Plague of Misery

by BaryonBrony

Heartache

Barely able to put one hoof in front of the other, Cadence moved down the tunnel she had landed in. The warmth in the air, the soft bluish light from above, together they were the most comforting thing she had felt in as long as she could remember. The shock, the fear, all the things only a few hours had brought seemed to overwhelm all else. The princess would have found a smile in the irony of her situation if she wasn't battling her worn and broken body for consciousness.

What remained of the mire still matted in her coat dragged like lead, each step harder than the last. What little distance she could make just led her deeper into the tunnel before she finally collapsed. As her vision blurred to darkness, the last thing she saw was several sets of hooves approaching, followed by an echo of chattering. She faded into unconsciousness, and felt nothing more.

The mossy rumble of stone doors parting did not echo far in the massive room. Two heads turned, addressing the newcomer with eyes only as the diminutive creature skittered to the edge of a platform, almost like a stage, surrounded by veils and curtains that concealed everything within. The changeling drone hissed and chittered for a moment before falling quiet, keeping its head low. It did not need to wait long as ribbons of emerald light snaked out from between the veils and lifted them away. "What did you say?" A sultry voice inquired, hooves marked with holes descending to the drone's level as it kept its gaze to the floor. "She is here? Now?"

The drone nodded subtly. The queen simply made a low hum sound, almost like a purr as she thought long about what her subject had told her. "Bring her to me, and make sure she is unharmed. Be gentle now, young one." With an affirming hiss the drone turned and raced to the doors, already open by the royal guards. As soon as the messenger had left, the doors were closed again.

Chrysalis stared after the drone for a moment, as if pondering. She was surprised, but the day had not been a normal one. Unpredictable days often carried with them strange happenings. Turning back to the upraised floor, she released the spell she had lifted the veils with and let the coverings fall back. The queen's chambers were as much a throne room as they were her place of rest, and even a changeling desires privacy every so often.

Folding her legs beneath her, Queen Chrysalis stared at a mirror-like surface as the tip of her crooked horn began to glow. She tapped it against the glass, and watched as the surface rippled like water and the fiery green of her magic flowed through it. "Show me Canterlot." The rippling increased for a moment, but then died down to nothing. "Show me Cloudsdale." Again, the sideways pool sent thick rivulets out from its center, but again nothing happened. "Is there anything in Equestria I can see?" This time, no ripples appeared at all. "What has happened," the queen whispered almost too quietly to hear herself.

She laid there a moment more, her face drawn down. After what felt like an eternity, she looked back to the mirror and asked one final question. "Can I see any of my children outside the hive?" The mirror sent gentle ripples from its center as an image appeared. It showed a single changeling lying against a rock. Its chest was heaving, and its wings were barely tatters. There was no sound, Chrysalis could not hear if it tried to speak, but she saw it turn and try to run as the mirror went blank again. It was as if a blanket had simply been thrown over.

The queen let her eyes shut, allowing her magic to fade. There wasn't any point, it was as if the outside world was simply gone. What it could mean she feared to guess. She reveled in the silence and peace for the moment, waiting until the soft sound of the doors opening again caught in her sharp ears. Rising back up, she pulled back the veils yet again.

The jolt brought Cadence back, her eyes cracking open to see two large changelings at her sides. They had their heads bowed, and before them was platform surrounded by curtains. As the silken sheets were pulled away, a tall and regal figure stepped down and stood before the princess, held up haphazardly by leaning against the guards. "... You... I... You..." Cadence's voice faded, and her head hung low as fatigue began to overwhelm her again. Chrysalis followed with her eyes as the pony before her slid down to finally collapse in a heap.

While she may have lost the strength to stand, Cadence kept her eyes squarely on the queen before her. "We... we need... help..." She managed, wincing as she tried to push back up, but only managed in nudging her wing against the guard. "Nothing left... please... please..."

Chrysalis' gaze had been hard for only a moment, but now her eyes were unreadable. She simply stared at what she could only begin to guess was an Equestrian princess dying on the floors of her chambers. Her coat was matted in a black, viscous muck that looked as if she had just swam in the most vile pit of oily grime imaginable. Her eyes were bloodshot, breaths ragged... but the sight that most drew the eye was her wings. Thick metal rods had been stabbed through them, no less than four per wing. From each rod a chain hung, on top and bottom. Cuts and gashes covered what wasn't filthy. Never before had she witnessed such a sight. "Please..." Cadence's whisper was all that she had left.

Leaning her head forward, Chrysalis drew closer to her guest and spoke softly. "How desperate can you truly be that you have come here?" The queen rose back up to full height and stared down, only one eye addressing the mess at her hooves. "Are you so brave, or just foolish?" Cadence's eyes slowly shut, the question left unanswered. Silence remained in the chambers for moment after moment. Finally, with a click of her tongue against her fangs the queen addressed her guards. "See to her wounds. My curiosity will not be sated by a corpse." Lowering her head, Chrysalis took a closer look at the fainted princess. "And I assure you, many curious things have been happening today." Taking one small breath was all for the queen to recoil in disgust. "Augh! And see that she is bathed!"

The guards obeyed without a word and slid a cloth beneath their new charge, lifting it and carrying her away on the makeshift gurney. Within minutes a small group of drones was in the queen's chambers cleaning the residue left by Cadence. They did their duty, and departed without a word and again Chrysalis was left alone but for the two royal sentries. "... Most curious indeed. Guard!"

"My queen," one of the helmeted changelings responded.

"See that I am awoken when she is fit to be brought before me again."

