105. To the Hive
The land drops out beneath me as I rise higher into the air, shying just short of the cloud layer. The sound of the waterfall slowly fades away into the background as I travel. Remembering Celestia's advice, I fly at a relatively slow speed. Technically I could reach the badlands in a day or so if I travel at full speed, but I'd be drained once I got there, and Chrysalis would proceed to laugh and then stomp me into the dust. This way takes longer, but it's safer.
I pass over the forest, and then the railroad that travels east to Baltimare. Far ahead of me, in the distance, I can see the massive single peak that houses Canterlot. There's also a set of smaller mountains near it that are less than half the size of the Canterlot peak. According to the map Celestia provided me in my supplies, those are the Foal Mountains.
“I'm not going to be able to fly over those,” I observe, noticing how the mountains reach up into the cloud layer. “Magic or not, I'd freeze to death. I'll have to go around.”
Checking the map, I notice that there's a small pass between the Canterlot peak and the Foal mountains. I orient my flight path slightly to aim for that area. It'll take me a bit of extra time to go through the pass, but it's better than freezing solid.
The sun sets further, and the shadows start to lengthen. From the forest to the east that I pass on my left, I notice a clearing in the center of it where a small collection of lights twinkles up at me. That must be the town of Hollow Shades. It looks like it's in the shadow of the mountain near to it. I bet it's dark there all the time.
“Dammit, I wish I had my headphones,” I curse. Traveling seemed like it would be pretty fun, but honestly, once you take in the scenery around you, it's pretty boring. It's even worse, because I know I could go faster, but I shouldn't. So there's hours of this to come.
Let's see...I should try and make for the halfway point between here and the badlands before resting. That probably means flying through the night...but that means I'd arrive in the badlands when the sun is setting...where a bunch of black armored creatures live. Okay, let's think about this. I want to reach the badlands during the day so I won't get ambushed. Maybe if I fly for a few hours and then take a short nap at the base of Foal Mountains. Then, if I wake up early in the morning, I can fly until I reach Dodge Junction, and then enter the badlands the next day. There. I like that idea. I'm still taking almost two days, though.
As I near the Foal Mountains, I pass underneath a large dark cloud bank. The wind starts to pick up, causing the canteens attached to my bag to clank against one another, the water sloshing around inside. The moment I start to think about how shitty it would be if it started raining...guess what? It starts to rain.
“Great,” I comment with a sigh, getting drenched in frigid water pouring from the clouds not too far above me. I glare up at the clouds, shielding my eyes with my hand. “Fuck you! Did you have to do this right now!?”
To my surprise, a small hole opens up in the bottom of the cloud to reveal a dark pegasi wearing an outfit decorated with rain-themed designs. “Sorry! Board's orders!” the pegasi calls back down to me with a cheeky smile, tipping his hat. Without another word, he closes the hole and leaves me alone in the rain once more.
“What the...” I start, my eye twitching. Right, storms aren't random and are controlled by ponies as if they were simple everyday events. Once again, I wonder who the hell is in charge of this Board, and how he or she chooses which storm goes where, or the intensity of said storm. “Fuck the Board.”
Because it's getting too cold, I descend to the ground, right in the foothills of the Foal Mountains. The pass is just a few leagues to the southwest. Considering how dark it's getting, I think I'll set up camp once I reach it. I could technically make for Canterlot and stay there, but that would take too much time.
Using the foothills for cover from the elements, I steadily make my way to the pass at a run. I can't really waste time, so I don't let myself slow to a walk for more than a few minutes. Even though I hated it at the time, I've never been more grateful for my morning runs with Rainbow. It's only stopping that really hurts, so I never let myself stop. I just walk for a few minutes and get right back to running.
Of course, once I fly over the river and reach the pass, I have to stop...and I promptly end up on the ground, feeling like someone had shoved a fucking spike up my esophagus, complete with the taste of iron in my mouth. Who the fuck does this for fun? It's still raining, so eventually I pick myself up and get to work on pitching a tent beneath a rocky overhang.
