Azure looked to the Tower Heart and leaned his flank against one of the walls that surrounded it. He reached out and laid a hoof on the Hearts smooth surface and focused on what he wanted to see. An image of a barren land came to his sight as he focused on the image of the Changeling from the day before. The bruises still remained but he refused to allow them to slow his plans. Sharp stones jutted from the ground and a barren land stretched as he began to move his hoof over the crystal and it began to pan around the surroundings. A structure suddenly dominated his vision and he pushed the image away and allowed himself to look at it from a short distance, allowing him to see it completely.
To an observer, it appeared to simply be a large collection of sharp rocks, but to Azure, it appeared more like a castle in a way. As he watched it he could see more of the Changelings flying around the structure and moving in and out of the large holes in its sides.
“Looks like an ant hill. Only much taller, with less purpose, and no chance of withstanding an assault from me.” He said aloud, Wrath sitting on the ground a foot away, nodding fervently as the Overlord chuckled.
The minion sat close by but did not get under the hoof of the Overlord. Azure pushed the image in and tried to look into the structure and see what more he could find out about the inner workings. The image clouded for a moment and he sharpened his focus and began to look for a creature that Twilight had described, the Hives Queen. He was regretting not asking her name but ultimately decided it did not matter. The image cleared and he was greeted with an image of holes within holes and narrow paths that threaded through the core of the structure. His hoof moved to the right and he could see that the inner workings of the Hive were much the same as any other bug hill. Which mean that it had only one queen.
“Where are you?” He whispered aloud while he moved his hoof once more, guiding the Heart’s sight down a corridor that looked well used.
Time ticked past he went down the many passageways. A groan of frustration escaped him as he finally caught a glimpse of something that stood out to him. He turned his attention to the image and the Heart responded and the image was brought into clear focus. A throne-like seat rose from the ground. As he stared at it he could see how it would be thought of like a throne for their Queen. While he wrinkled his nose at the sight of it stood a good ten or more feet off of the ground. Spines rose from its back and holes littered the throne until it reached the seat itself. Azure shook his head and began to look away from the throne as a group of Changelings buzzed into the room. He waited as they looked back and he watched as their Queen came into focus.
“Twilights description is pretty much accurate.” He said aloud and watched as she came into clearer focus.
Her height was indeed closest to Celestia and her general build was similar, but that was where the similarities ended. Her legs had holes starting along with her hocks and she appeared to be mostly legs with a slim almost emaciated form that they supported. Her green eyes shone out of her face, her mane and tail were the same strange cobweb-like material. A layer of chitin covered her back and her wings were fly like, complete with holes. Azure grimaced at the sight of her and couldn’t stop a gag that fought up from his throat. Her horn was just as tall as Celestia’s, while its design had it straight up but it had chunks missing from it. She had the visual look of an Alicorn but he was certain that she was not one of their kind. Azure pulled the image back as she jumped to the throne and sat on it. He sat back and kept the image trained on the throne.
“All right. Now I know where she is, but how do I…what the hell is that thing doing now?”
He leaned back forward as a changeling came to stand in front of her and his form erupted in green flames and Azure balked at the form it had taken. He was now staring at himself without his armor. He focused the image and then he cringed and looked back at his own body.
“Do I look that small?” He asked aloud and looked back at the image. “By the Dark.”
The image made him look thin and gaunt. Apparently, the Queen agreed with him as she seemed to be yelling at the changeling before her. Flames went over him again and now Azure found himself looking at a nearly exact copy of himself. His skin trembled but he refused to look away.
“I need to know what they are saying. There must be away…Hmm…” He looked away from the image and put a hoof to his chin as he considered. “Sending a minion in there is useless, unless…Unless there is a Netherworld Shard close by.” The stallion looked over to his attendant minion and clicked his tongue at him, calling him to his side. The minion raced to him and sat in silence as it waited for him to speak. “Go get Gnarl and bring him to me.”
The minion saluted and took off at a hard run, jumping into the minion gate and vanishing from sight. Azure was quiet as he waited for the Advisor to join him. The Changelings did not seem to be doing anything other than conversing between them. Several minutes passed and he was beginning to grow annoyed when the Minion Master arrived and waddled quickly to his side.
“You called, Master?” He spoke as he bowed low to the Overlord.
“Look to the Heart.” He commanded.
“Master!”
“Yes. That is a Changeling. The tall one is their Queen. I told you what we learned yesterday did I not?”
“You did, Master.” The Advisor replied. “So that is the Queen the creature spoke of?”
“Yes. Ugly being isn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
Hunter chuckled as Gnarl wrinkled his already wrinkled face up at the image. “So they have taken your form?”
“Yes. Which means that they have seen me before. But they also did not get close enough for me to see them or for the blues to catch a whiff of them.” He replied. “If the little one we caught in Canterlot is right then the Queen is after what I have. She wants my army and the power that comes with it. This is why I made sure the Gates defenses have been seen to and kept safe. Nothing aside from me can through them at any time. Is there a way to ensure that? I want the gates to not even work for a normal minion. If you choose to come to the surface then that can work, but otherwise no other can use them.”
