//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: No Matter The Cost. 
// by Cyan rainbow 
//------------------------------//

I stood at my post, my thoughts, as usual, wandering elsewhere. The mysteriousness of the world above ground flooded my thoughts with a curiosity my mind has held since I was just a grub. Though my queen has always forbade us soldiers from peeking over the surface of the ground, choosing to feed us love directly rather than risk our lives and civilization.

"Locust."

I have never agreed with her idea of feeding, the way she imprisons ponies and other races against their will just for us to thrive.

"Locust!"

"What?" I snapped out of my thoughtful trance and turned to see my guard partner, Droid, standing next to me. He had a look of anger towards me and I could tell he was annoyed by my lack of attention.

"Stop your dang staring at the floor and stand at attention!" He said angrily. "Queen Chrysalis doesn't feed us to stand around daydreaming."

I looked ahead towards the entrance of the hatchery like I was told and muttered to myself, "I never liked her way of living anyway."

Droid's head snapped towards mine and he looked menacingly into my eyes. I cautiously took a step back towards the cave wall behind me. Droid spoke up, a hint of malice in his voice, "There is one thing I despise more than ponies, and that is one who is not loyal to the queen." He suddenly jumped forward, pinning my forhooves against the wall and placing his horn against the softer chitin of my neck. "I'll teach you to question the queens rule!" He yelled angrily at me, his voice rising with each passing word of the sentence he had spoke. I quivered against the wall, bracing myself for the worst, when I heard the familiar, calming voice of larva calling out to Droid.

"Droid! You know what the queen said about killing our own kind."

"But..." He began, anxiously, determined to give me what I had coming to me the moment I questioned the queen.

"No excuses!" larva interrupted impatiently. "Right now Queen Chrysalis wants us down in the grand chamber for a very important meeting. She can decide what happens to Locust if he continues to question her there."

Droid slowly pulled back from me, keeping a close eye of malice placed on me the whole time. Before I could react to anything he whispered harshly into my ear "This isn't over. I will see you get put in your place if it's the last thing I do," and strode away with a determination I had not seen in someling's eyes for years. Larva looked at me, then turned and shook her head before walking away. I knew to take it as a hint of disapproval before I began to follow them myself.


*


I sat on the cold cave floor, starring menacingly up at my queen. The rage within my chest was building with each passing second       she explained the plan of conquest to me and the rest of the hive. She spoke of an endless supply of love and power, of all we could ever want within our soon-to-be-perfect little lives. But I would never fall for it, seeing the flaw in her 'perfect plan of conquest.' I could not bear to see any more pony's lives ruined as long as I still draw breath. Still, I remembered Larva's warning and kept quiet. Yet the rage continued to build inside me, until it felt like my heart was going to burst from my chest. Finally, disregarding Larva's warning, I spoke up. "What of the ponies?" I asked.

Every changeling in the hive fell silent, as if they never thought anyling would ever dare challenge the queen. Droid especially glared at me with what seemed like twice the malice he had before he was about to rip my throat from my neck. All eyes turned to me, yet I continued to stand firm. "What will happen to them and their lives if we succeed in just outright barging into Equestria, demanding they give themselves up to be our food?" I asked with a hiss of anger coming out of my muzzle.

Chrysalis spoke with her usual booming voice of power and authority. "First off, we will not be 'barging in' if you have been listening to a single word I've been saying," she said. "This mission is about deception and stealth to achieve what we so desire. Second, since when do us changelings EVER care about the life of any other species so long as we have food and power? Once we obtain it we will be unstoppable!"

I stood there, thinking of a quick comeback to throw at her. She smirked sadistically, surely thinking I had nothing to reply with, just as I spoke up. "Why does everything have to be all about us?" I replied. "Why can't we just live alongside them and share what they have to offer?"

Chrysalis shoved the reply back immediately. "Because they despise us, that's why!" she yelled. "For as long as I can remember they have been the bane of our existence, living in their perfect world with more than they could ever want and never asking us to take part in what they have to offer. They can live their lives in eternal prisons and feeding us their essence for all I care."

My heart sank with her final statement. "But-" I spoke up, but never got another word in.

"SILENCE!" she screamed. I could tell she was on the verge of bursting, as if she had stolen all my rage in an attempt to shut the ponies out of her mind. "We will finish this conversation in my quarter's after I finish explaining my plan. After you will go straight to your nest. Do you understand, locust?"

I turned my head down. "Yes my queen." I said, depressed.


