The Unforeseen

by Shadow Beast

Act 1: It Begins With Death

Chapter 1: The Fallen

He hit the hard ground and the first thing he felt was the cold, wet fluids dripping off of his coat. He managed to get the liquid out of his eyes, and opened them to complete darkness. In the cold came the pain, and his hoof lifted to his forehead, where it touched an unfamiliar horn. A jittering noise startled him, and his foreleg stretched to his back to feel delicate wings... like a butterfly’s. As he stared on into the pitch darkness, all he could do was try to remember what happened. All of these new feelings... was he dead? He couldn't even remember his own name...

A bright light interrupted his thoughts as an unseen door slammed open. He tried to shield his eyes but his ghostly form was filled with holes. A dark figure flickered out of view, then reappeared at his flank. An unseen hoof jabbed him in the back, almost throwing him into the light. Pushed past the threshold, the door slammed shut behind him. The shapes soon took new forms as his eyes adjusted to the light. The creatures were black with bright blue eyes and menacing fangs and wings. He realized he had been led astray by demons. He looked around, seeing himself on a rather large staircase with the only source of light coming from an opening opposite the room he came from. He looked down, and saw the staircase line the outer wall of a vast, spiraling chasm. There was no doubt in his mind that this light was worth a leap of faith. With wings spread and eyes closed he jumped from the stairs, flapping his new wings in an attempt to reach the bright blue sky beyond the archway.

Suddenly everything stopped. He opened his eyes, not feeling anything below him, and saw a bright green film around himself. He was floating over the abyss, and whatever had ahold of him would determine whether he would fall or be saved. He looked up, seeing his captor. Another demon, this one with green, reptilian eyes, a more twisted horn, and two sets of fangs. The demon seemed taller too, but that could have been the shadows playing tricks. He could barely see anything with the sun in his eye, but he was able to make out a smirk on the monster’s face. A low chuckle echoed off of the walls, and the changeling found himself flying once again, but backwards. He hit the wall behind him hard, then fell to the ground. His wings hurt and there was dirt in his mouth now. As he tried to get up and spit dirt out at the same time he realized that these sensations of pain and taste could not transcend mortality; he was alive. Suddenly a sharp pain in the back of his head shoved his consciousness back into the darkness.

He awoke once again, but this time the room was lit. He surveyed the room to find several of the black creatures sitting around the room attacking various rocks, each marked in a different glyph that he didn't understand. A hoof prodded the pony to his four feet, and he turned to find the creature with blue eyes staring back at him.

“What... what saved me?” His voice was high pitched and sounded almost unnatural, yet somehow “right.”

“The wretched Assassin,” the monster responded in an almost identical voice. “He cost me two parasprites... I thought he
was going to drop your sorry flank into the pit.”

“An assassin lives here?”

“You’ve got a lot of learning to do, Drone...” The other was turning hostile.

“A Drone? What am I, a bug?”

“You’re a Changeling like the rest of us, you idiot!” The blue-eyed changeling was out of breath.

“What’s a ‘changeling?’”

The changeling swallowed his anger toward the Drone. “It means you feed off of positive emotions now. Other than that you are almost perfect,” the changeling’s hoof went to the Drone’s forehead then to either side, “you have both a horn and wings.” The changeling gestured toward the rocks. “This is where you will train for combat; outsiders won’t give us their love free of charge, you know...”

“I didn’t think ‘drones’ would do the fighting...”

“Drones are the lowest forms of life here. You want respect, you will pass training and become a Soldier!”

“And what happens if I don’t pass?”

“You get killed... eventually. Until then you’re just a Worker. A pathetic little Worker. There are ‘occupational hazards’ every day here in the Hive...”

“And somepony keeps track of all of this?”

“Nobody cares. You’ll learn that soon enough.”

This theory of apathy that his commanding officer had told him could not escape the Drone’s mind as he toiled endlessly in the training grounds. He worked up his new muscles, learned how to fly, and even figured out how to use basic magic and shapeshifting spells. Comet attacks and horn thrusts, which were once difficult, were now performed effortlessly. He even learned basic changeling literacy, and was able to differentiate the “magic” targets from the “comet” and “swarm” targets. Soon enough he had earned the rank of Soldier, and a truth was revealed to him. As he was promoted by his officer, he stood proud and firm.

“Get that stupid grin off of your face, Soldier!” the officer exclaimed, smacking the former Drone right in the snout with enough force to send the changeling to the ground. “There’s still additional training you must receive!”

As much as the trainee wanted to question the officer’s authority, no words could escape his hurting snout. He slowly got back up on all fours. Feeling a strange substance in his snout of unusual taste, he spat it out. His eyes widened as he saw a green glob of goo splattered on the floor.

“What is that?” the changeling asked his superior officer.

“Stay or go?” the expressionless officer said.

“What?”

“Train to stay in the Hive or train to leave?”

“You don’t even care, do you?”

“Soldier, you’re expendable. My time isn’t. Now answer or I’ll answer for you.”

The Soldier glared at his instructor. “Go.” Very little emotion left his snout. “I don’t want to be stuck in this forsaken place.”

The officer chuckled. “You see that goop on the ground there?” The Soldier didn’t answer, almost enraged by the ignorance. “Well, that’s your destiny.” He turned toward the exit. “Regulator! You have a new trainee!”

A changeling slightly shorter than the officer trotted into the training ground. Upon seeing the Soldier, his wings carried him quickly to the green goop on the ground. A sniff and a hoof into it confirmed his suspicions. With a nod from the officer, Regulator dragged the young changeling out of the training area and down the flight of stairs. Short introductions sufficed as they trotted down the winding path. “Who are you?” was the first question that came out of the changeling’s snout, but was not the first to come to mind.

“Regulator.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I’m a Breeder who takes care of the newborn Drones.”

“Then why am I here? I’m a Soldier!”

“You’re also annoying,” Regulator responded with frustration in his voice. “But that’s beside the point. Your spit is quite
fertile, and my peer believes you have Breeder potential... outside the Hive.”

“What’s a Breeder?”

“What’s a question?” Regulator asked in a sarcastic tone. “Just shut up, Soldier... you ask one more question and I’ll kill you.”

Finally, they reached the bottom of the steps. Below them the bottom of the Hive was deeper by a few feet. Looking over the edge, the Soldier saw bright blue eyes staring back at him, but not a sound came from below. The scent of Fear overwhelmed the Soldier’s senses and caused him to step back a few paces.

“You’re not here for the tour, idiot!” Regulator took a brief glance to the eyes below, then turned right back toward the Soldier. “Those things are called Workers. They are what become of any Drone who disobeys conduct or fails combat training.”

“Those... they are changelings! But why don’t the stairs reach them?”