"As you wish."

---

A pleasing scent filled the air, like hearth and blooms on a spring morning. It brought back pleasing memories, fleeting as they went. It was a smell just like this that morning that made her more happy than she could have ever imagined. Opening her eyes, Cadence smiled as she saw the flowerbeds around her extending for as far as the eye could see. "Cadence?" That strong voice, drawing the princess' attention to smile as her love stood beside her.

"Shining Armor... I missed you."

"Where are you?" He passed her by, looking this way and that as if lost. "Cadence?"

"If we're playing hide-and-seek this is hardly the way to ask me, silly. I'm right here."

"Cadence!" He called, truly searching as a hint of panic was rising in his voice. "Cadence, I can't find you! Where are you?!" His voice kept rising, his head turning and twisting as if blind to the world.

"Shining Armor, I'm right here! Right here, can't you see me?" She tried to touch him, but his body parted like mist from her hoof. "What..."

"Cadence, why didn't you listen to me?! Why couldn't we be together?!" Shining Armor yelled at the sky, tripping over something and sprawling out as he did. Cadence was at his side in a flash, trying her best to get her love to see her. "Why did you have to run?"

Those words could have stopped her heart dead in her chest. A sudden feeling of cold rushed over the gardens as the flowers wilted in seconds. She watched as the image of her love lifted his head, empty eyes staring right at her. Cadence felt her muscles lock, something holding her in place before she could even think to run. The sky turned black as Shining Armor stared at her, black muck spreading out below him as his neck began to extend so unnaturally it burned away any hope the princess had before. "Cadence... my love... why did you RUN?!"

"No!" She jolted herself awake, the tense coiling from the shock almost paralyzing her where she was. Cadence fought back tears as she tried to control her breathing. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but despite her best efforts two tiny streams began to slide down her cheeks. When she was finally able to relax, a weariness she had never felt before overtook her. She rested her head back down on the soft pillow, hating the horribleness of her dreams. "Shining Armor..." She mumbled, reaching out with a hoof trying to find her husband in the bed. She was alone, and only then did she notice the strange softness of the bedding. It felt like silk, not the unicorn-woven velvet of her normal bed.

When her eyes opened, she found herself in a shadowy room, only lit from a blue glowing shape on the ceiling above. It was a cave, though furnished like a palace. The bed she was in was comfortable, but alien. That was when she heard a chitter. Slowly turning her head to face the other way, Cadence nearly came nose to nose with a bug-like face and two wide blue eyes. "YAAAH!!!" The princess made one quick jerk and immediately regretted it. She cried out from the sudden shock of pain that came from her wings.

She looked at them, and saw they had been bound in silken bandages. She blinked a few moments as all the memories were coming back to her. The metal spikes that... thing had nearly imprisoned her with were gone, as was the muck she'd bathed in. She was clean, bandaged, and looking back she saw the changeling had taken a seat beside her bed and watched her placidly. "Um... did... did you do this for me?"

It looked at her and cocked its head to the side before chattering. Standing, its wings buzzed and it took flight up and out one of the honeycomb-like openings in the ceiling. The soreness in her legs burned, but nowhere near the pain that had once been for the princess. She felt the soft sheets and mattress beneath her and sighed, they felt heavenly. She was given a few minutes of this peaceful escape when a rapping came at the door before it was pushed open.

A rather large changeling entered, a helmet over its head that obscured all features but the eyes. "The Queen asks for an audience now that you have awoken." His voice held the same hollow-like sound Chrysalis' did, but one of definite male quality. The guard stood aside as four drones entered carrying a litter. "You will come with us."

Looking from the guard to the litter, Cadence finally nodded her head. "How could I refuse my gracious host?" The drones came to stand beside the princess's bed, and with some difficulty she was able to pull herself on board. With their passenger settled, the drones followed after the guard as he led the way out of the bedchambers. All the while, Cadence tried not to look up and around at the massive hive. Changelings were flying this way and that, and the buzz they made was very loud. None of which brought up good feelings in Cadence. She had always wished their paths would never cross again.

Closing her eyes, the young princess thought back to happier memories. The flowery field Shining Armor had proposed to her, the delight she'd had babysitting Twilight Sparkle. They were some of her happiest moments, her second family... but something nagged in her mind. It was as if a pull was drawing these happy recallings away. Even now, she was having trouble visualizing them, fuzzy and blurry and not all there. Laying her head down on the litter, there was nothing stopping her now.

There wasn't any fight left. Everything she'd gone through, all the pain she'd felt and the dream... all ending in the happy memories she cherished slowly fading into nothingness. It was too much. There, in the center of the changeling hive, Princess Cadence openly and bitterly wept.

Comments

[Woorali]

This is quite interesting! I wonder what Chrysalis will ultimately decide!

[ReignOfTerror1313]

I'm loving this story. Please continue it!

[Evil Paladin]

Hmmm...
Looks like I was rewarded for putting this on my read later list.
Now to move it to my tracking list.

Go on...

[BaryonBrony]

1793031 I will comply!

[Evil Paladin]

1793956
community.us.playstation.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/43115iB83EA82E10A880AA/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&px=-1

[FamousLastWords]

I feel this story is like the dejected younger brother of the school football team's quarterback, consistently outshined despite its grandiose merit on its own.

Is this one dead, or do you have any vague plans of continuation?

[Baileyjrob]

Well Well Well, looky here.

I definitely think this could use a rewrite, as you've grown as an author. MitD should probably take top priority, but other than that you should try to continue this.