A few leagues away, I can hear the sound of a train whistle blowing. Glancing up from my work, I notice a train trundling along the rails into the Canterlot peak, on their way up to the city. I envy the ponies on that train. They'll be living their peaceful lives, not having to worry about the war with the Crystal Empire.
No doubt the news of the war has already spread through the country. That kind of news travels pretty fucking fast, especially with all of the refugees from Trotsdale. Actually, I take it back. Canterlots going to be crammed with refugees fleeing the war front. I hope they have the facilities to handle them all. They likely will, but it just means that those jackass nobles will actually have to give up some space.
The tent that Celestia gave me is very small, now that I see it upright like this. It's hardly large enough to even fit me. I manage to fit inside, but I can't stretch out my legs all the way. Therefore I have to curl up. Well, it's far from comfortable, but anyone who thinks that traveling is comfortable is fooling themselves.
The next morning, I pack up the tent and make myself a small meal from the bread and cheese Celestia packed for me. I don't know what kind of cheese this is, but it's delicious. I'll have to ask about that sometime when I get back from this trip. If I get back.
Once I'm finished, I take to the air again, passing over the river and continuing south. I give one last look at Canterlot before I leave it behind. As much as I hate the city, I've had some pretty good times there. I'll have to go back sometime.
On my right, I can see the lights of Ponyville in the far distance, twinkling in the dim morning light. Closer to my on my right, I see the dark twisted trees of the Everfree Forest. I'll have to fly over that if I keep going on this path.
A rocky cleft in the ground stretches out before me, looking almost as if some giant had tripped and gouged out a rift in the land. That's Rambling Rock Ridge, according to my map. Apparently the place is supposed to be pockmarked with caves. I give that a quick glance as I fly over it.
I fly over the Everfree next, and the first thing I notice is that the wind picks up and the clouds are moving on their own. There's a huge dark cloud bank hanging above me, present only over the forest.“The fuck...?” I exclaim, the wind buffeting me. Oh yeah, that's right. The Everfree Forest is literally the only place in Equestria where nature is mostly normal. Right now it looks like there's going to be some severe weather here. Welp, I'm getting the fuck away from here.
In the distance, a range of reddish mountains comes into view. Those are the MacIntosh Mountains, and from what I've heard, they're a plentiful source of clay. That makes sense to me; clay soil can make that kind of reddish color.
At the base of the mountains, a few kilometers away from the mountain pass, is a collection of houses and other assorted buildings. That's Dodge Junction, and that's my destination for tonight. That mountain pass heads right into the badlands, and the end of my journey.
By the time I set down on the outskirts of the city, the sun is dipping below the horizon, and the moon is rising. Technically I can just set up camp here, but I'm going to see if I can't get a place to stay in town. Besides, how pathetic would that look? Socially awkward Seth builds a tent outside town rather than associate with ponies.
There are four earth pony guards at the nearest entrance, each of the clasping onto spears with one hoof. Though how they use them as earth ponies is beyond me. Upon seeing me, they clench their weapons even tighter. I guess they don't know who I am.
I get closer without a word, until finally they catch sight of the insignia on my shoulder. Their eyes widen, and then all four of them salute me at once. “Commander!” They chorus smartly. Heh, I could get used to this treatment. Besides, this gives me the chance to say something that I've always wanted to say in a serious situation.
“At ease, soldiers,” I tell them, feeling a little giddy. The moment soon passes when I glance over at the badlands. “I'm passing through here on a diplomatic mission. Do you know a place where I can stay?”
“First time in Dodge Junction, sir?” one of the soldiers questions me. I give a nod, looking past him into town. Some of the townsponies inside are giving me curious looks as they head home for the night. “Well, Mistress Sandy owns a delightful Bed&Breakfast inn that's perfect for travelers.”
“Yeah, about that,” I say, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. “When I was called up to the situation in the Crystal Empire up north, I didn't exactly bring my money.”
At the mention of the war, the soldiers look at one another in concern. No doubt they've heard about it already. Hell, a formal declaration of war would have been heard all over the country in less than a day in my time.
“In that case, you can stay with my family and I,” another of the soldiers offers. I glance at him oddly. Why would he just offer up his...oh duh. Because I'm a commander and I'm on a war time mission. Technically I could just order him to let me stay with him, but he's offering.