Regulator’s black snout twisted in anger. He charged the Soldier, pinning him up against a wall. The only thing the Soldier could smell besides the stale breath of the changeling was its Rage.

“If there’s one thing I hate more than excessive questions, it’s sympathy!”

The Soldier hoped his Fear was indistinguishable from the Fear of the Workers. He was wrong. Regulator brought one hoof back, preparing to strike, but something caught his eye. Both changelings looked up to see a green-eyed Assassin staring back at them. The grip around the Soldier’s throat lifted.

“What are you looking at, you bastard?!” Regulator screamed at the silent changeling above.

The Assassin trotted down the stairs to join the two changelings. His speed would imply that he had a lot of practice. Finally he spoke, his voice was much deeper than the Soldier had expected:

“You know, as an Assassin, I could tear your wings off just for looking at me the wrong way, let alone raising your foolish voice to me!”

“You didn't do it to this little freak!” Regulator gestured toward the Soldier.

“I wasn't expecting him to try to escape. For once in my life there was something... unforeseen. I couldn’t let that just up and die!” The Assassin smiled. “You, on the other hoof...”

The Assassin took a step closer to Regulator. The Breeder refused to budge, calling the Assassin’s bluff.

“You’re not going to kill me.”

“Give me your left hoof.”

“What?” said Regulator, confused by this strange request.

“I’m sorry.” The Assassin shook his head back and forth, as if sympathizing with the Breeder. “I meant your right hoof. I get those mixed up sometimes...”

“Why?”

“I need to know if you’re worth anything. I’ve seen quite a few Breeders in my... visions.”

Regulator reluctantly agreed, lifting his right hoof. The Assassin’s left hoof lifted it a bit higher and his green eyes scanned it very closely. A smile creased his black snout, exposing a second set of fangs near the back.

“The future smiles upon you, Breeder. This is the kind of hoof that could hold a map... yes, the hoof of a Breeder Elite!”

“Elite?!”

“Would you like me to verify that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s the difference between supposing and knowing,” the Assassin insisted.

“You bastard... this is why everyone hates you! You dodge questions and spout words that neither make sense nor matter!”

“I’m sure the same could be said of all changelings. At least, the ones that are stationed outside the Hive. But you will never know that feeling, will you?” A familiar smirk creased the left side of the Assassin’s face.

Regulator addressed the Assassin by name this time. “And another thing, Foresight! You just keep contradicting yourself! How can I be an Elite and still be in the Hive?”

The smirk was gone, replaced by the calm, emotionless snout from before. “I said I needed to verify that you are indeed the Breeder from the vision; you declined.”

“I did no such thing.”

“So you want me to verify the prediction?” There was a slight emphasis on “want” as though the Assassin actually cared what the Breeder thought.

Regulator thought for a moment, sighing and biting his left hoof as he contemplated the very strange offer. He already had his right hoof read by the shady fortune teller, but what could “verify” possibly mean? His left hoof lowered, and a slight nod of his head brought Foresight’s left hoof up, beckoning Regulator’s right hoof once more. Upon the Breeder’s right hoof being placed on his left hoof again, a smile creased the Assassin’s snout revealing a second set of fangs toward the back. His mouth slowly opened, and his tongue stretched toward Regulator’s hoof. A short lick and the tongue went back into the Assassin’s mouth. Their eyes met. Light reflected off of the changeling spit on the Breeder’s hoof and then off of the Assassin’s eyes and fangs. Within a second the changeling’s head ducked down as his fangs clamped down on the Breeder’s hoof. Just as quickly he let go... though it was after a loud scream from Regulator and a strong punch to the nose.

“What the hay did you do that for, you bastard!?” His whole hoof overlapped the injured one. Despite the commotion, there was no blood from the wound.

“You’re not bleeding...”

The Assassin smiled. “I can’t kill you now, you know,” he reassured, keeping Regulator from turning back toward his student. “Change the present, and the past and future are to follow! The scars from my bite marks just appeared in my vision!”

“So I will get the promotion?” the Breeder asked, choking back the pain in his hoof.

“Yes. But one word of advice,” the Assassin warned, “If you ever lose something, never leave your pony form. Without your pony form you’ll die.”

“That’s just common sense!” Regulator noted, half-doubting the Assassin’s expertise.

“Mistaken senses will be harshly corrected,” Foresight added in an almost monotonous voice.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” the irritated Breeder asked.

“I will lead you to the gatekeepers, and then the face of darkness shall be revealed! Sadly, I had shielded my eyes from such light... light that would smite the darkness! But then the clouds would roll...”

Regulator prodded the Soldier into trotting past the Assassin while he was caught in a nonsensical speech about “darkness” and “light.” He mentioned “forgiveness” which didn’t seem to fit into the story at all. Even the Soldier stopped listening to the speech after that.

“What is wrong with that guy?” the Soldier dared to ask once they got out of earshot of the demented speaker.

“You mean other than being a complete freak of nature?” The Breeder kept trotting up the stairs.

“Well... yeah.” The Soldier was unsure if he would get a clearer response, or if he could keep up with the Breeder for much longer.

Regulator smiled at the Soldier for the first time. “He’s a bastard. I’ve worked the line of hatching new changelings for over 1000 years in the Hive. Then maybe a few hundred or so years ago this freak shows up and claims to be one of our own! Sure... the Queen believed him, but I still say he’s the bastard son of some hive. What really sucks is that I’ll actually owe him something if I get that promotion.” His blue eyes fell to the fang marks on his right hoof.

“What makes you so sure?” Before Regulator could answer, the Soldier clarified. “...about him not belonging to the Hive, I mean.”

“O... right,” Regulator said, gathering his thoughts again. “Well, besides all the future talk and gibberish... he came to us with no wings. Just a couple stubs on his back like a common Worker! Fun thing though... he had those green eyes of a high ranking Manipulator, and the mane color to match!”

“His mane’s a different color?”

“Funny. Thought you were going to ask me what a Manipulator was. O well, Manipulators are the leadership around here. I report to one, your old supervisor Compass reports to one, and those Manipulators all report to the Queen. She’s the brains behind all of our operations; she gets the final word on everything... especially naming changelings who have gone above and beyond their training!”

“Like you.”

“Exactly.”

“...and Foresight.”

A slight scent of Rage permeated from the Breeder. “I think he just calls himself that.”

“So you were telling me about the mane color change...” the Soldier said to get the Breeder back into a relatively good mood.

“O, right! Manipulators practice these awesome manipulation spells that slowly change their changeling forms that make
them better at the spells. It’s an infinite cycle that only the Queen has truly perfected, which is why she is so tall, has a long, bluish mane and those beautiful eyes.”

“Do you like her?”

