//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven // Story: Queen of Blades // by Salacar //------------------------------// Queen of Blades Chapter Seven “Ugh, do I really need to wear this?” complained Scootaloo with an audible groan. She was trying her best to get her dress to fit comfortably, much to the chagrin of Rarity, who was helping the three flower fillies get ready for the ceremony. “Now now, Scootaloo. It’s important that it fits you juuuust right, we can’t have you not looking your very best after all!” Rarity beamed, using her magic to reposition the unruly pegasus’ attire, a pink and purple dress adorned with flowers and matching collar. Scootaloo just scowled, resigning herself to a state of restrictive uncomfortableness. She was never going to wear a dress ever again, at least if she had anything to say about it. On the other side of the room Sweetie Belle was looking at herself in a mirror, speaking up without looking back at her troubled friend. “Yeah, Scootaloo. What if your dress suddenly fell off during the ceremony?” Rarity gave a loud gasp at that. “Perish the thought! Can you imagine the embarrassment!?” She pierced the young pegasus with a hard stare. “That simply won’t do, now stand still, dear.” With an application of magic, Rarity took hold of the dress again and tightened it even more around the filly’s waist, causing her to yelp in pain. “Ow! Ow! I get it, I’ll be careful!” A nearby snicker made Scootaloo snap her head towards Apple Bloom, the last pony in the room, who was busy enjoying her orange friend’s torment at the hooves of Rarity. “Laugh it up, Apple Bloom. I don’t see you being any more comfortable in yours.” It was true enough, ever since the young Apple had gotten her dress on, she hadn’t stopped fidgeting about with it. She wasn’t used to wearing anything at all, and despite how much she enjoyed the idea of participating in the wedding, she just couldn’t adjust herself to a dress. Rarity simply huffed. “At least you have better grace than your big sister, you wouldn’t believe how difficult it was getting her into her own.” The seamstress managed a light giggle. “Though I did manage to get her to not wear her hat, so that’s something I suppose.” Apple Bloom stifled a smile, deciding to keep the fact that she’d seen her sister smuggle her hat out of the dressing room earlier a secret. Not even a buffalo stampede could separate her from that stetson, and Apple Bloom knew that Rarity wouldn’t have much more success with it. Not noticing the young filly’s reaction, Rarity put the final touches on Scootaloo’s dress, pacing around her with a critical eye. “There, I do believe that should do it,” She quickly directed another glare at the pegasus. “Don’t go and get it all messed up again, this ceremony has to be absolutely perfect!” The filly just snorted in response, trotting over to Sweetie Belle and the large mirror. Doing her best to ignore the feeling of her wings being constricted, Scootaloo took in her new ‘attire’ in the mirror. Despite her initial annoyance at getting her mane styled, the filly couldn’t help but admire how she looked. ‘Huh, this might not be so bad after all, I guess it looks pretty good.’ “Oh!” Exclaimed Rarity. “I almost forgot, silly me.” In the next moment, a colorful flower garland headband was levitated on top of Scootaloo’s head, and her good mood disappeared instantly with an accompanying sigh. ‘I spoke too soon...’ <>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<> A roar of anger resounded throughout the Everfree forest, the great feline beast slamming its barbed scorpion tail into the trunk of a tree, where only a second before its elusive target had been standing. The Queen of Blades circled her wounded prey, the feral manticore bleeding from numerous wounds. She had done her best to limit the damage to its body, wanting to bring it back to her lair as intact as possible. The manticore wasn’t going to come quietly however, and it had only just pulled its sharp stinger back before it spun around, twin paws of sharp claws leading in another attack. The Queen simply stepped into its charge, a barrier of blueish energy enveloping her form to turn aside the deadly attack. In the next moment, the zerg Queen slammed the palm of her right hand into the manticore’s face, concentrating a blast of concussive force through the limb. With a sickening thud the manticore’s head snapped back, its forward momentum sending it barreling straight into the ground, the Queen quickly stepping out of its path. She glanced with annoyance at the great beast on the ground, wishing that it would just stay down before she was forced to really hurt it. Initially she had been overjoyed by the existence of such a creature, the zebra’s knowledge once again turning out to be a wellspring of information on the various creatures of the forest. It would make an interesting subject for assimilation, yet that very potential was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth. That particular train of thought was only promoted as the manticore once more got on its legs, albeit much more shakily than before. The Queen narrowed her eyes at it, wishing that its brain had been evolved enough for her to communicate with it. “You’re starting to become obnoxious, come with me peacefully before I’m forced to kill you.” The menace in her voice was entirely lost on the beast, as it was already preparing to pounce on her again, its sharp claws digging scratches into the ground in anticipation. With a barely audible sigh, the Queen lifted her right hand towards the beast, preparing to subdue it with lethal force. Before she could do so however, a great blast of energy suddenly washed over her from behind, causing her to stagger slightly and snap her head