Hail to... MY Horde?

by Emo Rainbow

Chapter 6 - Break time's over

Queen Chrysalis tapped her hand impatiently against the armrest on the makeshift throne that had been hastily thrown together for her arrival. Once word of her journey to the Ponyville outpost had been received, her changelings went straight to work preparing it in the former city's town hall. Unfortunately, their idea of a throne meant a cobbled-together chitin mess that was better suited for a trash heap than her royal presence.

Her legs were too close together, thanks to the 'genius' idea of putting leg borders at the bottom of the seat, leaving very little room for stretching out. The back portion had an infuriating curve that was likely put there to be stylish, but the only thing it did was awkwardly curve her spine, forcing her to lean forward almost every time she sat there. Finally, even after being told days in advance to prepare, the outpost changelings failed to smoothen out the chitin on the seat itself. This meant that unless she decided to wear her gosh-darned armor every time she sat, then there was no comfort to be found.

She had just gotten that stunning new dress from the fashion bugs commissioned too. Woven from the finest silk and membrane this side of Equestria, but now it remained unused in place of her black and green battle gear. Needless to say, she wasn’t having the best time.

Honestly, the absolute failure to make a chair of all things was no surprise to her, given that their attempt at completing the even simpler task of stomping out the pony insurrection was just as laughable. She had to come here herself just to get the job done, and once that had happened it only took a couple of hours to root them out for good. All that needed to be done afterward was a simple transport out of the Everfree forest, and clearly, she didn't need to be present for that, right?

So why then? Why on earth was she still waiting for her damned meal to arrive!? Did she seriously have to hold their hands through every step of the process? Chrysalis' frantic tapping ended as she slammed her fist into the armrest. Her massive jagged horn flashed to life, bringing a quartet of projector beetles to bear on the table beside her throne. She placed them in a cross formation, the proper sign of the alpha search party, and initiated the call. In a matter of seconds, the flashing beetles summoned a magical green screen above them, and from their projection came the face of a Violet eyed Changeling wearing a thick chitin helmet.

"Captain Pharynx, report!" She commanded with frustration evident in her voice.

The changeling rendered a salute and nodded. "Yes, my Queen. There have still been no signs as to the fate of the pony captives. Tracks have not yet been spotted, but the patrols are now being expanded to a kilometer radius outside of the pickup site."

"And the strange metal items, what of them? Any possible leads?" Chrysalis added, hopeful for any kind of new information.

"Scanning shows that the metal casings are made of brass, and were more than likely meant as housings for the metal items found in the dead soldiers. The method of their use is still inconclusive." Chrysalis growled to herself. Of course, there was still no breakthrough in the search, why would she have expected anything different?

"Keep searching," she said through her teeth. "And you'd better hope you find them soon, captain." She quickly decommissioned the beetles, cutting off the captain's salute before he could even finish. Her so-called 'head of patrols' was doing a fine job so far, if he was planning on an early retirement that is.

Chrysalis shifted in her throne and stared out onto the empty ground floor of the building. She had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She left a brand on Zecora to make sure that she'd stay down for a very long time, leaving her nothing more than an injured mess who could never truly recover until the end of her days. A little-known fact about her home-brewed spell, however, was that it dual functioned as a tracking tool meant to pinpoint their location through a magical bond.

It had been a deciding factor many times before when rooting out other pony hideouts across the land. The tactic was simple, injure one, have the others attempt to heal them, then activate the link to find where they'd been taken to. It was a strategy that had worked time and time again, mainly due to their thorough purging of anypony who had witnessed it. If none could escape, then none could spread the information of how it worked.

The only downside in activating the spell was that the recipient would surely perish as a result. Once activated, Zecora would die a slow and painful death, and it just wasn't fair! She was looking forward to feeding off of her the most, draining her of every last ounce of love until she was a lifeless husk. If she did this, then she'd never get that chance, but her Changelings had already demonstrated that they were nigh incapable of handling things on their own. She'd make sure that all of them would pay dearly for forcing her hand.

