Queen Chrysalis, leader of her changeling hive, is bent on getting revenge for what went down at the royal wedding.
In the aftermath of the royal wedding between Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, Queen Chrysalis and the remnants of her hive head back to the badlands to lick their wounds, as well as get revenge on the ponies who had foiled her plans.
The Pyro grumbled to himself as he twisted the steering wheel to the van, forcing it to skid haphazardly as he turned the corner. As he continued rolling down the street, sometimes swerving into the left side of the road, he wondered how he'd managed to be tricked into getting the take-out for the night. It's not like everyone else was busy, that engineer was always fiddling with that wrench of his, and the scout was either tossing that baseball around, or boasting about the stuff he did during his time off. He understood the medic couldn't come, he had one of the important jobs on the team. Of course, if there wasn't any fighting, then there wouldn't really be a need for a medic...or any of them actually...
He shook his head as he continued driving, staring out at the darkening landscape as dusk fell, painting the sky a dark blues and blacks as the moon began its journey skyward, the stars having yet to appear. His demented mind wandered still as he drove, just barely keeping inside the confines of the dusty black pavement that led further and further away from the base. Sometimes he wondered what life would be like if he wasn't a mercenary, sure he'd probably be in a mental institution for his pyromaniac tendencies, and sure he might never see the light of day again- he cleared his mind once more, pushing the negative thoughts away. The head lights of the van shone ahead as he finally found his destination- the small settlement a good thirty-something miles from the current base. He circled the parking lot, searching for a good spot, and groaning to himself after not finding one, settled on one at the very edge of the lot. Just as well, he could always make a quick escape at the current spot if need be, you never knew if those RED spies were tailing you or not. Still grumbling to himself, he locked the van, after checking that the scout hadn't left the ever-important briefcase inside, like he did last time. Seriously, what was in the briefcases that made them so important? They never saw anything out of them. He then turned and began walking across the parking lot, his boots squeaking against the pavement as he went. Although he offered his services to BLU, he hated his suit, since his suit color had to correspond with his team- what if he went back to the base wearing red? His team would shoot him on sight. Why couldn't the patch on his shoulder just be blue? Then the rest of his suit could be colored red- or maybe yellow? Then again, orange was just as good a color as the first two...he continued the nonsense ramblings in the depths of his mask as he pushed the door to the shop open, his boots once more squeaking against the linoleum.
"Mmhmph" he said, casually walking into the shop.
The geeky kid behind the counter took notice of him, and trembled before ducking under the counter. Pyro reached across the counter and rang the bell with one of his gloves, knowing full well that the attendant was hiding beneath the counter. He waited a few minutes, and still no response. He sighed to himself...this always happened with new employees to the pizza parlor. He tapped the bell on the counter once more, and waited once more waited for any sort of reaction from the hiding employee. A moment later, the teen behind the counter actually risked a peek, and found himself facing the black, soulless eyes of the Pyro's gas mask.
"Mmhmph, mmhm mm mphmm" "Uh...what?" the teen asked, hesitantly standing. Pyro face-palmed, and reached into his pocket, minding a mini-doll of himself given to him a long time ago. He fished out a slip of paper, containing all the orders on it, and handed it to the teen. The teen reached for it hesitantly, as if it might explode, and grabbed it. His eyes scanned it for a few moments, before looking up at the Pyro, who was attempting to keep his patience. It was already dusk when he'd arrived, and he'd rather not get yelled at for getting back to the base late.
"S-sure dude, your orders are over here" he said, reaching back without turning around in fear of the Pyro attacking him. He handed the Pyro three pizza boxes and two bags, the bags themselves containing sandwiches for Demoman and Heavy.
Pyro grabbed the food, and paid the clerk, he then turned to leave the store. He noticed a bit of a drop in temperature, but was kept warm nonetheless by his asbestos-lined suit. He unlocked the door to the van after crossing the parking lot, and tossed the food into the passenger seat before strapping himself in. He stuck the key in the ignition (heh, ignition...), and turned it, starting the van. He placed his gloved hand onto the gear shift, and threw it into reverse, he backed into the lot, checking the rear-view mirror (he was a pyromaniac, not a reckless driver). He pulled out of the lot, and out onto the open road, rolling down the window on his side. In retrospect, he was actually kind of happy to get away from the base for a little while, if only for a little while...he might've been insane, and even he wasn't sure of that, but his teammates sure seemed to be. It seemed like he'd gradually drifted away from his team, when probably, at least from his perspective, he'd just lost himself in what he liked to call 'Pyroland' for just a little too long. Yes, it was true he liked to lose himself, who didn't? But even to him there was a limit, there was a certain line that once crossed, there wasn't any hope for return.