“Thanks. I'm only here for the one night, and then I'm heading into the badlands,” I tell him. The soldiers blanch at that. Oh yeah, no doubt they know what's down there.
“The...the badlands, sir? But, that's where all the changelings are hiding,” the first soldier warns me.
“Who do you think I'm going to negotiate with? Celestia's orders,” I point out. That doesn't seem to make the guards worry any less. “But yeah, I'll stay with you for a night. When do you get off shift?”
The guard who offered to let me stay started to think, but the first soldier spoke before he could. “Don't worry about it, Slate. Go ahead and go. We'll grab one of the recruits and have them stand in for you tonight.” Slate nods gratefully, and beckons to me as he turns and walks into the town proper.
“Okay, I'm curious. Recruits? Have you been drafting?” I ask Slate while we stride through the rapidly emptying streets.
“Drafting? Of course not. What with the war and all, ponies all over the country are enlisting, hoping to help in any way they can,” Slate explains. “After the declaration, the amount of guards tripled in this town.”
“Okay, but are they trained?” I ask curiously.
“Generally not, but if they've got the physique, they're run through a rigorous training procedure. If they're not tough enough, they're assigned to other tasks, like medical staff or support,” Slate responds. Huh. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that ponies want to protect their nation. But still, I don't know how I feel about barely trained recruits going into battle.
“Well, I guess I'll just have to fight hard enough so those recruits don't have to see much battle,” I express, cracking my knuckles. Slate looks at me with respect at those words.
“Now that's something I can agree with,” Slate replies, grinning. “You know, I never caught your name, Commander.”
“Because I never gave it to you. I'm Seth Rogers. Just call me Seth. I'm only a commander until the war is over, anyway,” I answer him.
“It's a pleasure to meet you, Seth.”
Slate's home is a decently sized plaster home reinforced with wood, complete with a shingled roof and wooden porch, upon which an empty rocking chair and table rested.
Once inside, I sit down to dinner with Slate and his wife, Violet, who cooks us a meal of motherfucking fried rice. Yeah, I'm not even kidding. While Slate is playing with his daughter and talking with me, she's just in the back, frying rice in her pan and vegetables in another. She's like a cooking ninja. She even puts eggs in there!
With all of these, the only thing missing is a set of chopsticks and I'd feel like I was at a Japanese restaurant. It doesn't taste like most fried rice meals I've had, but it's still delicious. By the end of the meal, I'm full and satisfied.
“Thanks for the meal, Violet. I can't believe you know how to make fried rice,” I exclaim, rubbing my full stomach and sighing. “With soy sauce and everything. Slate, you found yourself a keeper.”
“Isn't she though?” Slate responds with a happy smile, setting down his giggling daughter. He then adopts a wry expression and leans towards me. “You know, she doesn't cook like this for just me. Can you drop by more oft...ow, hey!”
Slate looks over at Violet, rubbing his head from where she'd tossed a wooden spoon at him. Violet dusts her hooves off on her apron, wrinkling her nose. “I heard that, mister!” she accuses him. Their daughter is currently rolling on the floor, laughing at her father's misfortune. “Keep talking, and you're sleeping on the couch tonight!”
“Oooooh, she got you!” I echo obnoxiously, laughing at the defeated expression on Slate's face. You know, these ponies are practically strangers. Not only were they kind enough to let me stay with them and feed me, but here I am, accepting their kindness, and laughing with them like it's no big deal. Sheesh, this is weird. So much shit has happened since I got to Equestria; I even look back at myself after I first got here and think, “Seth, you were a fucking idiot.”
Soon, everything calms down and the family starts to clean up after themselves. I try to help them, but Violet refuses to let me anywhere near the dirty dishes, claiming that I'm a guest and I shouldn't have to clean up after them. She even threatens me with that spoon if I try to help.
“Alright, fine. Then I'm just going to head up to bed. Where do you want me to sleep, by the way?” I respond, withdrawing my hand away from anywhere near Violet's spoon.