The queen closed her eyes and searched for the link she had left on Zecora, completely certain that the zebra was still alive. The initial massacre at the pickup sight showed nothing but changeling remains and opened cages. Whoever, or whatever, was responsible for their disappearance deliberately freed the ponies in a matter of minutes before the lift crew arrived, but they wouldn’t be able to hide from her much longer.

Her horn gently sparked to life as she finally found the link to the brand, the trail leading her somewhere deep within the Everfree forest. She tried to pinpoint the location while putting as little magic into the spell as possible, hopeful that if she found it like this, she could spare Zecora’s life, but it was no use. Unless she activated the magical rune in its entirety, she’d never be able to glean more than a faint sense of where they were holed up.

“Consider yourself lucky Zecora,” She whispered to herself. “You’ll escape my wrath, but in return for this mercy, I’ll make sure to drain every one of your followers myself. And I’ll be thinking of you the entire time.” With a heavy sigh, Chrysalis finally pumped all the magic she needed for the spell into her horn, activating the magical brand and finally gaining access to Zecora’s body.

Her vision was suddenly thrust forward, as the sensations of the new body quickly came to her. She felt her ears twitch at the echoing sounds of Zecora's screams, a natural reaction to the spell of course, and started looking at her surroundings. There were two ponies immediately by her side, one who lunged for her legs, and another who was holding her head down. They seemed to be in a cave of some sort, and thanks to her magic she was quickly getting a better idea as to where they were.

The spell was working flawlessly, and soon all of Zecora’s senses would become her own in the moments before her demise. Everything was going according to plan, until a massive hand suddenly shoved a rock down into her mouth, then forced it shut. She writhed around some more as the object slowly wormed its way into her gut, and before any other senses could come to her control, she saw it. A massive armored monster loomed over her, his face completely covered save for his beady eyes and snarling mouth. She swore she could see a fierce orange-red glow coming from its eyes as it glared at her.

“RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” The beast let out the most blood-curdling, ear-piercing shriek she had ever heard, accompanied by a face that could scare death. Its open mouth began to glow with the same fiery light as its eyes while maintaining the relentless assault on her ears.

Everything about Chrysalis’ mind and magic began to ripple as the creature’s shout tampered with her very being. Her link was being torn away piece by piece by another link, one far different to any she’d seen before. The vision grew darker, her senses faded as the link was severed, and the moment it ended she felt a stabbing pain at the base of her horn.

“Aaaah!” She screamed as her head was thrown back by an unseen force that shocked all of her magical nerves at once. She clutched her forehead and took deep breaths in an attempt to ease the pain. As she did, the front door to the main hall flew open revealing a group of changeling guards.

“My queen!?” The leader yelled with worry as they approached. She was an average-sized changeling female with pink eyes and covered head to hoof in bulky battle armor thick enough to withstand even the strongest attack one of the old royal sisters could have mustered. With her were four changeling guards who, much like their captain, wore bulky metal armor as opposed to the standard chitin. The main difference between theirs and hers, aside from the extra layers, was the silver coloring of their metal, as the captain wore onyx instead.

Chrysalis held out her hand, stopping her elite guards from approaching further, and shook her aching head. As she rose from the throne, she tied her loose blue hair behind her in a ponytail, then narrowed her eyes at the elites. “Prepare your squad, Captain Knave. I know where they are, and I will not rest until they are within my grasp."

Earlier she had left the capture crew to their own devices, confident that they could merely deliver her next meal with due speed. Relying on others was, admittedly, a foolish plan. She would not make the same mistake twice.

---

“You are so stupid, asshole!” My sister, Lupe yells from one side of the living room on her recliner chair as she points to my brother Adrian, sitting in an identical chair across from her.

“This coming from the girl who tried to iron Vicky’s clothes when they were still on?” He quickly rebuttals, throwing shade at Lupe's poor decision making skills in regards to our youngest sister. Man, that was years ago, are we still holding onto that? Also, just why in the hell are they acting like this? Are we in a fucking cartoon or something?

“Guys, why are you arguing this time?” I ask them while looking from left to right. They ignore my question and continue to yell at each other, the words growing more and more incoherent. “Guys, you seriously shouldn’t be fighting so much.” But still, they continue arguing as if I'm a ghost. Can they not hear me?