“That can be done, My Lord,” Gnarl assured him with a nod. “Anything more?”
“Yes. I can see into the Changeling Hive but I cannot hear anything. What would it take to see if a Netherworld Shard is close by? I want to hear her and ensure that I can trounce her if I need to. I need to know the secrets of that Hive and I want them…Now.” Azure said to the minion.
Gnarl nodded, an evil smile crossing his features. “That can be arranged. We can cut a piece of the Netherworld and Grubby can ensure it makes it to the surface. We can send him and the other diggers ahead and find a place that we can guard and protect while you take a group into the Hive itself. I assume you will be taking the greens?”
“You assume correctly. They need to be bathed and ensure that my best will be going with me. I want the ones that I used in the Empire.” He replied.
“Understood Master. They will be made ready. I will ensure Grubby gets to work on finding a suitable location immediately. When do you wish to do this?”
“Now.” He replied.
Gnarl looked uncertain for a moment but then breathed and nodded. “Understood Great Master. I will send Wrath to you when I am certain we have everything ready for your Dark Majesty.”
“Good. I look forward to it Gnarl. When I go out I want you watching this thing and ensure that that bug is still there.” He said as the Minion Master waddled back to the hovering stone disks and walked onto them, an assured nod and a deep bow later and he was gone once more.
Azure remained at the Heart and sat back as the Changelings around their Queen began to try to transform into a better version of him. While it was disturbing to see more than one of him he had to keep an eye on things as time slipped past him. He leaned back and slowly sat down beside the Heart, leaning against the wall. He looked up as Wrath rejoined him and stood in front of the red stallion.
“Master!” The stallion looked to the minion as went on. “Ready!”
The minion shouted his reply and Azure pushed himself to his hooves and the minion leaped for his back and sat lightly in place. The Overlord was quiet as he left the Heart and a glance over his shoulder had the image vanishing at his departure. ‘I should be able to tell it to show Gnarl where I am. Otherwise, he will be troublesome about me being out of communication or able to easily find me. I have to admit I hope Giblets experiments on my helm will allow him to speak to me through it like he used to. Otherwise, he may buck me trying to leave for so far away.’ Azure was quiet as he stepped onto the platform and commanded it to return to the throne room. As the platform moved he looked over the walls of the Netherworld and he watched as the lava that flowed within flowed freely over the walls. The red stallion was quiet as the platform reached its destination and he jumped off of it once it had stopped moving.
“Gnarl!” He shouted as he reached the entrance to the throne room.
“Yes, Master?”
Gnarl was looking at the map table and Azure joined him. “Any idea where that place is?”
“No, Master. But the Tower Heart will be able to tell us the exact location.”
Azure nodded and closed his eyes as he reached out to the Tower Heart and it responded to his call. He called upon the location of the Changeling Hive and he felt the Heart pulling in a direction and he opened his eyes as he scanned the map table. His eyes widened as the map lit up and a far section of it began to warp into the basic shape of the barren land of the Changelings.
“There it is.” He said to the Minion Master.
“Well done Master. Your use of the Tower Heart is truly exceptional.” The Advisor praised.
“Thank you. Now to start to move. Is the Netherworld Shard ready?”
“Yes. It is being brought to you to ensure that it will act as the other ones once did.” The minion replied to him.
“Understood. The last thing we need is for it not to work. Grubby will need to engineer a Gate there as well. Depending on the size of the hiding place he finds will determine if the Gate is the standard size or the one I created.” Azure responded to him. “How are the experiments with my helm coming along?”
“Very well Master. We are sure the newest one will be able to allow us to speak back and forth. The only question is its range.”
“And I will not be wearing it when I control the minion within the Hive.” The Overlord pointed out.
Gnarl gave a visible grimace and nodded. “That’s true. We will do further testing to try to find a way for it to work again.”
“Well, we have control of the Tower Heart. Is it possible that I can use it to speak to you, as you did with my Father?”
Gnarl was quiet as he thought it over. “If you can command it to then I would hope that it can do as you ask of it. I suppose we can test it as well while you are out.”
“Agreed. Do you need to have the Heart here to talk to me or can it stay where it is?”
“I think we should try it out up here, Lord.”
“Very well.”
Gnarl opened his mouth to speak when the Overlords horn lit up. His magic connected to the Tower Heart and the globe appeared above them, hovering over the map table. The Minion Master was quiet as he stared at the Heart and then to the Overlord himself.
“Well done Master.” He praised, his voice a pitch higher.
Azure looked to the minion. “Thank you. I was not wholly certain I could bring it here and have it stay in place, but it seems to work out just fine.”
Gnarl nodded fervently as he then began to issue commands to the minions around them. The Greens that he would be taking with him was a bit surly due to their baths but they behaved as they were commanded. Azure has decided to only take twenty of them. Any more than that and they risked being seen. Azure waited as Gnarl looked back and motioned for him to look to the throne as the Netherworld shard was laid before him. His horn lit and he reached out and his magic covered the shard he looked over as the strongest of the greens, who would act as his host for the time they were in the Hive, stepped forward and he focused on the Minion. His consciousness began to pull away and he closed his eyes as his magic flared and he opened his eyes. His Unicorn form stood in place as he gazed at it and then looked to Gnarl. He nodded and then released the magic and he went back to his own body.
