//------------------------------// // Meeting the family // Story: Overqueen in Equestria // by Xinrick //------------------------------// "Stop it." Zegara told me. "No." Tanya answered. "Stop it." The zerg broodmother repeated. "You can't stop me." Tanya stated. "Zerg don't hug damn it!" Zegara told me. "Shes too cute and thinks otherwise." Tanya said as she was currently hugging and being hugged by the adorable bee zerg. "Hugs are always nice." The bee said happily. "You know this creature?" Helix asked. “No, but she’s absolutely adorable!” Tanya said happily. “She is going to be an assistant, soon to be replacement, of a certain Bioengineer of ours.” Zegara answered Helix. “We incorporated some of the Magicite to see if it was compatible with Zerg biomass...and here we have Hope, the next stage of Evolution for the Zerg.” "Hm. Interesting. I wasn't expecting something so… colorful…" Helix said, clearly thinking this information over. “Fascinating, Hope has the same psionic capacity, if not stronger, than Abathur’s, and she is generating her own Mana at the same time.” Karax explained as he looked over some data screens after he did some scan’s on the huggable bee. "Akin to a unicorn then." She mused. "Mind if we acquire a sample of the biomass you use?" “Normally I’d ask for a date first.” Hope answered, but brought out a vial filled with a weird glittering honey. “I think it’s only fair since we used some of your Magicite to create me.” "Thank you." Helix said as she took the vial and examined it. "Hmm… seems to share consistency with Changeling Goo…" She hummed before placing it within her pocket. "I'll have to compare the two in the lab." “So what’s next?” John inquired. “Cause while I can agree that Hope is adorable, is there still anything we need to do after our…’exercise’?” "Next will be a tour of our facilities." Helix informed. "If we will be working together, we might as well share and explore our workplaces." The scout flyer rapidly flew over near the group and landed nearby, opening a ramp to enter. "Come along." She said, walking up the ramp with the rest following. The inside was a mix of metal and, to the group's surprise, cloud, concrete, and crystals. "Welcome to Scout ship V7798. Model 82-C. Dubbed 'Firebird' by the Equestrian military." “Damn…” Tanya said in surprise. “Agreed…” John said in surprise. "The frame is made entirely of enchanted steel, the hull is reinforced construction grade clouds lined with quartz crystals for distribution of mana and to power the barriers. The concrete lines the floors, walls and roof as it's less of a fire hazard in such an event and all enchantments, weapons and thrusters are powered by three Magicite generators." Helix explained as the group walked along, seeing a crew barracks, mess hall, gym. She soon brought the group to the Armory. There was a mix of a shooting range and a hand to hand combat mat with training dummies. "And, the Armory. Perhaps the room I admire the most of all the vessels built." Karax was too busy writing and scanning all the bits he could, muttering how amazing this world’s engineering was if it could do this. “Tell me, how did you manage to condense the clouds into a solid mass strong enough to support thing’s like steel and concrete?” "That is actually an old Pegasi trick. All three of the pony tribes have unique aspects over certain magics. They are as natural to them as breathing. Pegasi can manipulate, controle and tame the weather and making a cloud go from something akin to fog to something as hard as steel is as old as flight itself for them. Many cities made by Pegasi are made of this magically altered cloud." “Outstanding.” He said in fascination. “This is quite the armory for...just a simple Scout Ship.” Tanya brought up. Helix simply kept a neutral face, walking over to one of the weapon racks and picking up what appeared to be an old fashioned Terran flintlock pistol. "When I was a foal, my family stayed in the Minotaur lands for five years. Such a different place from Equestria. Much like we used to be divided into three tribes, the Minotaurs are too divided; into six tribes. We lived amongst the Kivatora. They were always at war with one another. I remember asking one of the soldiers after they won a battle, 'is there peace now?'" she started, pulling the hammer back on the flink lock and taking aim at a training dummy down the range. "He said for now, but we must prepare. I asked why. He said 'While you enjoy the calm of peace, prepare for the bloodshed of war.'" She fired the flintlock. The bullet that exited was suddenly the size of a cannon ball. The two aliens watched as it traveled, it shifted form from a ball to a sharp pointed dart of the same size. It destroyed the target dummy leaving nothing but chunks of plastic and cloth. "Equestria has had a thousand years of peace. While the recent years have shakin things up, it has made our kingdom weak and vulnerable to attack. This fact has been proven time and time again and I am not putting my faith in a young blood princess and her five associates to save us each time with an orbital rainbow cannon. So, to answer your question, yes, this is just a scout ship, but if a single ship is built to enter and explore enemy territory, then prepare it to take on that enemy." “Well…” Tanya started worriedly. “Sound knowledge.” Zegara nodded. “Always be prepared for any eventuality.” "Precisely." Helix nodded, tossing the Flintlock over to Zegara. "Standard issue Griffonia Flintlock pistol. Enchanted to constantly recast a small Explosion spell removing the need for gunpowder. The ammunition as you saw is enchanted to expand upon exiting the barrel to a full size, and morph mid air into a more aerodynamic form with a small homing spell that helps guide the projectile to the aimed target." She informed. "With luck it will be obsolete next week when Genetech releases a line of Bolt action, lever action, semi auto and fully automatic variations capable of firing up to five thousand bullets per minute." “Impressive.” Karax said honestly. “All these enchantments...I never thought of adding psionic abilities to weapons, it was always more to increase physical or mental abilities based on what area of expertise the Templar chose…” "If you like this, wait until we land at the R&D labs. All the fun toys are." “Do you think you can incorporate these enchantments into the swarm?” Zegara asked Hope as she handed the flintlock to the bee, who took it and looked over it very carefully. “I’d need to learn a whole lot about this world's magic to have a definite answer my Queen.” Hope said carefully. “Cause this is rather intricate craftsmanship, both mechanically and magically.” "Princess Celestia has a school for gifted unicorn foals that teach these very spells. You should be able to gather texts and a tutor there if Magic is a more fine tuned form of psionic." Helix stated. “As someone who has both...Magic isn’t so much ‘fine tuned’ and more…’flexible’ than Psionics.” Hope said carefully. “I still need a better grasp on things because...well I was born yesterday.” That got a chuckle out of Helix. "Fair enough."  