Gravel popped and cracked as Rick pulled his car into the driveway of the Mason family's homestead before coming to a rumbling stop just out front of his parent's old house.
"Again Ricky, I can't thank you enough for coming in when you did. You're a real life-saver you know that?"
Taking a moment to turn the radio's volume down low and put his ride in park, Rick chuckled.
"Sure Suzy, whatever you say."
"I'm serious, Rick! If it weren't for you, We would've been in one hell of a mess with the press."
Pressing once on the ignition button, the growling of the car's engine ceased instantly and Rick, after a moment of soaking in the silence of his car and plushness of his seat, sighed exasperatedly.
"Well if the folks in HR actually did their damn jobs, we wouldn't be having this conversation now would we?"
There came an equally tired sigh from the other end of the call.
"Yes Rick, I know, and I've already fired like five people today because of that."
Unbuckling himself, Rick smirked as he opened the car door, stepped out, and closed it behind him before heading towards the house.
"Only five?"
"Keep talking to me like that and your ass'll be on that list too, Rick."
Practically hearing the pout in her voice, Rick once again chuckled at his employer's anguish.
"Heh. Whatever you say, boss. Can I go now?"
"Hmm, I suppose. Enjoy your weekend Rick, you certainly earned it."
"Thanks, Susan. Take care."
And with that, Rick ended the call, shoving his phone back in his pocket just as he ascended the front porch's steps. Taking a second to dig in his other pocket for his keys, the front door was unlocked another second later and he stepped in with a smile.
"Pups! I'm home!"
...
"...Pups?"
...
"Okay...guess I'll just go fuck myself then."
Slightly miffed by the lack of an expected and much-needed wholesome welcome back, Rick stepped into the main room to find things quiet. Too quiet.
"Hmm."
Turning his head to the living room, Rick immediately noticed two things. The first thing being Dem whom he spotted atop his recliner, still snoring away without a care nor indication that she had ever moved from that spot since he left for work several hours ago. But that was normal. What wasn't normal was the second thing he noticed, and that was him, not immediately being jumped by a certain other pup.
"Chimera?" He called, looking about and finding the little guy nowhere to be seen. "Huh."
Turning about, he decided to do a quick sweep of the first floor, calling several times for the dog all the while but returning to the living room a minute later empty-handed.
"Where'd that pup run off to?" Rick wondered, scratching his head before glancing over at Dem who simply rolled over in her sleep. Humming, the man now stood over her, hands on his hips as he cleared his throat. She stirred, but did not awake. He did it again, louder, and she merely rolled. There then came a swore before the man flicked the dog on her snoot, startling her awake with a yelp.
"What the-?! Oh. Welcome-yawn-back, master."
"Thanks." The man huffed before crossing his arms. "Now where's your brother, Dem?"
"Huh?" she said, tilting her head up at him.
"Chimera, Dem. Where'd he run off to?"
"The little squirt?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing at her tired eye with a paw. "How should I know?"
"Because you shoulda been watching him." Rick answered back, raising a brow. "Like a responsible big sister should?"
Rather than outright answer him, Dem stepped down from the chair and passed her master, chuckling once through the mic built into her collar before stopping and stretching out, letting several slight pops ring out from her outstretched legs before suddenly hitting the downward and grinning. She knew he saw it.
"Me? Responsible? Heh. That's rich."
Rolling his eyes at her antics, Rick sighed as he passed the doberman by, ignoring her pout to follow and instead making for the nearby stairs.
"Oh come on, master. You're no fun!"
"Go back to sleep Dem." Rick said over his shoulder as he climbed the steps. And, once at the top, it didn't take long for him to guess where his pup was now. "Really, Chim. The attic?"
---
"We're doomed!"
"We're going to be dog food!"
"Why have you forsaken us, changeling goddess?!"
Humming softly to herself in thought, Chrysalis took a moment to take stock of her and her hive's current predicament. The changeling queen, her commander, and about two quivering, panicking thirds of her hive were hold up inside the large box with the large books. Their only means of escape, either the hole in the wall or the doorless doorway, were both a no-go as the monstrous mutt just outside was currently blocking both, with either a giant paw always stomping passed the door or a large eye occasionally peeking in through the hole, confirming to its owner that yes, its prey was still trapped in the box. The eye peeping was of course also accompanied by a brief show of gleaming teeth near the hole for all to behold, a scare tactic whose effectiveness was further heightened by the barks and growls that followed and of which had already put a few of the hive's weaker-hearted under for the moment while reminding the rest what awaited them should they try to make a break for it.
Chrysalis sighed.
