The Queen of Changelings in the Wasteland

by Corvo Storm


Awaken into the Wasteland

It was quiet, too quiet. Usually the hive would be a buzz with activity when hibernation ended but it wasn't this time. Why? That was the question going through Chrysalis' head as she groggily got up from her bed. She never thought her hive would be this quiet. The hive always had some type of sound even when it was in hibernation.

The changeling queen made her way over to her bedroom doors. Once she reached them she expected her elite guard to open them. After waiting for 6 full seconds she got annoyed. She opened the doors herself and was about to berate her elite guard only to notice that they weren't there. Now she was confused. Her guard always refused to leave her unguarded unless she asked them not to and they knew when to open the door for her. She was used to that.

Maybe they wanted to help prepare her a special meal that the changeling chefs make her when she exits her hibernation. That happened before and she couldn't help but chuckle at the last time they tried. It resulted in quite the mess in the kitchen and her guard being banned from going into the there.

That's when she decided to go check there to try and find them. As she walked through the halls she couldn't help but notice how quiet it really was. At first she thought that the area around her bedchamber was quiet, but now she knows that it's a extremely large portion of the hive was quiet. It was... creepy to say the least.

She even noticed some skeletons lying on the ground but labeled them off as some not surviving the hibernation, but as she found more and more she began to get worried. There was a set death toll for hibernation and this was exceeding it by more than a little.

She finally arrived at the kitchen and expected to hear the clattering of pots and pans or the sound or smell of something cooking but instead she was greeted with silence and a horrible stench. When she entered the entire room was dark save for a lone glowing gem on the far wall. That didn't help her feel less creeped out.

She lit up her jagged horn and shined it into the dark kitchen. That's when she couldn't help but gasp. There was blood on the walls and floor. Some of the appliances were covered in blood and there was a trail of bloody hoofprints. What it walked away from caused the queen to gag a little and shed a few tears.

Lying on the floor was a dead changeling with its stomach area ripped open. Its intestines sprayed across the ground with some of it looking as if it was chewed on. Some partially eaten organs litter the ground around the changeling's body as well as some chunks of flesh. Chrysalis didn't know what could have done this and didn't want to find out but had to so she can get justice for the changeling.

She looked over to the bloody hoofprints and went into where they went... the pantry. When she entered she made sure to shine her horn bright enough for her the see the entire room. That's when she saw the bloody trail of hoofprints ended at a changeling lying on the ground as if sleeping.

Even with her horn shining a green light she could tell the color of the changeling. It was a very pale white. Its wings were nearly gone and what remained was barely noticeable. It's face had blood on but mainly around the mouth. Some of its bones were showing on its legs and some of its face. Chrysalis didn't know what to think of this changeling.

She tried to communicate to it through the hive mind changelings share but it didn't work. She tried again only to get the same result. She huffed in annoyance before taking a deep breath and letting it out. She put on a serious face and approached the pale changeling. Once she was close enough she began to speak in intimidating tone, "You have killed a member of our kind. You shall be put in the dungeon until found guilty for this. You not only killed but ate your own kind like a true cannibal. I'll make sure you suffer for this."

After she finished speaking the changeling got up. When it turned toward her, with a small stumble, she backed away in fear to see that the changeling's once bright blue eyes were now completely black. It growled at her before pouncing at her. She didn't have time to react and ended up on her back, pushing the changeling away from her who continued to hit her and try to bite her.

She was fully scared now. This changeling is acting as a wild animal instead its normal self. She managed to kick off the changeling but it was pack on its hooves quickly and pounced at her again. She didn't know it did until its teeth sank into her foreleg. She screamed in pain and shot a magical bolt at the changeling's head.

It was launched back but as it got up its head exploded from Chrysalis sending a more deadly bolt of magic at it. She was panting from what happened and was now truly afraid. What happened? Why did that changeling attack me? Why do I all of a sudden feel sick? These were the questions that invaded the queen's head.

She didn't know what happened to the rest of the hive and decided to get her answers from the surface. Whatever happened up there must have affected her changelings.

With her goal in mind she left the pantry and made her way through the halls leading to the surface. As she walked she noticed many skeletons of changelings. She even saw 3 skeletons huddled together. 2 that were full grown changelings while the last was a nymph. Her heart filled with sorrow seeing such a sad scene.

She encountered more changelings like the one she fought. She sustained many injuries from them such as some more bites. She felt even worse when they landed a hit on her. After fighting through more she finally made to the surface. She smiled knowing that she was almost out and walked to the exit.

Her smile faded away from her face and replaced it with fear. All around her were more pale changelings some got up while others stay on the ground, but the one in front of her was different. Its was still black but large amounts of it was glowing bright green and acted like the rest of the pale changelings. The difference was the look.