A bright green flash out in the desert suddenly snapped him from his inner ramblings, he slammed on the brakes as he swerved, barely missing a well-placed rock jutting from the dirt. He unstrapped his seatbelt, and stepped out of the van, forgetting the food for the time being. He walked around the front of the van, and took notice of the right headlight hanging out of its socket, hanging by some red and blue wire.
'Oh perfect...' he groused. His masked face then scanned the desert, searching for any sign of the green flash he'd seen before. He went to the back of the van, and opened the hatch, pulling his Flamethrower and Detonator out of the back (hey, you never knew, right?). He kept his other weapons in his bag, which, to his astonishment, found it to be a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside when he'd first received it. With his weapons in hand, he walked off into the desert, staring up at the moon as he continued towards the green flash.
The Pyro's boots gathered dust as he kept his journey, not knowing why he was walking into the middle of nowhere, with little to no food or supplies. He couldn't explain it, it was like the flash was drawing him in, pulling him closer towards who-knows where. As he grew closer, he discovered it to be a thin, flat disk of fire- green fire if you wanted to be precise. The fire-bug grew closer, not feeling a lick of heat emanating from the inferno. He then turned, his curiosity satisfied, and began the arduous journey back to the van. Soldier was going to wring his neck when he got back to base...how was he going to explain to the rest of his team that he wandered out into the desert, just to find out what the light was?
The Pyro, however, didn't notice the fire's reaction to his presence. It grew and twisted, the flames dancing as they began to shift inwards, forming a funnel as it drew dust from the ground. The winds soon picked up, at this the Pyro caught notice, as the vortex began to suck him in as well.
"Mm! Mm! Mmmmph!" he screamed, clawing at the ground as he was dragged across the ground. No one heard him, of course, he was in the middle of the desert.
The pyromaniac was finally pulled into the vortex, his attempts useless. For once, he wasn't happy to see the fire's flames whirl around him as he felt himself barreling like a rocket through the sea of green raging around him.
The Queen of the Changelings, Queen Chrysalis to her subjects, stared down at the monstrosity that had landed in her throne room. She wasn't surprised, of course, she was the one who'd summoned the fire-demon in the first place. The abomination groaned to itself as its suit squeaked against the floor of the hive, it attempted to lift itself, before the black head hit the floor, unconscious.
Guards she called, willing two of her subjects into the room. As a result, two changeling guards flitted into the room, spears at the ready.
Did you call, highness? one of them asked. Yes, she responded take this...thing...to the infirmary wing of the hive
The two took a moment to glance down to the creature before her highness' throne, appalled at what manner of creature this might be.
This...this- thing? the second said, distaste in his voice surely you can't be-
Are you questioning my orders, drone? she hissed.
N-no, of course not, highness they both stammered at once.
Good, she responded now see that it has the best care we can offer
Her will was done, and the two guards lifted the monstrous beast, their wings buzzing frantically as they carried it. They slowly but surely exited the throne room, leaving Chrysalis to her thoughts.
'Soon, Cadenza...you and the rest of Equestria shall fall before me...' she chuckled inwardly.
Pyro groaned to himself as he awoke, finding himself in a small, dank cavern. He attempted to clear his mind as he groggily stood, his boots slapping wetly against the floor. He felt as if he'd been in a drinking contest with Demo, then run over by a freight train- repeatedly. He wobbled over to a semi-rectangular hole in the wall, clinging to the wall itself for support.
"Mmphmpmph?" he groaned, stumbling out of the hole and into a hall made of rock and fungus. The limited vegetation glowed dimly, casting the hall itself into a sickly green.
He wasn't even laying on the ground for a second, before he felt his right arm being picked up, quickly followed by his left. He couldn't make out much in his current state, mostly just what sounded like the clacking of iron nails against a wall. Other than that, he heard the obvious sound of someone struggling, which he'd heard many times in BLU's vie for control points on the battlefield. It wasn't long before he felt himself being set down, the front of his body facing upwards. Where was he? The last thing he remembered...was...that...that...thing that...desert...