The group soon landed at the Genetech facility. The whole of the complex seemed to be underground. Upon entering the group was met with varying degrees of security. Enough so that a Gnat fly would be detected in an instant. The first room Helix lead the group into contained a single rifle type weapon. The body made from sturdy aluminum was decorated by several gemstones of varying kinds. "The M.Y.M 4000." Helix said. The three aliens feeling a strong psionic energy pulsate from the weapon. "Let me guess, Meet Your Maker?" John asked. "Certainly different than Big Fucking Gun 9000." Tanya shrugged. "What's with the powerful psionic energy pulsating from it?" Hope inquired. "We keep that one on level seven." Helix said, lifting the rifle with surprising ease and handing it to John. "Care to do the honors?" She asked, a targeting range opening up behind a defending wall in front of the group. "Don't mind if I do." John said as he took the gun "I've never fired a Terran based weapon before…" Karax said nervously. "I have." John said as he raised the rifle with trained actions. "Clay Pigeon shooting mostly, but same principle." John took aim at the target at the end of the range, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. Instantly the rifle's frame and barrel opened thin lines linking all the gems together as pure magic began charging up. To the aliens it was akin to being in front of a psionic bomb. Soon from the barrel shot a pure light of nuclear fission on par with the core of a star. The beam shot out and vaporized the target and the surrounding ten feet. Leaving melted metal and ash. "Jesus fuck!" Tanya yelped. "Did you really need a gun that shoots a beam of energy on par with a star?" Hope asked carefully. "It is called the Meet Your Maker. Anything killed by this baby will be dead and at their gods feet before they even know they're dead." Helix smirked, taking the rifle and placing it back on the table where it seemed to power down. "Powered by a piece of Magicite no bigger than a bit, it can fire an estimated four million shots before the core is drained." She spun around. "Now to the next room." She stated, walking towards the doorway. "Uh...huh…" John muttered. "I think that's overcompensating...by a lot." Tanya started nervously. "Yet given what I imagine to be out there, what you all have faced, perhaps it's the show of force needed show the universe to not fuck with Equis." Helix stated rather calmly. The next room was much like the last. Only rather than a single gun there were various Terran looking weapons here. Even a bow and crossbow. "These are the enchanted armaments. Magically modified to surpass and excel their basic ancestors." She lifted the Flintlock pistol. "You are already familiar with this one." "Yes...now what excessive amount of enchantments did you put on all of these weapons?" Tanya questioned. "Observe." She said, putting the Flintlock down and picking up a crossbow. She aimed the weapon down the range, and fired. The bolt suddenly became dozens, and sped by far faster than it should. All the bolts impaired the target and surrounding wall. She picked up the bow next, firing an arrow that did the same as the crossbow, but once the arrows all hit something, they erupted into a fire hot enough to turn the metal around them red hot. She picked up a simple looking spear, throwing it and missing the target. She simply whistled and the spear rapidly flew back from where it landed into her hands. She then picked up what looked like a stick of dynamite. She lit, threw it and once the fuse went out the simple stick didn't explode like normal. It blew up once. Twice. Thrice. Ten in total. She then picked up the small knife off the table. With a whistle, the knife floated on its own and with another it rapidly flew through the air, through all the heads of the target dummies before she whistled again and the enchanted blade flew back and landed itself in her grasp. “Pretty cool.” Tanya said honestly. “Kind of feeling more and more like Dungeons and Dragons with all those fancy enchantments.” “All things considered...these are some pretty massive enchantments.” John added. "Indeed. It is thanks to the excess mana from the Magicite that these enchantments, once just theory and fantasy, are now reality." Helix said, placing the knife back on the table. "We had to build a whole new kind of enchantment matrix to utilize the energy but it was time and money well spent." “I...still find it so strange that Magicite is a naturally made material...yet it has the capabilities of ancient artifacts from our Galaxy.” Karax brought up. "You think this is impressive? Heh, this way." Helix said, leading the group to another room. This was far smaller. A large glass display showed a room far larger than both of the alien's ships in orbit. Helix tapped a few buttons and appearing in a flash of magic on the ground on the far side of the room was what the three could barely make out as… a countdown clock. The numbers rapidly decreased from five minutes. “What’s with the countdown?” Zegara asked carefully. "Magicite is a powerful material. Even the smallest flakes can power our cities for thousands of years. It is also a surprisingly stable material." Helix said. "So, we managed to link a small, near microscope piece of it into a special spell that will draw out all the Mana within and expel it in a single spell. The spell in this box is a simple Flame spell, strong enough only to light a candle. But tell me, ever try to light a candle with a flamethrower?" The timer hit zero, and suddenly the whole room was white as the entire base seemed to shake and vibrate. All three aliens fell back at the force, even behind the protective glass. The glass did not crack, surprisingly. "We call it a Dead Drop. All a pony needs to do is drop this someplace, set the timer, and the next thirty to forty miles are nothing more than smoking ash and charred earth." “Ri~ght…” Tanya started carefully. “Alright...we’ve gone past ‘overcompensating’ and into the lands of egregious and unnecessary.” John said bluntly. “I mean...it’s what Terran’s use...kind of.” Karax said nervously. "We're still working on implementing this into a projectile." Helix said. "Now then, onto the Lifeblood of this facility." She said, walking along unphased by the explosion the group witnessed. “What in the world would they need to prepare for?” Zagara mentally asked Tanya. “Fuck if I know...but it’s probably something a lot worse than the Void Portals…” Tanya answered. “Have you...found any historical evidence that Magicite has been used before?” Karax asked Helix carefully. "A few legends here and there. A likely possibility would be the legend of an old Unicorn Magic weapon. Made before the unification of the three tribes. It's said to be made of an, at the time, unknown but extremely powerful magical ore." Helix stated. "If it does exist it's most likely Magicite powered." “Understandable.” Karax nodded. “What? No ancient ruins that’s still functioning with even bigger and better tech than what we see here?” Tanya asked half jokingly. "It's a possibility. The