The Teal Changeling

by MrAlterad


6. Between the Hammer and Wall

**This chapter has an intense fight in it. Just a heads up.**


Chrys sluggishly opened her eyes, seeing the mushrooms in her room being dimmer than usual. The rains were coming in two more days, and the preceding chill was now making its presence known through the caves, dimming the mushrooms and making it difficult for her to wake, depriving her of energy to even get out of bed.

With the stature of a hatchling, she was just as affected by the cold as they were; tomorrow would be colder, signaling the start of hibernation for the young. Drones, however, having larger bodies, could manage the early chill far better. Chrys wasn't a drone, or a hatchling, and she had her own means of tackling the cold. Being semiconscious, she gathered her magic, and used it to heat the stones of her bed.

She let out a pleasant sigh as she felt her body take in that heat, and after several minutes warming up, she rolled out of bed, feeling ready to tackle the day. Her brow then furrowed as she realized she'd need Bulwark to wake her tomorrow, or she'd end up beginning hibernation with the rest of the hatchlings. She wasn't a hatchling, so that wasn't going to happen.

Reaching the doorway, she paused and looked to Bulwark, standing guard as always. He noticed her, and gave her a small bow.

“Sleep well, Your Highness?”

“Yes. Not like I had a choice in the matter,” she mumbled, the events of yesterday flying through her mind; cold air made falling asleep easy for changelings.

“Staying up this season?” he asked, making her tilt her head.

“Don't know. Momo's staying up, so I might,” she admitted, leading them towards a syrupy breakfast as she did. After the so-so meal, she let out an aggravated sigh. “Why'd she have to be so busy? I didn't even get to see her last night!” she stated to no one in particular, “I had to settle for Darrin instead,” she added in aggravation, his condescension playing through her head as Bulwark looked to her.

“It’s troubling,” Bulwark said, getting a curious look from his charge. “Aegis told me that Darrin's been reassigned,” he explained, “He's to guard the feeding chambers. The inside,” he emphasized, making her hooves tremble in anger.

“Of course he is. I'm sure Mantis gave the order personally!” she let out, reconsidering sleeping through the monsoon, just to pass the time till the hive was rid of him. The picture of the general being gone played through her mind, slowly diffusing her temper. She then let out a halfhearted sigh, “Momo, she's helping Lores today, right?” she asked as she looked to Bulwark, who gave a small nod. “To Lores' then.”

“They'll be busy.”

“Then we can help,” Chrys said in a considering tone, “At least, having you help should speed things up, right?”

“Right,” Bulwark affirmed, following behind Chrys as they left the Royal Halls behind them.

Traversing through the tunnels, they found it far less busy than the previous days. Many members of the hive were still rousing themselves to tackle the final two days before hibernation. The drones they did encounter were a little surprised to find her awake ahead of them, a fact that brought a small smile to the princess. Her smile then faded when she recalled something on a related matter.

“Bulwark … would you mind waking me tomorrow?” she asked as she glanced to the side.

“Of course, Your Highness,” he replied, as they reached Lores' room. Chrys was about to comment on him calling her by her name, but she paused when she noticed something missing from the room.

“Momo's not here?” Chrys asked in surprised, seeing Lores sitting impatiently next to several barrels of treated nectar, ready to last through hibernation for the small number that would remain awake to look after the hive. Chrys also noticed that Dud was sleeping in his cage; she then looked away from him in annoyance, seeing Lores shake her head.

“She's supposed to be helping me get these out of here,” she explained as she indicated the barrels, “What's up with her? It's not like her to be late,” she added, letting out a sigh, “Still, if you're looking for her, she should be here shortly.”

“Then we'll wait,” Chrys replied as she entered the room, Bulwark a step behind her, “Is this for the Sleep Watch?” she asked as she tapped one of the barrels, getting a nod from Lores. “...And what about him?” she asked, sounding disinterested as she pointed towards the caged pony.

“I'll be placing him in a cocoon tomorrow, there's still some things I want to ask him,” Lores said as she eyed the doorway in anticipation. “Did you have more questions for him?”

“No,” Chrys quickly replied, “He has nothing else I need; he's just a pony,” she added as she glanced to the side, her mother's words playing in her head. She then noticed that Lores looked like she wanted to reply to that, but thought better of it. “What? What were you going to say?” Chrys asked curiously, making Lores hesitate for a moment.

