The first flake of snow. The first drop of cold, beautiful winter that everypony loves. A time of peace, of joy. Of happiness. A time for the land to be replenished, a time for the crops to rest, the trees to sleep. Every critter, big and small, now can rest with their families, and know that this year is the same as the last; a time of relaxation.
For one little foal, this was any normal time of year. This was the season she loved, since her name, Winter's Blossom, showed that she was a true flower in this time of year. This young foal, the descendent of Snowdrop, was a shy, pure white foal with a silver mane. Her eyes, although they did not work, were the most beautiful silver you could see. She was a pegasus, but she did not know how to fly. Her mother died on the very day she was born, her father followed just a day after. She had never felt what it was like to have a family, and she had never seen anything. Though, she felt and heard everything, every year on her birthday, she would pray to Celestia that she could one day see something, or at least have someone love her for once.
She stumbled across the icy, pebbled ground, her hooves trembling as she walked. Her breath made her face warm for a few sparse moments, before fading into cold, icy air. She shivered from head to hoof, her silvery eyes blinking as she walked towards where she knew was the safest place for her now. She had been going to this place for years, a small, crooked alleyway wedged between a bakery and a furniture shop. She liked that place; it was cozy and sheltered from the harsh weather. Apart from a box or two, it wasn't that cluttered as not many ponies gave it a second glance.
She navigated her way into this narrow alley, using her spread-out wings to find the sides, just like a cat would do with their whiskers. Blossom gently sunk to the floor, curling her hooves under her icy coat, and sighed, burrowing her head under a few boxes. She was home. Finally.
"Queen Chrysalis?" Spoke a young changeling stallion, trotting up to his faithful queen, a look of slight joy spread on his face.
"What is it, Verox? I am waiting for this pony to turn up with that proposal. What do you need?" Replied the changeling queen, who sat on her throne. She looked around at the many changelings, who were flying around, doing there daily business.
"Uh...." Stammered Verox, who looked towards his queen. "I was about to say, we are prepared for another scavenge. We have mastered our forms, and are stable in them. Shall I lead the scavenge?"
"That would be most pleasant, Verox. Thankyou."
"Of course, my queen" Verox turned tail, saluted and buzzed off, leaving chrysalis waiting for the pony.
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Verox flew slowly along, his large, blue, pegasus wings gently moving up and down. He shivered as the cool air circled his face, due to the fact he was flying higher up. He smiled and sighed, feeling relaxed and happy. Ponyville was such a nice place, and was so cozy! He wished he was a pony so he could stay there, but he was the chief scavenger. He couldn't leave that position! It was one of the highest positions you could be granted! He couldn't leave. He scolded himself for even thinking of such a rebellious act.
He landed on the ground, deciding to walk around as his wings were tired. In fact, he was tired himself. He ducked into a small alleyway, and saw nothing but a few upturned boxes. Sighing and sinking to the floor, Verox stretched his blue wings, igniting his green fire and turning back to his regular changeling form. He rubbed his eyes, and shivered. It was cold out today, and he felt vunerable, curled up like this. He stood up, stretching. His transparent wings buzzed and he rose up in the air.
He stopped, however, when he saw how much snow was in the air. It was a risk to fly home now, it could damage his fragile wings. He didn't exactly feel like breaking a wing. Even in his pegasus form, his wings were fragile and susceptible to breaks. He sunk to the icy floor, shivering and trying to warm himself up. Having holed hooves made him all the more cold. Verox stood up and moved towards the back of the alley, where a few boxes lay. They could keep him warm. He moved his hoof forward, shifting a large box. Immediately, he jumped backwards.
A small, white pegasus lay curled on the floor. Her short, silvery tail was curled around her form, her hooves tucked under her. She was shivering, a frown spread on her face. She snuffled in her sleep, her white wings twitching and her eyes flicking. Verox stared at her. What was a foal doing out in the open, and in winter? And why was she in a box? He frowned, and reached out to the foal. His hoof became even colder. This foal was freezing, and could catch hypothermia if left there! His eyes widened, and he shook the filly. Her eyes darted open. They were grey, but sparkly like her mane. He immediately knew that the foal's cloudy eyes were a telltale sign that she was blind.
"Little filly?" Verox said, looking at the mystery pegasus.
"Who's there?" Asked the foal.
"Uh, I'm Verox. What.... what are you doing in he open? It's freezing out here! You should be at home...."
"I don't have a home, mister Verox." She sighed, hanging her head. Tears welled up in her clouded eyes. This broke Verox's heart, and he wrapped his hooves round the shaking foal. She whimpered, and wrapped her hooves round his shoulders. She cried.
"Hey. It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you....." Verox said, stroking the foal's head. His ears perked up and he gasped.
"Hey! You can stay with me!" He beamed.
"W-why? I'm just a burden. You don't want me here....." The foal mumbled.
"Of course I do, little one. Hey, what is your name?" Verox inquired.
"W-winter's Blossom, Sir." She mumbled into Verox's shoulder. She sighed.
"Listen, Winter's Blossom. You are not a burden. You are unique, and you deserve a home, not a box. Come with me. I'll give you a home."