“Little Leaf, would you mind showing Seth to the guest bedroom? Mommy and Daddy have to finish cleaning up,” Violet calls to the little filly who is hovering around Slate's back hooves. Leaf nods and trots over to me, smiling brightly up at me.
“This way, mister Seth!” Leaf beckons to me and gallops upstairs, despite Violet telling her not to run in the halls. I shake my head and follow her up the stairs. Kids. Once again, I find myself remembering that no matter how much things change, some things will always stay the same.
The room itself is quaint, but homely enough. Dodge Junction isn't a fancy place by any means, and this room reflects that. There's a simple desk without anything adorning it other than a quill, inkwell, and some parchment. The bed is crammed against the far wall, looking hardly large enough for me in the first place. The window looks out onto the street and has a decent view of the badlands. The craggy spires of the badlands look dark and forbidding in the dim light of dusk. I shudder, remembering that I'm going to be going there tomorrow.
“Worrying about it isn't going to change anything,” I say to myself, shutting the door to the room and turning off the light. I strip out of my clothes and fold them up on the desk. My travel bags go into a corner. With that, I'm finally ready for sleep. I plan to get up early in the morning to save daylight. Who knows how long it'll take me to find the changelings?
I lay down in the flimsy bed, and sure enough, my feet stick out from underneath the blanket. I have a sigh. This is one of the worst feelings ever. Whatever. I guess I shouldn't complain, considering how generous they're being to let me stay here in the first place.
I guess I'll try and get some sleep.
The next morning, my phone alarm wakes me up at the crack of dawn. It's 6:30 in the morning, far earlier than I usually get up. The sun is just barely starting to peek over the horizon, its earliest rays alighting on the small town.
I quickly get dressed and gather up all of my equipment. I don't want to leech off of these ponies any more than I already have, so I take a quick meal of bread and cheese and wash it down with water before getting ready to go.
I run into a mostly armored Slate into the hallway, on his way down the stairs as well. He silently nods and accompanies me down the stairs into the living room.
“Leaving so early?” Slate asks conversationally as he finishes strapping on the rest of his armor.
“Yeah. I don't want to waste time. There's no guarantee the changelings will be willing to just let me walk into their territory,” I reply, keeping my voice low as to not wake Slate's wife and daughter. “I don't want to get ambushed during the later hours, so I'm leaving now to get the best visibility I can.”
“Good idea. I'm getting ready to take my post by the northern entrance to town again,” Slate answers. “There's been no sign of changeling activity in the badlands recently, but I guess you would know more than I would. Anyway, can I get you anything more before you go?”
“No, you've done enough. I had a meal before coming downstairs,” I tell him, heading for the door. However, Slate blocks me.
“At least let me refill your canteens. It's hot in the badlands. I don't want you getting dehydrated,” Slate insists. I want to protest, but he has a point, and he doesn't look like he's going to get out of my way unless I let him.
“Fine. You know, you're being way too nice. It's not just because I technically outrank you, is it?” I question as he takes my canteens over to the sink.
“No, after seeing you yesterday, I remember you. You're the human that came to Equestria from the past, right?” Slate reveals. When I nod, he grins. “I knew it. See, word gets around. You've had Equestria's back ever since you got here, even though we're not your kind. I just want to pay you back in my own way.”
That's not exactly true...I wanted nothing to do with Equestria since I got here. But I guess he doesn't know that, because he no doubt heard of me from the official statement that went out after the royal wedding. Technically I have “had Equestria's back” as he puts it, even though everything I've done has been for my own personal reasons.
Once my canteens are filled, I leave the house and bid farewell to Slate. Sure enough, it's already warming up fast outside. I guess I didn't realize it because I got here late, but I'm pretty far south in Equestria. According to the map, if I were to go west from here, I'd end up in the San Palomino Desert. I bet it's going to get a lot hotter.
I take to the air and fly for an hour and a half before I reach the mountain pass that leads into the badlands. From there, I fly a little bit farther before landing and proceeding further on foot. I can't just fly right into the badlands. No doubt I'd get spotted by changelings pretty fucking quick, and then get mobbed because it would look like a head on attack. No, I'll walk until I find the hive or a changeling that'll take me to said hive.
