//------------------------------//
// The Hunt 
// Story: Long Live the Queen 
// by Laarsgaard 
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	I stood in the hidden chamber hidden in the depths of the hatchery. I watched the new queen sitting in her egg and I reflected. I didn’t often reflect on things it had been some time since I was the one who made decisions. But now, I wasn’t sure what to do.

The Blood Rite had been appeased and the weak had been weeded out for the most part maybe it was time for the hunt, a good hunt that would bring in plenty love and happiness.

I nodded to myself as I watched that pale green egg shift as the new mother shifted within her home. The pool beneath her had nearly drained and once it was gone she would emerge and take her place and I would guide her, guide her to a new future.

I turned and left the chamber. I walked slowly through the empty hatchery. Normally this place was buzzing as the small caretakers cleaned and watched over the new eggs sequestered within the walls but the combs were empty save for a few.

I stepped from the hatchery and out onto a rock like balcony looking out over the massive central chamber. I watched the ebb and flow taking solace knowing that the hive still moved, still danced like an organism in its own right.

I released pheromones into the air using the sacks located just underneath my gonads. A warrior flew up to me and knelt before me.

“Lord.” He warrior said without looking up.

“Prepare your brothers, we hunt.” I told him. The warrior nodded and backed away. He dropped from the balcony and spread his wings to tell his brothers of the news.

I inhaled deeply through my nostrils. Today was the first day of a new start and I would lead it as the Master Praetorian I was to lead this hive until our new mother came to us.

I stepped off of the balcony and flew to the head of the sleeping chambers for the warriors. The brothers that were to come with me were already assembled in serried ranks waiting for my word.

I landed and looked out at the brothers. Not a distinguishable feature throughout the group. All were black and chitinous with sky blue, multi-faceted eyes and pale bug-like wings and a single small horn atop their heads. It was beautiful to see such warriors poised and ready to deliver death.

At the fore of the ranks sat two scouts. They were rather small, the smallest in fact of our numbers. They were the most adept at changing into the forms of others even better than me but they lacked my mind reading ability.

“Go.” I told them. The two spread their wings and took off. It might have seemed premature to have assembled the warriors just as the scouts were ordered to leave. But they knew their craft well and would have taken their places amongst the unknowing victims of our ravenous hunger within a few hours.

I looked to the ranks of warriors behind me and smirked to myself. Today was a new day. I spread my wings. I had a few hours at least until it was time to go and I had one thing I needed to do before we left to feed ourselves and our brothers.

I flapped my wings and made my way to where the last behemoth slept underneath the main spire.
I came in through the archway and saw the massive brute slumbering peacefully. I was always fascinated by these creatures.

Behemoths were a race unto their own as they had the greatest margins of genes and changes. I had never seen on with wings but I had come watched some who were twice the average size of what was considered an average size one. I had seen some with two or even three horns that worked together to make massive beams of energy. One that had died fighting the hydra was intelligent enough to speak and I had talked with him on several occasions. But this hulking piece of monster was small minded and quick to anger, the best qualities to find in any brother.

I sat next to the behemoth’s head and pushed into his consciousness. His mind was full of images of fire and blood and other aggressive thoughts. I willed him to calm his mind, to sleep peacefully. I listened to his breathing and his heart as they began to slow as he calmed.

“You’re a right mean bastard aren’t you?” I asked the behemoth as he slept. Horus had always told me to never take pride or feel any connection to offspring as most of them lived short lives and there were so many. I couldn’t help myself though with this one. He was a rather unique case as I could not think of a time when there were less than five behemoths in the hive.

I placed a foot on the top of his ugly head and smiled at him. I delved further into his mind and began to look through his life.

This behemoth had been through quite a bit in his time. He had been birthed in my first mating long ago. He had come out of the massive egg and was immediately subjected to inspection from the caretakers. He had stumbled his way to his feet and roared weakly at the caretakers. The small beetle-like creatures had approved and moved him along to the base of the central spire.

The newborn was a third the size of any of the mature behemoths and he felt a twinge in his small mind as he scented out the alpha. The small behemoth had moved forward and bowed his head up to the alpha. I watched as the view looked up at the alpha of the pack.