Wait a minute… that’s right! They can’t hear me, they’ve never been able to. I don’t know how I forgot that, but strangely enough I did. No matter what I say, no matter what I do, they’ll never be able to hear. That doesn’t mean I can’t hear what they have to say though, it’s the least I could do after all.

I rest my hands in my lap and smile as I idly watch my brother and sister argue for what feels like hours. Apparently, he did something she didn’t like, and she did something he didn’t like. Stop the flipping presses. I can’t really make out the details, it all sounds like angry babbling to me. Still though, what kind of brother would I be if I ignored them?

“What about you Ben?” Adrian suddenly asks, catching me by surprise. “Who’s right?” Wait, they’re both looking at me now? Do they really want to know what I think?

I clear my throat and allow the biggest smile I’d ever had to grace my lips. They have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day, to finally have them hear me. I need to make sure the first words I say to them are profound, everlasting even! “Well… I thi-”

I slowly open my eyes as I return to the waking world atop one of the softest beds I'd ever had the pleasure of passing out on. I sit up and drop some of the covers while I crack my neck and stretch out my cold muscles.

I feel upset for some reason, like I was just robbed of something. Was it a dream I was having, or is it just how I normally feel? No, normally I feel… empty and junk. Right now I actually feel annoyed, although I suppose that’s better than nothing right? I mean, there are worse ways to wake up. At least I didn’t have tears running down my face this time.

So it was definitely a dream, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was about. Again, not uncommon for me, but would it kill me to at least put in a little effort in remembering that stuff?

You? Putting in effort? I thought we had a rule against oxymorons in this house! Not like it matters much right now, since y’know, we have bigger fish to fry at the moment. I don’t know if you’ve taken the time to notice, nitwit, but we aren’t exactly in Kansas anymore.

For your information, Ben, I did notice. How could I not? I just wanted to take a bit of time to relax before jumping back into the fire.

As much as I hate my inner voice’s incessant nagging, he's right when it comes to getting me back on track. Can't let him know I said that though, or else I'll never hear the end of it. I look around the room I’m in and groan as I gaze upon its dirt walls, dirt ceiling, and dirt floor. I'm still in the den, I'm still in my armor, and that means that I'm still in bizarro Equestria.

Well, that's just fine and dandy ain't it? Things can never be as simple as 'it was all just a dream', can they? That's the explanation for every half-assed Hollywood movie when they don't want long term consequences, so why not me huh? Come on universe, just throw me a bone for once. With a tired groan, I swing my legs off of the comfy king-size bed and take a better look at my surroundings.

The room was surprisingly well furnished, with the aforementioned king-sized bed beneath me being one of the prime examples. There was a large wooden wardrobe against the wall to my left, accompanied by what looked to be a large dream catcher hanging on the wall beside it. To my right was a medium-sized light wood dresser, complete with a seat in front and a vanity mirror on top, and below the bed was a large floral rug covering the dirt floor. Finally, hanging from the ceiling above, was an honest to god chandelier filled with lit candles that illuminated the room. How they installed this on literal dirt is beyond me.

I stand up and stretch out my legs for a moment, then look over to the mirror and wrack my brain. Have I… seen myself yet? I mean, I know what I look like, but who's to say that's what everyone's been seeing so far? I know I sound different, so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to have my appearance change too.

I look at the mirror some more and hesitate… for obvious reasons. I'm not gonna lie and say I've never wanted to drastically change the way I look, but now that it's a possibility I find that train of thought unsettling.

Oh come on Ben, just have a look you pansy. I mean, it's not like you could look any uglier than you did back home. A feat like that would take more power to pull off than sending you to three different dimensions!

I shake the annoying thoughts out of my head but sigh in defeat. He's right I guess, or, I'm right… I guess? Regardless of whether I've changed or not, this is a face I'm going to have to live with for as long as I'm here. No point in trying to hide from it.

I pull out the chair and sit down, deliberately keeping my gaze off of the mirror for as long as I can. Even when I start to look forward, I instinctively close my eyes before I can see. Come on dude, just do it already. It's like ripping off a band-aid, only the band-aid is your face. Or is it my eyes? Since I'm opening them? You're stalling again!