“Good. It will work as they always have. Send Grubby out with the shard and place it in a secure location.” He commanded and the minions rushed to accomplish his commands.
“Master, if you are caught?”
“I will abandon the minion and call them back to me from the outside. Otherwise, I will resurrect them later.” He responded. “Should have no problem using the greens stealth to avoid contact.”
The Overlord stood next to the map and looked up to the Tower Heart as it stayed hovering in place. His gaze went back to the map table and he waited as the minions scurried to complete the impromptu orders of their Master. Azure watched them race about and waited patiently for them to complete his orders. The Shard had already been removed and was now on its way to the wasteland that the Changelings called home. He walked up to his throne and spun to sit down. He leaned back against the throne and breathed a sigh through his nose. His eyes closed, his ears flicked as he listened to the sound of scrabbling claws on stone.
“You seem well-rested love.” Kelda purred to him.
He cracked one eye and looked to the mare on his right side. “I am. And you?”
“Same here. It’s good to see you calm for once. Since we arrived here your normally rushing one way or another.” She replied and leaned her body into his shoulder.
“Well. When one is brought to a new place, one must make the best of it.” He said to her, a smirk on his lips.
“You never cease to amaze, love. So far you have brought those little ponies into the palm of your hoof.” She commented. “They have even sworn to protect you from this fake Queen.”
“She is a Queen to them. But if I play my cards correctly then she will bow to me.” He said back to her.
“Exactly. Though what will you do with her?”
“If you are thinking that she will join you then you have nothing to worry about. She holds no appeal to me.” He assured the cream coated mare. “I would rather be gelded than have her among my mistresses.”
Kelda barked a laugh at his comment and nuzzled him. “Please don’t have yourself gelded. I am quite fond of you in one piece.”
“As am I.” He chuckled back to her. “Again nothing to worry about there. I may just kill her and take over the Hive.”
“That would be the easiest solution.”
“Or I may see if my Presence spell will work on her, then she will be under my control one way or the other.”
“You have it all planned out already?”
“Most of it. I have plans and backups for those should they fail. I want you to be with Gnarl as I go through the Hive. Your input is usually spot on for some situations. I will see if I can get the Tower heart to work the way we need it to.”
Kelda tilted her head at his words and he paused. “How do you mean? I wondered why the Heart is up here rather than in its usual place.”
“I will command it to act in the way my helm used to. Before Gnarl would have used it to speak to my father. So if I get out of range of my helm then we can see if the Tower Heart will take over. If the helm fails as soon as I get to the Changeling lands then I will call on the Heart. Otherwise, I will use it when I am inside the Hive.”
“Inside?”
“Yes. I have Grubby transporting a shard of the Netherworld to a hidden location inside of their lands. I will then use the green minions to infiltrate the Hive and use their abilities to gain access to the throne room where the Queen is and overhear what she has been saying.”
“You know where she is already?”
“Of course.”
The red stallion looked to the Heart and it hovered in place as his magic covered it and brought it close to him so Kelda could see into it as well. His mind focused and the Queen was still on the throne and seemed to be yelling at her drones. She balked at the sight of the bug-like creatures and looked to him.
“Now I see why you told me not to be concerned about her.” She said to him and nuzzled his neck. “That is an ugly animal. Not even worth skinning.”
He chuckled and nuzzled her back. “Agreed. I have no desire to replace you or the others. Though there are days.”
“Oh many days, my love. Juno is on the warpath once more.”
Azure groaned and his magic sent the Heart back to its place above the map table. “Now what?”
“She is screaming about going shopping.” He rolled his eyes and looked over to the mare at his side. “I’m serious.”
“Netherworld preserve me.”
“Is there a way to send her away somewhere that we can’t hear her whining anymore?”
Azure laughed and ran his hoof along Kelda’s cheek. “If only. She serves her purpose.”
“Which is?”
“I have a mistress from the main territories that I rule. You came from Nordberg, Faye from the Sanctuary, and Juno from Everlight.”
“You do not have a lady from the Empire.”
“That’s is because Juno fits for them as well. Plus every female in there was a fat bloated thing if you recall.”
Kelda nodded as she grimaced. “That’s true. You have high standards.”
“I would hope so.” He replied to her, a smirk on his mouth.
She leaned forward further and rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled him once more. “Will be taking a mare from this place as well?”
“I might. Though I am not certain which one I would choose.” He admitted. “Celestia and Luna are the ones who raise the sun and moon.”
“They what?”
“I know. It took me time to realize that they were serious as well. They are called an Alicorn, which makes them the ruling class. Those two have ruled for more and a thousand years. If I understood it right they have always controlled the sun and moon. So I would need to control them as well ss the other territories.”
“What ones?”
“There is Equestria, the Crystal Empire, and those outside of it.” He replied to her.
“Is a tall order, even for someone like you?” She replied.
“It is. But I welcome the challenge. I’m not very good at sitting back and ruling without doing anything. It bores me.” He informed her.