“I wouldn't discard him so quickly, Your Highness. It's true, he's a dud. There's no way for us to get nectar from him. But he has knowledge, and conversing with him isn't … unpleasant,” she admitted, making Chrys raise an eyebrow at her.

“Getting attached to ponies is dangerous,” she stated simply, getting a nod from Lores.

“I am well aware,” she said as she adopted a regretful look, “I've told him too much about changelings in the time he's been here. A small part of me worries that everything he's done around me is an act. That when the opportunity presents itself, he'll break out and take everything he's learned to Equestria,” she then slumped down as she let out a long sigh, “That old stallion, you enjoyed being with him, right?” she asked, surprising Chrys, who adopted a flustered expression.

“I-I guess,” she stuttered out as she looked to the side, getting a small smile from Lores.

“You're right, Highness. Getting attached to ponies is dangerous. I often find myself wishing our diet wasn't solely reliant on them,” she then let out another sigh as she glanced to the stone cage, “But, that's not how things are. We need nectar to feed ourselves, and our young. I have to tell myself that daily,” she said as she looked to Chrys, “It helps me remember what's important,” she added, getting a nod from Chrys.

“The hive is more important. We need them to live.” Her brow then furrowed as she looked to Dud, sleeping obliviously, “That's just the way things are,” she stated, not liking the sound of it.

“Highness,” Bulwark stated in alarm, making Chrys' eyes follow his gaze, seeing something else she didn't like. Mantis stood in the doorway, Sledge standing behind him. The general had a cool collected look about him, as his eyes met Chrys's.

“Ah, Her Highness is here too, this is convenient,” he said as Sledge entered the room after him, “Would either of you know the whereabouts to a young drone you're both familiar with, Momo?” he asked, making Chrys blink as she turn towards him.

“Whereabouts? What's happened to Momo?” she asked wide-eyed as Mantis raised an eyebrow at her.

“That's what I'm here to find out. My soldiers reported that she was last seen with you. Do you know where she is, or where she's gone?”

“Seen with her!? I haven't been with her in two days!” Chrys replied, glaring at him, “What's happened, is she missing? Who said I was with her last!?”

“By all accounts, she's missing. No one in the hive has seen her since last night,” he stated matter-of-factly, making Chrys' mouth hang open for a second, before she glanced to the floor, her mind racing at this information. “What about you, Lores?”

“I can't say, Mantis,” she replied in a worried tone, “I was expecting her this morning...”

“I see. Well, if neither of you know, then I guess that's that,” Mantis said dismissively, turning towards the exit. “Hopefully she didn't get caught up in something started by someone else,” he added, his words striking Chrys, making her heart skip a beat. She looked to him, her confusion and worry shattering when she caught a look in his eyes; they were smiling. She had no doubts as to whom had been the last to see Momo. In that moment, her emotions found direction, bringing a dangerous calm over her as she stepped forward.

“Mantis, what did you do to her?” Chrysalis asked in a quiet tone, her shoulders trembling as she eyed the ground. Mantis paused, his eyes aglow with that smile, as he gave her a speculating look.

“Whatever do you mean, Princess?”

“What did you do to her!?” she asked as she slammed a hoof down, her horn flaring in preparation as she took another step forward. Her gaze met his, his amber smile basking in her teal rage without a care.

“Now Princess, it's not wise to throw accusations like that around—”

“Bulwark,” Chrys interrupted as she glanced to her looming shadow, seeing a fire in his eyes that matched her own. “I can't stand him anymore,” she said coldly, making Mantis take a guarded step back as a tempered calm fell over him. Sledge stepped forward, an open smile of anticipation on his face as Bulwark moved in front of Chrys.

“Just say the word,” Bulwark let out in a low voice, so quiet that she almost missed it.

“Mantis, you will tell me what you've done with my clutchling,” Chrys said, making the general raise an eyebrow at her.

“You're seeking to cast the blame of her disappearance on me? How childish-” he was cut off when Sledge pushed him to the side, his large hoof lashing out and intercepting a barrel of nectar Chrys had hurled at Mantis. The barrel exploded from the impact, spraying nectar and wood fragments over Sledge, as well as the entrance of the chamber. He stood there for a moment, shaking his hoof slightly to toss off nectar, as if he hadn't even felt the attack. The four of them eyed each other for a moment longer, before Mantis let out a small sigh.

