The War Machine
Chapter 27: Scarlet Hive Assault Part 3
I enter the Hive with my minigun at the ready. My night vision activates and I walk down the tunnels. My sensors are having trouble in here due to all the dirt and minerals in the walls, but I then get an idea. I send out a ping of noise and listen to it echo throughout the tunnels. I use that to map some distance and locate a large cavern fifty metres away.
I head down the tunnel leading to it, but ten changelings ambush me and all latch on to me biting with their fangs and stabbing with their horns.
I trigger my defence system and electricity courses around me, shocking the changelings until they let go.
Two manage to get back up and fire weak blasts of magic at me, to which I respond with a shot to the head each. The others are passed out on the ground.
I continue to make my way to the large cavern and either incapacitate changelings if I can, or kill them if I can't. I finally reach the large cavern to see it's similar to Chrysalis' residential area.
Changelings start coming out of the buildings, some holding younger changelings while others hiss at me aggressively.
"Those of you who do not wish to fight, make your way to the surface where you'll be safe. I am here only for your Queen," I tell them all.
The ones carrying young instantly make for the exits while the others hiss and get ready to pounce at me.
"You shall not harm our Queen!" one of them yells and fires a small bolt of magic at me.
I swat it away effortlessly and aim my minigun at him. I fire off three shots into his head and send out another ping to map the area. There's another chamber further ahead so I activate my jet skates and dash for the tunnel leading to it.
"Stop it!" I hear one of the changelings yell as I barrel down the tunnel.
I arrive at the chamber only to see thousands of holes with very few eggs in them. This is the Nursery and I shall leave it be. I send out another ping getting more tunnels mapped and I think I've found the Throne Room.
"Defend the Nursery!" I hear the changelings down the tunnel yell as their buzzing gets closer. My Apache's camera shows me that the changelings with the young have left the Hive and joined the group still waiting where I left them.
The changelings in the Nursery are cowering from me and I turn away and dash down the tunnel again. I slam through a few changelings trying to stop me but my mass makes it impossible for them to do so. The tunnel ends at a pair of large red doors and two large changelings defending it.
"Stand aside," I tell them and aim a launcher at each of them.
They don't answer as they start shooting magic at me. I fire off a missile at each of them and they get their heads blown off in the resulting explosion that shakes the tunnel. The flames of the blast blow past me and I walk forward and kick in the doors.
My sensors warn me of a large magical buildup and before I can react, a blast of red magic hits my minigun's barrels melting them slightly, making the weapon useless now.
I attach it to my back and draw both of my Tac-90s and aim ahead at Queen Stragna. I see ponies who look very pale and barely breathing at her hooves and bite marks around their necks. Stragna looks more healthy and only a couple holes remain.
Processing... Stragna has literally sucked the magic out of the ponies to empower herself. I must kill her quickly.
"You will suffer for attacking my Hive and forcing me to this," she tells me and fires another blast of magic at me.
I use my jet skates to dash to the left and fire rapidly at her head. She brings up a shield to deflect my shots, which I quickly counter with two missiles. They impact her shield sending her into the back wall.
"GAH!" she yells in pain and fires blast after blast of magic at me while moving to the middle of the room.
I deflect them with my forearm plates which heat up slightly. I can't keep deflecting them continuously without eventual permanent damage to my plating. I pull out a flashbang, pull the pin, and throw it at her face. She puts up another shield and the flashbang goes off, blinding her through her shield.
I use my jet skates booster to launch myself at her draining ten percent of my core and shatter her shield as I ram into her. I hear a crack from her chitin and her horn glows as she teleports before I hit the wall, I slam into the wall cracking it deeply and turn around to see her tumble across the ground.
"ENOUGH!" she yells and stands back up. I aim my pistols at her but she fires a blasts of magic into the ceiling above me and the surrounding walls. "If I can't destroy you! I'll bury you instead!" she then yells and then teleports again. My sensors can't detect her magic anymore as a piece of the ceiling crumbles down.
Even if the ponies here she drained are still alive, I don't have time to get them all out before the chamber comes down on me. I look down and spot a small earth pony filly a metre from me, she appears to be no older than six years of age. I react quickly and pick her up before dashing out of the room as it collapses. I'm sure I heard one of the ponies say 'thank you' as I picked up the filly.
I head up the tunnel cradling the filly to my chest as rocks and dirt slam into my head and back from the ceiling on my way to the surface. I'm now at a disadvantage as she's willing to destroy her own Hive just to get rid of me, so I can't risk remaining down here to hunt her.
I make my way out to see the changelings still out here and they all turn to me, but their red colouration is gone and now they're just black with white eyes. I notice some of them have eggs, they must have taken them from the Nursery after I left.
"Erm..." one of them says and looks to the others. "The Queen has left," he tells me nervously.