*


The remaining of the "perfect plan" explaining went by without incident. Afterwards my queen motioned me to follow after all the other changelings had left the room. She wound between pathways I had never seen before in the hive – for I had never been called to her quarter's – that made me nervous with each passing turn. 

Something felt very wrong with the stuffed cocoons beside me. They did not give off the normal delicious scent of love like the others around the hive. Rather, they each gave off a different feeling of lowness. Some felt like they were giving of hatred or malice, others sadness or despair. Even desperation flowed through my being as I walked by them. 'Something tells me those are not beings providing food for the hive,' I thought.

Chrysalis' chamber at last came into view, protected with a layer of solid green slime she produces from 'her place of privacy.' Chrysalis walked calmly up to the entrance to her chamber and touched her horn to the layer of slime. With a flash of green from her horn, the steel-hard slime melted away and she motioned towards the opening, "Enter"

I cautiously entered her chamber, looking around myself as if I suspected some kind of trap to be sprung from within the chamber walls. Though I knew it was pointless, for if any trap were to be sprung by the queen, there would be no escape from it. I wandered towards the centre of the chamber, waiting for her to close the entrance and face towards me. With a turn of her head she spoke. "So what makes you think you are the one to question my rule?" she asked. "What is so bothering about my magnificent rule that makes you wish for a change of leadership?"

I stood silent for a few seconds, pondering what I should say. After a minute of thinking, I spoke up, "It's the way you treat our race like we're the only sentient beings within this forsaken planet!" I said angrily. "What is so wrong with wanting to make friends with other races? Or even just alliances? What makes you so selfish as to only care for what you think is needed?"

My queen looked back at me, a look of a mixture of confusion and annoyance in her eyes. She regained herself and spoke, "How have I been selfish? I have cared for all of you – all of my very children – with all the heart I could possibly provide. Why should you not be happy with what I have to offer? I still do not understand why you are not happy with the life I have given to you and allowed you to thrive in. "

I stood there, expecting her to say more. After I was convinced no more was going to come out of her I hesitated to speak up. Why wasn't I happy? What was I missing in my life? I stood pondering myself for what felt like hours. I knew the answer, but I couldn't come to force it out of my mouth. Yet I had to, if I was to have any chance of her understanding. For years I have battling her with this argument, and now was my only chance of possibly winning it. Yet I might anger my queen if I dare say what I believe to be missing within our lives. 

"Very well. If you will not give me a good reason to challenge my rule, you will join your siblings as an example of what becomes of those who dare challenge my rule!"

I gazed up at her gleaming horn in absolute horror as I began to realize what the cocoons leading to her chamber contained. I tried to force the reason up my throat that I had been contemplating telling her this whole conversation, yet nothing could be forced past my fear-stuttering tongue. I swallowed one last time and threw everything I had at blowing past the block in my mind preventing the reason from escaping. "Because the ponies ARE my happiness!" I choked out. Chrysalis stopped in her tracks, staring shocked at my outburst. "Them and their idea of friendship!" I wailed. 

I couldn't stop crying, though I had no idea why. In all my life I have never, EVER seen a changeling cry. Chrysalis looked down at me and smirked the most evil grin I have ever seen her hold. I cowered, afraid of what she would do to me. I prayed with all the hope I could muster while living down in this hive that she would not do anything worse to me than what was done to my poor siblings. After half a minute of cowering I turned and looked up at her, confused as to why she had not yet punished me. After I had regained my composure, she looked me directly in my eyes and spoke with a voice of triumph I thought I would never hear her use.

"Out of all the reasons you had dared defy my rule, I would have never thought it would be because of where you came from. When a drone picked you up off the front doorstep, I never even dared to consider the spell I used had worked all those years ago, or that it was you that had come crawling back to me. If you will not participate with us in the invasion due to your corrupted heritage, then you will stay here within your nest until the invasion has been concluded. I will be sure the corruption that has been squeezed into your mind has been removed the moment we have returned. Do you understand everything I have told you?"

Her voice of triumph had shifted to one of excitement, then one to of pure, black hatred throughout her lecture. I stood, my fear of her steadily returning as she spoke her final words. I hesitated, confused by what she was referring to as 'the corruption of my mind.' Though I knew here was not the time to dwell upon mysterious thoughts, not with how impatient I knew my queen was. I looked up to her and spoke.

"Yes my queen," and I headed back to my nest. I may have understood her terms of punishment, though I will never agree with her enjoyment of empire ruining with just the purpose of surviving. There will be no more mistakes of following my queen throughout her plans. I will find a way to stop this invasion, even if it means forcing past the guards of my own kind to escape and warn the pony civilization. I will save the ponies, even if it kills me.