“Of course! Everyone here in the Hive does, not counting the Workers and Foresight since their opinions don’t matter.” He rattled off that last part almost too quickly for the Soldier to understand. “It’s almost a kind of law...” Regulator’s head tilted to a side as though a thought had appeared in his mind, but he just shrugged it off, did a slight shake and kept trotting up the stairs.

Finally they reached their destination: a door that seemed somehow familiar to the Soldier. Upon opening it, he found multiple ponies laying unconscious inside. Regulator pushed the Soldier all the way in and closed the door behind them.

“Are they still alive?”

Regulator just smiled. “Of course. They have to be alive before they can be killed! Then their new life can begin.”

“New life?”

“Of course! We’re turning their drab old pony forms into beautiful masterpieces of nature that is the changeling race!”

“And it begins with a death?”

The Breeder chuckled. “You and your sympathies... very funny. Now help me cover this pony with our own power!” The changeling spat some green goop on a nearby incapacitated Earth pony.

“I don’t want to kill anypony here...”

“You sound as though this is a one-time thing!” Regulator laughed. “My diluted little changeling... you’re just getting started. You’re a Breeder now.”

Chapter 2: The Wait and the Scales

Night came. The moonlight ricocheted off the walls of the Hive, and Breeder as he was now called was almost blinded when he trotted out of the Spawning room. The Moon was full and was directly outside the cave-like entrance to the Hive. In the Lunar light, the silhouette of the Assassin stood out. Hovering on his wings outside as though waiting for something.
Regulator’s voice broke up the changeling’s observing. “Don’t get distracted. The work may be done, but there may be more tomorrow!”

“And what do we do until then?” the Breeder asked, turning his head back to see Regulator close the door to the Spawning room.

Regulator turned from the door and trotted to the changeling’s side. “Sleep. And before you ask, you’re bunking with me since you've been promoted to Breeder. It’s a lot nicer than those slabs of rock you used to sleep on in combat training.”

“And why’s that?”

Regulator chuckled. “...you come up with a question anyways!? I don’t know if I should be angry or impressed!” Another chuckle escaped his snout before he addressed the question. “Oh... you’ll find out. I won’t wait up for you, so are you coming to bed now or later?”

“...later.” Breeder was more hungry than tired; the pains in his stomach were strong enough to keep him from relaxing.

“Later.”

As Breeder watched Regulator trot down the steps, he noted exactly which door he used. Of course, he went to the first door after the Spawning room and trotted right inside! A smile creased the changeling’s mouth, which was still sore from learning how to produce large amounts of the green goop that could turn a pony into a changeling.

“Hey there... Breeder!” The changeling turned to find the source of the voice only to find his officer from combat training.

“Hello, Compass,” Breeder replied sternly, unsure of the officer’s intentions.

“How’s the new rank treating you?”

“I didn’t think that mass murder would be part of my job description.”

The officer laughed. His laugh slowed into a chuckle as he began to realize that the Breeder was serious. “Don’t tell me you feel sorry for those... ‘ponies.’”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Breeder asked, slightly angry.

“What?”

“The way you said ‘ponies...’ Are you implying they aren’t really ponies?”

“The ‘ponies,’” he used the same inflection, “are of no use to us because of their lack of Love. These are creatures that are commonly depressed for one reason or another and are often outcasts or recluses. Saboteurs find them, take them to Breeders like you, and they’re shipped out here to be given a greater purpose!”

“Saboteurs?” The Breeder used the same inflection that Compass had.

“Changelings who are very good at maintaining a particular form. They scout out different areas and races for us so that we can find weaknesses and know exactly when and where to strike!”

“And where do Assassins come in?” Breeder asked, taking a casual glance toward the entrance before turning back to the officer.

“Oh, Assassins are just mentally unstable Soldiers! They kill ponies instead of feed off of them. Of course, no Assassin goes into battle without an Executioner.”

“What--”

“The equivalent to a General in pony terms. Very few changelings make this exclusive rank, and those who do become some of the most brutal warriors the Hive has to offer. It’s such an honor that many Executioners have two names!” The changeling smiled as his thoughts became saturated by his desire, but reality soon returned to bring the sides of his mouth back down. “I only made Elite; it means they considered me, but turned me down.”

“So you’re a Soldier Elite?” After a nod from the other changeling, Breeder was able to come up with another question. “I’ve heard of Breeder Elites and now Soldier Elites... are there Assassin Elites?”

“Would you want to work under a General who believed everything was expendable?”
This thought brought a very grim image to the Breeder’s mind. “...no.”

“Well there’s your answer!” Compass happily responded, hoping that it would be the last question. Then a question of his own came to him. “Why do you ask so much about Assassins? They are all considered scum... you just don’t mess with them since they’re insane and would probably kill you.”

There was a short pause as Breeder was unsure how Compass would react. “Foresight saved my life... I’m just wondering--”

“Let me stop you right there,” the Elite interrupted. “Foresight is a wretch. We found him a few hundred years back... trotted out of the woods to the north. They say there wasn’t a single wing on him when we threw him down into the Pit.”

“You threw him down with the Workers?” Breeder asked, with Fear in his voice. He was unsure if he was afraid for Foresight in this account, or afraid for himself as he had narrowly avoided such a fate.

“I didn’t personally... but a few days later the guy comes soaring right back out on a pair of brand new wings!”

“Wings grow back?”

Compass smiled. “That’s just it, Breeder. They don’t.”

There was another short pause as the changeling gathered his thoughts. “So where do you think his new wings came from?”

“I don’t know.” The Elite shook his head. “I don’t want to know!” A shiver traveled down the officer’s back as he remembered a small detail. “Have you seen that wretch’s wings?”

“Yeah... they’re just changeling wings.”

“They are flawed.” He turned around and spread his wings for comparison. “You see the holes and rips? They’re symmetrical. They line up. They don’t do this on that freak’s wings.” The Elite turned back around. “Sometimes I wonder if that wretch can even fly.”

“At least you guys found a job for him.”

“I guess...” A smirk creased the right side of the changeling’s snout. “Not that he actually does his job.”

“He’s... lazy?”

“If he were lazy, he wouldn’t disappear. Sometimes he’s in the Hive, other times he’s just... gone. Some of us wonder if he’s in the Cult of Scales or something.”

“The what?”

Compass shook his head back and forth, as if shaking off a bad memory. “Nothing... I gotta get going.” He quickly trotted past the Breeder, but stopped a short moment to say one more thing. “Stay out of trouble, Breeder.” He descended the staircase and disappeared from the Breeder’s vision. Of course, the Breeder didn’t care where Compass slept... he had greater things to discover.