ancient homelands are still lost to time but the tips of some buildings have been discovered. Thank the stars Unicorns always had a fetish for building towers." “And does that extend past building tower’s in the ‘long and hard pillars’ kind of context?” Tanya asked. "No, not really." “Alright.” Tanya nodded. “But there would have needed to be something huge to knock down a magicite powered ancient civilization.” "I doubt the entire civilization was powered by it. If they were, we'd either still be divided into three tribes or the Earth Ponies and Pegasi races would be extinct." "Or it means these precursors weren't Unicorns." Tanya pointed out. "Cause it wouldn't have been just the other tribes that would have gone extinct...this entire world would have been dominated by one group solely, only for something of equal might or greater to bring it down." "Hmm… there is a possible root in that theory." Helix said, looking thoughtful. "If that is the case, it would explain the Ability of all the known races on Equis to crossbreed. Ponies and griffons, dragons and Minotaurs. You name it a crossbreed has been born of two or more races and some even became whole new species, such as the Kirin and Centaur. If there were survivors, scattered and evolution to the environment and diet played a part…" “And it would explain how there’s a Psionic Imprint on the Magicite, leaving messages for future generations if magic wasn’t fully utilized in this ancient period.” Karax said with some thought. "Hmm… interesting. Makes me wonder what they were like? How did they look. All the races on Equis now vary often drastically. Such wonders…" Helix ponders, a short lived grin crossed her lips before it faded. "Talk for the labs and the archeologists. For now, we head to the Lifeblood of Genetech. Come along." She stated, leading the way to another massive room filled with workers pushing along large bins filled with ores and wood and barrels of water, crates marked as good and medicine. “Hopefully these people are getting paid properly…” Tanya muttered, remembering back home work paid jack all half the time. "Yes. Now come along." Helix said as the group reached a large machine completely irradiating Psionic and Magical energies. To the aliens, it was like feeling… creation. Raw and primal. "Tell me, what do any of you know of Transmutation?" Helix asked. “Well...it can be either a lot or not much.” Tanya started. “But Fullmetal Alchemist is probably the best source in this situation.” John mentioned. “Here here.” Tanya agreed. “But to not get sidetracked by us nerds, Transmutation is a key part of Alchemy, and it can do a whole host of things, legends say it can turn lead into gold, and even create the Philosopher’s Stone, a powerful artifact that can give someone eternal life.” Tanya explained. “But this feels...primal in it’s energies.” Karax started. “Almost like Zerus, the Primal Zerg homeworld…” Zegara mentioned carefully. "Accurate. Now, what do you know about how the universe formed?" “Would you like the religious answer, or the actual proovable answer?” Tanya asked. “Cause I’ve been bitched at too many times with the former.” "Please. Even our gods acknowledge their birth in the big bang." Helix stated. “Thank you.” Tanya sighed out. “I really wanted to make a reference to the Big Bang Theory song.” John siad. “But yeah, the whole universe started in the Big Bang, a massive fuck off explosion that just happened one day.” "And in the heat and aftermath, formed galaxies, suns, planets… gods… Now, how magical transmission works is by using Mana to rebuild and reshape existing matter. Now imagine if you combined the two. The raw pure energies that formed our existence and Transmutation magic, working Together and forming… anything. Once upon a time a great wizard tried this. His matrixes were solid and magic strong, yet he alone could not power it. Even with Celestia and Luna's aid, they never made anything bigger than a simple pebble, no bigger than a bread crumb." She then waved to the machine before them. "Meanwhile this device has created… everything around you. From the steel to the drinking waters to the sand and the gravel that was mixed into the concrete foundation… Genetech proudly presents, our All Maker Machine." “And there’s...magically no draw backs to this?” Tanya asked. “Is there no ‘Law of Equivalent Exchange’ in this Transmutation stuff?” John asked carefully. “The...literal power over creation…” Zegara shuddered. “In just...a simple machine?” Karax asked in absolute wonder. "It uses the pure Mana from within the Magicite to power the matrix. The matrix simulates the very birth of the big bang and the various other funnels pour that raw primal energy into transmutation matrixes, creating ores by the tones and water by the thousands of gallons a minute. Food unlimited, water for every mouth, and never a shortage on materials. It does take ten pounds of Magicite to power for a year, but a small price for having created what is essentially a mechanical god." Helix smirked. “Alright...so that’s why all this shit is happening.” Tanya started. "Correct. Once you have creation itself in the palm of your hands, everything else is foals play." “Just begs the question...what in the world could have ruined a civilization if it had this at it’s disposal?” John asked carefully. "Worry of the past later. For now, I wonder, is that when we have creations birth itself here… how in bloody hell are the Dragons catching up?" Helix asked. "There are two possibilities and I like neither of them." “Dragon’s were a genetic experiment by whatever ancient civilization as some weird thought experiment at making an apex predator on a planet filled with magical ore that can literally give people god-like powers?” Tanya asked. “Or as a guard for...whatever caused them to fall?” “Dragon’s finally decided to use their ancient knowledge and use it for progress instead of lazing about because they actually see things are progressing a lot faster than their insane lifespan can handle?” John asked. "No…" Helix said, a look of disappointment at the two. "Either Genetech has a mole leaking knowledge… or there's another All Maker Machine in the Dragonlands." “Well that’s boring.” Tanya said honestly. “Weird how either corporate espionage or another All Maker Machine is boring to you.” John said honestly. “Would you say either of those thing’s are better than Dragon’s being an ancient genetic experiment to be apex predators that get stronger from eating literal god magic in obsidian form?” Tanya asked. “...Good point.” John frowned. “But either way.” John started. “Let’s not get distracted by the fact that we literally have creation in machine form.” "I have my concerns and you have yours." Helix said. "This is the Lifeblood of Genetech, the creation that made this company the corporate entity it is today. The only other creatures who know about this device are Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, the Founder and company owner, myself and the workers here at Laboratory Zero." “This is...certainly a thing.” John said honestly. “It’s a technological