Overpowered, cornered, and now being tormented by a cruel beast who craved the blood and flesh of her kin. Was this truly it? To have come so far, to have sacrificed so much, just to be made the meal of some giant alien hound in a world she or her kind had yet to fully experience or see for that matter? Chrysalis sighed once more. Up until this moment, she had bared witness to hundreds of her children fall for her ambitions. From the wedding fiasco to not a few minutes ago when her death at the jaws of the beast outside would've been made a reality had it not been for the valiant act of one of her guards pushing her out of harm's way at the last second, saving her life at the cost of their own as she saw them be swallowed whole in her place. A shiver ran down her spine. The queen of the changelings was many things, could change into many things, but rarely did she ever show much emotion besides a certain few, at least on the outside that is. But in that moment...fear, genuine fear, was all that she could muster as she half ran half flew for the safety of the book box.
"My queen."
Blinking from her thoughts, Chrysalis turned to regard her commander who looked grim, for a lack of a better term.
"Yes, Brute?
"What do we do now, my queen?"
Staring into those solid blue orbs, a ting of fear that could be seen as well as tasted by his queen, Chrysalis remained silent a moment as she looked over her hive, her guards quivering in their armor, her subjects shaking in each other's embrace, and finally back to her commander, her sweet, loyal, foolish little commander. Her mouth felt dry.
"I-...I don't know, Brute." She said, succeeding to somewhat stifle the shakiness in her voice, but ultimately failing to hide the utter powerlessness in her voice. "I really don't."
The commander, deathly quiet as he took a moment to consider this and that for himself, finally sighed before suddenly falling to his haunches and, after undoing a strap, removed his spiked helmet, revealing a tired changeling whose now-visible scars across his cheek, forehead, and eye gave the changeling queen pause as she took in this new side of her commander. Had he always looked like that?
"My queen." He started, sounding more somber than Chrysalis had ever heard him sound before. "You know, more than anyling here, that from the day of my hatching to now, that everything I've done, up until this very moment, was in service of you and the hive."
"What are yo-"
"And...while in service to you and the hive, I have never been one to selfishly ask for anything, from you or from those under my command.
"Brute, stop-"
"-But despite recent events and the ever-present danger we now face." He paused, taking the next second to bow before his very confused and very worried queen. "I now wish to pose a rather selfish request." He somehow managed to bow lower without his snoot scuffing the brown surface below him. "I would also like to humbly apologize in advance for the ill-timing."
The queen was wordless as she blinked at Brute groveling at her hooves before glancing at the others around her who had stopped their conjoined panicking to watch them instead. She turned back to him.
"...A-And that is?"
Slowly raising his head to meet his queen's eyes, Brute narrowed his.
"My queen. I humbly request that you allow me to-"
"No."
...
"...B-But my queen, you haven't heard-"
She slapped him. Hard.
"Do you play me for a fool, commander?" Chrysalis coldly asked.
The veteran commander, having never really experienced the bite of a real slap or the chill of his queen's words, was left momentarily stunned as he shakily rose a hoof to his marked cheek.
"I-I...wha-"
"I said, Commander Brute." Chrysalis spat, her figure imposing and tone scornful. "Did you really think that I was hatched yesterday?"
"But I never-"
"Look me in the eye, Brute." She said taking a step towards the downed changeling. "You look me in the eye and tell me that you weren't just going to suggest that I let you go out there and fight that changeling goddess-damned beast by yourself." Brute, after holding his queen's expectant gaze for several seconds, closed his eyes and hung his head. He was caught.
"I...sigh. I'm sorry, my queen."
"Oh? We're you, now?"
"I just though...that if I-"
"Oh just shut up you fool!" She suddenly roared, forcing another flinch from him. "Did you honestly think I would willingly let you throw your life away like that?!" The commander remained silent. "Tch, do me a service?" She spat, turning her back to him. "What good would your foolish death do to serve me or the hive?!" She rounded on him. "Well?! Tell me, commander!" Brute had never felt more shameful. "Look at me Brute!"
He did. Gritting his fangs, the changeling commander did look up at his queen and...blinked as she stared back at him, tears in her eyes.
"M-My queen." He simply breathed. And in return, Chrysalis merely huffed as she adverted her gaze.
"Idiot."
In his utter bewilderment of seeing this new, utterly alien side of his queen, the commander was left speechless in his response and well after his queen realized this as well and sighed. She then approached him and promptly lowered her neck to nuzzle her wet cheek against his own. He had of course went stock-rigid upon contact.
"I've already lost one child to this new world." Chrysalis said after she pulled away from the awe-struck ling. "I don't want to lose anyling else anytime soon. Least of all, you."
Hearing that, or at least most of it anyway (he didn't quite hear what she mumbled towards the end), Brute just had to say something back.