The changeling trotted toward the entrance, and began to slowly exit to approach Foresight. As he looked up, he was almost blinded again by the light from the Moon. It caught him so off guard that he forgot about stealth, and a few misplaced hoofsteps and a soft grunt gave away his position very quickly. His gaze returned from the Moon and found Foresight’s left eye as he had half turned his head around to see the source of the noise. Upon making eye contact, Foresight simply rolled his eye and turned his head back toward the open wasteland outside. Breeder stood silently for a few moments, before he began trotting a bit closer. When he felt he was within earshot of the Assassin on the edge of the cliff, he finally spoke.

“How goes the night shift?” he said, awkwardly.

Foresight didn’t turn, and spoke with no emotion. “Something unusual on the horizon.”

“What is it?” Breeder took a few steps closer the Assassin standing near the very edge.

“Nothing dangerous... just smoke. In the forest. Caused by a fire yet to fully burn out.”

“Some campers?” He moved a couple steps closer.

“They are coming.”

“Who is?” Breeder now stood beside the Assassin.

“And he is leading them here...” The faint smell of Fear wafted from the Assassin’s snout.

“Who is... ‘he?’”

“Shadow...” the Assassin said in a solemn tone, “he is a shadow... and I am waiting.” The Assassin turned his head, almost bumping into the Breeder’s. “Who are you?” asked Foresight.

“I’m... uh, Breeder.” The Fear in his voice would assure that Foresight heard “uh” and not “a.”

“You do not have a name?” Foresight said with so little emotion that one might perceive a statement instead of a question.

“Not yet. Who are you?”

Foresight chuckled in a familiar manner. “That’s not the right question.”

“What?”

The Assassin stretched his neck and cleared his throat as if preparing to give a speech. “Sometimes life makes a monster,” he started, turning away from the Breeder and staring out toward the smoke from the forest. “...or two,” he added. “The question becomes,” he turned back to the changeling, ‘What are you?’”

“‘What are you?’” Breeder echoed. “Regulator says you’re a bastard, and Compass says you’re a wretch... and the Hive calls you an Assassin. But... who--er... what are you?”

Foresight chuckled, two of his fangs shining in the moonlight. He stopped when he noticed that Breeder seemed truly sincere. His tone of voice became much more serious.

“What am I? Well it’s all about perspective.” He turned from the changeling yet again, and stared into the wasteland.

“Some look into a mirror and see a monster...” His gaze lifted to the distant forest. “Some look into a mirror and see the world...” His gaze lifted to the Moon. “The world looks at me and sees a monster with a mirror...” His snout turned back to Breeder, twisted by the grin on its face. “...but they do not realize that I am the mirror.”

Breeder blinked a couple times. “...what?”

“You must be getting tired if you do not understand.” The changeling turned back to the forest. “Just get some rest...”

“That whole speech was just to get rid of me, wasn’t it?” the Breeder snapped back at him. “You just made up a bunch of nonsense to get me to go away!”

“Life is what you make of it. Truth is relative when tested by time.”

Breeder’s mouth opened to ask again, but decided against it. He simply turned around and trotted away from the Assassin. He had no way of knowing if he was trustworthy, but tomorrow would be a new day. There was a chance that Foresight was right about him being too tired, but Breeder believed that the whole speech was gibberish and nonsense. He found the second door from the top, and trotted inside his new room. He closed the door behind him and began trying to lay down on the goopy slabs that made up the beds. “At least he doesn’t work around the Hive...” he thought to himself as his laid down on the soft, greenish rock. His eyes closed and he fell asleep.

Sunlight touched the changeling’s snout and reflected off the goop around him. His eyes opened and he rolled off the slab to find the door was open. As he shook himself awake, he noticed there was a changeling moving towards him. A blink of his blue eyes cleared his vision and he was able to make out the face of Foresight.

“Good,” Foresight said. “You’re awake.”

The Breeder’s hoof rubbed his aching head. “Why do you have to have such a deep voice?” he asked.
Foresight suppressed a smile. “You’re needed outside... Now.”

Before Breeder could truly get his bearings, Foresight’s magic lifted him to his four feet and pulled him closer. Now on all four hooves, he followed behind the Assassin, his head still a bit achey from being awoken so early. From the door, they trotted to the right, up the stairs, past the Hatchery, and out into the sunlight. Waiting for them were several changelings that the Breeder did not recognize. Turning from them, the changeling was finally able to see the faded blue mane of Foresight in the light of day. His looks matched his voice.

“Where is our Executioner?” Foresight asked the other changelings that were simply lounging outside.

The three changelings looked up from their view of the wasteland, and simply smiled. Then a changeling reached from behind and pulled Foresight around. Foresight’s eyes met two similar eyes, and this changeling was slightly taller. His mane was slightly darker, too.

“The Queen wants to see you,” the new changeling said sternly, his voice slightly higher than Foresight’s.

“We were about to go on that mission--”

“I’ll brief the Breeder on the details while you make us late. Now get going, you freak!”

With an irritated sigh, Foresight began trotting around the changeling and back into the cave. A hind leg kicked him as he passed, prodding him deeper into the cave. Despite the sound of pain, Foresight never turned around. He descended the stairs as the changeling grabbed the Breeder and dragged him toward the cliff. They stopped at the edge and the Breeder’s head was pointed toward a large plateau where several dragons were roosting.

“You see those dragons? That’s where we’re headed,” the changeling revealed. “There are defectors there who have taken the forms of dragons, and they must be destroyed.”

“We have to fight other changelings?” the Breeder asked. A changeling behind them chuckled.

“The Queen believes the ‘Cult of Scales,’ as they call themselves, are planning to use their prey to attack the Hive,” the changeling beside Breeder explained, ignoring those behind them. “We have to make sure every last defector on that plateau dies. There’s no way around it.”

Suddenly, one of the changelings behind them spoke up, “You mean, we have to make sure that no changeling gets out alive.” The changeling smiled. “Admit it... this is a suicide mission.”

“We have an entire strike force!” the changeling said, raising his voice to the other. “You are all well-trained Assassins, and I’m an Executioner! Dragons may be a problem, but we have the skill to completely avoid conflict with them.”

“What about Foresight?” the Assassin asked. “I thought he was only sent on suicide missions...”

The Executioner chuckled. “Sure. We’ll make sure an adult dragon notices him.”

“That could complicate the entire mission...” the Breeder noted.

“Oh, please,” the Executioner scoffed. “Once we figure out the changelings, we just decloak them all! I’m sure the dragons won’t mind a couple extra changelings in their meal.”

“What if Foresight sees the betrayal coming?”

The Executioner rolled his eyes and put a hoof on the Breeder’s shoulder. “I hate to burst your little bubble, but Foresight’s a total liar. The only thing he’s good at is night watch and killing some good Assassins. I don’t know how you can fall for his ‘foresight’ act.”