towards the psionic disturbance. It had been a great wave of power, so powerful in fact that it had interfered with her own sensitive senses. Too late she realised the error of getting distracted in her current situation, only just managing to turn back towards her foe in time to find it digging its large teeth into her left shoulder. As the manticore tightened its grip, the Queen found anger rise up from the pit of her stomach accompanying the pain, her eyes glowing with power as psionic energy exploded from her body. The feline creature was thrown away in the wave of red energy, landing on the ground with a thud, yet regaining its footing only shortly after. The manticore was just about to leap again when it gazed into the Queen’s eyes, the pure indignative hate and menace evident in them freezing it on the spot. It was incapable of understanding the reason for its lack of control over its own body, but deep down a very ancient part of the creature understood what was going on. It was feeling fear for the first time in its life. “Enough!” The Queen’s voice rang out with power, and with a downward motion of her hand she slammed the creature into the ground with enough kinetic force to destroy a Terran tank. The manticore only managed a pained yelp before it went silent, its spine and most of the other bones in its body crushed, its mangled body barely recognizable as it was almost reduced to a red paste. An eerie silence fell over the forest, the only sound being the light breathing of the Queen of Blades as she fought to recover her senses. She hated outbursts of anger, and the increasing frequency with which she had them was starting to become a bit unnerving. Regardless, she soon collected herself, the wounds she had sustained from the battle already healing rapidly. ‘What was that? It had to have been something massive in order to take me by surprise as it did.’ Without sparing another glance to her fallen adversary, the Queen of Blades drew her gaze to the sky and the direction she had felt the energy originate from. As far as she could tell, it had come from the Equestrian capital city, Canterlot. Less than fond memories of her brief stay there were drowned out by worry, anything that powerful had the potential to become a problem for her. Suddenly, she noticed a large dark shape pass by overhead at great speed, accompanied by a loud scream as the living projectile crashed down in the Everfree forest somewhere nearby. With a raised eyebrow at the odd situation, the Queen of Blades connected to her newly created hive mind, sending a simple order to one of her precious few hatched Drones. ‘Fetch my prey, bring its body back to the hatchery.’ Secure in the knowledge that the manticore would be waiting for her back ‘home’, the Queen stretched out with her psionic senses and quickly picked up a new sapient signature in the forest. It was nearby, and clearly belonged to whatever creature had been unlucky enough to fall from the sky and land in her self-proclaimed ‘domain’. In the next moment she had set into a run, swiftly making her way towards her visitor, intent on discovering its origin and possibly gain knowledge of the earlier event. Focusing on the task ahead, the Queen nimbly leapt across a fallen log, her psionically enhanced body speeding through the forest like a native born predator. Before long she came to the site of impact, a large crater in the ground clearly marking the spot. Dust still hung thick in the air, dirt and pebbles having been spread in every direction as a result of the crash. With a wave of her hand she dismissed the obscuring dust, revealing a battered black form lying in the crater. The creature’s body was covered in black chitin, from its head protruded a jagged horn, and from its back stood flimsy bug-like wings. It was obviously a quadruped, much like the ponies she had already encountered, yet clearly not related to them at all, though it did have a mane of cerulean hair. It had a strange growth from its head as well, looking much like a crown of sorts, and its hooves were filled with numerous holes. It was obviously wounded, and likely in great pain, its carapace was cracked in various places, and green blood seeped from several wounds. The creature gave a moan of agony as it twitched on the ground, trying futilely to get back on its legs. Meanwhile, the Queen of Blades simply observed it, marveling at the design of its strong chitin and natural weaponry. She couldn’t fathom what the holes in its hooves were for, but the creature itself looked to have evolved naturally. As the seconds passed by, the creature finally managed to open its eyes, the green orbs gazing about before finally coming to a stop on the zerg Queen. The creature’s eyes widened as it realised that it was not alone, but eventually gave a simple sigh of resignation before closing them again.         “This is how I die then, killed by a monster in some Equestrian forest,” she spoke with an obviously feminine voice. “Better than the alternative I suppose...” The Queen of Blades simply looked down at her expressionlessly. “And that alternative would be, what exactly?” At the sound of her voice, the creature’s eyes quickly snapped back up, looking at the zerg Queen standing at the edge of the crater. “You... you can speak?” The question caused her to adopt a frown of annoyance. “I am starting to tire of being called a monster by everything I encounter here.” Her eyes wandered across the creature’s prone form. “You could at least show some fear if you wish to call me a monster.” What happened next actually took the Queen by surprise: the creature started to chuckle, albeit weakly and with a painful cough. “How fortuitous! In my weakest moment I actually manage to encounter what is likely the only creature