...
He couldn't even remember! He began struggling, not knowing if he was safe in his current position, for all he knew he was RED's captive. More of the chattering sound came, and he felt his limbs being pressed, trying to restrain him.
"Sstop sstruggling!" a voice rasped harshly, something hard bashing his arm. "Mmph! Mmph mm mmph?!" he shouted, wrestling the offenders. "Oh for buckss ssake..." the same voice said. Something hard and pointed touched against the forehead of his mask, which caused him to panic even more.
'Stupid RED Medic! Probably drugging me or...some...thing...'
He quickly found this wasn't the case, as he took notice of his vision clearing, as well as his limbs feeling less heavy. His mind went blank as he found himself actually feeling better.
"Mmph?" he asked, looking upon two black, insectoid creature full of holes. The two looked upon him with mixed emotions, the one of the left in contempt, the other one in poorly-hidden fear. He was used to the fear, but that didn't mean it still stung, most people became afraid when approached by someone in a gas mask for some odd reason...
"Uh, yess" the left one said "who are you?" "Mm mmph mph, mmph mm mhhmph?" The holed-creature on the left cocked an eyebrow, the other pupil-less eye lowered in confusion. "What?" was all it could say
Pyro thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers, a small lightbulb going off inside his mask. He looked around the small cavern, searching for his weapons. He found them on the other side of the two holed-ponies, and charged through them, causing the left one to simply side-step him, while the one on the right squeaked in fear as it retreated. He strapped the tank of his Flamethrower on, and hooked the gun over his shoulder. He then picked up his weapons bag, as well as his Detonator. With his weapons in hand, he performed one of his taunts, forming a ball of fire between his hands.
"What- what the hay?!" the insect shouted, jaw agape. Both of the ponybugs were flat against the wall, their eyes wide in terror.
He released the inferno between his hands, forcing it against the opposite wall, the entire section of the room engulfed in flames. He only stared giddily at the hypnotic dance of the flames, he always enjoyed the reds, yellows, and oranges colliding in a fireball. Two more bug-like ponies charged into the room, past the Pyro, and did their best to douse the flames, the horns atop their heads bathed in a green glow.
"Are you completely insane?!?!" one of the two larger bugs screamed, getting into the Pyro's face "You could have killed us all! Don't you realize how dangerous that fire was?!?!?"
He stared down at the bug-pony as it began rambling on about something or other, it actually reminded him of the Soldier, they both liked to shout. A lot.
"Mmph mm mphmpm" he said, further confusing the four bugs in the room. "We can't understand a word you say, you do realize that, don't you?" he said, a bit softer this time, but not much. "Mphm" "I should take you out right now and-"
Pyro didn't get to hear what the rest of the hole-filled equine had to say, however, as a tall bug-pony entered the room, her green slits looking upon the room with a bit of uninterest. He simply decided to refer to it as 'Queen', since it had a crown atop its head. Including the horn, the Queen stood taller than him, excluding the horn, she stood about the same height as he did.
"Is there a problem here?" the Queen stated, her voice like the hiss of a dying ember. "N-no, your highness, this...this maniac, almost set the entire hive ablaze!" The Queen then looked upon him, a bit more of interest in her eyes, and turned to stare back down at the smaller pony.
"And just what were you doing provoking it?" she returned. "H-Highness?!" the pony sputtered "I-I-" "Hatchling duty, one week" "B-but-" "Two weeks"
The ponies exhaled frustratedly, before exiting the room, their heads low and their ears plastered against their heads.
"Now then, I believe we have much to discuss" Queen said in a no-nonsense tone.
Come to think of it, the Queen reminded him of Soldier, too.
Pyro stared out at the bug-horse Queen through his mask as he followed her through the dark, winding passages of the underground city. He held his Flamethrower at the ready, just in case there were...*ahem* 'complications'. Namely, RED spies hiding in the shadows, ready to jump him at a moments notice. His actions however, didn't go unnoticed by the Queen, as she peered back to be sure he was keeping up. Her horn became encased in a green glow, and the Pyro suddenly found the hand not clutching his flamethrower being tugged forward by the same glow covering his hand. The Queen seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, if her quickened pace was any indication. He glanced around at the walls of the drab tunnel boredly as the Queen led him to wherever they were going. The walls slowly stared to blend into a more grey-ish color as the glowing moss and mushrooms shifted into a light pink. The Pyro's transition into his own little world went unnoticed by the Queen as they came upon a large room, directly across from them being a magnificent throne cut from the rock jutting up from the floor. The bug Queen crossed the cavernous room, Pyro following closely, he rolled his eyes as the Queen sat upon her throne, and stared down at him condescendingly.