The Breeder shook off the Executioner’s hoof. “I guess I’m not a monster willing to backstab his own kind.”

“‘Own kind?!’ Are you crazy? He’s a total freak!” the Executioner was able to say as all the changelings burst into laughter. “There was this one time, I had heard that he had killed Midnight Masquerade, and so I asked him about it...” The laughter in the background stopped as the changelings now leaned forward in anticipation. “You know what he told me?” A short chuckle escaped one of the Assassin’s snouts as they continued listening. “He told me he planned to take Midnight’s place! But it doesn’t end there... the idiot claimed that Midnight’s still alive among the stars!” The changelings burst into laughter, except for Breeder, who could only ask another question.

“Who’s ‘Midnight Masquerade?’”

The changelings stopped laughing. The Executioner’s voice was more serious than ever. “Midnight Masquerade was an old hero to the changelings. He was the first Executioner, and the best one. He killed hundreds of ponies during his service, and the story goes that he let Chrysalis escape Canterlot at the fall of Chaos. Nobody ever saw Midnight again, but his killing records have yet to be broken.”

“If nobody saw him again, why couldn’t he be alive?”

“Because he was the first Executioner! The only thing that could separate him from his army would be death itself!”

“Midnight is a role model to us all,” an Assassin added. “I heard that he was born a unicorn, and as soon as he became a changeling he took his own brother’s form... by killing him!”

“Hey!” The Executioner was furious. “It wasn’t his ‘brother;’ changelings are only brothers with other changelings. It annoys the hay out of me when you guys say stuff like that... it’s like a pony associating with a tree!”

The changelings burst into laughter once again, all except for Breeder. Foresight appeared from the Hive entrance, smiling.

“What’s going on, Foresight?” the Breeder asked.

“I assume you were talking about Masquerade...”

“We already told him, you bastard!” the Executioner interrupted.

Foresight trotted past them all and sat at the edge of the cliff. The smile never left his face. “We should get going.” His head moved from right to left as he scanned the area. “He is coming.”

The Assassins laughed as the Executioner trotted toward the crazy changeling.

“Listen, you freak! I’ve had enough of your stupid word games, you’re an Assassin and I’m the Executioner, so you’ll do as I say! Now speak in plain words and skip those stupid puzzles in your head!”

Foresight looked into the Executioner’s eyes without a hint of expression on his face. “Elite.”

“For every time I have to ask you what you mean, I’m taking a parasprite from your rations, Assassin.”

“I’m an Assassin Elite now. Chrysalis says that this will be a true test of my skills.”

“Assassin Elites don’t exist. There can be no such rank in the Changeling Order...”

“Shouldn’t. Assassin Elites shouldn’t exist. She’s doing this to mock me and I believe you said we were late for this mission? A suicide mission, of course, but I will not be so easily killed.”

The Executioner smiled and nodded, knowing that in the end there would be one less freak in the Hive tonight. He rallied his Assassins as the Breeder was deep in thought. He looked up at the Assassin Elite, and wondered why the Queen would distract from a mission just to mock a changeling deemed so worthless. The Elite looked back at the Breeder and as their eyes met, the changeling realized why. Somehow, a phrase popped into his head, as though placed there by Foresight...

“Of course that’s not all. They’re all just too stupid to be worthy of the truth.”

The phrase bounced around in the Breeder’s head, and he wondered if telepathy was ever in the Elite’s training.

“Not formally.”

This is too good to be true.

“Thinks you. I’ve had years to practice.”

Why are you doing this to me?

“Because you’re different. You are the Unforeseen.”

You know you can’t predict everything.

“You tried to escape. Do you know why that is?”

It was just... instincts.

“Hardly. In a place where instincts are laws, it’s hard to believe that a rule breaker could have any.”

Are you calling me stupid?

“I’m calling you the Unforeseen.”

“Stop doing that!” the Breeder screamed, not realizing that he had said it out loud. He looked around to find the Executioner glaring at Foresight, and the Assassins already in flight. His head turned back around to see the Assassin Elite staring blankly back at the other changeling as if nothing was wrong.

“Stop using word puzzles, Foresight,” the Breeder added.

“Did you ever figure out what I am?”

“You are whatever we call you!” the Executioner answered.

Foresight finally smiled. “Exactly.” A disapproving glance from the Executioner prompted the Assassin Elite to continue. “I mean... we should get going. We are late as it is!”

Within minutes of taking off the winged changelings flew across the open wastelands and rose up towards the top of plateau. They stopped near the top, not going into sight of the dragons. The Executioner nodded toward the Assassins, who assumed seemingly random, small dragon forms. The Executioner himself donned a black dragon form; it made him slightly taller than the others. The black dragon turned to the Breeder and Foresight.

“You learned your forms, right?” he asked, in an attempt at a whisper with a naturally loud and deep voice.

The Breeder trembled with the stress of not having any form to take. The dragons would kill him on sight. Foresight, sitting stoically, nodded and donned a red dragon form in a larger green blaze that took up the Breeder’s entire field of vision.

“Yes we have,” the Elite answered.

“But I--” Breeder pleaded in an unexpectedly deep voice.

Foresight simply smiled and turned to the green dragon that was once Breeder.

“We have.”

“Good,” the black dragon said, his eyes focused on Foresight, the red dragon. “Go find an adult and get its attention. I don’t know how long we’ll keep the defectors’ true forms exposed, so make sure it’s looking toward us. We’ll gather the defectors, you’ll join us, and we’ll watch the fools burn together!”

After the short, red dragon spread his uneven wings and leaped into the air, the eyes of the Breeder were locked with the anger of the Executioner. A crooked smile creased the dragon’s snout, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

“Breeder, you’re coming with us!”

The five changelings made their way into the dragons’ roost. The plateau they had viewed from afar was revealed to have a large crater for the young ones to bask in. Young dragons would be the right size for a changeling to mimic. The Breeder’s eyes scanned the area around them; there were several young dragons roaming, as well as giant behemoths along the perimeter.

“Don’t make eye contact with the big ones...” the black Executioner warned. “They won’t hesitate to burn you if you don’t keep your head down.”

The changeling squad made their way to a group of dragons that were about their size. They appeared to be teenagers, but Breeder’s sense of smell would reveal them to be changelings. The Executioner approached the leader, whose white form was slightly taller than his own. The black dragon asked if him and his friends would be able to join the Cult of Scales, and the white revealed that there was an initiation required. As he gathered his fellow cult members, a couple Assassins could not help but smile; everything was going according to plan.

Soon enough a small crowd of dragons of various colors but relatively similar height amassed around the team. A deep growl reverberated throughout the small crater as Foresight’s red dragon form slid down into the crater to join the team. As the red dragon took his place at Breeder’s side, stress and guilt overtook the changeling’s mind. He could end a pony’s life with conversion and some assurance of a better life, but this was simple murder. The cult leader began his speech, but it was simply droning in the background of the changeling’s thoughts.