"B-but....."
"No buts. Come with me. I pinkie swear you will be safe."
"I-If you insist......."
"Ah! Verox, you are back at last. We nearly sent some changel-" Chrysalis cut her sentence short when she saw the white filly peeping from behind Verox. She looked scared, and had her ears against her head. She whimpered, causing Verox to look at her. He whispered, "She's friendly. Don't worry." And turned to Chrysalis.
"My queen, this foal is named Winter's Blossom. I found her on my scavenger hunt, and she was on the brink of death. I decided to bring her with me, to make her feel normal and accepted. Could we accept her into the hive?"
A small smile spread on chrysalis' face. She hopped from the throne, and knelt next to the foal. She smiled, and stared at Winter.
"Hey. Would you like to stay here? With Verox and the rest of us? Would you like that?" Chrysalus inquired. She received a small nod from the foal, and straightened up.
"Very well. Let's welcome our new hive member, Winter's Blossom!"
Little did they know, a tragedy would soon hit the hive.
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It was still winter, but Verox had decided to take a walk with Winter's Blossom. He bundled a green scarf round his neck, doing the same for Blossom, and walked out of the Hive. He shivered when he felt the ice hit his muzzle, but he took a deep breath and stepped forward. Making sure Blossom was following in pursuit, he walked out of the everfree forest. He felt he had forgotten something, but he couldn't think what he had forgotten. Shrugging the feeling off, Verox soon exited the forest. He strolled through ponyville, Blossom pressed up against him for comfort. She felt his warmth, and his Love for her. It slowly warmed her, like a hot cocoa. She yawned, and stretched her wings. Suddenly, her ears pricked up. Why had Verox stopped? Why was his hoof round her-
Gunfire.
Blossom screamed, flinging to the floor. Whatever it was, it had hurt her ears. It was most likely near her. She crawled to where Verox was, but couldn't feel his warmth. Where was Verox? She fumbled around, before finally resting her hooves on a mass on the floor. A warm, sticky fluid coated her hooves. She knew this substance. It was...... blood. Lots of it. She Screamed again, lying on Verox, tears staining her fur. The threats of the guards which had been patrolling fell on deaf ears, and she continued to hug Verox's lifeless form. She heard the words "shoot" and "let go" but she didn't, simply wanting to remain with her guardian. Soon, another shot was fired. It hit her, and she fell to the floor, blood dripping from her own muzzle. Her clouded eyes were still open, and were glazed and lifeless . Verox also was in a similar state to Blossom, his listless eyes open. There was a large hole in his chest where he was hit with the searing bullet. He lay with his hooves sprawled out, blood coating his once soft fur.
The guards stared at the two corpses. Everything had gone so quick, and these ponies were now dead! One unicorn guard stepped forward to dispose of the corpses, and report to Celestia. One pegasus guard, however, couldn't help but stare. He turned tail, and ran towards where he knew the hive was.
Chrysalis paced the ground. Her wings buzzed uncontrollably, her mind racing with many thoughts. Where were Verox and Blossom? They should be home now. They must!
Her train of thought was interrupted when a royal guard was brought in by two changeling guards. His silvery coat was dirtied from walking in the forest, and his wings were trembling. Chrysalis sniffed, and held up her head. The guard stood there as he trembled.
"And you are.....?" Chrysalis inquired. The stallion removed his helmet, bowing to Chrysalis. He looked up. His mane was a dusty red, with green strands. His wings ended in light blue, his hooves tipped in uneven grey splatters.
"D-Dester storm, your highness. I came to share some bad news regarding a changeling drone from your hive." He said, looking slightly scared. He looked away, avoiding the queen's eyes. He explained the searing bullet, the way Blossom had collapsed, everything. Chrysalis bit her lip, imagining exactly what had happened. Verox....... he was...... Chrysalis sunk to her hooves, tears pouring from her eyes. She trembled, closing them. "T-thankyou for telling me...." Chrysalis spoke softly. The guard in turn nodded and escaped.
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Chrysalis stood on the cliff, her mane billowing round her. It had been a few weeks since Verox and Blossom tragically passed, and many changelings had left, but never returned. She was becoming concerned for the hive's well being, since the numbers were decreasing. After all, only a few changelings remained in the hive now. She was soon to have her hive fall. She felt like she was the only one left. She sighed, and flapped her wings. A changeling drone galloped up to her.
"My queen, we have found the body of Isia, the head Guard. He's the last guard..... we are down to our last two changelings, including me......" He sighed, tears in his eyes. Chrysalis sighed. She looked away.
"Thankyou, Mesa. You are dismissed."
"Ok. Goodnight, my queen"
"Goodnight, Mesa."
Chrysalis sighed and whimpered. Why? Had some changelings been scavenging with no disguise? Had they been eaten by timberwolves? Had they been hunted? One thing was for sure; the hive had already fallen. She folded her wings, closed her eyes, and took a step forward. The air whistled past as she plummeted to the rocky gorge below her hooves. As she impacted the stones, her eyes opened to see the last changeling and newest princess, Nymph, staring with fear in her eyes. Everything faded, and she slipped into eternal sleep.