It's definitely gotten hotter, to the point where I'm starting to sweat. I'm so grateful to Slate for refilling my canteens. Now I don't have to ration my intake as much as I was before. I have a full week's worth of water now.
The badlands reveal themselves before me as a rocky reddish landscape adorned with craggy rock formations, cliffs, and ominous caves. It's almost completely quiet; the silence is only broken by the sound of a faint breeze that barely does anything to disperse the heat. Occasionally, a crow will caw from its nest in a rocky cleft of a cliff face. Or rarely, I'll hear the sound of a lizard pattering over the rock in search of food.
I don't like this. There's no sign of anything related to changelings. The Stealth Corps wasn't wrong, was it? Gale said they spotted changeling activity down here. I can't believe they haven't seen me by now. Maybe I didn't fly in, but I'm not exactly trying to conceal my presence. I figure it'll be easier if they come to me. If it were that easy to find their hive, Celestia would have crushed her already.
Hours pass without any sign of the changelings. The sun is blazing down on my head from above, and I'm certain that I'm going to have sunburn by the end of this. I try to stick to cover during my travels to minimize my exposure, but there's a few wide open spaces that I have to pass through. Sheesh, where are these fuckers hiding?
Finally, I have to take a break. The heat is exhausting me, and I'm certain I'm sweating out water fasting than I can drink it. I take cover beneath a rocky overhang, pressing my back against the relatively cooler stone. Here, I don't hold back. I drain an entire canteen's worth of water, feeling extremely satisfied by the cool feeling of it passing through me.
Just as I'm contemplating taking a short nap, a pony sticks its head into my hiding place, grinning in happiness when it sees me. “Seth! There you are!” I lurch up in shock to see Rainbow picking her way into the cave, nearly stumbling over a bit of the rock on the ground.
“Rainbow? What the fuck are you doing here?” I demand, lurching up from my seat. I told her I was going to do this alone! “Didn't I tell you to stay behind? Chrysalis will kill you!”
“Is that any way to talk to the mare who just flew all the way down from up north to reach you?” Rainbow demands, looking indignant as she approaches me. It certainly looks like she flew a long time, if that sweat staining her fur is anything to go by. “I came to help you! You should be more grateful!”
“Well, I'm not! We both agreed that I was to do this on my own. Don't they need you up north?” I demand, incredulous that she would so easily disregard my wishes. I start to get angry. “How did you even get here this fast!?”
“I am the fastest pegasus in Equestria,” Rainbow boasts, puffing herself up and brushing her chest with a hoof. I groan, rubbing my forehead. I can't believe this.
“I don't care. Go home, Rainbow,” I order her, jabbing my finger towards the hills. Rainbow glares at me defiantly, unmoving. “Now!”
“No! Now that I'm here, I'm not leaving! I was worried about you, you dolt!” Rainbow yells at me. I raise an eyebrow, because it usually takes a lot to get her to admit she's worried about anything. “How could I stay up there, when my best friend is heading down into danger?”
Rainbow's words cause me to pause, a sudden thought striking my mind. I look around, remembering where I am. I look at Rainbow with a different expression on my face, the anger dissipating. Rainbow sighs in relief, thinking that she convinced me. “I'm sorry, what?” I ask calmly, wondering if I heard right? “I'm your what?”
“Best friend! We've been buddies since the royal wedding! Don't tell me you forgot,” Rainbow answers, looking confused and a little hurt. I nod and stand up, grabbing my supplies. “All right, you ready to go? I came down here to help you out.”
Rainbow turns around and the two of us head towards the exit to the overhang. Rainbow walks beside me, looking completely at ease now that she's together with me. However...
“Bullshit,” I state, and then I slam Rainbow right below her neck with a magic infused chop of my hand. Even though I held back, there's so much force behind the attack that Rainbow is sent reeling across the ground, gouging out bits of rock and slamming into a rock formation several meters away. A cloud of dust is churned up from the impact, shrouding Rainbow's form from view.