Having officially become fed up with my thoughts I decide to take my own advice and shoot my eyes open with little ceremony or hesitation. I gasp and bring a hand to my open mouth as I finally meet my reflection. The reflection I'd dreamt about ever since I was a kid. The ideal me.

Gone were my short jet black locks, replaced instead by smooth and well-combed silver hair that had a stylish curve towards the front. My skin was once a dark brown color passed down from my Hispanic genes, but now it was an unnatural grayish-red hue without a single mark or blemish. Gone were my tiny scars, messy pores, light freckles across my nose, and all of the tiny imperfections that made me… well me. Now it looked like I just had my face run through a real-life version of photoshop.

I take a moment to lift my arms and flex, and thanks to the thin fabric type materials on my armor I can tell what's underneath. I'm not overtly muscular like a body builder but I can see a very distinct bulge popping up from below, and I can certainly feel it too. Looks like I found the secret method that all those doctors hated, although I'm not sure I'd recommend it to others given the price.

Switching back to my face, I move from side to side and run my hand across as I get a good look from every angle. My once rounded face was now more angular, with a strong jawline and pronounced cheekbones. My eyes, a piercing gold as opposed to the run-of-the-mill brown I'd always had. I look nothing short of perfect, and damn it if I can't admit that this face is the most handsome thing I've ever seen. This is the me I saw myself as, in every good dream, in every story I inserted myself into, in every prayer I made. This was the end all be all for me. It feels… it feels…

So wrong.

All this is, is another lie. But this one is probably the most egregious of all since it's a lie I'm trying to foist onto myself. This isn't me. I mean, it still is of course, but this isn't who I really am.

This man is confident, skilled, trustworthy, and the perfect leader who seeks to do right by all under his command. He matters. I'm a liar, an idiot, a coward, and I don't have the slightest clue as to why or how I'm here, let alone how to save anyone. This man isn't me, this reflection isn't me.

I start to turn away from the mirror, but then feel a slight shuffling underneath my armor. I reach into it and pull out a large medallion that I hadn't even realized was around my neck. It was large, ornate, and sported the locust insignia proudly in the center.

I think this might be the amulet of the locust royalty, I've seen it before in Gears of War concept art. I know that all locust wear amulets similar to this as a form of dog tags, but this one is just so extra. It has to be specially made for the king. I nod towards it, admiring its craftsmanship, and tuck it back into my armor. I don't have a use for it now, but it sure does look cool.

Well, I've had enough of this reflection watching for now. As I said before, I'm gonna be stuck with it for a while, so I'll just commence with my usual policy for dealing with startling facts about myself. Ignore it and push any confusing thoughts I have deep deep down, holding it there until I die. Some may call it unhealthy, and I'd always respond with a firm 'I know.'

Anyways It's time to get back to business and evaluate my situation. First things first, I need to find my helmet, my crown, and my weapons, all of which are currently missing.

I look around the room and see that the silver crown I took from Warble is on one of the wooden posts of the bed frame, so I quickly retie it to my armor. After that, I make my way to the wardrobe and throw open the doors, sighing in relief when I see my weapons and helmet neatly organized inside. I swear, I was ready to flip my shit if I didn't find them in there. If these dogs got their paws on my weapons then we'd have a full-on planet of the apes scenario on our hands.

I throw my helmet on, then reach out towards my weapons slowly. I run my hands along the sharpened chainsaw teeth on the underside of my lancer and let out an involuntary giggle. Even when it’s not in my grasp I can still feel the power radiating off of this thing. I can’t even get over how good it looks, what with the onyx steel and red lights giving it a sinister, yet badass, feel to it. I caress my thumb over the glowing locust insignia near the handle and let out a sigh.

I should probably take a moment to look them all over, assess how much ammo I have, and come up with a plan to discreetly learn how to use them. I’m not all that familiar with firearms as it is, and I know for a fact that these things have ammo in calibers and sizes that could shred through boulders in a matter of seconds. The last thing I need is to go and blow my fingers off like an idiot.