“That’s true. You were the active one in Nordberg when we were kids as well. Some things don’t change.”
“Indeed.”
"Master!” Gnarl shouted as the minions gathered.
“Yes?”
“It is ready. Grubby created a basic gate to allow for you to decide the type of Gate you wish to have thereafter you arrive.” Gnarl said as he stood at the bottom of the steps.
“That works perfectly, actually.” The stallion shrugged out from under Kelda and walked down the steps to the Gate on the throne room.
Wrath raced up to him and scaled the stallion’s armor to set his new helm in place. The minion sat back in his place and waited as the Overlord shook his head to test the helms fit and nodded to the Advisor when he was done. Kelda stood next to the minion Master as Azure called the minions to his side and focused on the changeling lands. A crash of thunder and lightning and he opened his eyes to a dark cavern and he was forced to wait as his eyes adjusted and he walked carefully down the steps to the dirt. The minion gates activated at his approach and light from their inner workings gave some light to the place. His gauntlet roared as he summoned the other minion colors to guard the place while he was gone. The reds lit several braziers for light and the Overlord was glad that they had thought a bit ahead.
“Okay. Grubby, sit for a moment.” Azure snapped as the minion builder approached him, awaiting his orders. Azure looked around the walls and then up to the ceiling above them. His ears flicked absently as he thought over his options. “Gnarl? Can you hear me?”
He paused as he waited for the Advisor to reply. He was met with silence and he allowed a groan to escape him as he looked back to the Gate. “Gnarl!” He shouted, trying it once more. His horn lit up with his red aura and he reached out to the Tower Heart, commanding it to act as a way of communication. When he could sense it activating he tried once more. “Gnarl.”
“Master!”
Azure grimaced at the piercing yell that hit his ears. He shook his head as the ringing finally stopped and he managed not to snarl a reply. “I can hear you just fine. Shouting is not needed.”
“Apologies, Dark one. We were quite concerned when you were not answering earlier.”
“Yes. I figured as much. Did the Tower Heart activate?”
“Yes. It lit up a bit more and now we can speak to you through it. Well done, Lord.” Gnarl replied.
“Well. When you didn’t reply to my calls I figured we had gone too far and the helm range had been exceeded.” Azure explained.
“Right. How do things look, Dark Master?”
“Not too bad. Grubby is about to start on the gate and I will see how far we are from the Hive and then start making my way toward it.”
“Well planned, Dark One.”
“Are you going to be all right, love?” Kelda piped up.
“Should be fine. My biggest concern is the distance. Once I find out how far away I am I’ll be better able to figure out the method of approach.”
“Be careful. This world holds its own dangers.” She advised.
“I’ll be fine. But I will cautious if that will set your mind at ease.”
“It does, yes. Keep in contact. Will you be able to hear us if we speak to you when you are a minion?”
“I’m not certain. We will have to see if it works as it used to. With the Tower Heart, it should act as it used to. Gnarl?”
“Master?”
“When my father was ruler did he have the ability to use the netherworld shards?”
“No, Lord. We did not have need of them.”
“That’s right. The tower was above ground. Forgot about that. Well, before my helm allowed you to see through my eyes, but we have not been able to recreate that so far?”
“Correct. We are still working on that. It is still a mystery why it no longer works.” Gnarl complained.
“Well. Magic is a lot more common here right?” Kelda replied to the minion’s complaint.
“True.” Azure put in, trying to follow her line of thought.
“Could that have altered the helm and the magic that connects it to you?” She asked.
Azure was silent as his mind clicked into place with her thought process and he leaned back to allow himself to smack himself in the face with a hoof. “By the Dark.”
“Am I incorrect, love?” She asked, concern in her voice.
“Not at all. You’re actually exactly right. I had not even thought about the magic of this world and how prevalent it is. Gnarl, thoughts?”
“Mistress Kelda might be onto something, Lord. I had not considered the magic of this world. We might need to see if we can question one of the little ponies about it.”
“I have Princess Twilight on my side. She is an Alicorn so she has more magic than most.” The red stallion replied.
“We can use her then.” Gnarl replied.
“How will we ask her for help though?” Kelda asked. “Unless you intend to bring her to the Tower?”
“No. That is not my thought. I figured I could bring the helm itself and I can command the Tower heart from a distance. She may have an idea how to connect the helm once more.” He replied quickly.
“Brilliant Master. We will use the pony to do the work for us.” Gnarl piped up.
“Precisely. I would rather do that then experiment endlessly with the damned thing.” He replied.
“Good luck, Master. We will wait to see if we can talk to you through the minion.” Gnarl spoke to him, his voice held some concern.
“Agreed. Grubby.” The minion was still at his hooves as he spoke. “A regular sized Gate to replace the small one.”
The minion nodded and shrieked out to the other builders and the dust kicked up as the minions worked swiftly. The stallion was quiet as he stayed out of the way. He allowed the minions to do their work without his interference and allowed them to work. He was aware of the cavern they were in and he began to look for an exit. His hooves carried him forward and the minions that he had summoned stayed at his side as he moved. He followed a scent to the entrance and looked outside to see that he could see the Hive easily. It was barely a mile away from their location.