As the dust clears, my suspicions are validated. Where Rainbow used to be, there was now a large changeling, looking like the strongest variant, like that one guy Mantis had been. The changeling groaned and slid to the ground, greenish blood leaking from a small crack in his chitinous armor. I approach him, my fist swirling with magic.
“That's what I thought,” I declare, cracking my knuckles. “As if Rainbow would come all the way down here after the conversation we had.”
“How...? I thought my act was perfect! Rainbow Dash brags, she's conceited, and she's stubborn!” the changeling complains in a somewhat familiar voice, getting to his hooves shakily. “How did you know I wasn't her?”
“Two things actually. You never once told me where you came from. All I said was up north. You did a nice job rolling with it, but it was enough to get me suspicious,” I explain. The changeling nods, blinking. “But the clincher was that you called me your best friend.”
“Wha...but aren't you?” The changeling demands, confused.
I lean in forward, staring at the changeling right in his eyes. “She's my marefriend,” I point out plainly.
The changeling pauses, blinking. Then, it slowly lowers its head into its hooves, groaning miserably. “...Blast it.”
That one expletive gets me to snort with laughter. Now that this changeling isn't trying to kill me, it's actually kinda funny how he's all disappointed in his simple fuck up.
“Ugh. I can't believe it was a detail that simple,” the changeling laments. Finally, he gets serious and stares at me. “It's been a long time, pale being. Do you remember me?”
It takes me a moment to think about it. I know his voice...but...ah that's right. There were very few changelings that talked to me other than Chrysalis. “Mantis. Of course I do,” I respond, crossing my arms. “This is convenient. Though I'm curious: why did you contact me now, instead of when I first entered the badlands?”
“We've been watching you. Since the moment you stepped into our territory, you've been surrounded. Even now,” Mantis reveals. I look around me in alarm. There's no sign of any changelings...until I look closely at a crow perched on a rock formation nearby. Its eyes flash green momentarily. Oh shit, so all of those animals...some of them were changelings. “We wanted to discover your intentions first, before acting.”
“I figured you would just attack me,” I state bemusedly, suddenly feeling stupid for not just flying into the badlands after all. I mean, if they would have just seen me regardless, it wouldn't have made a difference.
Mantis scoffs at that. “I can't beat you. None of us here can. It would likely take countless changeling lives to take you down,” he admits, causing me to feel a little bit of pride in my own power. Even before I gained that secondary level of power, I was strong enough to beat Mantis. “I suppose I should just cut to the chase. Why have you come here? Do you intend to destroy us?”
“I came here to talk to your Queen. Whether or not I end up fighting you all depends on how stubborn she is,” I explain, and then I angle my body so that my new insignias are visible.
Mantis's eyes widen. “What? Diplomat? But...no one negotiates with us. They just wipe us out as if we're monsters,” he declares, no doubt knowing what the insignias mean due to his time inside Canterlot. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. Do you have any idea what's going on up north?” I demand, gesturing emphatically with my hand.
“Unfortunately not. Ever since your scouts found us, we've been taking refuge here and preparing for an eventual assault,” Mantis admits. Huh. I guess the Stealth Corps wasn't as stealthy as they advertise. Then again, changelings are masters at keeping hidden. “But I suppose that if it's dire enough for you to come to us...all right, come with me.”
“Where are we going?” I ask as Mantis takes to the air with iridescent insectoid wings. I hop into the air myself, relieved to be able to fly instead of pick my way through an endless blistering landscape.
“To the hive, of course. The queen has been wanting to speak with you, ever since we first spotted you,” Mantis answers me. I gulp, sweating for another reason besides the heat.
“She...she knows I'm here then,” I say, hoping for clarification. Mantis nods, and my spirits darken. I suppose I should have expected as much. I take out a canteen and drink from it nervously. “You're willing to just take me to your hive? What if things don't work out, and I escape with its location to Celestia?”
Mantis turns his head, transfixing me with a single pupil-less eye. “If that's the case, then you will not leave the hive alive,” he hisses. “The queen is more than capable of dealing with you herself. She has not been idle these past couple months.”
...That means she's been training, doesn't it. Shit.