“Sledge, keep away from the princess, and keep her puppet away from me,” he ordered as he started to circle around the messy floor, his eyes on Chrys, her eyes on his.

“Bulwark, be careful,” Chrys said, not hearing a response from him, but feeling as if he nodded to her words all the same.

She eyed Mantis down for a moment longer, her heartbeat ringing in her ears. The image of the broken statue in her room briefly came to mind. Tapping the ground twice, her wings buzzing, she charged Mantis, feeling the ground shake behind her as she did. Barely aware of the thought, her horn glowed as she ran, grabbing wooden fragments with her magic. She crossed the distance between them in a breath's span, bringing her armada to bear as she lunged at him.

He effortlessly blocked her strike, fueling her rage as he rolled away and dodged the flying debris, seeming more concerned with that than her. Swipes, stomps, leaps, bucks, he took many hits in stride as his eyes followed her magic; in the several seconds she went at him uninterrupted, he had smashed her wooden weaponry, or knocked them from her grasp. Twice she tried to slow him down by grabbing him with her magic, but she found it difficult to focus while attacking magically and physically, making it easy for him to force his way out of her clutches.

As they weaved around the room, their spat was overshadowed by loud booms from the other combatants. The ground shook. The walls reverberated. Dust fell from the ceiling with each impact. It was simply noise to Chrys. Her eyes were only on Mantis; she had faith in Bulwark. Mantis jumped back again, but before Chrys could pursue him, Lores got in the void between, bringing their melee to an unexpected halt.

“Stop, both of you! Nothing good will come of—” she began, being cut off when Chrys shoved her to the side with her magic, to the drone's dismay.

“Stay out of this!” Mantis and Chrys said in unison, making the drone look at them wide-eyed, before taking to the air. Her ears fell as the two combatants continued their fight, all while destroying her cavern in the process.

Chrys' anger was starting to be fueled by frustration. All Mantis did was dodge, take hits too weak to harm him, and smile at her. He never once tried to counterattack. Her breathing and heart rate were elevated, but she was far from feeling fatigued. Yet, for some reason, she had a sense of foreboding, as if he was somehow winning this fight without having to raise a hoof against her.

There was a loud crash behind her, giving her reason to pause. She stood there for a moment, her eyes locked on Mantis as she tried to figure out how to wipe that smug look from his face. Seeing that attacking him with her hooves was simply a wasted effort, her horn glowed brighter as she grabbed anything loose on the cavern floor. She adopted a smile when Mantis looked past her, raising a surprised eyebrow as a large number of rocks broken from the guard's fight were now hovering in the air. She then hesitated when his smile returned. He picked up a large pebble lying next to him, before eyeing her.

This, is all I need to win the fight,” he stated, his eyes brimming with a level of confidence that shook Chrys. She then took a step forward, hurling her stones at him as hard as she could. As she did, he casually tossed his rock in the air, before pivoting on his hoof to buck the rock with his back leg. She was momentarily caught off guard when it flew on by her, easily missing, without any effort on her part.

She then grinned as he started to get peppered by her attack. He rolled as her rocks rained on his corner of the cave, staying close to the ground, keeping his wings tucked in as he weaved and dodged. Despite his efforts, she still caught him several times, broadening her grin when she heard him curse in pain. Her grin melted when she realised she was out of stones. With the last of them cast, he stood up, rubbing debris off himself as he readopted his smile, despite being battered, to her surprise.

“Looks like you remembered what I told you: 'Eyes on your obstacle'. A shame really, you had your eyes on the wrong target,” he said as he looked past her, making Chrys' eyes widen as she felt something large fly past her, crashing into the wall to her left. Again, the room shook, leaving a small crater in the wall that sent cracks spreading out.

Her heart skipped a beat as Bulwark slumped off the wall. He was beyond battered and bruised. He rose to his hooves, holding his neck as he did, his eyes focused on Sledge, who was just as battered. Bulwark had a pained look on his face, and something about the way he cradled his neck gave her the impression that he was holding his breath. Seeing that melted away her anger for fear, her ears falling as she took a hesitant step towards him. She then felt a chill run down her spine as a shadow loomed over.

