//------------------------------//
// The Assignment 
// Story: Lone Prince 
// by georgethemonkey 
//------------------------------//

	I was sitting in my sleeping quarters, practicing my magic, which mainly means I was shape-shifting while levitating items and doing different things with each. I was swinging a sword, holding a shield, reading a book, and still changing shapes. I was rather bored, my mother, the malevolent Queen Chrysalis, didn't like to see me much, so I just hung out in my room to minimize that chance. I was doing these things when a Changeling soldier burst through my "door", more like a board, and gave me the most terrifying four words of my life. 
"The Queen wants you, Prince Daku." He huffed between breaths, considering he just came from the other side of the Hive chambers, another way to avoid my mother. 
"Thank you" I said.
"I'm sorry" He huffed one last time.
"...........Thank you"
He left me alone, and I promptly sat up, put everything down on my shelf in it's place, and exited my room. I looked at the dull black walls surrounding me on all sides, lit only by sparse torches, and I extended my wings and took off towards my mother's throne room. As I came closer, the black walls became more brownish and decorated with murals of supposed Hive victories, not like we have had any in the last thousand years. The murals ranged further and further back in time as I flew closer to the dreaded throne room. I finally reached it, Queen Chrysalis was sitting on her black throne, pulsing with energy, the mural of the first Hive Queen hanging ominously behind her. I shivered as I landed in front of her, remembering our last few encounters, which included a few bruises.
"You took your time" Queen Chrysalis said unemotionally.
"My room is far, but I flew as fast as I could" I responded cautiously, she responded with a grunt and motioned for a female changeling to approach her, the changeling handed her a paper, which then floated to me through the Queen's magic. I caught it with my own magic and brought it to me.
"You are to go to Equestria and give them these demands, negotiate if you have to, but do not give them any means of controlling us!" She said menacingly. I was shaken , but not afraid, this was less than what she would normally do to me, but, I still needed to ask.
"Why should we? I thought we were winning the war with these ponies." the look on her face reminded me of many times before when she got angry, the look of things she is thinking of doing to me.
"Are you questioning your Queen?" She said, standing up, inches taller me.
"No, I wouldn't ever." I repeated the old phrase, it was the way to appease her.....most of the time.
"Get out." She growled, which I immediately obeyed. I flew out and my thoughts finally came,
Now why would mother attempt to reason with these ponies? I know we didn't lose the war, but it wasn't going too well, especially after that new princess and her friends joined, but that itself shouldn't destroy the Hive empire. 
I shook my head, it all didn't make sense, but I did know one thing, and that was Chrysalis would never send any of her three daughters, Malus, Alveare, and Mortuus est. Mortuus est, however, I believe is the worse, she enjoys torture and control even more than our mother, which is how the Queen and her oldest daughter get along so well. Alveare, she keeps to herself, if anyone but the Queen disturbs her, she will get evil, thus is the nature of the youngest sister. Malus, she.... she is actually the kindest, though her name says differently. She isn't too friendly, but she is loyal and secretly helps me every now and then. I would actually follow her as queen, though she is the middle sister. 
I hope this isn't some way to get rid of her son, I wouldn't put this past her.
She had tried before, sending me to known ambushes, putting poison in my food, beating me, torturing me, starving me. You name it, she has tried it all, except openly challenging me, and anything requiring other hive members. She knows I would then win over major support, and she knows i am the stronger of us two. She knows my magic has been honed  and my combat skills on a whole different level than even the generals. However, I know you are questioning why I let her do these things to me. If I openly go against the queen without proper reasoning or even to support another queen rising, then I will be executed by the hive as a whole. This is just a game we play, she knows the moment I stand up against her, it is the moment she should be worried. 
I flew out of the mountain, I looked behind me, shadows engulfing the valley and me, this was home, whether I liked it or not, and I knew I would have to come back. The valley only went one way from here, and that was North, so I flew on towards the desert that separated Equestria and the Hive Empire. It was a five mile journey to the desert alone, and then it was another three miles to Equestria, the only reason I know this is that I have studied maps of Equestria, the Hive Empire, and the Crystal Empire. As I approached the desert I landed at the only lake nearby here and took a long drink, I knew this would be the hardest part of the trip. This seemed to be Mother's favorite torture, sending me on trips without a single piece of equipment. I know I could steal some, but it is actually useful training, learning how to survive without things.
I continued my journey on hoof, if I flew, I would be easily seen by the guards that protect the Southern edge of their precious country. That just made it harder for me, not only that, the unicorns seem to always create new ways to detect changelings, making disguise not a smart choice. However, this spell is mainly shared at the border, so after this, things get a whole lot easier. I squatted down as I approached the hill that separated me from the border patrol, I looked over the hill to see where they were. I then heard a thump behind me, and a loud grunt.
"Now, what is the Changeling Prince Daku doing near our border?"