"My queen...I-"
"Chim?"
But it seemed that he wouldn't get to finish that something he wanted to say as he, his queen, every changeling around them, and hell even the beast outside paused at the deep utterance of that single word. The monster's master cometh.
---
"Chim. You up there, boy?"
...
Humming to himself, Rick stood at the base of the ladder leading up to the attic, brows furrowed as he stared up into the dusty expanse of the room above. His brows further furrowed when there came no immediate response from the open hatchway, leading the suited man to believe that his pup was simply hiding elsewhere.
"Hmm."
"Well? Is he up there?"
Glancing over his shoulder at Dem who was sitting a ways behind him, he shrugged before looking back up into the attic. Cupping a hand beside his mouth, he was about to call for the pup again when there came a familiar response.
Raff
Hearing that, Rick smiled before he went to call his pup down. But before he could even do that, there came a series of barks shortly thereafter, barks which gave him and the doberman now standing beside him pause.
"Huh. Something's up." Dem said through her collar, leading Rick to raise a brow at her.
"What?"
The doberman sniffed up at the attic before huffing through her nose and taking a seat beside her owner.
"Don't know. The kid's calling for you, though."
"He is?" Rick asked, glancing upwards.
"Yeah. Saying something about something he found." She tilted her head. "A lot of little somethings, apparently." She began examining her front paws. "Wants you to come and see for yourself."
"Uh-huh." Rick said, considering going up. He looked back at the doberman beside him. "And I don't suppose he was also calling for you too?"
"Mmmm nope. Just you." Was all that Dem said.
"Right." Rick sighed before looking back up, mounting the first step, and continuing up the rest as he ascended into the dusty unknown above.
As for Dem, she simply smirked as she sat and watched her master's ass sway the whole way up.
---
"M-My queen. The beast...that voice-"
"Yes, Brute. I'm aware."
"Then the barking and talking..."
"A summoning." Chrysalis said, narrowing her eyes. "Likely the monster's master finally grew impatient enough and is coming to challenge us itself." She glanced at her commander. "Do you know what this means, commander?"
The changeling could only guess.
"A chance to escape?" He proposed. His queen merely hummed in thought.
"Perhaps." She said, before grinning. "Or maybe...an opportunity."
"My queen?" Brute asked, turning to face her. When she did the same however, the commander was shocked to see her grinning as wickedly as the day she drafted her plan to invade Canterlot. "Just what are you proposing, my queen?"
"Oh, it's quite simple, Brute." She started, turning to watch as the furred beast had paused its terrorizing in favor of waiting for its master arrival. "We wait for the one who reigns over this monster to show themselves, then I will challenge them, BEAT them, and then have them relinquish their control over the hound to me in exchange for sparing their life." She cackled quietly to herself, a sight both worrisome and all to familiar to the commander. "Hehe. Oh the suffering I will inflict upon them for everything their accursed mutt had put us through."
"My queen. I mean no disrespect, but...are you actually serious?"
"Oh, Brute." Chrysalis cooed, booping him lightly on the nose. "Absolutely." She then glanced at the beast through the entrance and scoffed. "Besides. That voice was likely work of an amplifying spell like the one those insufferable princess parasites use when they demand attention. Nothing more, and certainly nothing to be fearful of."
"Truly, my queen?" Brute pondered, his brow and overall spirit raising slightly. She smirked.
"Of course." Chrysalis said, waving off her worried commander. "Tartarus, if that infernal mutt's master is anything like the princess, then I definitely don't have anything to worry about!" A villainy cackle was in order. "BWAHAHaha-heh-he-huh?"
Boom
That cackle of Chrysalis's was sadly short-lived however when there came a sudden sound and a sudden tremor alongside it.
Boom
Blinking, several times in fact, Chrysalis paused as she glanced down to the dust and tiny rocks at her hooves, noticing their very noticeable shift.
Boom
Turning her head to one side she noticed that Brute had also noticed the tremors and, with another turn of her head, so did she realize that the rest of her changelings did as well. Their worrying whispered rising to panicked murmuring proof.
BOOM
Whipping her head back towards the beast outside, she saw its backside to her, its curled tail wagging up a storm as it feverishly awaited its master's arrival, seemingly having forgotten the queen and her hive all the while.
BOOM
"My queen! I Think you really should reconsider your plan!"
Another BOOM
"Or, perhaps...at the very least, consider another option?
BOOM
My queen!? My queen!"
BOOM
"..."
You know...maybe Brute was right. Heck, maybe since the beast's back was turned, Chrysalis could possibly have her hive sneak pass-
BOOM
"Heh. There you are pup."