marvel that’s what it is.” Karax said as his awe at having creation itself at someone’s fingertips went away a bit. "I'm informing you of this machine to make one thing clear. If this base, what it truly is, gets discovered and raided, I expect you to call forth these armies of yours to help defend it." “It would have been technically better to have this thing not exist but either way.” Tanya stated. "Even though this machine is what's keeping food on families tables, water for crops and thirst and the medicines healing the sick. You would let countless die when the secrets to saving all of them are standing before you?" Helix asked as she turned to Tanya. "How ignorant of you." “There’s also an equal opportunity for it to do equally worse things, but right now we’re not here to get into the philosophical parts of building a literal god like machine.” John started. “Both of you would have good points, but we’re not here to argue about this.” "Helix!" The group turned, seeing a pegasus in green army clothing fly up to them he stopped, giving a fast Salute to the mare. "Sudden activity outside of Appaloosa." "What, more portals?" Helix asked. "No ma'am. It's… a Ship." "A ship?" "That's what the scans show… powered… by Magicite." "And it's not ours?" "No, not Dragons either." ”You got a visual on it Isha?” Tanya asked up to the Leviathan in orbit. ”Yes, but it is not any design I have seen, it is also radiating a strange biomass signature even though it looks to be made of metal.” Isha explained to me and Zegara. “And worse news, it’s also probably a living being.” Tanya brought up. “That’s concerning if a pure magicite ship is giving off life signs.” John said carefully. "Well, let's go greet these unknowns." Helix said. The trip there was fast. The small pioneer town was rapidly evacuated and the ship itself was like stone in appearance. It shined with a green like color almost akin to amber in texture. Cautiously the group approached, Helix armed and armored. The others were surprised she came along. Standing at a seemingly balcony like area of the ship was a tall, pitch black being with insectoid like features. His dark golden eyes gazing down at them from above. His 'hair' looked thin, like paper and was semi transparent. Atop his head also sprouted a long jagged horn and two paper thin wings were adorned from his back.  "The hell… that's a Changeling. The same kind Chrysalis is. He some kinda king?" Helix spoke aloud. “Let’s not talk about that failure at the moment.” The strange changeling called back to Helix. "So, you must be the new hotshots thinking they know their way around Magicite hmm?" "I'd say we've done well for starting from the ground up." Helix said, her tone matching the uncaring one of the Changeling above.  “A rather disappointing start if you ask me.” They shrugged. “But me telling you you suck at your job isn’t why I’m here, or why I didn’t slaughter this entire town waiting for you all to get here.” "You insult like a foal." Helix said. "So let me guess… thirty guns are on us right?" That made the changeling raise a brow. "Half or more on your ship, the rest… cloaked. Drones, or something similar." The changeling looked at Helix...and then started to laugh. “Oh my dear pony, you are hilarious if you think I’d need all that.” He shook his head. “No no, it’s a lot simpler than that,” He started...as he vanished from everyone’s views. “It’s just me and a random ship I grabbed.” He said as he appeared near everyone, which surprised Helix cause he didn’t use magic at all or even machinery that she could tell. “Cause if I wanted to really hurt the people in this town,” He said as he gave everyone a calm, calculating look. “I’d have done it already.” "How cliche." Helix frowned. “You are such a treat.” He said simply. “Who are you?” Tanya asked carefully. “Cause...well Helix said you're a Changeling, but you’re not a changeling I’ve seen before.” “Oh, where are my manners?” He said in mock shock. “I am Imago, the first born and greatest of my siblings.” He stated simply, which the ‘greatest’ part didn’t sound like any boast, more like a simple, proven fact. “Alright...and what are you?” John asked. “Whatever he is, he is exuding a massive quantity of magical and psionic energy.” Karax mentally told John. "I am made in my God's image." He stated with a smilesmile. "Everything I am came from him." “That technically didn’t answer my question.” John stated. “Gonna need to be a bit more specific there, rather than this weird ‘holier than thou’ explanation, which is both figuratively...and literally.” He said as he looked at the weird holes in the Changeling’s body. "Oh, making jokes? Hm, would you like a demonstration?" He asked, the holes along his arm began to fill with a black and blue energy. The crackling raw energy trailed to the palm of his hands, and he raised it to the sky, and let it roar into the sky. Alert! Critical damage sustained to ship hull! Total shield failure! “What!?” Karax said in shock. “Get it down to the planet side now!” Karax ordered as they all saw the Spear of Adun, a massive mountain range sized gold and white ship start to descend towards the planet. “How...in the world did you manage to damage the Spear of Adun? It’s comprised of Solarite, something that’s...comparable to Magicite…” We are helping the Spear of Adun land safely, as well as keep it from falling apart my Queen. Isha mentally told Tanya and Zegara, a massive space fairing beast, something that was only half the size of the Spear of Adun, was helping it land, massive tendrils keeping the entire ship together even as the massive hole in it was growing ever apparent. "Oh you simple life form, you know the answer." Imago said with a grin. "My Master plans on picking up where he left off, and soon. This time there won't be any peskey traitors to worry about. Just their… heh, descendants." “Yet...you sound like someone who would find it boring if you didn’t have some challenge.” Tanya started carefully. "True, it would be boring to fight off such… devolved beings such as the races that inhabit this planet now. Time has not been kind to you, but perhaps time can also be your salvation." He hummed. "I will be back, and when I do we can play a little game. It will be interesting to see you struggle and fight. Til then, I have a sister to find." “Sister?” John asked. “You mean this...Chrysalis lady Helix mentioned?” "Yes. An unfortunately crippled member, but family is family." He shrugged. "How long are you giving us?" Helix asked. "Hmm… this planet's year." “And how long is this planet’s year?” Tanya asked. “Cause we...kind of got here last week.” "On Equis, a thousand days." Helix said. "We don't rotate around the sun anymore like normal planets, you can thank Discord for that. Celestia and Luna rotate the sun and moon around the planet. As a sorta memory of his milenia long rule, the new format for a year is a thousand days, broken up into forty, twenty-five day long months." “Well...makes sense.” Tanya shrugged. “A thousand days...that technically should be enough time to at least prepare somewhat…” John muttered. "Ah, hmm… definitely changed from what it used to be. But I'll allow it." Imago shrugged. "Til then." In the depths of an unnamed forest far on Equestria's eastern borders, set up in a poorly built camp sat who was once the queen of the Changelings. Chrysalis sighed, her small campfire began to flicker. She tossed in more of the branches, wishing there was one from her brood that stayed loyal to her. She never experienced a full blown rebellion, and such a rapid evolution. It might have even impressed her siblings, had her brood stayed loyal to her. A snapped tree branch caught her attention. Raising her head up, she looked around, barely catching the shine of something in the bushes before it ran out. The tall, dark blue changeling looked to be the embodiment of a living set of blades.  “B-but...how?” Chrysalis asked in absolute shock. “I...I thought Dane…” The dark blue changeling then rapidly tackled Chrysalis, who soon found herself in a tight yet gentle hug. "There's my baby sister!" The hugger declared with joy. "It's been too long! My Makers you got tall! And are looking a little thin, haven't you been getting enough energy?" She asked as she looked Chrysalis over. Chrysalis, after what felt like an eternity, finally let tears fall from her eyes. “It’s...it’s been a trying year for me sister.” Chrysalis sniffled. “You know how it goes...my brood somehow evolved into not needing to absorb energy from other beings, able to produce it in mass quantities by themselves...and I was kicked out...abandoned to be by myself without much help from anyone…” She sighed out. “Even if those damnable ponies offered their ‘friendship’...when was the last time Friendship helped me? It almost got you all killed!” She cried as she hugged her older sister as tight as she could. “So...I’ve been better…” She sniffled softly to her bladed older sister. "You can't trust the descendents of those traitors for anything." Walking from the trees stood a Changeling in very similar colors to Chrysalis, but towered a whole two feet over the Queen and was far 'healthier' body wise than Chrysalis. "My goodness you must be starving." “Wouldn’t be the first time older sister.” Chrysalis sighed out. “But those changeling’s that rebelled were of my own Brood, cause even though I couldn’t handle Magicite I can still make a pretty strong army.” She said, then her stomach growled to add the fact she’s starving. "Oh, come here." Larva said, hugging her younger sister and let raw energy flow into her. Chrysalis drank the energy without resistance. The flavor and power brought her back to simpler, happier times. In an instant the Queen grew out more, gaining a similar, if shorter frame akin to her older sister. "There we go, all full." Larva said with a smile.  “This feels so much better.” Chrysalis sighed out. “So...Pupa, Larva...while seeing you two here is everything I could ask for and more...why are you here?” Chrysalis asked. “I thought the Goliath War...I looked everywhere for you all...even Clutch for our Maker’s sake!” She shivered at the thought of having been so lost without her family that she looked for her most hated of all her brother’s and sisters. "Our maker managed to pull us with him into the Void when the rebels set off that bomb. Unfortunately, it trapped us there. Only recently was the Veil between thin enough to force a portal back open." Pupa sighed. "But we were able to see through it." "We watched, wishing we could have been there with you." Larva added. "It's true!" Turning, the three spotted a smaller, male Changeling. Bright yellow eyes and wings as he flew around the three. "We saw it all! Imago was even impressed with how well you taught your broods stealth and infiltration!" “I-Imago was impressed by what I’ve done!?” Chrysalis asked in absolute shock. “But...I thought...I thought he still saw me as a failure…” "I saw you as a failure in your built purpose." Turning, Chrysalis saw her eldest sibling and brother, Imago, standing before her. "You were built to be just like Larva, yet you could not handle Magicite or it's energy. The result was weaker broods and therefore, weaker armies." He said, gazing down at the Queen. He then put a hand to her head. "But you never gave up. You put our natural Ability to shapeshift to work in a way I didn't expect. And when the traitors' descendants populated and ruled this planet, you made them your food source. A means of regaining power." He patted her head. "Your invasion of that city, Canterlot, was smart but definitely needed more refined planning. If you replaced more guards than guests and picked off those pesky mares one at a time, victory would have been yours. For a first attempt, not bad." “What I should have done was put Twilight in a Cocoon, not right next to Cadence.” Chrysalis frowned. “Cause even with their guards, my Brood outnumbered them a hundred to one...but that’s all down the drain now that my Brood evolved into what they are now, able to produce their own vast source of Mana at a rate I’d place at...maybe a hair of Magicite considering they’ve gone two years without harvesting a single ounce of energy from anyone or anything.” "An impressive mutation." Chrysalis felt her chitin crawl at the younger voice. Glancing over, she saw the slightly shorter, purple eyes and winged changeling in what appeared to be a lab coat standing with… the head of one of her traitorous brood in hand. The name of that one escaped her, and a small twist of anger and even sorrow hit the Queen. She hated her brood for effectively leaving her for dead, but not even they deserved what twisted torment her younger sister Clutch was capable of. "It would appear you aren't entirely useless after all." "That is enough Clutch." Imago stated. "This is a reunion, not an evaluation." “And even with Magicite enhancing you I’m still your physical superior.” Chrysalis growled. “But...did the Veil break when those strange being’s started appearing from those Void Portals? Saying something about ‘reviving Amon’ or the like?” "Around that time, yes." Imago stated. "They've been scratching and clawing at it for what felt like eons in that damnable dimension. Mindless good for nothing abominations. At least they did manage to break it, letting us return." “I’m surprised Discord’s even allowed that bit.” Chrysalis snorted. “He’s been out for five years now, and even though he’s not as ancient as us he’s still powerful enough to keep the Veil from breaking like this, even if Magicite had something to do with it.” As she brought that up, a small little pop of confetti and a note appeared in her hands, simply saying in Discord’s own strange handwriting ‘Cause I was bored and owed a favor’. “Yeah cause of course he’d be bored…” She growled. "This reality warper is concerning…"  "Many interesting life forms have evolved." Clutch purred. "I'd like some samples as soon as possible. Especially, one of these… Alicorns. They interest me greatly." “Don’t touch my brood again, Clutch.” Chrysalis growled. “I don’t care if they're traitors, and left me to die...they are still my children, and I don’t want your sick twisted hands getting to them again.” She