"I suppose you're wondering why I have summoned you" the Queen said "I am Queen Chrysalis, queen of this hive"
Pyro rolled his eyes once more, waiting for the Queen to continue.
"To put it simply, my hive is dying," she said, pausing "there are too few of us as it is, and there's barely enough food- one of the main threats is starvation"
"Mmmmph mmph mm mmm?"
The Queen cocked an eyebrow, unable to understand his muffled speech. Pyro waited a moment, then face-palmed, this world was going to kill him if he couldn't even get a simple sentence out- even his teammates had some idea of what he was saying! So, for the moment, he performed a universal shrug.
"We changelings feed on love, as well as other emotions," she explained "in our pursuit of nurishment, love is the most potent, but others such as happiness and joy can do as well"
"Mmm mm mmmph?"
"Yes" she said, not missing a beat, though at the same time having no clue as to what the fire-bug just said "Of course, the rest of the world isn't so...shall we say...accepting..."
Pyro muttered something that could've been understood as 'Oh really?'.
"Oh, we attempted to be civil, of course" Chrysalis said, over-dramatically laying her hoof across her eyes "but alas, they drove us out, and we have suffered ever since"
"Mm mmm mm mph?"
"To put it simply, I need you to join me, and help me...'convince'...the ponies to give assistance"
'So she called a mercenary to do it?' Pyro wondered.
Chrysalis stood, and stepped down from her throne, her hooves clicking against the stone floor as she approached him.
"So, fire-demon, do we have a deal?" she said, raising her hoof. "Mm mmm mumph" he said, before turning to leave the room.
"Ah, yes..." Chrysalis said, gritting her teeth "...of course, think about it as much as you'd like..."
Pyro wandered the grey halls of the hive, and took into account everything there was to see...well...as much as there was to see in a place like this...
What he saw, aside from his own delusions here and there, was that Chrysalis had, in fact, spoken the truth- what few of these 'changelings' he could find, were practically starving, their ribs showing through. It saddened him to see them like this, even if all of this was possibly just a severe 'episode', and he'd wake up any moment, lying in the desert sun. He shuddered at the thought, and continued walking, his boots squeaking as green (or in his case, pink) goo dripped from the ceiling. Well, at least he wasn't getting shot at...
Pyro poked at the holed creature standing before the hole in the wall that led to the throne room. It flinched, shook itself, and resumed standing at attention. He poked at it again.
"Stop it" the guard grunted, his insectile wings flitting. "Mmpmm" he responded, poking the changeling in the side once more. One of its wings batted his gloved hand away, and sneered, revealing his fangs, as he did his best to keep at attention.
Pyro shrugged, and turned, leaving the guard to his own devices. The changeling snorted, and flitted his wings, shivering the tiniest bit as he watched the blue demon glance at the walls of the hive.
"Have you made your decision?" Chrysalis asked, her teeth gritted in an attempt to keep a somewhat friendly tone.
The blue-suited creature gave a signal with the hand not situated on the firey instrument of death, the other holding its fist clenched, a single digit on the end sticking up.
"Good" she replied, grinning like a cheshire cat. "Mrrah?" "All in good time," Chrysalis said, still grinning like a madman "for now, we prepare, then- there shall be nothing to stand against us"
The dark queen cackled, her fangs flashing in the dim light as Pyro rolled his eyes, not caring for her theatrics. She finally managed to finish, and turned to the pyromaniac, a devious gleam in her slitted pupils.
"The hive must take time to prepare, I will send for you when the time comes"
And with that, her gossamer wings buzzed, and her hooves left the ground as she flew past him, and across the room. She passed her throne, carved from the dark rock, and into an opening off to the side, presumably her chambers.
Pyro stood in the throne room, alone. The luminescent green moss glowing like kryptonite as water droplets fell from the ceiling from god-knows-where, splashing against the semi-wet rock and stone of the cavern floor. The index finger on his right hand gently squeezed at the trigger on the nozzle-like line feeding into the front of the flamethrower. He felt the urge- the need to burn something, his own sanity dissolving and forming again as the battle raged on inside his mind.