left in Equestria that could show me pity.” There was no mirth in her voice however, and she quickly narrowed her gaze at the Queen. “I want none of your pity however, creature. I’ve not fallen low enough to beg for my life just yet.” The zerg Queen crossed her arms, continuing her examination. “I wasn’t planning on giving you any, I’ve long since become incapable of pitying anything.” Her eyes locked with the creature’s. ”However, I am not above giving aid if it is well repaid.” “... do you have a name, my potential rescuer?” The creature asked, slim hope evident in her eyes. “I am called the Queen of Blades, of the Zerg Swarm.” The creature responded with a thin smile. “What a funny coincidence. I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.” “Well then, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, would you tell me how you came to be in your current position? Hardly fit for royalty I’d say,” she asked, her voice taking on the almost mocking tone she usually adopted when dealing with potential obstacles. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at the Queen of the Zerg, clearly not pleased with the way she had phrased the question. “I might deign to tell you, if you would be so kind as to help me up from here.” The Queen of Blades simply smiled pleasantly, lifting an arm to envelop the Changeling Queen in kinetic force. “As you wish.” And with a flick of the wrist she sent Chrysalis flying out of the crater to land, less than gently, on the forest floor. To her credit, Chrysalis didn’t even utter a groan of pain at the treatment, instead managing to get shakily on her hooves to stand tall before the Queen of Blades. They gazed into each others' eyes for a long time, the Queen of Blades searching for intent behind those green eyes as Chrysalis did the same in turn. She had tried to use telepathy to read the Changeling’s thoughts earlier, but had found that she had several mental barriers in place, making it impossible to read her surface thoughts without forcing her way into her mind. It was Chrysalis who ended up breaking the silence. “Well, I suppose I am thankful that you did not leave me for dead in that hole.” She glanced about warily. “You wouldn’t happen to have somewhere I could rest nearby? I am still somewhat shaken after my fall.” ‘Somewhat shaken’ was obviously an understatement, and the Queen of Blades instantly recognized Chrysalis as a creature of pride, someone who would never admit to being weakened. Certainly a quality she could respect, it was almost Zerg. “I do, as long as you are willing to pay the price for my help,” she said, her voice entirely void of emotion. Queen Chrysalis sneered. “And what would you ask of me? I may be a Queen, but I have little in ways of treasure to offer you.” The Queen of Blades waved a hand dismissively. “I desire no such material wealth, what I seek is knowledge,” She turned to leave, “and information. If you’re willing to give me just that, I’ll make sure you have somewhere safe where you can... regain your strength.” Annoyed once more by the Zerg Queen’s choice of words, Chrysalis cast a single agitated glare at her back, before she begrudgingly fell into pace with the alien creature. She was in no position to decline the offer, yet she couldn’t help but feel that something was off about this Queen of Blades. It wasn’t just that she was something she had never seen or heard of before, but she also gave off an air of superiority that made the prideful Changeling grit her teeth and seethe in anger. Regardless of her infuriation with the Queen of Blades, Chrysalis decided to take the chance with her, as opposed to wandering the Everfree forest on her own. The obvious predatory nature of the Zerg Queen did worry Chrysalis somewhat, it didn’t take more than a single glance at the alien creature to discover this truth. Splotches of dried blood marred her carapace, the razor sharp wings and claws speaking volumes for her prowess in combat with natural weaponry. In an odd sort of way, Chrysalis even found her to be, if not beautiful, then at least graceful. A deadly grace for certain, but much more impressive than any other creature she had ever encountered before. Perhaps it wouldn’t turn out to have been such a terribly unpleasant meeting after all. For many minutes they walked in silence, the deadly quiet forest surrounding them almost seeming unnaturally so to the Changeling Queen. She had heard stories of the Everfree, of the many predators that roamed it, constantly looking for prey in an eternal game of hunter and hunted. Yet no danger made itself known to the pair, and the Queen of Blades didn’t even bother looking around for any would-be ambushers, instead keeping her gaze straight ahead. Eventually they reached a cave opening, dim green light visible within the darkness. The Queen of Blades continued her pace without stopping, heading into the cavernous mouth. Chrysalis was only slightly wary, she had no problems with dark caves, her own species living underground as they did. Yet something also troubled her: around the opening was a thick, fleshy substance, originating from within and blanketing both floor, walls and ceiling. It looked like purple innards of some giant creature, stretched out to cover the tunnel itself. With a hint of hesitation, the Changeling Queen placed a single holed hoof on the fleshy carpet. It felt like stepping on slimy wax, and the sensation of it actually moving and pulsating under her sent an involuntary shiver up her spine. Whatever it was, it was somehow alive, and seemed to cover every surface within the cave itself. Chrysalis took a last glance out at the forest behind her, then, with her mind steeled and her head held high, stepped inside the Zerg lair to join her ‘gracious’ host.