterful control over his psyche to not let himself be known on the perimeter of Dagaal’s mind. As far as he could tell, the two were bickering again, the other Dagaal trying to be the loving voice of reason that was oh so devoted to Mother. If he truly was, he’d ask for her to end him a long time ago.
Now comes the hardest part, mused Primo. He was both excited and terrified at the feat he would perform now - he had to throw the mental equivalent of a pebble onto the link between the weaker spark and the Queen herself. If everything went well, the two would notice the ping and maybe start a conversation, giving Primo enough time to talk to the real Dagaal. If he wouldn’t be careful or draw attention to himself… he’d have a lot of explaining to do. In front of the Queen who could peer into his mind to discern truth from lies.
His wings quivered in excitement as he dove deep into hive connection, feeling all the individual strands that pulsed beneath his mental hooves. They were both delicate and strong, like spider silk, gently floating on the currents of Chrysalis’ ambient mood. The Queen always dictated the swarm’s emotions, the spark-bearers being affected by it in a more intricate way than mere drones. When she was happy or excited, the drones buzzed happily about, those bearing self-conscious minds much more pleasant to deal with and more obedient. An angry or sad Queen meant violent underlings and snappy soldiers, leading to some unfortunate losses. Thankfully, as of late Chrysalis had been nothing but content with where she was.
Primo singled out the connection leading from Dagaal to the Queen - it was special in a way, feeling like a hair strand with splitting edges. One of those splits was his target, and he had to be very careful in selecting the right one. He inspected both ends with the tendrils of his mind, prodding and immediately retreating at irregular intervals, simulating regular static between the drones. It only took a few minutes to find the weaker Dagaal’s connection - it felt warm compared to the unused link of the bestial spark which refused to commune with its kind.
The changeling steeled himself and brushed against the link, feeling ripples travel up and down the string. He dashed back to his body as fast as he could, focusing his attention on the drones beneath him in the chain of command. While he couldn’t hide his activity in the hive, he could have at least pretended he was doing some intense exercises with his troops.
Chrysalis’ mighty psyche shifted, brushing sleepily over the hive. It seemed the Queen was resting and Primo cursed himself for not checking up on her in the first place. He felt her attention focus and shift, drifting towards Dagaal. He could compare it only to being submerged in a sticky, dense substance, the liquid washing over in a certain direction and gently pulling him with it. It was both marvelous and terrifying, especially if the full force behind the Queen’s mind bore down on you…
The first general cautiously slipped out of his body again, the mindscape much more lively now. He felt pings travel along the web of thoughts, tiny little dots of light that moved from node to node. He quickly found the one belonging to Dagaal and was satisfied with how warm it felt. Despite his ‘distance’, he felt the telltale throbbing of Chrysalis’ presence and the pulses of her thoughts that partially materialised in his hive mind. It sickened him to ‘taste’ Mother’s affection being thrown at the abomination.
Not for long, though, snickered the general, donning his body again and slowly rising from his prone position. His physical senses tuned in to inform him just how badly the little shaded alcove in the canyon reeked of blood and seething rage.
Primo had perhaps a second of getting his bearings before his muscles tensed up and made him jump to the side. His initial surprise at the insolence of his body was swiftly forgiven as his eyes registered a glistering, giant blur flying past him and crashing against a nearby wall.
“Dagaal, wait!” shouted Primo, crouching into a more stable position and flaring his wings. The last thing he wanted to do was waste what little precious time he had to fight his brother into listening to him. “I came here in peace, okay?!”
A giant green ball of electric “Nope, not interested” flew past the first general’s face and exploded behind him, showering Primo with gravel and sand. The changeling sighed in irritation, having to dodge time and time again the angry, unfocused blobs of mana being flung at him. He had to keep half a mind on the link between Dagaal and the Queen, making sure his actions stayed hidden to both for the time being.
“Listen! I came here bearing an olive branch, okay?” shouted Primo from behind a jagged stalagmite. “All I wanna do is talk!”
“YOUR LUNGS WILL BE MY HAT!” bellowed Dagaal, charging Primo’s hideout and bashing through it like a cargo train. Snarling, the massive changeling whipped his head around, the disappointing lack of his brother’s gore on the floor enraging him further.