'No,' he decided.
His index finger released the trigger altogether, and he turned and left the expansive cavern, the need still gnawing away at his mind. As he walked, he pulled his pack, and zipped it open, wondering what he could use to pass the time. He unholstered his Detonator, and shoved it into the bag, stowing it away for the time being. One gloved hand then lodged itself into the bag, and he let his mind wander, letting it decide what to summon. A handle soon found its way into his grasp, and he removed his fist from the bag, a long white handle stemming from his black, gloved fist. A circular object soon followed the handle, the pink-and-white swirl pattern staring back at him. He shrugged, accepting it, as he slung his back back onto its place on his belt, near the back, almost next to the tank connected with the nozzle of the flamethrower. He tossed it back and forth as he continued walking, a bit happy at the achieved goal of finding something to occupy himself with.
The sounds of a struggle found him, and he followed them, the distinct sound of chitin and hooves scraping against rock leading him on. He stopped at a cave, and found a group of changelings, all circled around two of the dueling insects. He discreetly stepped in, staying close to the mouth of the cave, as he watched the two snap their jaws at each other. The one to the right tackled the other, pinning him (or was it her? It was kind of hard to tell...) to the ground. A distinct buzz filled the air, and the two released each other, before backing into opposite sides of the circle.
All the changelings in the room turned to stare at him, clapping his hands like an idiot. The room went deathly still, and he waved at them.
"And just what are you doing here?" the one to the left asked, its voice filled with venom. "Mumpha?" "You...you want to spar?" the other asked, one of its tattered ears flipping down as the other remained up. "Mm mmmph" The 'ling regarded him for a moment, before hesitantly consenting, motioning for him to step into the circle. He complied, and walked forward, the changelings stepping back, as if he carried the plague.
'Some things never change...'
He soon found himself alone in the circle, all of their attention focused on him.
"Who has the courage, to spar with the fire spirit?" the same changeling announced. They looked at one another, uncertain of what the outcome might be if they chose to duel with the creature. A larger changeling stepped forward, his hoof raised.
"I'm not afraid," he announced "I accept"
'Dammit...'
Pyro found himself staring into the empty, luminescent eyes of the challenger, his stance revealing he was prepared to pounce, if need be.
Just as he assumed, the changeling jumped, charging him. Pyro raised the Lollichop, and swung. The weapon connected with the side of the insect-equine's head, forcing him to rear back as he cried out.
They watched, in stunned silence, as the blue-skinned creature stood over their compatriot, shouting out in victory.
"You ever seen something like that?" one asked, looking to her friend.
"No...I never saw somepony beat another with a giant lollipop..."
"It incapacitated him with just...a confection?" Chrysalis asked, her brow arching at the drone's incredulous claim. "Yes, highness," the drone responded, bowing before her throne "it was quite large, as well"
'I don't know whether to commend him for his resourcefulness, or drop him off at a mental ward...' she thought, staring down at the changeling.
"Very well, you may go" she commanded, waving the drone off.
He obeyed, and stood, before lifting off the ground, and buzzing out of the room.
'I'll need to handle the spirit carefully,' she thought, retreating into her chambers 'he may prove to be an adversary, given the right conditions...'
Her slitted, emerald eyes stared down at the parchment spread before her, her secondary map of Equestria. Canterlot stood in the middle of the page, a pin through the mountain city's towers, yet another was placed on Ponyville, the home of the Elements of Harmony. She growled lowly as she stared at the drawing of the small town, mocking her. True, in the end, the Elements themselves weren't directly responsible for her defeat, they had still thrown a wrench into her plans. One Twilight Sparkle being chief among them. She thought briefly of invading Ponyville first, if not to exact her revenge, but ultimately decided against it. If she were to attack Ponyville, Canterlot would be notified, thus halting her plan before it truly began. The spirit, however, could change that; and if nothing else, would be a valuable asset in keeping those that crossed their path, in line. In her own mind, she didn't think herself an evil queen, such as depicted in the few foal's books she'd seen. True, her attempts for her hive were out of desperation, it was a hit-or-miss plan. Somewhere along the way, something had changed in her, she didn't know what it was, but knew that somewhere, deep down, somepony was going down, and it certainly wasn't going to be her. She didn't have anything to lose, what did it matter? There were two Chrysalis', the good, benevolent queen facade she attempted to show daily, and her fictitious other half, the part that wanted nothing more than to throw logic at the wall and watch the pony civilization crumble. Her spiraling descent into whatever dark pit she was in was a lonely journey, her own father passing at the young age of 10, and her mother, a generous time after she had been picked to rule the hive.