Looking back to Mantis, she saw him almost standing over her, a hoof raised in preparation. As he swung, she closed her eyes, feeling nothing for a moment as he chuckled. She then flinched when he placed his hoof under her chin, lifting her head as her eyes opened to see his own peering into her.

“And a little distraction undoes you both,” he said with a sneer, “What did you hope to gain with this mess?” he asked coyly, “Did you even consider what you could lose by attacking me? How the hive would feel about this?” he added as his eyes adopted a sinister glow, he then looked up from Chrys towards the guards, his eyes shifting towards surprise.

Chrys felt something large fly over her, and in her wound up state, she immediately fell to the floor as what flew over her crashed into Mantis. Her eyes still locked on his, she saw him disappear under Sledge, who was sailing across the room, bringing Mantis along with him as they crashed into the far wall. The impact created a plume of dust and rock, sending more cracks snapping through the wall as Mantis and his guard were swallowed by the debris.

She got on her hooves, her mouth hanging open as she looked to Bulwark, his back hooves returning to the ground as she did. He bucked Sledge; a fact that played through her head as Bulwark approached her, slowly, a small smile on his face. He tried to speak, but his attempt only brought on a fit of coughs that brought him to his knees, prompting Chrys to move to his side in alarm.

“Bulwark!?” she asked as he tried to give her a reassuring look.

“You there, stop gawking!” Lores shouted, making Chrys look from her, to the doorway, where a number of soldiers had gathered, not sure what to make of the scene they'd stumbled upon. “Get Aid and his assistants! We've got injured here!” she ordered, making the soldiers glance to each other hesitantly.

“Now!” Chrys added, making them notice her, before they all stood tall, and nodded, leaving to do just that. “Bulwark, you'll be okay, Aid's coming, alright!?” she added desperately as she looked to him. He looked to her, mouthing ‘Of course, My Highness’. Her eyes widened as he passed out before her, slumping onto the ground with a heavy thud. Her heart skipped a painful beat. “Bulwark!?” she shouted desperately as she reached out for him.

As she touched him, she felt a chill crawl down her spine. Another shadow was looming over her, this one being far bigger than the previous. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sledge standing over her, a fierce glare aimed at Bulwark.

He then lifted a hoof, preparing to stomp. She turned to face him, placing herself between him and Bulwark, her horn glowing as she tried to push his hoof away. His glare became all the more heated as his focus shifted to Chrys, and an odd sense of certainty fell over her when his eyes met hers. He was going to attack her, and he wasn't going to hold back.

“Sledge, stop!” she heard Mantis shout, but Sledge showed no signs of hearing it, his hoof coming down, easily powering through the magical grasp trying to keep it back.

The world seemed to slow down as that hoof came. She could dodge it; she knew it, but doing so meant letting Bulwark get hit instead, so she stood still. Abandoning Bulwark wasn't an option to her, making her come to understand just how important Bulwark, Darrin and Momo were to her. She then realized, if she were crushed right now, there'd be no one to stop Sledge from finishing him off.

She wasn't going to lose Bulwark, nor her clutchlings. Not while she could still stand, not while she could still fight. Her eyes glowed as she rolled to the side, her horn flaring with strength she didn't know she had as she lifted Bulwark out of the way.

The hoof came down.

Even though it missed, she felt pain course through her body as the ground cracked and shattered under the blow, knocking her away from Bulwark as Sledge eyed her coldly. Before she could recover, she found him standing over her again. She rolled, then winced in pain as her body lurched. The tip of her tail was pinned by his other hoof. Learning this caught her off guard, as Sledge brought his other hoof up, a smile on his face as his eyes met hers.

“Sledge!!” Mantis cried out, genuine fear in his voice as he crawled from the crater he'd been planted in, trying to close the gap between him and his guard as quickly as he could. Chrys could tell it wouldn't be quick enough, her eyes seeing Lores look on in horror, as Sledge's hoof came down.