“May have to have the entrance hidden just in case.” He muttered to himself as he looked around. He ducked back as the sound of buzzing caught his ears. His eyes looked up and a drone flew over the cavern and he watched as it flew to the Hive. He narrowed his eyes and was able to barely make out where it entered. “This could be a bit harrowing.”
“Love?” Kelda said aloud, having heard him talking to himself.
“It’s a little less than a mile to the Hive from this location.”
“Should we find a new one Master?” Gnarl asked.
“No. There are places to hide and there are not many drones about so we should be able to sneak in well enough.” He replied.
While he was uncertain of the exact entrance he knew that he was going to have to take it slowly and use the greens stealth. As he watched the Hive he was sure of only one thing and that it was going to take him a while to get to the throne room. His other option was to find a way to get a drone to lead him there. A yelping cry behind him had him looking over his shoulder to find Grubby motioning for him to return to the center of the cavern. He rejoined them and the Netherworld Shard reacted and grew up from the grounds and he beckoned the minions he wanted and to follow him and they began to dance around it, aiding his magic in transferring his mind completely. The red stallion lit his horn and began to focus on the shard and the chosen minion. His eyes closed as he completed the spell and he opened them to find his body in its place. He opened his mouth, half expecting a minion shriek to come from him.
“Gnarl?” His voice was gravel on hooves but it was able to be heard.
“Master?” Gnarls voice sounded uncertain as he replied.
“Yes, it’s me. I guess I can speak through the minion but I will most likely stay silent for a while.” He replied.
“Agreed Master.” Gnarl commented to him.
Azure could hear Kelda chuckling in the background and huffed for a moment but then moved the minions out, after leaving the other in defense of his body. The nineteen minions flanked him and stayed with him as he guided them along a winding path to the Hive. As they neared it he stopped in his tracks as a drone started to come outside. The greens stealth only worked when they were not moving so he froze. The drone walked out of the Hive and turned a sharp left, avoiding the group of minions, how stood still only a few feet from his nose. Azure waited till it was feet away before he dashed ahead and into the Hive. The minions were silent as they moved. They mimicked his quiet as they moved deeper, their pace slow as the Overlord led them.
Azure paused as he neared an arched doorway that seemed a bit out of place inside the Hive. He peered around the corner and saw a familiar area. He could see the Swiss cheese looking room and he thought back to the Tower hearts vision and he recalled the route the Heart had taken before. He began to leave the safety of the doorway when a group of drones came from the direction he needed to go toward. He leaned back and the minion crowded around him, going still to turn invisible and wait for the group to pass by. He nearly growled when they paused and looked around them. At first, Azure was uncertain if they could smell the minions but that thought was quickly dashed when they simply began to speak quietly amongst themselves. Azure turned his head slightly to allow himself to hear them.
“So far none of us can use the form that she wants correctly. I haven’t even seen him!” One complained.
“None of us have. Some pony saw the drones that went to Canterlot and I think they were either killed or caught.” One of them spoke up.
“Dead. Have to be.”
“The Queen is pretty set on this stallion. She thinks he can help her take over Canterlot first then the rest of Equestria.”
“Maybe if she asks him?” The others turned to look at the drone who had spoken and it cringed away from the glaring eyes. “Well, just a thought. Easier than trying to copy him and take the army she says he has.”
“That’s true.”
“But still. How do we know he has what our Queen wants?”
“You want to argue with her?”
“No.”
“Then we had better find him and figure out how to get him to agree to our Queen’s terms.”
“Terms?” Gnarl spoke aloud into Azure's mind.
The Overlord said nothing in reply and continued to listen to their conversation. “The terms that she will take him as a consort in exchange for his army?” Azure snorted a laugh and put his clawed hands over his muzzle to smother the laugh that came from his throat. He looked back to them and found they had paused but didn’t seem concerned enough to investigate.
“Yeah, those terms. But if he has an army of his own why would he want to be with our Queen?”
“Well. It’s either that option or she is going to find a way to either snap off his horn and try to use it or she is going to drain him of love and then force him to do as she says.”
“Or she is going to kill him and find out how to use the body to gain the army she wants.”
“Or that, yeah.”
Azure looked at each of them and his worry about their Queen was still not at a point where he felt he needed to watch himself. Plus, if a changeling got too close to him he could see through their form and act accordingly. And with the blue minions, he was not concerned about being caught unawares. He waited as they finally seemed to move off and he rushed the minions through the open area after he was certain they were alone. They threaded their way slowly through the rest of the complex. Azure looked up as the room dead-ended and he gave a quiet curse as he looked around. His gaze went to the strange pods on the ground and he looked at them more closely. He instructed the greens to remain in place and he jumped carefully down to inspect the strange pods more closely.