It’s not like I can just go around and ask my locust to train me on their use though, what kind of image would that send? I’m going to need their complete trust if I plan on finding a way home as soon as possible. How can they trust me to lead them if I can't even, quite literally, use a weapon to save my life?

I pick up my lancer and hold it properly for the very first time. Now's as good a time as any, since I have a moment to myself. I try my best to mimic the stance the characters in-game have, but man is this thing even heavier than it looks.

Still, I persevere and look around for a good target as I line up the sights. I slam the buttstock into my shoulder and try my best to get a feel for the weapons handling before aiming towards the mirror. My reflection looks so much like Queen Myrrah from a distance, so in a matter of seconds, I start to feel like a kid again. “Oh? You thought you could escape me Myrrah?” I say with a wide smile as I walk up to the mirror and aim right for the head. “Well I have news for you, this war ends now.”

Oh man, it’s just like how I dreamed it would be! I remember this scene! Only this time I have the costume and props to make it real. Queen Myrrah would go on to say, ‘Oh? You think you’ve won? This little rebellion may have succeeded, but in time my children will rise again!’. Typical tyrant response, but you know what I’d say?

“Heh, I think this is a little more than just a rebellion now, don’t you?” Perfect. And that’s the time where all of my top Locust would arrive, and finally take the Hollow for ourselves. A happy ending if I’d ever heard one.

“Hello?” A curious voice calls from the door of the room with a loud knock. The noise startles me, and as a result, I accidentally squeeze my weapon just a bit too hard.

*BRRRRT*

The sounds of loud gunfire and shattering glass catch me by surprise, eliciting a very girly yelp from what I am now going to assume was the door. I don’t care if it was my vocal cords vibrating, and my voice echoing over the shots, there was no video evidence to the contrary. That is my story and I will not stand here as you accuse me of perjury.

There’s a deafening silence as the destroyed glass and crumbs of dirt fall to the ground, a dust cloud settling nicely into the air before me as I contemplate my next course of action. “Uhh… is everything okay?” The voice calls out nervously.

“Shit, shit, motherfucking shit!” I quickly throw my lancer onto my back and retrieve the rest of my weapons as carefully as I can. “Yes! Everything’s… fine! Umm… how are you?” Lord have mercy, what the hell is wrong with me!? My brother always told me that you should never keep your finger on the trigger unless you plan to defend yourself! ‘And now, as my first act as king, I will demonstrate the maneuver known as negligent discharge!’ Fuck me.

"Umm… alright?" They respond with audible confusion. I start waving away the dust and kicking the discarded casings under the dresser before making my way over. It may be the tactical equivalent of a five-year-old hiding the lamp he broke under the couch, but just because a tactic is old doesn't mean it can't work. What else am I supposed to do? Own up to it? You must have me confused with an adult who's consistently responsible.

I open the door and throw on the biggest smile that I can, but drop it when I see just who's on the other side. “Uhh, are you feeling okay Boss?” Warble says as he tries to peer into the room. I shift the door in a way so that he can’t see the mess, and nod my head.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Now, what do you want?” I am not having this conversation with him now. We can save all of that for later, and or, never. Preferably the latter.

He rubs the back of his head nervously but thankfully seems to drop the issue altogether. “Well… I felt that you were waking up, so I ran down here as fast as I could to get you…” He paused for a moment and looks off to the side as I slowly stepped out of the room and close the door behind me. Why is he being so weird? Just tell me what you want dude.

“Okaaaay… and? I’d prefer if you don’t leave me hanging when you clearly have something important on your mind.” He flinches a bit and breathes a sigh.

“Well, after you passed out Fluttershy and your… uh, soldiers?” He asks with his hand outstretched. I just give a nod and let him continue. I mean, it’s not like I expect them to remember every little thing I tell them in less than 24 hours. “Yeah, they left to get the others. They came back, but there’s been some… issues.”

I cross my arms at him and raise my eyebrow. How many times is he gonna pause on me? “Get to the point Warble,” I say impatiently.