“Dagaal! I’m not fighting! I’m sorry, okay? I know I treated you badly before!” shouted Primo, poking his head from a crack in the northern wall. “I just want to talk! Can we do that? Act like civilised beings for once?!”
Dagaal was amused. On one hoof, he never did get to make his superior brother run away from him like that. It was usually him who levitated haplessly in the air, fighting a losing battle for his freedom. On the other hoof, he was still Primo, the oppressor who always cut into his fun, limited him, made him do things he didn’t want to.
Seeing Dagaal rear back and charge his horn again, Primo sighed in resignation. He had to take a different approach, one he didn’t find dignified at all. He had to take the blow like a stallion and pretend… pretend being defeated.
Despite the subtle shield he wove around his body, the first blow of raw mana left him breathless, his thoughts scattered to the wind.
* * *
Dagaal found pummeling his brother therapeutic. He was a lot more sturdy than the other drones, even if the behemoth pulled his blows enough to not kill him just yet. He finally got to test out his technique on someling bigger. While he wasn’t as good an observer as the other Dagaal, he noted that pummeling the stomach and area below drew out the most beautiful squeaks his ears ever heard.
Primo felt violated and angry. At any moment he could just rise up and stab his horn through Dagaal. It irritated him beyond belief how flimsy the torture was, how much the behemoth exposed himself while trying to stomp the guts out of him. The only redeeming quality of this treatment was that he didn’t feel any bones crack or dislocate - the giant wasn’t going out full force with him, which meant that eventually he’d settle down and find Primo ‘defeated’. Hopefully that would happen before the other Dagaal came back.
A few kicks and throws later, the first general raised a hoof and curled up painfully, his tail darting between his legs.
“Stop! I yield!” he squeaked out. “You’re stronger, I admit! Please, stop!”
Dagaal wasn’t too bright, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to know that wasn’t true. Naturally, as far as raw power and physical prowess went, Primo wasn’t even in the same universe as the lumbering hulk of a changeling. Strength, in Dagaal’s opinion, was measured by how hard you had to punch someone to knock them out. The less force you had to exert the stronger you were. Still, if you couldn’t even land a punch or buck on your enemy, that left you weak. Following that simple logic, Dagaal was weak in relation to Primo. So why did the elder brother let him feel strong all of a sudden?
As a gesture of goodwill, Dagaal simply loomed over the curled up figure, snarling at it viciously. Primo noticed the lack of incoming pain and took that chance to actually get to the meat of his plan. He cracked a wary eye at the bared fangs of his brother, a sight he would not like to see around his neck, and gulped.
“We done? Can we talk now? Or do you still have something-ouf!” spluttered Primo, the headbutt he received revealing all the stars in the galaxy to him. Note to self. Hold your tongue when talking to Dagaal in close proximity. “S-Sorry, brother,” he continued in a much softer tone, forcing a grin onto his muzzle. “Do you think you could spare a moment to listen to your sibling? I only want to help.”
Not hearing any protests or pain, Primo slowly uncoiled himself under the mighty giant, keeping his tail and legs still tightly clenched over the tender area which got more than its fair share of beating.
“Okay, Dagaal. I know we aren’t the best of friends. And I know that I’ve been a terrible brother to you. After all, we are on the same team. We have the same Mother. As the eldest one of us all, I should have treated you better. I’m sorry, really,” he said, looking Dagaal straight in the eyes. “I came here to do just that. To try and be a better brother to you.”
Dagaal stood silently over Primo, trying to figure out what the changeling wanted. All of a sudden all these soft words and pleasant emotions assaulted him and the behemoth didn’t know what to do with them. His usual train of thought would have led him to a violent conclusion, but something told him that beating up Primo even more just wasn’t right after he came here and basically submitted himself for a smackdown.
It was unusual to observe Dagaal so still and focused. The way he squinted with a vacant expression reminded him of a foal sitting on a potty. While it was hilarious, it was also a good sign that the giant was actually thinking for once, a feat Primo was sure eluded the Dagaal entirely. Feeling a bit giddy at the prospect of his plan taking root, the changeling slowly started crawling from under the massive body of his sibling.