growled, the ground lightly trembling from her fury. “You’ve grown strong these past millenia, even without magicite.” Chrysalis turned around and saw her last sibling, the physically biggest and bulkiest of the group, a ‘grand sumo wrestler’ Chrysalis would have put it considering ancient martial arts that have been going strong. “I remember when you couldn’t even break one of my simple metals, but now I can tell you can break it with ease.” The greenish black chitin changeling said. “It’s nice to see you're still as well fed as ever, Maggot.” Chrysalis nodded to her brother. “Sumo wrestling has come a long way since you originally developed  it.” “Gotta keep it up for making all our gear.” He laughed jovially as he hit his large, muscle bound stomach. “And I managed to take a glance when we weren’t watching you, a Rikishi able to use their bare hands to turn coal into diamonds, without the need of magic or Magicite? Amazing!” "Regardless, these… upstarts, have begun to redevelop the technology their ancestors so arrogantly let their descendants forget." Imago stated. "Weapons wise they're not too far off, but they already have a Creation Generator. Soon enough they'll learn how to build Magicite. We have a year, now a thousand days, to prepare for whatever they make up as defense, counter offence, and attack." "What are you planning?" Clutch asked. "Study, for now. We've seen much through the veil but not all. We best study all we can about this planet. Update old notes and catalog any… species of value or interest. Thankfully not every race on this rock devolved from those traitors…" “And what about the Goliaths?” Chrysalis asked. “From what little intel I’ve managed to gather, they’ve been trying to dig up at least one of the old bases, I don’t know which one it is but it could house any one of them.” “Let’s not forget the Dragons.” Maggot brought up. “They finally started investing in Magicite...I don’t know how far they’ve gotten, brother, but you know how troublesome those ancient bastards can be.” "True. I doubt they built it without stumbling upon an old supply cache." Imago brought up. "They most likely did. Still, for now we study. Wars are won by well armed soldiers and well informed generals. Arms and fodder we have in spades, but intelligence is where we must work on for the time being." “Not to mention our new...guests.” Chrysalis added. “What are they? I’ve never seen either of those races before, if ever briefly from my quick scouting from Ponyville.” "Upstarts." Clutch laughed. "One speaks of swarms while the other speaks of biomass and evolution. They are children dabbling with sciences neither have the mental faculties to ever Truly understand." "Never the less they seem to know the void beasts so… perhaps they are noteworthy at minimum." Imago stated. "Tell me sister, how good have you become at stealth and Infiltration?" “So much so I was able to create copies of each of the Element Bearer’s and nearly destroy their precious Tree of Harmony, a Magicite Construct that’s the pinnacle of the Equin’s so called ‘Magic of Friendship’.” She stated simply. “Without a single one of them knowing I even existed...sadly that backfired royally because I didn’t think their own negative emotions would have destroyed themselves completely before it shattered the tree.” “And these Elements?” Maggot asked. “Six heavily enchanted Artifacts made from the purest Magicite I’ve ever seen in millenia, able to use the six key components of this worlds life, Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, and Magic itself.” Chrysalis answered readily. “Sounds cliche as shit I know, but they have managed to take down many foes like Discord, that reality warper, and Tirek, an ancient Centaur that’s able to absorb any form of Magic, even Discord’s.” "Hmm… six you say? Hmm… Clutch, gather this… Tirek and… examine him. His Ability could prove useful." Imago started. "Gladly." Clutch smiled with a sadistic glee.  "As for these… Elements… well, tell me brothers, sisters, what six traitors could have built such a construct?" The siblings all seemed to mull that over, then Larva spoke up. "The old R&D team?" "Correct. The first six to turn traitors, and the six smartest scientists our species birthed. Save Father." "They can't be alive after all this time…" Pupa stated. "Chrysalis is. While not created to live so long, our Father accomplished his godhood through Void. They likely discovered an alternative method." "Then where are they?" Nat asked. “There’s...only six I know of.” Chrysalis brought up. “The Six Pillars of Equestria, but they were lost to Limbo from what the legends say trying to bring down a Void Touched Unicorn centuries ago.” She brought up. “A being here became Void Touched and we didn’t notice?” Maggot asked in surprise. “I don’t know the hard details, I was still trying to get some spies into the Dragon Lands at the time and it...still never worked cause their senses could even beat our shapeshifting, something that should have been perfect in everyway.” "Hmm… it appears this planet has grown quite interesting in the time since we were here last. For now, come along Chrysalis." Imago stated as he held out a hand to his sister. "Father has eagerly been awaiting your return as much as us." "Not me." Clutch said, earling a kick to her shin by Pupa. "Ouch!" "Quiet you…" Pupa huffed. “Father...wants to see me?” Chrysalis asked. “This...am I dreaming brother?” Chrysalis asked Imago carefully. "No, sister. We are the last true Changelings. We are family. Never again will we leave one another behind. Even Clutch." "Bite me!" Clutch huffed. Chrysalis’s tears came back in full force, her first genuine, truly happy smile in what feels like an eternity, gracing her face as she nodded. “Thank you…” She said, feeling honest, genuine love after so long it made her heart flutter in glee. The group, minus Clutch, gave their sister a hug, and went off. The cavernous chamber where her father resided within the primary ship always filled the siblings with unease. Still, Chrysalis entered the chamber of her creation. Before her, towering just above her was an elderly looking Changeling. His body cracked as a dark energy bled out. The changeling had no wings, and their eyes were sunken in so deep, it was like looking into the face of mummified remains. Chrysalis gulped as she stared at her father. "Chrysalis…" The old, worn and tired voice spoke. "Come here… let me get a good look at you." “I...I’m here father.” She said, swiftly moving to her father’s side, knowing he didn’t like to wait. “How...are you feeling father?” "Old." He laughed. It unnerved Chrysalis. "Even Void has its limits to keep a body alive. The time has come, my daughter." He said, pulling a file onto the table. The text, in a language Chrysalis hasn't read in years, said her name. "You haven't forgotten our language, have you?" “I have not father.” She answered, having wanted to make a joke but the current situation having made her push it back hard. “I remember our language as fresh as the day I was taught it.” She said as she gently took her file from the table and