“Your Highness, we are prepared to infiltrate the hive on your go ahead.” Celestia turned to see a guard, his metallic armor practically shining in the dim sunlight. It was clear he had taken care of his equipment and had gone through a rigorous process to prepare it all for the coming battle. His eyes were set on the princess, hard and sure. But the princess had been around long enough to see under his charade.
He was aware that today may be the day he died. She shared a moment with him. No words, merely an understanding. Slowly, her gaze moved to the large structure that had brought them away from Canterlot: a large black blot on her kingdom. The surface glittered like obsidian while the putrid stench of the living quarters wafted towards the group on the wind.
The changelings had been laying low until the day of the attack, but Celestia had noticed them. They hadn’t been a threat, merely setting up hives and nests so that they might live. But now, after what had happened at her capital, now they needed to be removed. She glanced back to the soldiers. Each of them bore a symbol of their families so they might be recognized should they fall in the coming battle, a constant reminder of what might await them. After a pause, she nodded and the guards began to ready, checking their gear one final time.
Her gaze moved back to the hive. It was situated in a valley between two rather tall mountains. Nearby was a small lake that had formed from the runoff of melting snow, giving enough water for the grass and nearby vegetation to flourish. The hive had been found by a group of ponies who had come out to examine some of the odd plants. They had been attacked when the changelings had spotted them, but one of them, an earth pony, had given his life so that the others might escape.
“On my command, soldiers,” the princess said, looking back to the stallions as her voice, quiet and harsh, reached their ears. “Three...” The sound of rattling metal informed her that they were eager to move. “Two...” The princess turned to face the hive once more, a glare of anger upon her normally passive face. “On-”
An explosion of magical energy tore through the air and a series of cracks shattered across the surface of the hive. The building slowly began to crumble towards the ground. Black dots erupted from the building’s various entryways. Instinctively, the guards moved in front of their princess to protect her from this surprise retaliation. As the changelings got closer and closer however, it became clear that they weren’t going to attack. They were running from something.
The buzzing creatures flew past the contingent of guards without an altercation and took off into the distance as fast as their wings could carry them. The building continued to crumble as gravity brought the monolith to the ground. Celestia returned her attention to her original target, deciding to track the changelings later, and crouched low to the ground. “At the ready, guards.”
They turned their attention once more the black stone, waiting to see what would have scared away a whole changeling hive. A scream tore through the air, causing the guards to flinch. “That didn’t sound like a pony,” the lead guard said, his keen ears picking up on the unusual shout.
Celestia lowered her gaze to the entrance, where movement had caught her eye. “It didn’t sound like a changeling either...” Her tone was low and quiet, not wanting to give away their position to this new creature. It stumbled out of the entrance, it’s gait unsure and erratic. Slowly, the creature approached the nearby pool and looked into the surface. It stared at the waters for a moment before letting out another ungodly screech and the guards flinched once more.
“Something’s wrong,” Celestia said as her instincts informed her of the oddity. Determined to find out what the creature was, she started moving past the guards to approach it. She began to pick up speed until she was no more than a few steps away from it, the screeching still filling the air. The noise came to a stop as Celestia stopped walking, her steps freezing as she saw what stood before her.
The creature turned to face her, blood dripping down its face. The muzzle of a pony smiled slightly though the new adornments, making it seem malevolent. Jutting from its head was a black horn, identical to that of changelings, and decorated in the crimson life blood of its bearer. The fluid dripped and flowed down its face, as if the black pillar had shoved its way up past his flesh. It was such a horrid sight that Celestia found herself unable to look away, a pair of solid blue eyes gazing back.
The smile widened slightly, revealing the sharp canine-esque teeth that had replaced the flat dentals the pony had had before. A pair of blood soaked wings began to flap on his back, though apparently against his will. A small gust filled the air, but the pony remained grounded, to heavy to be lifted by the wet wings.
“Oh, Celestia, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.” His voice sounded like a hiss as he spoke. He opened his mouth to speak once again, but was interrupted as he fell to the ground, the blood loss causing him to faint.
Celestia remained silent, unable to force her body to move as she watched the monstrosity bleed out in front of her.
“Orders, Your Highness?” Luckily, a voice shocked her from her stasis.
“Get it medical attention, and arrange for its transport back to Canterlot with the rest of us. We’ll need it alive if we want to find out what the changelings were up to in there.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Celestia nodded, but kept her gaze on the creature before her. The red coat of a pony, four solid legs, and a pony’s face. Then, her eyes moved to the outstanding features of the black horn, the iridescent wings, and the eyelids that hid its blue eyes.
Glancing back to the rubble remains of the changeling hive that had been flourishing only moments before, she couldn’t help but ask, “What happened here?”