I recognized the alpha. He had been born several generations before my own time and had grown to an enormous size. The alpha was missing an eye and had a massive set of scars on the right side of his head. I withdrew from the behemoth’s mind and let him rest.

I scented pheromones upon the air. It was time for the hunt. I left the sleeping behemoth behind. I stepped out into the central chamber and saw that some considerable time had passed.

I spread my wings and took off making my way back to the warriors. The flight was short and I could see the warriors had not moved as I had been away.

I settled before the warriors and sniffed the air. The message had come again. I could see the warriors tense up as they smelled the pheromones too. I smiled and spread my wings.

“Let’s go.” I said simply.





We traveled through the air much the same as I had months ago when flying to Canterlot. We sailed over fields and trees and occasionally the lone home. We flew closely together so as to not be lost in the night.

The smell was becoming stronger as the warriors and I neared the village that had been marked. The night air was cool and the sky was clear and it was utterly sickening to be out in it. I sniffed at the air again and smiled. We were here.

I could make out structures not too far from where we already were but I landed followed by the warriors. All was quiet as two brightly colored ponies came running up to me from some darkened corner behind some structure.

I could smell love and happiness in the air, its pungent odor quite the alluring scent. The two small ponies changed before me into their true form of the scouts. They did not speak. That was the rule you never speak on the hunt until after the prey has been engaged.

As a group we moved slowly into the village spreading out as we went. Each structure had small weak points that were easy to enter through.

After a few minutes we had spread out across the village and were prepared to strike. I stood in front of one particular portal. I sent out a message letting the warriors know that I was ready. I received messages back that all were in position.

I reared back and smashed the portal open. All across the village I heard similar crashes as the warriors broke into the pony’s homes ready to suck some of them dry and drag the rest back to the hive.

Screams were heard across the village as the warriors of the hive delved into the homes and began to wreak havoc amongst the ponies. I moved into the darkened home using my powerful sense of smell to figure out where my prey was.

There was a set of stairs and a yellow colored pony standing there rubbing sleep from its eyes trying to comprehend what it was seeing. I charged the pony knocking it to the floor. The pony’s head struck the floor with a loud crack. Blood oozed from its skull lending its metallic smell in the air. I left the bleeding pony there. I could smell two more ponies up further.

I moved quickly the smell of the blood spurring me on. I came to the top of the stairs to see a pony holding a little hatchling in its arms. The pony had water leaking from its eyes and it was shaking its head babbling at me.

I swung a foreleg at it and knocked the hatchling down. The hatchling began squalling. I lifted my leg again and smashed it down onto the hatchling silencing it forever. The pony, however, began to scream in response to my action. I swung my leg again and knocked the pony down. It held a hoof up to its cheek where a dark bruise began to spread. I swung again and knocked the pony out cold.

I used my head to scoop up the unconscious pony and turned to deal with the other one. Standing behind me holding something in its hooves was the other pony. Blood had leaked all across its head and face obscuring its eyesight some but the pony had still managed to get up and acquire a weapon of sorts.

The pony swung its weapon but it was tired and dizzy from its fall and the swing went wide without me having to have moved. The pony fell over again smashing into the floor hitting its head again. I couldn’t leave this pony alive so I did what I do best: Kill.

I sucked the feelings out the pony leaving it gray and nearly lifeless and with an swift efficiency I had always exhibited I smashed the thing’s skull open spraying blood and brains across the floor.

I turned and left the grizzly scene descending the stairs and leaving out the portal.

The screams and panic had died down some as the warriors had begun to cart off prey to the hive. I called out to a passing warrior who was unburdened and handed off the unconscious pony. The warrior took the pony and took off into the night sky.

I looked about. The village still had terrified ponies running about trying to escape from the warriors but there was no hope as the warriors had long ago evolved to have great night vision. I saw a winged pony take off only to be smashed back to the earth by a vicious blow. The pony landed with a bone snapping crunch and skidded to a halt not a foot in front of me. The pony looked up at me.

“Why?” it asked me, I had no answer for it. The warrior swooped down and scooped the pony up into the air. I spread my wings and launched myself up into the air heading back for the hive.