Her fear increased when it stood on its hind hooves shakily and a green blast came from it which caused the rest of the pale changelings to wake up. She looked around for a escape. The only way was to fly away. She began to flap her bug-like wings only for one of the changelings to run bite the base of her wing that connects to her body and ripping it off of her.

She yelled in pain and killed the changeling. Without her wing she couldn't fly. She was trapped. There was no escape. She watched the changelings to try and find another way out through them. Then they charged all at once. She blasted multiple bolts of magic at the changelings but it wasn't enough to stop them.

In seconds she was overwhelmed. She was pinned on the ground as the changelings bit at her and beat her to try and kill her. She finally managed to build up enough magic to blast them all off her. She put extra magic to disintegrate them all so that they don't do the same thing again.

After she disintegrated all the changelings she collapsed on the ground panting hard. Her body was screaming in pain. She looked at her foreleg to see a little chunk of flesh was gone. She needed medical attention badly. After laying there for however long it was she began to hear faint voices from the hive entrance.

As they got closer she could make out the words they were saying. "Are you really sure that this place is where changelings live?" one voice said sounding feminine.

"I'm positive. We'll find a changeling queen skull here. There's nothing to worry about," another voice assured. It sounded more deeper and gruff.

The last voice this one also deep but not so gruff sounding spoke, "Remind me again on how we were hired to do this."

The first voice sighed before answering, "A mare came to us about this. She would pay us 500 caps each should we return with a changeling queen skull. If the queen is a feral ghoul then we have to kill her and take her head. If she's a ghoul but one of the none feral ones we could get more caps for bringing her alive. I prefer to bring the skull because we wouldn't have to deal with the queen's magic. Magic is still lethal against ponies should it be strong enough."

"Hey look over there!"

"What happened here?"

"There are ashes all over the place. There's scorch marks too and they look to have been spread outward."

Chrysalis was worried. She had exhausted all her magic in that one blast to save herself and her injuries aren't helping either, but if she stays where she is now then they will find her. She couldn't let that happen.

Mustering up all the strength she had left, she got up and quickly ran behind the nearest boulder. She didn't go unnoticed though. "Hey over there!"

"That's the queen! Shoot her!"

"On it!"

Several loud bangs were heard as the strangers shot at her with weapons she never heard of. She managed to get to cover unscathed but needed a plan quick to get rid of her attackers. She managed to think of a plan just in time because the bangs from the attackers' weapons stopped with the gruff, deep voice commanding the others, "You two, I want you both to flank her on both sides. I'm positive that was the queen because of her size and shape."

"Yes sir!" the other voices said in unison before carrying out their orders. They went around Chrysalis' cover on both sides and aimed their weapons at her only to find she wasn't there. Above them Chrysalis was on the ceiling of the cave and quietly but quickly moved above the supposed leader.

Once she was above him she dropped on top of him and used her fangs to rip out his throat. He gurgled as he choked on his own blood. The pony leader's gurgles weren't unheard and the other two came out from where they tried to flank her and open fired.

She grabbed the fallen pony's weapon before making a quick dash to the nearest cover. The bullets hit her cover until stopping. She was about to use the magic she managed to regain but a click was heard and a object was thrown over her, hit the wall and landed in front of her. She didn't know what it was and didn't want to find out.

She conjured a shield just as the object exploded. Her shield shattered after it exploded leaving her exhausted of her magic again. The only thing that's keeping her from collapsing was the adrenaline going through her body. She peeked over her cover at her attackers. They saw her peek over and open fired.

She ducked back down and looked at the weapon she took from the pony she killed. It looked like the other pony weapons yet different. She mimicked how the other ponies used their weapons. She put her holed hoof on the trigger and held the weapon against her shoulder to get a feel for it. She looked down its sights. Now she knew how the weapon was used so maybe she can use it against the ponies attacking her.

The bullets stopped long enough for her to quickly come out of cover, aim her acquired weapon, and pulled the trigger. She wasn't prepared for the kick it gave off as the bullet flew out of the barrel of the weapon and toward the ponies. The bullet went through the male pony's forehead killing him instantly.

The female pony gawked in awe from what happened but quickly snapping out of it and finished reloading her weapon and aimed at the changeling queen only to have a bullet hit her in the eye also killing her instantly. Chrysalis didn't know what to think about what just happened. She managed to use a weapon those ponies had against them. In fact she wanted to know why ponies came to here in the first place.

She looked over at the body of the leader and noticed something sticking out of a pocket on his clothing. Seeing that it might shed some light on why these ponies were here so she went over and took the object. It was a piece of paper with some writing on it that said:

You are tasked to retrieve a changeling queen skull from the badlands wasteland. Should the queen be a feral ghoul she is to be killed and the head be retrieved. If the queen isn't feral or isn't a ghoul at all, which is highly doubtful, she is to be brought to me. You and anyone who helps you with this task will be payed 500 caps each or if she is brought alive you will all get 1000 caps each.