They’re going to kill every changeling here but themselves... they’ll betray Foresight... and I’ll become an accomplice...

“And you don’t think I’ve foreseen it?”

Get out of my head. No... get out of this crater!

“I can’t just abandon my squad...”

Midnight did.

“Midnight died anyhow.”

“HEY!” the cult leader’s voice pierced through the silent conversation.

“What?” Breeder shyly replied.

“You don’t seem to be paying attention.” The white dragon’s fangs shone brighter than his scales as he spoke. “Are you
ready to earn your place among us?”

The changeling’s scaly green head turned to find the Executioner’s black snout slightly nodding. The Breeder turned back to the white dragon, took a deep breath, and said the words “I’m ready” as calmly as possible.

In a flash the Cult of Scales were exposed as the strike force rose into the air, leaving Foresight and Breeder behind. Red flame engulfed the cult leader and many others who were left exposed and stranded. Somehow “Get down!” was able to come over all of the screams of burning changelings as Foresight tackled Breeder, narrowly saving him from another burst of flame from an adult dragon. Breeder landed on his back, and opened his eyes to Foresight staring back at him. He couldn’t speak, as every breath that didn’t come through his mouth would let in the scent of burning changeling flesh.

“Don’t panic! I’m getting you out of here!”

Green flames swirled around the Breeder, contrasting the dead, brown sky and the harsh, red dragonfire. He closed his eyes in the chaos. Then the heat, the screams, the light was all gone, and Breeder opened his eyes to the Hive’s interior. Foresight had teleported him back home.

Foresight...?

His mind was blank and his throat was dry.

Chapter 3: The Outcasts

The Breeder trotted out into the sunlight in time to see the survivors of the strike force returning from the plateau in an organized flight pattern. He stood there, waiting for them to touch down. As they approached the cliff the Assassins backed off; their faces in shock as if they had seen a ghost. The Executioner was not so easily intimidated.

“Oh, there you are, Breeder!” The changeling laughed. “We had given you up for dead... but it looks like the mission was a complete success after all! No more Cult of Scales, and no more Foresight!”

Breeder’s mouth stayed closed. He could not find a single word to express his feelings of the mission’s horrific end. He took a step closer to the Executioner, raising his head up quickly causing the Executioner to back up onto his hind legs to dodge the Breeder’s horn. The Breeder quickly sprung to his own hind legs, and used his right foreleg to deliver a powerful jab into the changeling’s stomach. His rage gone, the Breeder simply turned around began trotting away from the writhing creature on the cliff.

“You think you can just walk away from me, you freak?!” the Executioner screamed through both pain and rage. “The Queen is going to hear about this!”

Breeder continued to trot away.

“You think a blow to the chest will keep me down, you stupid breeder?! I’m gonna break your face into two pieces!”
Breeder stopped. Without turning around, he spoke solemnly. “Foresight’s threats made more sense...”

He trotted back into the Hive and into the Breeding Room. Regulator was waiting for him, his jaws still green and dripping from his most recent job: an unconscious pony in a cocoon, waiting for a Worker to come and take him to the Hatchery.

“What’s all the commotion?” he asked his trainee. There wasn’t any noticeable concern in his voice.

“I think that’s my last mission outside...” Breeder answered.

“What?” Regulator seemed serious this time. “You don’t have much choice in this matter, Breeder. You’ve already signed up for Outside training; there’s no turning back.”

“I just saw at least 10 other changelings just like us get burned alive in a dragons’ nest,” Breeder admitted.

“So the mission failed?”

“What? No... the problem is that the mission was a success!”

“Has Foresight gotten to you? The Cult of Scales are a bunch of freaks who believe that creatures full of Greed and Rage can yield Love, we simply put them out of their misery before they could give all changelings a bad name!”

“...Foresight’s dead.”

Regulator smiled. “About time those stupid Assassins did something right!”

Breeder held back the urge to punch yet another superior officer. “Isn’t there something the Hive needs bred?”

Regulator calmed down a little, but couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “Sure... get that unicorn over there.”

One unicorn-sized cocoon later, Breeder reclined on the ground and wiped the goop from his snout. He was slightly surprised that the Executioner hadn’t come knocking on the door yet, and wondered if he was ever going to get revenge. Finally, as though on cue, there was two strong knocks on the door. Regulator looked up from his work, several strings of slime connecting his snout to the victims. The door burst open, revealing two things: One, an unfamiliar changeling with a strange package on its back; and Two, that the “knocks” were merely unsuccessful attempts at getting the door open.

“What are you doing here?!” Regulator asked, mouth agape with some kind of shock at whoever bursted through the door.

“Ah, Regulator! It has been too long,” the changeling said in a pitch even higher than most newborn drones. It laid its mysterious package, some kind of unconscious, feathered creature, on the ground. “We have brought this griffin to be... prepared. It is... how you say? A celebratory feast.”

“We don’t prepare food anymore, and prey is scarce as it is!” Regulator explained. “Now... if I’m not crazy and you are actually here, then you should probably see the Queen. She’ll want to debrief you.”
The strange changeling sighed. “Very well then... we shall return.”

After both the changeling and the echo of its high-pitched voice disappeared, Breeder turned to his teacher for some inquiry.

“Who was that?”

Regulator sighed, putting his hoof to his head as though suffering a headache. “Vertigo. Her name is Vertigo.”

“Vertigo?” Breeder turned toward the unconscious griffin on the ground. “And do I want to know what that is?”

“A griffin. It’s half-lion, half-eagle, and doesn’t give off near as much love as ponies.”

“How’s that work? She called this thing a feast...”

“It’s a top tier predator. The only thing that makes it better than a dragon is the griffin’s omnivorous tendencies. They actually have the capacity to love, but don’t use it nearly as often as the average pony would.”

This confused Breeder. “So if this thing’s nothing compared to a pony, does that mean Vertigo doesn’t know what she’s talking about?”

“Somewhat. The only reason she brought it here was to be ‘prepared.’” Regulator winced. “That’s something that hasn’t been practiced for centuries. We stopped just a few years after Vertigo left for her ‘mission’ in the Griffin kingdom.” He sighed. “And before you ask, it involves subordinate changelings tearing live prey limb from limb before being quietly called off by a leader, who would feed off the gratefulness of the prey before its death. So... it is a bountiful feast, but it only serves one and we don’t have enough prey to go around anymore.”

A slight Fear spread through the young Breeder. He trotted to the door and poked his head out, only to see an angry, armored changeling coming towards him. It pushed him back into the room.