The Overlord was careful not to touch anything that might make any sound and draw attention to the room they were in. He looked at the closest pod and he pulled back when he realized that it was an egg pod. The creature within it was a Changeling and it had moved as it continued to develop. He turned to walk away when he paused. His eyes looked at the pods and he then turned back to the entrance and then to the greens hidden away. He hopped back up to them and moved them to the side, out of the doorway. ‘I wonder.’ He jumped back down and poked at the pod with one foot and nothing happened. He pushed it harder and still nothing. He pulled back the blades on his arms and swung them, rupturing the pod and killing the changeling inside of it.
He jumped back to the others and hid among them. He listened intently for any sounds that were coming to them and found nothing. He looked down to the rest of the pods and then looked to the minions behind him, they stared back at him and he nodded his head toward the pods and they descended ion the pods. Azure watched as they silently destroyed the remaining pods and then rejoined him, clearly pleased with themselves. As he looked over the destruction he looked at the minions and himself and found that they all had some of the fluids from the pods on their bodies, giving them a different scent. The greens loved new smells and stenches so they were even happier than before and Azure simply rolled his eyes as he led them back through the doorway and back the way they had come.
“Master.” Gnarl suddenly spoke up.
“Yes, Gnarl?” He whispered as he found an out of the way space to talk to the Minion Master.
“Why did we destroy those little things? I’m certain that you have a reason and I would have also broken them personally.” Gnarl replied. His question phrased to not earn the ire of the Overlord he was speaking to.
“If I ever meet this Queen face to face I will bring it up and that will tell her that I know where she lays her eggs and that I can and will destroy them, happily destroy them might I add.” He replied, his tone malicious as he spoke.
“Ahh! Well played Master. Indeed that will shake her.”
“That all?”
“Yes, Master.”
Azure left their hiding place and resumed his search for the throne room. The longer it went the more strain was being placed on the minion’s body. His power was greater than their own and their form was not meant to house a being of his power. He could feel the body beginning to weaken from the strain of his power within it. His movements were not as swift as they had been. He quickened his pace as much as he dared and stumbled into the throne room and slid to a stop before they were spotted. He flattened himself and the minions with him against the wall and waited as the Queen began to yell at the drones with her once more.
“None of you can hold his form correctly!”
“My Queen! None of us have really seen him up close. We haven’t been able to spy on him to learn how he moves and acts.” One pleaded with her.
The Queen scowled and the drone went silent. “So we need to see more of him and let you study him then?”
“Yes, My Queen. Given some time at least one of us will be able to act as a decoy and earn you the army you seek.” He went on.
She appeared thoughtful for a moment before she went on. “If we knew where he lived it would be simpler. How can it be that none of you have found his castle? It’s a Tower!” She yelled the last part at them. “Towers are tall by definition. How can you not have found him?”
“He uses those strange portals and none of us can get through it.” One added as it limped a few steps forward. “I have tried to use it once and it attacked me for the effort.” It said and Azure could see a healing burn across part of its side.
“That had to hurt.” Kelda said to him, as Gnarl laughed in the background.
He nodded in agreement since speaking would draw attention and he didn’t need to be spotted by the bug Queen. The Queen huffed and sat in silence. “Well since no magic works here he will have a hard time finding this place. So we need to find a place he is seen more often.” She reasoned.
“He is usually seen in Ponyville.” A drone piped up from the back of the small group.
“Oh? Same town as that Princess.” She spat out. She suddenly sat up taller an alarmed look crossing her face for a moment. “If he allies with them then…We must find him and either kill him or bring him to me. His magic will be useless here.”
Azure was silent as he listened to her. He toned out the conversation for a moment and thought about what he was hearing. ‘The changeling's Hive is an area that does not allow magic. If that were the case then the Tower Heart…’ he paused as he thought of the Heart that he could use as he wished. ‘The Tower heart is not from this world. While my body is that of a Unicorn I have the magic of the Tower Heart behind me. She cannot counter it with whatever is here to stop magic.’ He reasoned and looked back the way they had come. As much as he wanted to remain and listen to her yell at her drones he knew that the minion form he was in would not last for much longer. He angled the minions through the shadows to avoid being seen as they left the room and began to move the way they had come. Azure paused as he looked at the passage ahead of them. It was not the same as before. ‘Oh no.’ He thought to himself as he looked around them and moved the minions to the wall once more while he tried to get his bearings.
“Master?”
Azure heard Gnarl calling him but he didn’t reply immediately. After a few minutes of standing still, he replied to the waiting Advisor. “Yes?”
“How are you doing in there?” He asked.
“Trying to leave actually.”
“You said trying?” Kelda pointed out.
“Yes, I did. I found out a few new details of their Queens plans and am trying to leave the Hive. But…It is not in the same state as it was when I left.” He replied.
“What do you mean?” Kelda asked.
“The corridors are no longer in the same place. The oaths are different. It seems as though the entire Hive has moved and changed its…form…Oh no.” He groaned as the realization struck him.
“Lord?” Faye spoke up.
“Greetings Faye. You’ll have to tell me about Everlight when I return. The Hive is the same as the Changelings themselves.” He replied to the former Fairy Queen. “It changes as they do.”
“Oh no,” Kelda said aloud.