Everything seemed to slow down again. Her eyes were glued to his hoof as it started to descend. Her horn glowed, but the strength she had to save Bulwark didn't answer her call, filling her with a sense of desperation as she vainly pushed against the coming blow. Why? Why couldn’t she make it budge? Was she really that weak!? Chrys suddenly felt the weight on her tail lighten. She moved before she could fully understand this fact, rolling to the side as the hoof hit the ground. The blow wasn’t as strong as the first. She looked to the royal guard, confused as the towering soldier toppled.

Her mouth fell open as she saw Sledge crash into the ground, his eyes tearing up in pain as a dirty yellow pegasus stood over him. Sledge twitched on the ground, his legs drawn in defensively as he shook in pain. The pony had an annoyed look on his face as he eyed the downed guard for a moment, before glancing to Chrys. Their eyes met, and he gave her a small smile, before taking to the air. All eyes fell on him, as he lazily flew back into his cage, through a large hole formed near where Mantis and Sledge had crashed.

Mantis eyed the pegasus with a completely baffled look, which Chrys noticed. Simply seeing his face dispelled her own confusion, as her horn quickly glowed, catching Mantis in the back of the head with a rock. The blow knocked Mantis to the ground, but he quickly got back on his hooves, rubbing the back of his head as he glared at her. He took a threatening step towards her, but stopped when Lores placed herself between them again.

“Both of you, that's enough!” she declared, pointing at Mantis, “You have a traitor to lock away,” she said as she pointed at Sledge, still paralyzed with pain, “And you-” she began as she looked to Chrys, being surprised to see that the princess had turned to Bulwark, looking over him with a scared look on her face.

His breathing was ragged, and he occasionally coughed, and he wasn't responding to his name. Lores’ ears fell as her anger was abandoned. “Princess, give him some room,” she said calmly, hesitating before placing an assuring hoof on Chrys' shoulder. Her eyes were wet as she looked to Lores, “Don't worry princess, Aid's on his way. Bulwark's tough, he'll be fine, alright?”

“R-Right,” Chrys said, not sounding completely assured as she rubbed her eyes. “I'm staying with him,” she said with certainty, getting a nod from Lores.

“Of course, just give him some room,” she added as additional soldiers entered her now mostly ruined room.

“Get Sledge tied up and locked away,” Mantis ordered coldly, getting a salute from the soldiers as they did just that. “Lores, about that pony-”

“He's my pet, and he's quite tame,” Lores quickly replied, with a hint of relief that Chrys took note of, as Lores turned to Mantis, prompting him to raise an eyebrow at her.

“'Tame'?”

“What else would you call a pony that rescued the princess, and yourself in the process I might add, that returned to his cage?” she asked as Dud spun in place for a moment, before laying down, like a cat would, to Mantis' dismay. He then composed himself before looking back to Lores.

“Fine, fine,” Mantis replied almost dismissively, getting a small, curious look from Chrys as he turned to the guards gathered around Sledge, “I want three guards watching that pony until it's properly contained again. Bind its wings,” he ordered, wincing as he eyed his own wings, not quite working as intended, making him frown. “Not bad, Bulwark,” he mumbled as he passed Chrys, her eyes locked on him.

“Where's Momo?” she asked with an unsteady breath, making him pause, before looking to her.

“I don't know where your clutchling is.”

“Is that true, Mantis?” Lores asked, making him blink as he looked to her. Chrys saw an expression on his face she'd never seen before, hesitation.

“It's true, Teyra,” he assured her, before turning his back to them, continuing to the door.

“Wait—”

“That's enough, Your Highness," Lores stated, "At the very least, he doesn't know where she is,” She added with certainty, getting an odd look from Chrys, “Teyra ... was my name, before earning Lores,” she added as she eyed the damage to her room, making the princess briefly wonder what history Mantis and Lores had, before resting her head on Bulwark, feeling the beginnings of regret start gnawing at her.

“Mantis!!” a familiar voice shouted out, making Chrys' eyes snap to the doorway, seeing Darrin standing there, a dark scowl on his face, “What did you say!?”

“That's not how you talk to me-” Mantis began, cut off when Darrin moved in close to him.

“What did you say to Chrys!?” he asked again, making Mantis give him a smile that made Chrys' eyes widen. She understood what would come next if Darrin persisted. “Well!? Answer-” He was interrupted when a small grasp of magic caught his ear, and twisted. He winced as he looked past Mantis, seeing Chrys giving him a fearful look, subtly shaking her head. He looked between Chrys and Mantis before glaring at nothing in particular. “...I'm not fit for duty, commander, permission to be dismissed.”