opened it. As Chrysalis read over the pages l, most of this was all information she already knew, but as she went on the text began to confuse her. This can't be right… she thought. If this is correct then... “Um...father, I’m having a little trouble… understanding what you mean here.” She said carefully. “It says I wasn’t created to hold in Magicite like my siblings...but hold in Void?” "You are correct." He answered. "Tell me, Chrysalis. What do you believe Void energy is?" “An ancient...corruptive power.” She started. “Even if it’s a power that I have only seen three times, today being the third with the strange liquid coming out of you...it has always felt...off, wrong...in two different ways.” She shook her head. “The first being it wanting to consume me, turning me into something I’m not in some corruptive cascade...but the other...it feels like a cold hand is whispering power unlike any I could ever dream of, total control over a reality outside my comprehension...and both are terrifying…” She shivered. “Like if I’m staring between Clutch and an Angry Imago…” The analogy gained another laugh from her father. "All true, but, Void is older than creation. It existed long before the big bang and will even outlive creation itself. Now tell me, what is the veil between the realm of creation and The Void?" “It’s...hard to explain given there’s an explanation for each new race on this world father.” She said carefully. “But it all culminates into either a form of energy that existed along with Void, or some creature made construct that keeps the corruption of Void from touching that of Creation, each planet housing something akin to it in their own special way as the stars between act as a sort of lighthouse system.” She explained, which even though she knew about space travel the minds that brought these theories up weren’t technically incorrect with how it all fell together. "Wrong." He said. "The Veil was born along with creation. A primal force that eats away at the Void and grows creation within it. But even so, the Veil of creation is no different than the cloth of a wedding veil. There are holes where the void slips through. This void, cut off from it's primal home begins to get battered and beaten by the forces of creation at work. And so like the wolf, bread into submissive dogs this void was reshaped into what we know as Magicite." That surprised Chrysalis greatly to hear the origin of Magicite. “I thought Magicite was created due to extreme bouts of heat and pressure from Volcano’s combined with the intricate LeyLine system of Equis.” She brought up. “It’s why it’s comparable to Obsidian Glass, the only other substance made by such a reaction?” "If that was true then our race would have never charted the stars to mine the material. No, Magicite is an incorruptible, stable variation of the primal void. Even watered down so much it's mutated me." Her father said, a finger tracing the cracks along his body. "In the end pure, primal voided will corrupt or kill anything… anything, but you." He looked Chrysalis into the eyes. "I built you to process and digest raw Void into Pure Magicite. What the universe does to void over the eons you can do in mere minutes. It's why you can't use Magicite energy. It's too weak for you." Chrysalis didn’t know what to say at this sudden, and extremely vast explanation. “I...I can...Father, do you have any idea what this means?” She asked. “It means I can save you from this poison, with the help from everyone else...we can stop this corruption, stop you from dying…” Tears flooded her eyes even though her Father in his current state was something that kept filling her with unknown dread. “Please...I just got my family back…” "And you will." He said, placing a hand to hers. "With your help, our family can be rebirthed into a stronger, better form. Our species left our Homeworld because we used up all the Magicite, our power and might was dependent on it. Then we came to this blasted rock, and so many craved an end to the traveling. So much so they rebelled. I escaped with your siblings into the void so your true purpose could be fulfilled… but you were left behind. While in the void, your siblings hibernated, but I remained awake and listened to the darkness. One day, this creation all around us will too end, but with you, my daughter, we can survive it's end and become true God's, not even the primal void could harm us." “So...let me get this straight…” She started carefully. “This whole rebellion...it was because our race...was homesick?” "Not quite the right word. More like, wanted to settle down roots. By the time we arrived at this planet, this was the thousandth or so generation. Selective mutations allowed us our shapeshifting to adapt to any planet we landed upon, but we never planned on permanent colonization. Our Homeworld has been gone too long and the raw Magicite that made it was unrivalled, it wasn't just our power source it was our food source. Even back then we fed off energy. This planet was our first encounter with Mana. Not as potent as Magicite but powerful still and self sustaining. Many saw it as a sign to finally settle roots. They could create bodies that could consume the Mana but also the extra nutrients from food and water like other organics. Thus, Ponies, Griffons, and many others came into existence. Our rulers at the time, myself included, knew it wouldn't last, and such a radical mass mophs meant that in so few generations, Changelings would be an extinct species. They… we wouldn't allow it. We didn't survive this long just to die quietly to time Chrysalis." “Then why...all of this?” She asked sadly. “We Changeling’s could have lived for a long time...my own brood even evolved to produce their own Mana...I...I don’t understand…” She said sadly, getting the fully story now making less sense than what she originally had thought, that the rebels were against them on some other bases like Pure Void...not a fear of extinction... Her father sighed, taking his free hand to the table where a device laid. He tapped it and on a projected screen scrolled by the faces of sommany aliens. None of which Chrysalis knew. "Since our race became star bound, we have encountered and cataloged over sixteen trillion different species of sentient life. Of those sixteen trillion, over fourteen trillion… are now extinct. The only proof left in the universe they existed is the data and relics our species kept on them. Do you know what it's like, my daughter, to watch something with such amazing culture and potential die and time treat it as if they never existed?" Her eyes widened. “Gods…” She muttered to herself. “But...there has to be a way to bring them back right? Us changeling’s can become genetically identical to any of those races and...with me and Larva…” She started, only just realizing that she could quite literally bring an entire species back from extinction with their shape shifting abilities. “Oh wow...I...that just hit me out of nowhere…” "Exactly. For too long our species has been surviving and watching so many others die off to the cruelty's of time. With your power and Larva