She shook her head, banishing the sour memories as she focused more on her battle plan. But she continued to ask herself, could she actually go through with it? Was she so far gone that she believed she could overthrow the most protected place in Equestria with the hive's numbers as low as they were?.
'No...I must...for the sake of the hive's survival...'
Poking around, Pyro found almost nothing of interest, the bland walls and empty corridors only adding to his boredom. Something flashed out the corner of his eye, and he turned, his hand resuming its position on his flamethrower. This wasn't a green flash, like when he was around the changelings, this one was colored differently. He quietly stepped down the hall, shushing his boots as he peered into one of the many caverns, not-surprisingly empty.
A bright orange flash filled the room, and he stepped closer, finding the light to be all-too-familiar to him. He approached it, and had an epiphany. He turned, and bolted out of the room, searching for the queen.
Chrysalis eyed the spirit as it motioned feverishly out the door, grunting.
"I don't follow" she said simply, slightly concerned at his odd behavior.
The spirit face-palmed, and beckoned her to follow him.
She did so hesitantly, rolling up her map and tucking it away before exiting the room to follow the seemingly-manic creature.
Pyro trooped down the halls, his trigger finger itching once more. He stopped, as did the queen, and beckoned for another changeling to follow the both of them.
"Highness?" the guard asked "What's it planning?" "I have no idea..." she said, a bit unsure herself.
The three stopped upon a cavern, Pyro stepped inside, followed by the queen and the underling. Pyro pointed to the guard, and motioned for the queen to stand back. The guard stepped forward, a bit frightened (though he'd never willingly admit it).
Pyro's finger constricted on the trigger, and the pilot light on his flamethrower flickered on, its blue flame dancing as it crackled. The propane came through the nozzle, and doused the guard in flames, sending him into panicked screams as he rolled on the floor, attempting to smother the flames. It didn't work quickly enough, and the guard's body was reduced to a smoldering pile. He turned, and found the queen enraged, barring her sharp teeth at him.
"What was that for?!" she screamed at him "Why? WHY?! YOU ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!!"
Pyro only held up his index finger, indicating for her to wait. The queen wasn't inclined to, given she just witnessed one of her own be incinerated by the fearsome monstrosity brought into this world by none other than herself. She paused just a beat, before approaching him, her head low, her ears pinned back as she hissed, her sharp fangs seeming to grow longer as she stared at him in pure rage and malice.
The orange light he'd seen before came into existence, and flashed brightly, before vanishing once more, leaving a guard dazed and confused, lying on the dark stone of the cavern. Pyro shouted, pointing to the guard, hoping to deter the queen from unleashing her hate upon him. She thankfully did, and went to him, checking his body with her horn, as indicated by the acid-green glow encasing her jagged horn.
"Thank the hive mother..." she sighed.
"Highness, what...what happened?" the guard asked "Everything went white there for a second..."
The queen only shooed him away, sending him off to the infirmary to get him checked, before turning to the pyro. Pyro stared right back into her emerald orbs, his expression, of course, blank.
"You will explain," she demanded "and if I ever see you do something like that to one of my own again, I'll buck you to Tartarus and back, do I make myself clear?"
Pyro nodded, a bit scared at the thought of where this 'Tartarus' place might be.
"Excellent," she said, her teeth gritted "now come, I plan to have no more surprises today"
Pyro shrugged, and followed, the dark queen leading him through the twisting halls as they approached the throne room.
Pyro walked the streets, his flamethrower at the ready, though finding nothing but pavement and the occasional litter scattered around. He wondered why the queen had sent him here, of all places- it seemed that there was no-one in sight, just himself and the dark windows of building upon building staring back at him. Suddenly, something scurried in the corner of his vision. He spun, hoping it wasn't a spy, as the pilot light on the end of the flamethrower flickered to life. He saw nothing, but still kept the blue flame going as he turned and continued patrolling the streets. His boots thudded against the sidewalk, echoing off the sparkling jungle around him as they bounced upward, flying into the pure blue sky above.
