//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Facing the Bug Queen // Story: Havoc // by Histy //------------------------------// I surveyed the damage these bug things had caused over the city, and I was quite impressed. I considered it an accomplishment for mortals to be able cause great strife and suffering without interference from me, Discord, or any other immortal being. Kudos to them. My focus shifted to the smoking castle that easily overshadowed every building in the city. It's gardens were the place of my imprisonment for many years, until recently, of course. "Hmm... I'll pay a visit to Celestia and Luna," I said, a small smile on my face, "If they're still alive, of course. If they're not, then oh well." I began to hover to the castle. In all of her life, Chrysalis had never been so joyous. She replaced Cadence and was never suspected of being a fake. She devoured Shining Armour's love for her, and brainwashed him. And with that love, she was able to defeat Celestia, the most powerful being in existence. Besides Discord, of course, but he couldn't do anything in that stone prison of his. She couldn't be happier. The changeling queen looked over to Cadence. The pink princess was bound to the ground by green goop from her soldiers. They were going to put it on her horn too, but Chrysalis knew she couldn't even summon a small amount of magic, so what was the point? Although she wished that they would've put it on her muzzle, as her constant yapping annoyed her to no end. "You won't get away with this!" Cadence shouted, "Twilight and her friends will-" Thankfully, before she could finish, the doors to the room slammed open, and marched in were her soldiers with Twilight and her friends as prisoners. Chrysalis smugly looked back at Cadence, "You were saying?" She asked rhetorically. She then addressed Twilight and her friends, "Haven't you heard? The reception's been cancelled!" After that, she looked to her soldiers, "Go! Feed!" She ordered. A gift of feeding off love freely was enough of a reward for them. They shot off to the doors, eager to get their stomachs filled with the ponies' love. Before they could get out of the room, however, they stopped. Then blinked. Then hissed, before being blasted away from the door on to the other side of the room, some hitting the wall, while some unlucky ones were smashed through the windows. Chrysalis looked at her downed soldiers, not in shock, but much rather in disappointment. After all, their chitin was supposed to protect them from impacts such as that, but here they are, writhing in agony. She should train them on how to deal with pain. But her attention was drifted somewhere else when another voice, one which she hasn't heard today, rang out across the room. "I come back after an eon and the first thing that happens is that foolish mortals challenge me. Typical." Chrysalis looked to the entrance, and... What was that thing? Granted, she's seen many weird species before back at the hive, but she's never seen this being. It was wearing a dark black dress, with the only way to see the outlines of it were by the Orange highlights coming off of it. Its head was adorned with what looked like a beret, but Chrysalis wasn't too convinced. There was also an fiery orange halo above it, and she didn't know why that was even there. It was carrying a large staff in its hands. On the tip of it, the staff made a cross, a bright orange light in the center of it. Chrysalis then focused on its facial features. The details looked mostly feminine, with sickly orange eyes (orange seemed to be the most noticeable color), accompanied by short white hair. Only after she finished analysing it did it decide to speak up again. "So," it spoke, casually swirling the staff it held, "are we gonna have a civil conversation, or are you going to be a fool and challenge me?" As I waited for a response from the bug queen thing, I took note of several things in the room we were in. First, there was Twilight, along with five other ponies, were standing just in front of me. Two of them, a cyan one with a rainbow mane and the other, an orange one with a blonde mane and wearing a hat that I'm not familiar with, held distrustful looks to me. One, a yellow one with a pink mane, looked noticeably scared. Two others, a pink one and a white one, had expressions I couldn't catch on when I shifted my focus somewhere else. I spotted Celestia on the other side of the room. She was in some cocoon, and looked at me in a way that said 'don't kill me', or something like that. I know, I'm a bit biased towards myself. Under Celestia, there was a pink alicorn with a stallion next to her that I could only assume was brainwashed. By the way he was dressed, and the overall decor of the room, I had to assume that a wedding was in session before it was rudely interrupted. Probably by the bug things and their queen. Speaking of which, the bug queen had finally decided on what to say. "And who are you?" She asked, the hostility in her voice clearly heard. "Keeping the questions simple, I see," I responded, "I have been given many names; the Monster, Ruinator, War Mistress, and Death. But I prefer to call myself Zerstörung, the Goddess of Havoc. I bring extinction, the apocalypse, and war," I smiled. I hadn't announced my title in that since before I was encased in stone, and it felt good doing so again. The bug queen stared at me blankly, before chuckling, before bursting out into laughter. I kept my smile though, giving no implication that I was offended by her blatant disregard of my power. If she wanted to be an idiot, then let her be an idiot. She recovered from her laughing fit pretty quickly, and looked at me with an amused expression, "You, the Goddess of Havoc? You must be joking! The real Goddess of Havoc perished eons ago!" The bugs I blasted away from the door before began to mass behind her, having long since recovered from slamming into the wall. "Show her what happens when you become a fool in front of the queen!" She ordered. They needed no more encouragement, as they began to race towards me, their fangs on full display. Sinister smiles were also etched onto their snouts, clearly eager to end my life. They failed. Before they could reach me, I tapped my staff on the hard floor once, the sound echoing throughout the room. In a split second, all the bug things in the room, except for their queen, were turned into ash. Unfortunately, I hadn't thought that through, as all of the ash made a head-on collision with me, my face taking the brunt of it. Besides my coughing fit, and the sound of me attempting to take off whatever ash I could from my clothing, the entire place was silent. Once I was finished, I looked around the room to realise that everything was the same, except the bug queen was now gone. I guess she took the time she had with me distracted and escaped. I frowned, "Cowards," I thought disdainfully, "Always acting brave until they know their life is about to reach its end." I looked at the rest of those still with me in the room, all bearing expressions of fear and worry. Another smile crept onto my face, "Hmm... the queen may be gone, but who said I couldn't use you for my needs?" After all, who wouldn't pass an opportunity to toy with their enemies?