Queen Chrysalis shifted her weight uncomfortably for the third time in less than a minute, trying to find a position in which she could breathe without feeling stabbing pains from every part of her body at once.
The plan had seemed foolproof; capture the Princess, replace her, weaken the defensive barrier around Canterlot and then invade in massed numbers. It had very nearly worked too, only one pony, just one pony had seen through her meticulous disguise and even then, she had still very nearly managed to carry it off. No, what had finally done for her and her entire army was how much that simpering Princess and her weak-minded fiancé had loved each other.
The humiliation was hard enough to bear, but the physical injuries she and so many others had suffered had been serious, in some cases terminally so. The hive had been critically weakened, with its number reduced and a large percentage of those still alive carrying significant injuries.
The lucky ones had enjoyed a chance to feast before being blasted out way beyond the city limits, but in the final reckoning, it was going to be a long time before any of them would feed well again; they faced a lengthy recovery counterpointed by famine, and Chrysalis wasn’t certain whether they would pull through.
She gasped and tried to roll herself a little to help relieve the pressure in one place, only to feel another stabbing sensation suddenly spike her overactive pain receptors somewhere else.
“Try to rest, my Queen” came a reassuring voice from beside her.
“It’s no good. I hurt everywhere!” she snapped back angrily.
“We are lucky you are still alive, my Queen. Without you, the hive would have died.”
“We are barely alive as it is” Chrysalis replied bitterly.
“You did what you had to do” the insectoid voice of the changeling doctor tried to console her.
“It was not enough!” she spat weakly under her breath.
“What will you have us do now, my Queen?” he asked.
Chrysalis fought to apply her mind through the unrelenting barrage of physical pain, motivated by the overriding desire to defend her hive; she knew acquiescing to self-pity would be a poor reward for the sacrifice made by those changelings who had suffered far worse than her.
“I want you to bring me a changeling for a special mission. They must have travelled into pony territory before and be prepared to return there under cover” she gasped, before coughing at her exertion and then holding herself tenderly as the aftereffects of coughing rippled through her battle-scarred body.
“My Queen …?”
“Go!” she commanded. She could feel more coughing would follow shortly and didn’t want him to see how weak it would make her.
A few minutes later, Chrysalis had brought her breathing back under control, but the discussion with the doctor had tired her out and so she had returned to trying to find a less uncomfortable position in which to recline.
“My Queen?” the changeling doctor enquired, peering round the doorway.
She beckoned him in with a pained wave of her forehoof, not even turning her head.
“I have the volunteer you requested, my Queen. Would you like me to leave while you brief him?”
Chrysalis closed her eyes in an exaggeratedly prolonged blink that he took as being ‘no’, then steeled herself to outline what she had planned.
She eyed the changeling standing rigidly in front of her. He looked alert and uninjured – a good choice.
“We need to know what the ponies are doing” she began and then hesitated while she caught her breath, “… so we can identify and exploit their weaknesses.”
She paused, obviously fighting back the pain from the effort of speaking, but the seriousness of her tone made it clear that she did not want either of the others in attendance to interrupt her and pander to her injuries.
“I want you to fit in with their society … find out as much as you can about them” she continued, her voice beginning to crack with the effort, “… and report back.”
Chrysalis raised a forehoof while she fought for her breath, a signal that gave notice she had not yet finished.
Eventually she recovered sufficiently to conclude her briefing, “Go become a reporter … the ponies are used to them asking questions …”
This time, her injuries got the better of her and she released the two changelings with a dismissive swipe of her forehoof. She had wanted to say more, but considered that continuing to try and speak would only tire her more and confirm to them both how truly weak she had become, and showing weakness to her hive was something she would always avoid at all costs.
The doctor and the newly appointed spy bowed respectfully and withdrew to go their own ways, each to set about their work, one to heal those recovering from the last battle; the other to begin a task that may be the prelude to another, for better or for worse.
The passageways of the hive echoed to the sound of a pair of angrily buzzing wings announcing the presence of a lone changeling navigating his way to the main entrance. As he drew near, the guards parted wordlessly and relaxed the grip on their polearms, allowing the solitary traveller to leave the security of the hive and fly off towards the early morning sun.
The sun had begun its methodical trek across the sky a good couple of hours before the changeling spy had emerged to begin his mission, and he used its position to retrace the route he had taken when moving forward with his fellow clones to attack Canterlot only a few days previously.
He had been with them and taken part in the mischief and pillaging that had underpinned the early hours of their surprise attack, and paid for his actions by being blasted away in the wave of magic that still haunted his dreams.
Unlike the vast majority of his fellow clones, he had landed softly and been able to pick himself up straight away, but had witnessed at first hoof the fates of the others; those who had made the most pitiful noises still facing the longest recovery, whilst those who were silent would never have that luxury.
He had no doubt who was to blame; the ponies, and he would see to it that they would pay for their actions against him as well as against the other clones, and especially his Queen.
Kevin was delighted that such an honour had fallen to him and was determined to make his Queen proud.