“Denied,” Mantis said coolly.

“Mantis...” Chrys let out in a pleading tone, her eyes cast down as he gave her an appraising look. She wanted to yell at him; tell him to stop, to let Darrin go. Bulwark lay before her, and Momo was missing. She was scared; scared of him. Yet, her pride kept her from asking him to stop. So, she had no more words for him, only a spark of hope. Mantis eyed her for a moment longer, before looking to his almost-insubordinate soldier.

“Darrin, you're being reassigned. The Princess has lost her guard, you will fill in until our Queen can decide on an alternative,” he stated, getting a surprised look from Darrin and Chrys, before Darrin gave a forced salute.

“Understood, sir,” Darrin replied, getting a small nod from Mantis, before leaving the room. Darrin looked over his shoulder for a moment, his eyes watching the general, before quickly moving to Chrys and Bulwark's side. “...How's the big guy?”

“Lores says he'll be fine,” Chrys weakly replied.

“And what about you?”

“I'm fine too,” she said, her eyes lighting up slightly as Aid and his assistants entered the room, seeing the two fallen guards, and at Lores' guidance, came to look over Bulwark.

“Yeah, not buying that,” Darrin replied as he sat next to her, “Dummy,” he whispered as he discreetly tapped her on the head, seeing her ears fall as her shoulders started to shake.

A haze started to fall over her as she looked at the events that had transpired in the last few minutes, her mind casting suspicion over nearly everything; seeing each moment as a thread coiled tightly around her.

He came, holding a weak accusation over her head. Momo was missing. He subtly goaded her, and she fell for it. He kept her attention on him, when she should have been helping Bulwark. He distracted Bulwark with a pebble, leaving the wounded form resting before her. He expected the fight to draw attention, he expected Darrin to come, and even attack him.

He left with a smile, because he could have easily taken Darrin from her too.

She saw those threads together, and saw a web that she was now trapped in. He wanted something from her, and she doubted it was her life. If she died, the queen would make him follow suit. He wanted something, and all that had just transpired was to deliver a message to her. He was going to get what he wanted, or he'd take everything dear to her, and crush it underhoof.

Did he plan on losing Sledge? What did he want from her? What would happen if she brought this to the Queen? What should she do? These questions followed her through that haze, trying to find direction, trying to figure out how to get free of the web he was spinning around her.

“Chrys,” Darrin said, drawing her from her thoughts as she looked to him in surprise, her cheeks feeling wet, “Whatever you decide, I'll follow you. I promise, I won't fall, or abandon you,” he said with a fierce look, a fire burning in his eyes that she dared to take strength from. Chrys looked on silently as Aid tended to Bulwark, lost in wondering what the next two days would bring, before the monsoon came. One thing she knew for certain, that made her chest ache; Bulwark wouldn't be waking her up tomorrow.

She'd need to ask someone else to do it, a fact that cast her thoughts forward, in the process making her realize something. Mantis made his move today, and he was undoubtedly waiting for her to make the next one. It was her move, and sitting around and crying wasn't going to make her situation any better. So she sat there, taking comfort in Darrin's presence for a moment longer as she looked to those in the room, her eyes pausing on Lores and Dud for a moment, before looking back to the door.

She then closed her eyes, holding a hoof over her chest, trying to calm herself and think of what she needed to do, taking several deep breaths. Thoughts of Momo and Bulwark came to her, and instead of pushing them away, she held them close, steeling herself for their sake; after several moments, she felt herself composed enough to take action, her eyes opening as she found direction. She then placed a hoof on Bulwark, muttering a small promise heard only by her heart, before forcing herself to her hooves.

“Darrin, I'm going to talk to him,” she said as she wiped her eyes, “Can you promise not to do anything … dangerous?” she asked as she looked to him, giving him a determined look.

“...I'll try my best, Highness,” he replied hesitantly, getting a frown from her.

“I want more than your 'best',” she stated sharply, not giving him a chance to reply as she ran out of the room. He looked after her for a moment, considering her words, before nodding to himself as he followed after her, to Mantis.