“We had forewarned of our return, but we bring disturbing news.” An insidious smile creased Vertigo’s snout under the helmet. “We have heard that you punched someone of my rank in the gut. Admirable, yet foolish. To pay for this crime...” She turned away from the Breeder and her horn lit as she looked over the various armaments on her back. A helmet and saddle hovered from her and landed at the Breeder’s hooves as she continued. “...you are to come with me and greet a surviving deserter. He is not of Scales, but of the ponies. He is said to have been born outside of the Hive.”

“Is that even possible?” Regulator asked the armored Executioner.

“That’s what we’re about to find out,” she answered.

After Breeder donned the armor, he followed Vertigo out of the room and up the stairs to the entrance, where two unicorns and a pegasus had just arrived. Neither of the changelings recognized anypony out there, but there was a white unicorn in golden armor with a blue mane, a cream pegasus in silver armor with a blue and white mane, and a plum, unarmored unicorn with strange ears and eyes with a black and red mane. The plum unicorn faced his companions, and broke the silence:

“You two have served your purpose.” A sudden flash of green fire revealed the shameful defector. “Now you’ll have to wait out here. I don’t want you getting hurt.” The common-looking changeling turned around, his blue eyes meeting the blue eyes of Vertigo before he continued. “I made a deal with these two ponies; they got me here unharmed, so they’ll leave here unharmed. Now, I want you to take me to Queen Chrysalis!”

The two changelings were shocked. How could somepony know the name of the Queen? They looked over him a couple times, but couldn’t find any indication of rank or identity; he had to have been born outside of the Hive. They looked at each other, and Vertigo took it upon herself to negotiate with the stranger.

“Heed our warning, outsider! You should turn back... we know not whence you learned our great Queen’s name, but you are new to the Hive. We will take you to the Queen if you insist, but you should take your ponies and leave while you can!”

“I’ve come too far to be deterred now! Take me to Chrysalis! And my friends better be here and unharmed... we still have unfinished business outside this cave.”

The outsider seemed more foolish than brave to the two changelings. However, in a hushed whisper Vertigo explained to Breeder that the Queen had told them to oblige with whatever demands the deserter made. They dared not question her judgment.

“Very well,” Vertigo obliged. “Follow us.”

Vertigo lead the two changelings into the Hive’s interior and down to the door to the throne room. It was deeper than Breeder had ever gone, and they used their wings to get there the fastest. The broken stairs from months before seemed to be completely repaired, but they were not nearly as pristine as the door. The door itself was massive... and Breeder could only imagine what the changeling Queen looked like. He turned impatiently to see if their guest was ready, but he was nowhere to be found. Vertigo gestured above, where the sound of hoofsteps could be heard.

“Why is he taking the stairs?” Breeder asked, quietly hoping to be able to see the throne room.

“Did you not see his wings? They were broken,” the female Executioner explained in a hushed tone. “Still attached, but utterly useless. A shame.”

“Isn’t that how Foresight arrived?”

“You speak of that nonsensical whelp that was thrown into the bottom of the Hive?” She was in half disbelief. “How can it be that you are aware of the existence of such a useless creature?”

“He only died today,” Breeder revealed with sorrow in his voice.

Vertigo chuckled a little, but the corners of her mouth wavered as she grew quiet. Finally, they fell as she frowned at the news. She turned from Breeder.

“A shame. For some reason... he was so nice to me... when everyone else thought I was just an idiot.” She shook her head violently, trying to lose the memories. “It doesn’t matter now. The guest will be arriving soon; we will open the doors and then we may mourn our friend.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It’s something they did in Griffin culture... they would think about their fallen who they cared about, and it made them feel better.” She licked her lips. “It was always a smorgasbord.”

Breeder thought about the action and wondered if it would help changelings, but the hoofsteps grew louder than his own thoughts as the guest finally made his way to them. They stood on either side of the large door, and it was then that Breeder realized it was a double door and quickly assisted Vertigo with magic. The doors opened behind them, and the mysterious changeling trotted between them and into the throne room. They closed the doors quickly and trotted back up the stairs with their work finally done.

“So what were you saying about Foresight?” Breeder asked as they trotted up the stairs to the armory.
Vertigo sighed. “Before we were sent on our mission to the realm of the Griffins, we were thought to be almost completely worthless.”

“Who’s ‘we?’”

“Just me. Do Executioners no longer use the royal we when addressing subordinates?”

“I don’t think so...” Breeder answered, trying to remember if the strike team leader was using it.

She smiled after a sigh of relief. “Then I suppose I can stop using it then.”

“What do you make of the defector?” Breeder asked, taking away Vertigo’s smile. “How could he know the Queen’s name, when I’ve been raised here and still don’t know it?!”

“That is rather disturbing. Perhaps he learned it from a member of the Cult of Scales?”

“That might explain it...”

“Not just ‘might,’” Vertigo insisted. “I could smell the smoke on the ponies.”

“That could have just been me...”

Vertigo sniffed her companion and shook her head. “No... the scent was much stronger outside.”

They finally made it to the armory. They removed their helmets and saddles and placed them in the appropriate rack. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Breeder’s head. He held a hoof up to it in a futile attempt to soothe the pain. It seemed like it wouldn’t stop. Vertigo spoke, but he couldn’t hear her. As the pain finally lifted, he was left with a kind of Fear and looked to his right. Several spears lined the right wall of the Armory, and he picked one up.

“What are you doing?!” Vertigo asked, worried for the Breeder’s mental health.

“I’m not sure... but don’t worry. I’m just going to hold this for a little while.”

“What good will that do you?”

“It just... feels right. Like there’s something in my head telling me to do this.”

“You think it’ll make the pain go away?”

“Maybe...”

A loud, painful scream interrupted the changelings’ conversation. They trotted toward the door out of the armory and looked down the stairs in an attempt to find the source. A few hundred other changelings had the same idea. Breeder turned from the commotion to notice a slight crack in the wall formed from the impact of the scream; he turned back when he heard the throne room doors slam open. The defector galloped past them up the stairs, lifting his head slightly to notice the hundreds of changelings staring at him. Alone and humiliated, he hid his shame under the plum unicorn skin he knew so well. As he disappeared from the sight of Breeder, the Executioner from the morning arrived at the armory.

“Don’t tell me you’re going after him too?” he said, noticing Breeder’s spear.

Vertigo placed her hoof on his shoulder. “You know you can’t go after him! The Queen told us to do as he said...”

He shook her hoof off and glared at the two changelings. He spread his wings and flew up in pursuit of the deserter. Vertigo and Breeder quickly followed. The mysterious changeling had already made it outside by the time they reached the entrance, and they could hear the voices of the ponies in the distance. Vertigo tried again to persuade the Executioner.