“I will start by helping you get a better grip on your magic, hmm? I mean, you have a lot of it, but you can do so much more with it!” said Primo brightly. He tried putting a hoof around the giant’s withers, but backed away as soon as he heard growling. “Okay, no touching. Sure.”
* * *
To be honest, Primo was impressed by Dagaal. At first it was hard to play into his selfish character, the words ‘do as I do’ flaring his temper like a cape did to a bull. It took a good half an hour to finally figure out that physical demonstrations of destructive magic impressed the changeling more than spoken theory.
In his hive mind the first general felt Chrysalis shift, the throbbing link he kept tabs on going still, signalling it was time to retreat for the day. He managed to gain the giant’s attention, something he thought would require a lot more effort and time on his part.
“Alright, that will be it for today, Dagaal,” briskly said Primo, smiling to his confused brother. “Tomorrow we’ll, uhh, smash some rocks together, okay? Or drones, whichever you like. Take care!”
As the dark shape buzzed away, Dagaal heard the telltale static of his other spark returning to nag him at the back of his mind.
Was that Primo? What did you do this time? And why aren’t we asleep? inquired the other voice.
Dagaal simply snarled at it, turning around and shaking his massive body up. He felt good, for once. He got some workout done in relative silence, beat Primo to a pulp and was going to learn new techniques of dismemberment soon. For the first time in a long while he would be doing what he wanted, not what others expected of him.
* * *
As promised, Primo came back the next day. He cautiously approached his large brother with a hesitant smile, his ears pinned to the back of his head.
“Do you feel like practising, brother?” asked the general, stopping short of a foot away from Dagaal.
The giant furrowed his brows, inspecting his own feelings. It was a lot easier to do when the nagging inferior part of himself went away to talk to the bug-queen. It felt right to be alone in your head, undisturbed in the fortress of your mind. There was less anger in him now.
Dagaal grunted and nodded, looking Primo straight in the eyes. He noticed a spark of fear in the first general, probably a delicious left-over from yesterday’s encounter.
“Good,” replied Primo, forcing himself into a smile. “Where do you want to start, hmm?”
Being this nice to the brute was sickening, almost below him. His plan required time and patience the likes of which he didn’t have even for his pony teachers. Following Dagaal to the shaded part of the canyon felt like being led to a particularly interesting pebble a brain-damaged drone found. It didn’t really matter where they trained, but the behemoth apparently liked that part of their home. It was dark most of the time, with the wind moaning gently along the jagged walls. If anything, a perfect place to commit murder and hide a body.
Snapping out of his gloomy thoughts, Primo donned his smile again and called a few drones to their side.
“While I adore your brute force, I am sure it is pretty tiring to use it in such a volume all the time, yes?” asked the general, liming up the underlings into a perfect, evenly spaced line. He scowled slightly as he noticed one of the soldier’s shoulder pads missing, probably dislodged during a frantic scratching session. “Let’s start with this one,” he pointed at the standing out changeling, lifting it in the air.
“I know, I know, you’re not fond of telekinesis, just bear with me for a second please,” pleaded Primo, precautiously stepping away from Dagaal. It only took a flick of his mana to cleanly cut away the other shoulder pad, making the unflinching drone look more pleasing than before. “Still, there is a lot you can do with it. I, for example, like to use it to deliver precise strikes. Both outward, and inward,” snickered the general, flicking his mana at the drone’s back muscles, causing it to howl in pain from the sudden contraction.
While Chrysalis had total control of their bodily functions, Primo found that by using magic one could perform a similar task. Granted, it was a lot sloppier and required utmost concentration and knowing the body to execute without killing the subject. The first general wouldn’t be himself though if he didn’t master it to as high a degree as possible, being capable of magically controlling a full drone or two with just the flow of mana.
The presentation had the desired effect and made Dagaal grin wildly. Primo anticipated what would happen next and erected a magical barrier for himself just in time to catch the splatter of an exploding drone.
“EXPLOSIONS OF LIFE!” bellowed the behemoth, catching another soldier and ripping it in half.
“Indeed they are,” sighed Primo, gently flicking away Dagaal’s focus from the remaining two changelings. “If I may be so bold to interject, though. While I can see you have no problem with telekinesis, you still use an excessive volume of power to work anything. Your tanks are impressive, don’t get me wrong!” he stammered, warily backing away from his snarling brother. “Still, you could focus that strength to be much more efficient! You think exploding just one drone is impressive? What about a hundred?”