After a few minutes of flying, a massive plateau comes into sight in the distance, towering over the surrounding rock formations. The top of the plateau is as barren and lifeless as the rest of the area. Honestly, if we weren't heading right for it, I likely would have passed it up as being just another useless formation of lifeless rock.
Mantis lands on the ground at the base of the plateau, and he waits for me to join him before continuing further. “This way,” he tells me, and then he turns a corner and disappears from view. When I follow him around the corner, there's no sign of him.
“What the...Mantis? Where did...” I start to say, but then Mantis pokes his head out of a very thin crevice in the rock wall. It's so hidden that I probably would have walked right past it without ever seeing it.
“In here,” Mantis responds patiently, and then he ducks back inside. It's very narrow, but I manage to squeeze into the gap, albeit with a bit of rock scraping my skin and clothes. I have to take off my backpack and bring that through separately.
Once I'm through, I find myself in a dark tunnel. The light from the crevice leading outside does nothing to pierce the blackness ahead of me. Very faintly, I hear the sounds of hissing and chittering coming from deeper within.
“This way.” Mantis leads the way into the darkness, his jagged horn lighting the way with a dim green glow. The path ahead spirals downwards in a slow winding loop. Eventually, I note a sickly green light coming from deeper within. As we approach it, Mantis lets the glow from his horn die away.
My foot steps upon something squishy, causing me to look down. A strange sense of deja vu falls over me as I see a black substance stretching across the ground ahead. It even covers the walls and arches up towards the ceiling in a strange kind of insectoid architecture. The green light comes from similarly colored orbs embedded in the walls and ceiling.
My jaw drops as the tunnel finally opens out. The tunnel opens out into a chamber so large, I feel like it could fit the entire town of Ponyville in here and still have room left over. This place...it looks like I've stepped into another world entirely. Stretched out before me is a large open space that continues on for as far as I can see. The ceiling is supported by multiple carved columns of a black solid material, in which more green orbs are embedded, filling the area with dim light.
Mantis leads me out onto the top of a cliff that takes up the whole right side of the..chamber, even though calling it a chamber is doing it a huge injustice. On the left is what looks to be a bottomless gorge that descends into the very depths of the earth. In the walls of the gorge are several caves, from which changelings are flying to and from. Bridges and ledges connect the different rooms and levels. Some changelings are transporting eggs across some of these bridges, while others are carrying slime green cocoons in which small changelings are encased. From the depths of the gorge, an eerie greenish light filters up from below, giving the place an otherworldly appearance.
As for the inhabitants, there are changelings everywhere. I'm not exaggerating. Everywhere I look, flocks of changelings fly through the air. Groups of changelings cross the landscape on hoof as well. Still others cluster together in certain areas, speaking to one another in low hisses. My presence causes several of them to look upon me with narrowed eyes and bared fangs. I feel like the only reason they're not attacking me is because Mantis is here with me.
I guess this is it. This is the changeling hive. Somewhere in here, Chrysalis is waiting for me.
Okay, I just barely managed to get this one out on time before something happened.
Finally! I've been dying to write about the changelings again. Finally, I can show my own interpretation of their hive, as well as their internal hierarchy. Not to mention Chrysalis again. I'm sad to say that I'm not sure when another chapter will be out, because it's that time of the semester again. Eeyup. Finals. 
Anyway, thanks to Schadenponi for editing this. Don't forget to leave your comments and tell me what you think!
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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I just really hope that they manage to find a compromise.
...
The lost warrior
Returns to what he once feared
And faces it well.
The day of the third
is the origin of her
the one that he fears.
this chapter brought to you by Celestia cheese! a cheese so good it is Divine!
5921613 Celesti-curds! Theeeey're Cheesy!
5921739
5921613
I fucking quit. Everypony can go home now.
Oh boy!
Good to find another long running fic. Since I am already caught up on Diaries of a Madman. This should be a good read. Ill let you know what my thoughts are in a few days. Oh and remember, "He who comes in first, Shall always be last."