“Listen, I don’t have all of the details. All I know is, both the ponies and the others want to talk to you. Neither of them seem too happy,” I shake my head and motion for him to lead the way down the hall as he keeps talking. “I did my best to quell it, keep them from busting your door open, hehe heh..." His voice starts to get a bit more frantic as he continues. "b-but they're getting impatient. I need you to help calm them down because they’re freaking out the dogs, me, hell even the worms in the dirt. And do you think I'm joking about that? Because I can't even tell anymore! It just feels like everything's yelling at me at this point!"

“Woah, Woah! Easy, big guy, you’re at a ten right now, but I need you to bring it down to a five,” I quickly get him to take some deep breaths and calm back down.

“Sorry, sorry,” He leans against the dirt wall and puts a hand over his chest. “It’s just, I’ve never really had to deal with magic-proof creatures waving their knives and weapons in my face. I’ve usually just dealt with insurrection by brainwashing the dogs into thinking I’ve won. It was always easier than fighting.” Well, that's one way to get a disappointed look from me.

“What?” He asks defensively while raising his arm and changing the muscular fur-filled appendage back to its thin black form. “I’m not exactly the healthiest changeling if you haven’t noticed. One tumble and I’ll be a heap on the floor, so intimidation and underhanded tactics are all I’ve got. What else am I supposed to do besides mind magic? Break my arm at them!?” His arm flashes back to dog form, but before I can even speak he leans forward and grabs onto his knees. I just shake my head and pat him on the back as he continues taking deep breaths. I sure remember my first panic attack, so I’m not really gonna hold this one against him.

“Just breath, dum dum. I’ll talk with the locust and the ponies, so just focus on keeping the dogs in line.” You know, it’s weird just how real his fur and jacket feel. If I didn’t already know what he was, I would never be able to tell. That’s a little worrying, huh? Also, that reminds me.

“Hey, you found a scapegoat yet? I know you were having some trouble.” I ask to not only check on that loose end, but to get his mind off of this topic and help him recoup.

Warble stands back up and shakes off the last of his nervous break. “Well, I finally got one. He’s podded just like we planned, so I think we’re ready to wake them up.”

“That ought to smooth things over on the pony front at least,” I gesture him forward once again, then follow as he turns down a dual corridor. “So what are they so up in arms about?”

“Well, apparently something happened on the way back to the den. The ponies were confused and looking for answers, the… locust? Locust. They didn’t give any up,” Wait, what? What the hell happened?

“Have any idea why?” Warble shakes his head no as we make another turn.

“Not really, I only got bits and pieces since I kept my distance. The only thing I got for sure was… that not everyone made it back.” I stop in my tracks, my eyes transfixed on Warble’s back. Did he just say what I think he said? Not everyone… Did we lose somepony? “Boss?” He asks, snapping me out of my momentary shock.

I quickly catch up and shake my head. “I’m fine, just trying to wrap my head around that. I was just hoping we wouldn’t lose anypony so soon,” I answer truthfully. I gave my locust one job, keep them safe at all costs. I swear, if they let one of those ponies bite the bullet just to save their own ass then I’m going to be livid. I don’t exactly know what punishment I'd give, but I'll make sure it hurts. “You know who it was?”

Warble shakes his head. “Just that it was a he, other than that I didn’t hear much. It was a passing conversation anyway.” Good, at least that rules out Zecora, Pinkie, and Fluttershy. I’ll be honest, I think I can handle losing just about anyone else but them.

We stop at another one of those large intermediary rooms with several dirt halls leading in different directions. Gotta say, these dogs sure know how to dig tunnels. It’s a far cry from the jagged and haphazard holes I saw in that one MLP episode. “This is it, boss, take that hall to get to the ponies, and that hall to get to your locust,” He points in two opposite directions as I familiarize myself with the pathways. “I need to run a final check on the plan, but once I do I'll come right to you.” He whispers to me.

I give him a nod and watch as he proceeds down a different hallway, confident that he knows what he’s doing. He is the expert in all things changeling as of now, so I have no choice but to put faith in him. I mean, he didn’t try to kill or pod me while I was asleep, so that's another point in his favor. The only thing left to do is follow the script, and everything should be tied down on that front.