He went silent as a changeling was walking toward them. The creatures head was down low and seemed even more unhappy than most. It paused and sniffed as it was a few feet from them. Its eyes opened wide and it searched around itself. Azure waited as it seemed more uncertain by what it was smelling. ‘The egg pods?’ He thought and looked down at his feet and the minions with him. None of them had any of the fluids still attached to them and he looked back to the searching bug.
“Thorax!!” A shout from ahead of them startled the Changeling enough that it went stock still and stared ahead of him as another approached him. “What are you doing out here? Our Queen wants that red Unicorn stallion found. So, get going!” It shouted and the changeling nodded.
Azure fought back a smile as the changeling turned and began to walk away. Azure stayed at a safe distance and followed the Changeling carefully. He thought they had lost track of him but usually, they could hear him being yelled at and were able to track him fairly easily because of it. ‘Not the most popular of Changelings.’ He admitted to himself as the creature led them outside. Once outside Azure waited till the Changeling was in the air before he dashed across the way to hide in the shadow of another stone formation. A sigh of relief escaped him as he began the trek back to the Gate. As they neared the Gates hiding place he sighed and was able to push the minion body he was in back to the side of his own body. He closed his eyes and focused on his own body and he felt his mind slipping and when his eyes opened the minion was on the floor and he looked down to it, expecting it to be dead when it panted and got to its feet.
“I’m back, Gnarl.” He said aloud.
“Good to hear your voice, Master.” The Minion Master replied. “Are you returning to the Dark Tower?”
“Yes. I will be returning in a moment.” He replied and he could hear the sound of assurance from the others as they waited. “Grubby!” The minion digger was still there, having finished the Gate while the Overlord had been gone and now he sat waiting for his instructions. “I want the entrance to this hollow hidden. Make it appear blocked but still allow us to open it.”
The minion nodded and went to work. Azure headed back to the Gate and walked into the Gates lightning, he looked back and set a small group of minions at the Gates steps to protect it and to warn of an attack on the Gate. He finished that and called on the Gate to return him to the Netherworld. Upon opening his eyes he could see the light that came off of the Tower Heart, casting the area under it with a bit of light.
“Welcome home, My Lord.” Gnarl greeted him as the red stallion walked toward the map table and drew up next to it. “What have you learned?”
Azure chuckled at the eagerness that Gnarl asked of him. The minion clicked his long claws together as he waited for the stallion to speak. “Well, their Queen is trying to teach them how to be me.”
“Pardon?” Faye asked, her eyes uncertain for a moment as she regarded him.
“They are a race of shapeshifting bug creatures in the shape of ponies.” Azure clarified. “I chased one down in Canterlot yesterday, at Princess Twilight’s request.”
“How do you search for them if they can shapeshift?” She inquired.
“I can see through it if I can get within ten to twenty feet. The minions can sense it and the blues are able to easily see and locate them.” He replied.
Faye nodded and now also waited for him to continue. “She is trying to train them to take my place so she is able to command my army.”
“The audacity!” Faye shrieked. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she turned to the Gate.
“Faye.” Azure's voice caught her and she looked back to him. “I am right here and I know her plans. She has no chance of harming me at this point.”
She paused and bowed her head to him. “My apologies, Dark One. I was simply angered by…”
Azure held up a hoof. “I know. Believe me, I was not thrilled at her declaration either. Her drones pointed out that they have not seen me and have had no way to study me. So their ability to impersonate me is very limited. Their attempts were hilarious at best.” They nodded and he went on. “She asked that they then find me so they could study me as a way to take the army. Her other requests were to have one of her three options work out. Option one was to take me as her consort and then she would be able to use my army.” Both Kelda and Faye’s expressions darkened as he spoke about the Queens desires. “Option two was to snap off my horn and try to use the magic in it. Option three is to kill me and I assume replace me with one of her drones. Otherwise, it was then to use the body and see what would happen.”
Gnarl growled under his breath as Azure spoke, while Kelda and Faye looked nothing short of murderous. “Was that all, love?” Kelda spoke up, her voice tense.
“That was basically the main points. She has sent out a few drones to try to find me and then shadow me to learn how to be me. But the only confirmed place that they have seen me is in Ponyville with Twilight. That is the only place I have been seen regularly. I left the Gate there and had Grubby erect a way to hide the entrance of the cavern where it is hidden. I left a couple of minions to guard it and alert me if anything happens with the Gates location.”
“Well done Master. You have already countered her plans before she has the chance to ever know you were there.” Gnarl praised and the Overlord raised his head at the praise.
“And you left a parting gift for her as well,” Kelda said, a smirk on her muzzle.
“Also true. I killed a clutch of her eggs so that should get her riled up. Unless she has next to no actual care for them. In which case it will simply be something I can throw at her should we meet face to face? I know where she is and have already been inside her Hive. Will see how it plays out.” He commented and shrugged his shoulders.
“You’re not too concerned about the threat she may pose, My Lord?” Faye asked.
“Not really. Celestia and Luna asked the same things when they were alerted to what the one we had killed in Canterlot had said. It said that she was searching for a way to get to where I live. I told them that if she can get to the Netherworld without me knowing then I will give her what she wants as a reward. I have placed all of the Gates we have control of on different settings and they cannot be used with me. Only I can use them to any effect.” He replied.