Dagaal stopped snarling and turned to thinking. According to his logic, using a lot of power on just one wasn’t very impressive. If Primo said that he could do a hundred easy, that meant that, in fact, Dagaal was hampering himself by doing just one at a time. He never considered efficiency or precision up to this point, since they seemed so superficial and Primo-like.
“A hundred?” asked the giant, probably the first sentence in his life that didn’t carry the equivalent volume of a Canterlot Royal Voice.
Primo was shocked beyond belief to hear an actual question, said in an even tone that could be considered a deep, soft barytone. It was more or less a more slick Boulder, less gruff. A voice that reminded him of the other, inferior spark of Dagaal, should it even have the power to go beyond a measly whisper.
“Y-Yes! A hundred!” said Primo, shaking himself. “Bah, I think even thousands! All we- I mean, you, all YOU need is control. Considering your power, you’d only need a tiny bit to pop em like balloons!”
The ugly smile that crept onto Dagaal’s features was sort of… warm? He looked like a foal being given night-time guard duty in a particularly large candy store.
“We’ll start slow, okay? I know you’d love to bust some heads now, but trust me - your brother’s done it a million times and he knows how to do it. Is that okay? Will you listen to the sibling that wants to teach you how to tear limb from limb?”
“THEIR INSIDES WILL BURN LIKE THE HEARTS OF A THOUSAND SUNS!” howled Dagaal, the illusion of civility shattering away in an instant.
* * *
It was strange to Primo. On one hoof, Dagaal was a monster. No questions about that, the evidence was baked into the ground and sides of the canyon in many places, like green beauty marks. On the other…
He definitely was their sibling. He learned fast when he wanted to, eagerly trying over and over again to narrow his focus down. When Dagaal had a goal, it was really hard to stop or draw him away. Primo had no idea that drive could be focused in a positive manner, directing it towards the war effort and molding the behemoth into a passable soldier.
The unexpected result of the training was a visit from the Queen in person during one of their little training sessions in the lovely dark alcove.
If Primo had a working digestive tract, he’d have shat bricks when he felt the characteristic, spicy smell of his mother in the air, followed by a faint buzz that landed right behind him. The first general tried to remain calm, but his insides were churning to the point he felt like a small foal in the presence of a mighty giant.
“Well well, what do we have here?” murred the Queen, making both her generals turn away from a display of broken changelings and assorted parts. “Helping out your brother, Primo?”
How did she find out? M-My plan was perfect! I was careful! VERY careful! internally panicked Primo, forcing his muscles into a wide smile. She knows. She definitely knows. It’s over. She’s onto me. But how. HOW?
“Mother!” confidently said the first general, saluting with a hoof. “What brings you here?”
“Oh, nothing, just checking up on my beloved children,” chirped the Queen, smiling dangerously. “I heard that Dagaal was making some miraculous leaps in his training. I was curious which pony managed to do that, but apparently they were as dumbfounded as me. Of all the others, I didn’t expect you to take an interest in your brother’s education.”
“Heh, my Queen,” replied Primo, bowing despite how feeble his hooves felt. “It is only right for your most prominent general to tend to his troops’ needs. I might be an equal to Dagaal in rank, but as his older brother I feel responsible for him. I simply woke up to that realisation and picked up the challenge.”
“How very noble, Primo,” murred the Queen, smiling still.
Primo felt a stir in the hive mind. Chrysalis poured herself into his hive node, the majestic presence nearly overwhelming against his fickle spark. It was over. She’d peer into his mind and see his plan. She’d sunder his brain and scatter his innards to the wind, maybe even letting Dagaal do that. Stupid, stupid, stu-
He lost control of his body a moment later. It was a terrifying sensation. His wings spread and he took off with the Queen, leaving a confused Dagaal behind. Great, she’d drop him from a height and let him live out the rest of his short life as a cripple, maybe even ending it in a small display of dismemberment for the behemoth.
Well, Primo, it was a nice run. You did what you could, for Mother, sighed Primo’s spark. There were things you could do better, sure. You could have anticipated your journey being cut short, for example. Still, I guess you did arguably good. For Mother’s sake, you’ll hopefully be replaced with a better drone. Maybe she’ll use part of your spark to weave another one? Is that possible? Heh. Guess you’ll never find out, right?