I look to the hall on my left, the path to the ponies, then the hall on my right, the path to the locust. You know, I thought this would be a simple choice, left or right, pony or locust, but… well this is actually much more daunting than I expected.

I want to talk to the ponies again, soak up some more of those adoration points as I console their loss, but more importantly, see if I can talk to Zecora and the others about the portal theory. Everything has fallen into place so far. The ponies are safe in the den, the dogs are cooperating, and I have a decent lead on the path home. All I need is one good nugget of information, and tonight might be the last night I sleep underground. All of that could be on the left.

But then there’s the locust, the wild cards. What are they thinking right now? Should I make sure they’re not freaking out, teetering on the edge of murdering everyone else in the den? They might think less of me as a leader for not accompanying them, leading them when they needed it most. It’s a fact that I’ll need their help to get home no matter what the answer is, since they're more than likely the most dangerous things on this planet as of now.

What’s worse, if I do talk to the ponies first they might see that as a slap in the face after my neglect of their mission or input. I’ve been putting their lives on the line all for the sake of my preteen fixation with the ponies since yesterday. I should at least be the one to greet them once they’ve returned, I owe them that right? I mean… I did create them after all.

I’m hopelessly curious though! About the different worlds theory, about the Everfree, about the ponies, about this world as a whole! I mean, I won’t sugar coat it, I’ve always wanted to visit Equestria ever since I was thirteen. Which brony hasn’t wished to see it at least once? I know now might not be the best time, but my thirst for answers can at least be quenched by second-hand knowledge.

Come on Ben, just make a choice already. Left or Right? God, this would be so much easier if I had a quarter with me!
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Left or Right?

---

“Just hold on! Hold on dammit!” Knave yelled as she kept applying as much pressure as she could to one of her soldiers’ abdomen. The blood continued to leak just as fast as it did the moment he was hit, and no matter how hard she tried to heal it, it refused to respond to her magic.

“Ca-” He tried to speak, but ended up coughing even more blood instead. He reached his arm out to her, trying as hard as he could to get the words out. “Captain…” His head fell back, and his arm dropped beside him like a rotted branch. Knave trembled as she felt his link, the link all elite guards share, sever before her very eyes. Even with all of his training, all of his armor and enchantments, his very genes classifying him as an elite changeling from the moment of his birth, he died like a common grunt. It didn’t make sense to her, but here he laid on the cold forest ground, the unbearably harsh reminder that none of them were invincible.

Chrysalis stepped past the captain, her hooves crunching against the wood chips and debris littering the ground, and cast a regretful glance at her captain and the deceased guard. She attached her halberd to the back of her armor as the magical latches kept it in place, and sighed at the thought of his death. It was a shame he died really, since finding replacements with as much pedigree and experience as her royal elites was extremely difficult. It’s not like they were irreplaceable of course, it would just cause many a headache later while going through potential candidates.

It would all be worth it though, since now she finally had a lead. She continued towards the center of their operating base while wiping the streams of blood from her face and passing by the multitude of charred and mangled trees. As she neared the center, the bright green glow of the orb illuminated her face in a sinister light. She looked at the seven changelings maintaining the prison, acknowledging that they’d need a break soon.

Once they had been switched out, they could begin the grueling task of leading it out of the forest. She glared at the creature fiercely, snarling at the sight of changeling blood covering its sharpened armor and dripping from its razor teeth. It glared back down at her silently, its eyes reigniting the pain in her horn as the memory of his shout echoed in her mind.

“You…” She started in a near whisper as her anger began to boil back to the surface. The creature narrowed its beady eyes at her while licking the blood on its teeth in what could only be interpreted as a threat. “You are going to tell me everything, monster.”

Comments

[Hotel_Chicken]

Ooooh! Is this a piece of build up, or a choice for the readers to make?

[Emo Rainbow]

10699446
More so of buildup than reader choice. I feel that at this point there aren't that many readers to give me a definitive answer. People are more than welcome to give a suggestion though. I already have work ups of how both scenarios would play out next chapter.

[The Corset]

Locust first.

[Warhorse]

Ok, so now what?