C

Now Chrysalis started to wonder more. Who ever this C pony is they wanted her skull or herself. Now the question is why. Why would someone want her skull? Why would they care if she was alive? She needed answers.

The sound of a rock hitting the stone floor brought her out of her thoughts and having her aim her new weapon at the source.

"Don't shoot my queen!" a familiar voice called out. She lowered her weapon immediately once she heard that voice. She smiled knowing that she wasn't the only changeling left. Her smile faded and was replaced with shock when the changeling stepped into the light. He looked like the rest of the changelings she encountered but with some differences. He still had chitin covering the bone unlike the others. It also looked like it was wrinkled. He didn't have any blood on him and he looked really skinny.

His once blue eyes were now replaced with those black orbs like all the other changelings except these ones showed no murderous intent but kindness. His voice was scratchy when he spoke, "My queen it's so good to see you still breathing. I can't say the same for the other changelings sadly though. Most of them either became ghouls or died from the radiation. Any who were able to avoid the radiation ended up being slaughtered by the others who all had rotted minds."

The changeling took a deep breath then let it out before continuing, "It's good to see you not being among these changelings. As for me, well I became a ghoul too but not like the others." He lowered his head in sadness.

Chrysalis couldn't believe what she was just told. Every changeling dead? That didn't sound right. What did he say about the other changelings? That they were ghouls with rotted brains? And that he was one too? It didn't make any sense at all! It just didn't- "My queen are you okay?"

Her thoughts were broken when the changeling turned ghoul spoke. She looked to see his face in a look of worry. After some deep breathes she managed to calm nerves. "Yes I'm fine but I have to ask, what happened when I was in hibernation?"

She watched him sigh before he asked, "Are you sure you want to know?" The deadpanned look she gave answered his question and looking at what she did to the other changeling ghouls, he really didn't have a choice.

"Very well. It all started after you went into your hibernation. The hive was mending anything that would cause us harm should it break during our hibernation. As we worked a loud boom was heard and whoever went to entrance looked to see a giant mushroom cloud that looked to have come from Equestria. It was close enough or big enough for the shockwave it gave off, though with some delay, to reach us and shake the entire hive and the cloud following the shockwave blew us back inside. We all thought it was fine and began to get back to work, but as time progressed, many started to get sick from what we learned was radiation, but that was when a good portion turned into ghouls so I won't bore you with the details. During the first century, many changelings had become ghouls while a smaller portion that weren't ghouls left believing that there wasn't anything left for them. Even some of the non feral ghouls left. As time went by more of us either left, turned feral, or were killed by the ferals if they weren't a ghoul. Eventually I was the only one left. Then ponies began coming here in search for possible riches or useful items. Though they never really found anything before they were either killed or forced to leave by the hive ghouls. It was then on the corpse of a pony that I found out about the war between the ponies and minotaurs that caused this nuclear fallout. It was a war that changed not only pony lives but ours as well. Now the only changeling left is you my queen. The hive has failed you," he finished choking back some sobs.

Chrysalis couldn't believe what see just heard. She thought Equestria would never be involved in a war. It seems that she was wrong. Looking back at the changeling ghoul, who was trying but failing to not openly cry, she couldn't help but feel pity for him. He has been through so much and believes the hive has failed her. Taking a deep breath she walked over to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "The hive never failed me Krall. I have failed it. I should have been there to shield the entrance but I was in hibernation. I have let our species die out," she with tears in her eyes as she looked at what remained of her hive.

"No my queen you shouldn't blame your-" Krall was silenced when Chrysalis put a hoof to his mouth. When she removed she said nothing but taking the her new weapon, the ammo for that weapon, grabbing a sidearm and ammo for it from the pony corpses. She even took one of the outfits one of them wore and used a spell to resize it to fit her then pull her hole filled mane into a ponytail and ripping pieces of cloth from the clothes on the other dead ponies to bandage her wounds.

Krall watched as she did this until she began to walk toward the entrance. "My queen where are you going?" he called. She stopped and turned her head to look at him.

"I don't know. Come with me please, I'd rather not travel this new world alone," was all she said before continuing her walk to the entrance to leave the hive. Krall didn't think that it was a good idea or not to leave, but he felt that staying here would be a bad idea.

"Wait my queen! I'll come with you. I'll never leave your side unless you order me to."

"I'm not your queen anymore Krall. Just your friend but not your queen. I lost that title when I let the hive die."

As the two exited the hive, they were greeted with the site of a barren wasteland. They spotted a rather large looking fly flying in the distance before heading out in the direction of Equestria's nearest town or city.

They have entered the Wasteland, a place created by war because war never changes.