and your Abilities to produce broods in mass, Clutches understanding of genetics, Nat's ability to endlessly clone, Maggot's ability to produce endless construction material, Pupa's self regenerating and enchantments, and Imago's pure Changeling DNA, we can rebirth not just the lost races, but the universe itself. The void is a patent entity, but I won't let it get us in the end in any way, shape or form." Chrysalis put a hand to her head, the sheer scope of this all bearing down on her mind. “So...why must we fight the other races again? If...all of this is for self preservation and many other things...I know I’m an enemy of Equestria because I tried to take over because my thoughts were...still on how we were wronged by the other’s, how we were fought against because you summoned Pure Void...and other things in my growing madness of loneliness…” She explained. “Why fight again when...I now know the truth?” "Because to succeed we must have something they possess and treasure." He tapped the device again, this time it displayed the Canterlot glass artistry of the Elements of Harmony. "With this, this Mana, a viable lifeblood of not just this planet but creation itself, we can do exactly that Chrysalis. Bring back all the races that were lost. The Ponies that guard it will fight tooth and nail to protect it. They are naturally untrusting of the unknown. We will fight them but we can not kill them. Distant as they are, they are still descendants of the last generation of true Changelings." He tapped the device again. Images of the Canterlot Wedding invasion and the invasion of Ponyville and other settlements displayed. "Your Cocoons, perfect to protect them. Let them hibernate. When they awake they will find the universe so much more vibrant with life than they could have ever imagined." “And...what of these new beings? Imago mentioned there’s two leaders of two different races we never saw before and two other’s inhabiting their bodies.” Chrysalis asked curiously. "An unknown I admit. We must learn about them, if they are like us, the last of their kind, then maybe they can sympathize with us. Until then, we will learn and watch from afar, as we used to, and this 'war' will be finished without a drop of sentient blood spilled." “Tell that to Clutch.” Chrysalis growled. “I admit her knowledge on Genetic’s is second only to you father...but the only one I think out of our entire family that will try to cause as much bloodshed as possible is her.” "Every family has one in them that often times seems to… be difficult to understand, or to relate to. Cruel as she might be, Clutch does have her moments." “Now was that before or after I woke up to her trying to dissect me in my sleep?” Chrysalis asked as she gently put a hand on her large father’s one hand. “Now...how can I help you?” He took a deep breath, the table next to them opening as a small vial, no larger than a cotton swap, pulsated with primal, vile Void energy. "Take this vial, and Ingest the energy. Let your body do what it was built to. If my calculations are correct, this will let you produce a ten pound Magicite ore and the excess energy will filter out into all you need to take my being, my soul, and rebirth me in a new, stable body. One like yours that can handle both void and other energies. It's how your Brood evolved. This, Harmony, it's almost the exact opposite of Void. It's why they evolved how they did." “It’s...why they're producing Magicite levels of energy as well.” Chrysalis said in realization. “I...I get it now…” She muttered as she took the vial and opened it. “This is gonna suck...but...for my family.” She said as she downed the vial of Void Energy. It burned like fire down her throat and down to her stomach. Coughing, Chrysalis felt the heat give way to a chill unlike any she had ever felt. Suddenly, the heat and cold both hit, like an explosion within a blizzard the two forces clashed for dominance. Soon the holes along her arms swirled with raw Magicite energy, flowing along her arms and to her palms where the energy collected, soon forming a physical mass in her grasp. As the mass of Magicite ore grew the heat and cold began to die down until they were gone and held in her hands was the raw Magicite ore. Still, even after all that, Chrysalis felt her body pulsating with excess energy. Mana, Emotion, Life Force, Necromantic, it was as if her body held within it a miniature Universe in its infancy. “This...this power…” She muttered as she felt her own power. “This...it’s incredible…” "Your true purpose, my-" Her father started, interrupted by a hacking cough and left him spitting black bile and blood. "Quickly, before my body gives out." He muttered as his coughing returned. Chrysalid grabbed onto her father, her jagged horn starting to glow with power as she tried to siphon out the Void that’s been killing her father. “I will not let you die, father, not on my watch.” She growled as she used her new powers to save her father. She felt the void bile within her father like a parasite. Keeping his aged form alive yet slowly poisoning him. At this state, even with it removed, he'd perish. She then remembered… rebirth. Pouring all the energies out at once, Chrysalis's father's body began to absorb into her. She put all her father's mass and soul, everything that was him save the vile Void into a new body, and screamed as she laid a single egg. The void from her father made a small pebble of Magicite, but that was an afterthought. She stared at the egg in her hands for what felt like hours before it shook and cracked. Hatching in an Explosion of slime was a single Changeling grub… a Pure, Changeling Grub. Soon, quicker than any she had ever seen, it cocooned itself, and within a few short minutes, cracked open as a youngling Changeling fell out. They coughed and took deep breaths. He looked like a young Imago… no, he looked like a young, adolescent version of her Father. "You did it." He laughed. "I'm… surprisingly young." He said, looking his new body over. "Not arguing, but still a surprise…" Chrysalis picked up and hugged her father tightly. “Your back!” She cheered, jumping up and down in pure joy like a young grub again. "Getting dizzy…" He yelped. “Oh, I’m sorry.” The changeling queen said quickly as she put him down. “You okay dad?” "I'm good, though, I do wonder if this rebirth means I should call you mother?" That made Chrysalis blush a bit. "Heh, come. In time I will regain my adult size and the only thing telling me apart from Imago then will be clothes. Til then I imagine this will be a… humbling, revolution for Clutch?" “It’ll be amazing.” Chrysalis said happily, ready and willing to rub her new found powers into Clutch’s smug prick face. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when they see you.” "I imagine Larva and Pupa will have a similar reaction to yours." He laughed. “It’ll be fantastic.” Chrysalis laughed, even though she learned some stuff that broke down her entire world view...the door opening to the light of her family, with her father by her side...made her feel whole for the first time in generations. To be continued...