Much to his dismay Primo flew all the way to the Queen’s lair. He was there maybe once or twice, as it was a sacred place that belonged to Chrysalis. She rarely had any guests, save for those blasted ponies who stole her time with their petty needs. Their presence in the hive mind was disgusting and alien, luckily appearing only for a few moments at a time.
“I must say, Primo, I am very surprised at you,” mused Chrysalis, depositing the general’s body in front of her throne. She herself loomed over the changeling with spread wings, eyeing him with a bored look. “I would have never expected you’d try and go so far in your perfection. You always minded your own business, so to speak.”
And I should have stayed that way, whimpered the spark. It was shaking in fear. Is this how fear works? Was this what Wildstar meant? How could I be so-
Primo felt a thud in his body, regaining his senses. The presence of the Queen was still there, the tendrils wrapped around every muscle and fiber, but no longer in control. Chrysalis lied down beside Primo and looked away, gazing at her throne.
“I was actually hoping that you’d look past yourself one day,” she smiled. “I am glad you saw that your siblings needed work and decided to help by improving them.”
Primo was stunned. So she doesn’t know? She didn’t figure it out? She thinks I was just helping Dagaal? That’s it? And she’s… she’s happy about it?
“I am trying to influence you as little as I can,” sighed the Queen, shifting her gaze to the slightly smaller Primo. Gingerly, she forced the changeling’s body to lean against her, placing his head on her hoof. “Just the little things, just having enough control to ensure you’re loyal to me. As such, I can’t really tell you to get along well. At first, you were supposed to just be my drones, my little soldiers. But you all grew to be so much more.”
Primo revelled in the new, exhilarating feeling. The feeling of being touched by mother. Her hoof was slick and tough, the chitin much more aged and sturdy than his own. It felt wonderfully warm under his cheek. His back was pressed against her side and he felt safe, instantly forgetting all the panic he endured just a moment ago. To top it all off, the Queen spared her other hoof to gently caress his face. Primo couldn’t help but purr deeply.
“You became strong, you developed your own personalities!” mused Chrysalis, sparks dancing in her eyes. “Your individualism gave you an edge, but at the same time made you blind. Only Wildstar developed a form of empathy, a bond, albeit with the wrong species,” frowned the Queen, still stroking the side of her purring son’s head. “I hoped one of the others would pick up a proper one, a desire to commune with the other changelings. To help them on a more personal, spark level. One that eluded me and I didn’t quite understand. I am glad that it was you that eventually came around, Primo.”
The changeling didn’t respond, still lost in bliss. The Queen was showering him with a warm affection, both physical and mental. Her hooves danced around his neck and head, a sensation he won’t forget soon. Her mental grasp on his body was subtle, but it felt like a full body massage, washing away all the weariness. His throat purred without any conscious thought.
“I almost forgot how much my children love my attention,” said the Queen with a tint of sadness. She rested her hoof on Primo’s muzzle and sighed. “The last changeling I was this close to… heh.”
The mood shifted into a rather sad one and Primo nearly yelped. Chrysalis still had her tendrils of control in him, but they stopped, leaving an empty and cold feeling. Reluctantly, the first general popped an eye open and shifted his head.
“Was it… the traitor?” whispered the general, receiving a slow nod in return. “I promise he’ll pay… mother.”
Primo felt bold. At that moment he really wanted to cheer his mother up. Without thinking much he gingerly grasped the foreleg on his head and brought it to his muzzle. With reverence worthy of a relic, he begun gently lapping at the appendage, snuggling to it with a murr.
The Queen was surprised at the motion and had half a mind to slap Primo back into his position. Still, with how she felt, the touch was soothing. It wasn’t forced and she didn’t ask for it. There were emotions of love floating about, ones that she could easily feed herself on, but didn’t. It was the love of a child, and it was towards her. It was special.
The two shifted to the side, Chrysalis wrapping her hooves around Primo in a motherly fashion. It was alien to her, but the warmth pressing against her stomach, the low purring of her child’s head stuck under hers… she felt complete. That is the way she felt was right for a mare to be. Embracing her child and letting it love her.