“I see. They have never seen us either so that means they cannot try to impersonate any of your mistresses.” Faye commented.
Kelda snorted. “A drone in the place of Juno might be better than the real one though.”
Faye snorted a laugh and Azure chuckled at her comment. Gnarl looked a bit stricken but Juno had been his favorite since the beginning. Though Azure was not sure if he had the same care for her since her pony form did not show any of the features she had as a human. He still had little patience for the woman, mare form or otherwise. He opened his mouth to speak when a thought came to him. The fact that he had three mistresses was not known to anypony aside from those in the Tower and in his territories. He looked back to the map and then to the Heart, hovering above him. Kelda was the first to notice that he was no longer focused on speaking with them.
“Love?” She called gently to him as his horn lit up.
His magic reached out to the Tower Heart that was above him. He looked at the map and called on the Heart to drain not just the location it was using now but to also see if it could target the Changeling Hive and the lands around it. He growled when the magic bounced back to him. “Not the right type of magic I will assume.” His words were barely a whisper as he spoke. He was quiet as he released his hold on the Tower Heart and then looked up to the ceiling. Juno’s room was closest to the throne room since she was the lowest ranking of his mistresses.
“This should make things interesting.” He whispered aloud as a cruel smile crossed his muzzle. “She may prove useful yet again.”
“Dark Master?” Gnarl spoke up as Azure looked back to the map and then to the Advisor.
“I have an idea, Gnarl. What if we use Juno to draw the bug out?” He spoke quietly. They looked to him and he could see the curiously in their eyes. “I can take her to Ponyville and Canterlot. They seem to be having trouble acting, like me, so give them a much easier target. Juno is the easiest of the three of you.”
“That’s true. She’s an idiot.” Kelda replied.
“She has skills of her own but they are not meant to be used for a group that is her equal or higher. She can gain the favor of a stallion very quickly with her looks alone. While you or Faye have your charms, Juno is able to walk into a room and have the men inside it at her beck and call in a few minutes. That is her skill, one that she has used to great effect.” Azure pointed out. “She doesn’t need intelligence to get what she wants.”
“You make a strong point my Lord,” Gnarl said from a couple of feet away. “So how would you bring the focus to her?”
“By taking her with me on a few errands. She wants to go shopping. I will take her around Ponyville and perhaps to Canterlot. I need to speak with Twilight about the local currency anyway. I do not think they will accept the gold coins from the treasury. Plus, I will not need to draw the focus to her, she can do that on her own.” Kelda nodded in agreement with his assessment while Faye and Gnarl looked less certain. “You have a better suggestion then?” He asked them.
“I suppose taking all three of us is not an option?” Faye asked.
“No. The three of you will draw too much attention. I don’t mean by your looks, I mean for the bickering that they will be able to hear from one side of the Everfree to the other.” He replied.
“That’s a good point,” Kelda admitted with a grimace. “Will you be going out now?”
“No. I’m still sore from yesterday’s bruising and have no desire to run around at the moment. I think in a couple of days I will ask Twilight for a solution to the money issue and the inability of Gnarl to see from my helm as he used to. For now, I will wait and watch.” He said to them.
The red stallion was quiet as he looked up and sent the Tower Heart back to its place and then looked to Faye. “So why have you returned, Faye? Are the repairs to Everlight completed?”
“Yes Dark Lord, they have been completed. Do you wish to tour them at a later date?” She asked of him.
“I will yes. But not today.”
“Of course not. You mentioned that you were still injured so I would not presume to tell you when to see your Kingdom.” She replied to him with a bow of her head. “The Elven that you interacted with during your retaking of the city has been quite busy seeing to it that effort is made to bring things back to the way that you would wish them to be. I have not seen a pony run around so much to better your glory.”
Azure was quiet as he thought back to the ponies or Everlight. “Anthe, am I right?”
“Yes, sire. Your memory is impeccable.” She complimented.
“Some days it is.” He muttered and walked toward his throne and sat down. Azure was quiet as he thought over the retaking of Everlight to ensure that he had names and faces matched up before he spoke further. “So he has been doing a fair amount of the work I assume?”
“Yes, sire. I believe he is desperate to prove that your retaking of the city was the kindest way. Many of the Elven have taken to ensure that things are kept neat for you should you visit.” She informed him.
“Interesting. And the one guard that I gave a sentence too?” He asked.
“Still lives. The minion you left with him has saved his worthless life at least three times that we are aware of.” She replied with a dark chuckle.
“I figured that he would still try. Anthe holds his fate in his hooves. Perhaps I should drop by and see if the Elven has chosen his sentence. How long has it been?”
“A month or so,” Gnarl answered his question.
“Hmm. A suitable enough time for him to suffer, I would think. We shall see if I fell up to trekking around Everlight city in the morning. Until then I want a meal sent to my quarters Gnarl. Should the need arise you can find me there.” He said and pushed himself up from his throne, he gave a slight grimace as a large bruise along his back was aggravated and he turned to head up the stairs to relax for the evening. Kelda jumped up to join him and stayed at his hip as he went to his own room.