So she fled the area and I no longer pick up their hive mind network on my Radio Interceptor. "I see. So what will you all do now? My offer still remains," I tell them all.
"She abandoned us..."
"I know she didn't call us her children... but I didn't think she'd just leave us..."
"Mommy?..."
The changelings start to panic and mumble between each other.
"If you wish to remain here then that's your choice. If you want to come back with me, then you'll be under the care of Chrysalis' Hive, Equestria, and myself," I tell them.
They all chatter amongst themselves for a good nine minutes until one of them walks up.
"We'll go... Queen Stragna has disconnected us... she's left us for dead and we'd rather not die," she tells me sadly.
"What's your name?" I ask her.
"Silenta," she replies nervously.
"You're in charge of everyone until we get back to Equestria," I tell her making her eyes go wide.
I walk over to my Titan and jump up and carefully place the still breathing filly in the hatch before gripping the infantry bar on the left side.
"Everyone!" I call out amplifying my voice. "Please follow me and stay close. If we encounter any ponies along the way, please don't make any sudden movements as I don't know how they will react," I tell them getting murmurs in reply.
I turn the Titan around and start driving back to Equestria. I look at the changelings through the Apache's camera and see them spread their wings and take off behind me.
It takes a long ten hours to get back to my workshop due to having to take breaks for the changelings to rest.
The journey was tough as I had to stop to try and get the filly to drink some water a passing caravan was kind enough to give me, though they kept their distance from the changelings. She drank it but is still very weak and I need to get her to the hospital in Ponyville quickly.
I carry her out of the hatch and Luna comes up to me while the thestrals watch all the changelings carefully.
"Adam! What's going on? Who are these changelings?" she asks me and then gasps at the sight of the filly in my arms.
"Queen Stragna fled before I could kill her. She drained all her captives of their magic and then tried to collapse the Hive on me. This filly is the only one I could save, but she's weak," I reply and turn to the changelings who all look nervous. "They were her changelings, but she disconnected them from her hive mind. I offered them a choice and they chose to integrate with the Jade Hive," I finish explaining. I land the Apache back on the Workshop and park the Titan next to it.
Her horn glows and she takes the filly from me and starts scanning her with her magic. "She's got a severe case of magic exhaustion. I'll get her to the hospital, you take the changelings to Chrysalis," she tells me and I nodded in reply.
"Very well," I say as she takes off towards Ponyville and I turn to the changelings. "I will now guide you to the Jade Hive, please fly above me as I won't be able to protect you all from the creatures of the forest should they attack," I tell them.
They take off into the air and I use my jet skates to make my way through the Forest.
We arrive at the Hive where the large guards frown at the changelings behind me. "The Queen is on her way," one of them tells me.
"Thank you," I reply and the changelings land nervously.
We wait for a few minutes until Chrysalis comes out very confused.
"Adam? What's going on here?" she asks me.
"These were Queen Stragna's changelings, and when she failed to kill me, she tried burying me and fleeing while disconnecting herself from them. I gave them the option of joining your Hive instead," I reply making her go wide eyed.
"And why should I allow those who tried to destroy us join?" she asks with a frown.
"That is your choice to make. Should you turn them away, I shall have them live with my diamond dogs," I reply making her hum in thought.
"Fine, I'll take them. But I will go through their memories for any information about their ex-Queen I can find," she replies and her horn glows.
The changelings expressions go blank as their chitin and eyes change to have the same colourisation as Chrysalis' changelings.
"And now they're my drones. All of you go inside and wait in the residential area, we'll find places for you," she tells them and while they look hesitant, they comply and head into the Hive.
"Thank you, Chrysalis. Also, would you like some more magic as for now I have no use for it," I tell her and open my chest plate.
She smiles and places her horn against my core. "Thank you, Adam," she replies and takes ninety percent of my magic.
"You're welcome. Now I must return to the workshop so I can begin making my railgun and research other possible uses for my magic energy," I tell her as my plates close and getting a nod from her.
"Alright, I received word from Celestia that the crystals are completed and she is sending three of them to us right now," she replies and informs me.
"I see. I'm glad they are ready. Now if you'll excuse me, I must head back," I say and turn back towards my workshop.
"Thank you for all you've done for my Hive, Adam. My infiltrators have also been sent to Gryphonstone and I'll receive their first report in a week," she tells me before I activated my jet skates.
"That is good to hear. I look forward to whatever they discover," I reply and then head back to my workshop.
I arrive and see the thestrals patrolling and or running the course a few times. I head towards the Captain and he salutes to me.
"Night Hawk. I will begin making weapons and armour for you and your thestrals to use once my railgun is completed. Once that is done, we'll begin your training," I tell him.
"Yes Sir! I'll let the others know," he replies and flies over to the others.
I head into my workshop and upload the railgun schematic from my Trailer to the workbench screen.
I now just have to wait for Luna to return from taking the filly to the hospital.