“The Queen never gave the order! She has to give the order! This ‘pony’ is...”

“Quiet!” the Executioner interrupted. “I want to hear this...”

The mysterious changeling had walked past both of his companions.

“What? No ‘hello?’” the white unicorn asked. The Executioner’s fangs were bared.

“No...” the defector answered. “Just a goodbye.” He turned from his companion and jumped off the cliff.

“Looks like he did my job for me!” the Executioner said with a laugh. He turned toward the Breeder and noticed he was still holding the spear. “Give me that!”

“What do you want it for?!” Vertigo asked, physically getting in between the two changelings as well. “The defector’s already dead...”

“But that white one... he’s an enemy to the changelings! He must be dealt with!”

“You’re not getting the spear!” Breeder answered, clutching it tightly between his hooves while propping himself upright on it.

“Then I will take it!”

The Executioner charged, shoving Vertigo to the ground and out of the way while grabbing Breeder’s spear with his magic. He ripped the weapon from his hooves and threw it in the direction of the white unicorn. It struck with perfect accuracy... exactly where the unicorn had been standing a minute ago. Now, he was descending the cliff in an attempt to catch up with the pegasus and their fallen friend. The voices of the ponies at the bottom of the cliff could be heard as the Executioner trotted outside to retrieve the spear. The voices below died down and the sound of hoofsteps replaced them. The Executioner took a peek over the cliff to check on their progress, and smiled as he pulled the spear from the cliff with this magic.

Vertigo spoke his name with Fear in her voice. “Plague... don’t you think you have bigger things to worry about than one suicidal changeling?”

“Like what?!” the Executioner said as he turned around.

He gasped. Anger and Fear poured out of him as his greenish eyes met those of an Assassin. ...Elite. Foresight stood between Plague and Vertigo, panting from his treacherous climb to the entrance. His wings were badly burned and quivered in the wind.

“Your stupidity made my old war wound act up again...” he said without emotion.

“What war wound?” Plague asked, holding on to the spear.

“From my second voluntary suicide mission... of course, you weren’t alive then.”

“I remember when you first arrived in the Hive, you delusional fool!”

“Why did you take that spear? I thought I told Breeder to hold onto it for me...”

“Your telepathy has a range. Besides... what makes you think you can wield such a weapon?”

“If I am to take Midnight’s place, I would require such skills.”

Plague laughed. “You stupid bastard.--”

His sentence was interrupted by a large burst of magic hitting the ground next to him. There was a small rock there previously... now there was a small pile of dust.

“Would you prefer a magic duel?” Foresight added, with a large smirk on his face.

“No thanks...” The Executioner took a step away from the ashes of the rock. “Hey, Breeder, get another spear!” he yelled from across the cliff.

“That won’t be necessary,” Foresight interjected. “You can get your own spear.”

“But I have already got one!”

“You stole that one... give it back to me and get your own.”

Plague shook his head... until he noticed Foresight’s horn glowing brighter and brighter. He dropped the spear and kicked it over to the Assassin Elite. The Executioner began to carefully make his way around to get back inside.

“Why are you worried?” Foresight asked, seeing and smelling Plague’s nervous energy. “I’d sooner send myself to a slow and painful death than stab you in the back! ...but I am getting ahead of myself.”

The Executioner took several more short steps, his Fear apparent to the three changelings watching him. Breeder and Vertigo watched as Plague attempted to gallop back inside, only to be intercepted by Foresight. The Assassin jumped on the Executioner’s back and pinned him to the ground.

“Not so nice being surprised, is it?!” he asked with a sinister smile on his face.

“What did I ever do to you?!” the changeling pleaded.

Foresight stretched his burnt wings, which turned to ash and blew away with the wind. “Excuse me?” There was Anger in his voice this time.

“That wasn’t the plan...”

“You’re right!” Foresight gladly admitted. “Your plan was to kill me. I’m going to give you a good reason why that is a very bad idea...” he said grimly as he brought up the spear with his magic.

With great force he brought the spear down on the changeling’s snout. It went right through, pinning his snout to the ground and disabling him from speaking. Plague’s wings flapped in futility under the weight of Foresight, who responded by ripping both wings off. He replaced his missing wings with Plague’s, and a strange spell secured them to his body. The newly healed Foresight got off of his foe and removed the spear from his snout.

“Now, I will only ask this once... Your snout will heal with due time, but wings never grow back. Do you wish to continue living?”

Plague rose in great pain. He looked tiredly into the eyes of his opponent, and spat in his face.

“Very well...”

Foresight shoved the spear through Plague’s chest. He crumbled into ash, which was blown away by the wind. The Assassin retrieved the spear and trotted past the two spectators, disappearing into the depths of the Hive.

“What...” Breeder gulped. “What just happened?”

Vertigo put her hoof on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. “Justice.”

Breeder went back to his quarters, hoping that it was all over. The Queen summoned him the next morning, dashing his hopes only shortly after they were formed. He proceeded through the large throne room doors, finally able to see what was on the other side. The room was well lit through strange crystals located on the walls. On the far side of the room was the throne. Sitting upon the throne was a changeling more than twice Breeder’s size. She had a long mane, no visible fangs, but even bigger wings. She was beautiful. Her voice rang out in a kind of condescending rage, like a mother scolding a child.

“So... Breeder. Is there something you want to tell me?”

The changeling’s mind went blank with Fear. “Nothing... nothing comes to mind.”

“Why is it that such a well-trained, veteran of combat is messing around with such inferior creatures?”

“What?”

“Vertigo and Foresight... they are both very stupid. I would prefer that you break off any relationships you have with them.”
Breeder looked the changeling Queen in the eye. He knew exactly what he wanted to say to her this time. “Foresight saved my life. Twice. And I bet Vertigo would do the same... so No.”

“Very well then... how do you feel about murder?”

“I prefer avoiding murder, ma'am.”

“That’s not very good, considering you don’t have the mental capacity to be anything more than an Assassin!”

“A what?!” the new Assassin asked, struck with disbelief and Fear at his new rank. The Queen ignored his feelings.

“Now what do I call a foolish assassin that refuses to do what it’s told and doesn’t like killing?” the tall changeling thought aloud. “It should be something ironic... something that shows your lack of intelligence... ah yes! ‘Mercy!’”

“What?!” Mercy asked in futility.

“You shall be known as Mercy the Assassin from now on!”

“Is... is there anyway that I can get my old rank back?”

The Queen thought to herself for a short moment, and smiled.

“Maybe.”

Comments

[That One Guy]

O_O This is great! Commencing favoriteing procedure! Hope to see more soon :D

[Joey8225]

Certainly interesting. It was a bit confusing at times, I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.

Definitely different from most stuff I've read.

[TheDeolex]

This story needs a few more views and likes!