5922845
Lol cheese puns
Ooh, the changlings are back
So this chapter was a straight up get from the North to the hive chapter, and yet it was seeded with some interesting scenes and character interactions. He begins his journey and we get a somewhat decent overview of Equestria. We know it takes him a short time to get from Ponyville to Canterlot and normally the train trip seems to take a few hours, so even if he isn't flying at max speed, he is certainly making great headway on his journey by air. As he passes by Hollow shades and is close enough to Canterlot for him to recognize, but not close enough to deviate to. This is interesting to know, as it shows us the kind of distance that Hawke was from Canterlot the whole time. Evidently he could get their (and to the Everfree school) with relative ease, but likely took his Oppressed a few days to walk back to his lair.
The run in with the Pegasus setting up the storm was hilarious. it was just a short gag, but to just imagine him flying along pissed and annoyed by the ran, only for some dick to just stick his head down and go 'Yep time for rain, suck it' then bugger off again, it's just brilliant. When he camps down he has a brief meal (cheese seems an odd choice. I mean in the North the temperature is cool if not outright cold, so no issues there, but taking a dairy product out into a boiling desert doesn't seem very smart) before hunkering down. He flies passed the Everfree (likely a different area of it as he probably would have stopped by Ponyville briefly to make sure that his other friends were ok and getting ready to fucking hide when Sombra shows up if he had been nearby) before finally reaching Dodge Junction. The interactions with Slate were really interesting to read. Seeing how much his character has developed, watching him in a social situation with a family all having dinner and joking about, he really is completely different to the sad angry man who first arrived in Equestria several months ago.
After spending the night, Seth takes off again and makes it into changling territory. Without any sightings, he makes it to some shade before running into 'Rainbow Dash'. To be honest, I hadn't considered a scene like this showing up despite the changling transformation abilities. That being said though, the instant Rainbow poked her head in I knew something was up, as despite her worry about him facing Chrysalis alone, Rainbow knew how much this meant to Seth and wouldn't deliberately go against his wishes, especially with the Sombra threat looming and Celestia needing all the help she can get. I like the judo chop to the neck that takes Mantis out, it seems hilarious for a move like that to work, but with Seth's increased strength, the changling is immediately taken out of the fight. Mantis reveals that he has been being watched since he first arrived in their territory by disguised changlings pretending to be birds and lizards. I had forgotten just how good their transformation powers were, so seeing them hiding as just common desert animals is a really clever tactic that would certainly hide them well from less observant individuals. Mantis reveals that the reason no one tried to stop Seth is because they aren't stupid and know how strong he was during the invasion and aren't willing to risk a confrontation until they know his goals. However he also lets slip info that Chrysalis has been preparing. this is not good, as the current power boost has raised Seth be equal or just a bit more powerful the Chrysalis was during her attack on Canterlot. With her strength increased, and Seth's lack of techniques with his new magic, this odds are starting to rapidly turn for Seth if things get ugly with Chrissy.
Upon arriving at the with Mantis, Seth gets his first look at the hive. Resembling the mini hive in Canterlot, the place is enormous. While Chrsyalis doesn't have the same amount of forces as the ponies, she certainly has a huge number of changlings at her command, all of which appear to have a basic hive mind instinct like insects. If things turn bad, seth is going to have a really hard time getting the hell out of there.
So now we wait for next chapter and the confrontation with Chrysalis. I honestly have no idea how this will go down, whether Chrysalis will take the fight straight to fisticuffs, whether she will ally with the ponies, or whether she will issues ridiculous demands for her services. Also, how will she react to Seth. Last time she seemed to both want him to join her, and outright want to kill him, so once the cards are all on the table, things are going to be really tense for a while. I cannot wait.
Also good luck on your finals, do your best and make sure your studying comes before updating this story. We can wait to make sure you do well.
Good luck on your finals!
Just listening to "you give love a bad name" for the whole chapter. AWESOME.
Ok, just finished reading all of the story up to this point, got to say... its pretty good.
5925560 That's the first song I ever learned to play.
5935895 you will see me...in two fimfiction and fanfiction.
also. i read alots fiction. because it bored.
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The joke is that in Mass Effect 3, Shepard has to work with the other races to form alliances...and then Scapegoat remembered that Shepard dies. Hence the exclamation. "DON'T KILL SETH!"
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