As far as he knew, there were none of the changelings around, just himself and whatever-else lived here. Though, they weren't any around at the moment, so...
A garbage can fell over behind him, spilling its rotting contents onto the sidewalk as he whirled around, the echo of the metal can reverberating off the buildings. He kept quiet, despite his heart hammering inside his chest, the pilot light still flickering. His index finger on the trigger, he slowly turned, and kept walking down the street. It was then that he saw it- a glittering pony, dressed in armor. It spied him as well, and ducked into an alley. He followed, running after it. The armored, glittering pony was cornered at the end of the alley.
It turned, and stared at him in fear as he approached. It stared at him silently, his eyes conveying what his mouth could not- it wished for mercy, practically begging for it. His mind wouldn't give it, however, and he squeezed the trigger, pumping flames into the end of the alley, engulfing the armored pony. The screams gave him mixed emotions this time, not quite enjoying them when he burnt RED team members to a crisp. He sighed, and turned, finding an entire platoon of the glittering, armored ponies.
He cracked his knuckles, and readied his flamethrower.
"Mumph mumpha!" he cried.
Chrysalis watched as the orange light inside the cavern, three of her guards situated inside, the occasional twitch of a wing in nervousness. She herself sealed off the entrance to the cavern, and if her hunch were correct, it was to prevent-
Her inner thoughts were interrupted as the light faded, revealing a dazed and confused crystal pony dressed in armor appeared. The changelings seized him, and dragged him out of the room by his hooves.
Once she was alone, her gaze slowly drifted to the spot of orange light. Despite her detached feelings towards the spirit, she found herself wishing its safe return to the hive.
'He's of use to the future of the hive, nothing more' she reminded herself.
Two more changelings filtered into the cavern, through the shield, and stood a good distance away from the light. It wasn't long before another crystal guard appeared, just as dazed as the one before him. The changelings once again 'escorted' the guard down the hall and out of sight.
The members of the Crystal guard ran (with dignity of course), seeing as everything they did had absolutely no effect on the dragon-like creature whatsoever. Whenever they got close, it would torch all those in range.
Gem Shine charged the creature, her spear ready to run through its back. It suddenly turned, and she felt herself being blasted backwards, pushed by a massive gust of wind. She landed, and looked up, spying the soulless black eyes boring down upon her as it revved the contraption attached to its back.
A pitiful rock struck its head, and it turned, turning to glare at the Crystal Prince himself.
"Away from her!" he shouted, picking up another pebble in his magic.
It turned, and turned to face him.
"Huddah huh!" it shouted, running towards him.
The prince dodged, avoiding its charge, and he turned, shutting down the creature's attack by trapping it in a bubble of magic.
It slammed its fists onto the dome, attempting to force its way out as the prince held fast, keeping it surrounded.
"Keep up the blockade!" the prince shouted, slightly startling the crystal guards as he kept the creature trapped inside the bubble.
"Yessir!" the chanted, half of them cantering off in each direction to carry out the order.
The remaining guard followed him through the streets, assisting him in keeping the monster contained as they carried it towards the castle. Inside its prison, it struggled, still attempting to break loose.
"What should we do with it, highness?" a crystal stallion asked, looking to the co-ruler. "Keep it surrounded twenty-four/seven," he stated "and nopony releases it until we find out why it attacked the Crystal Empire"
It stared at them through the dome, its eyes unblinking as they stared back.
"Sir, it's scaring me" a guard called out, not taking his eyes off of the thing.
"It's just sitting there, private"
"Exactly, sir"
Shining Armor silently agreed with his subordinate, finding the creature's behavior to be eerie. It was struggling earlier, what was it planning? Why was it just sitting there? Was it using reverse psychology? He had no way of knowing, the monster had been silent up to this point, and when it did speak, it came out garbled and distorted. It was trying to psych him out! How dare it! Well two could play at that game!
Pyro stared at the white pony, a male, if he wasn't mistaken, as it stared right back at him. He sighed to himself, resting his head in his gloved hands. He wished he could get out of the dome, but his weapons had no effect on it, every blow he dealt only resulted in the shield pulsing, and returning to its pinkish hue. And so, he could do nothing but sit, biding his time until...something, anything happened. He'd trade this for one of Heavy's 'everything sandvich' in a heartbeat.
He forced down a gag.
Okay, maybe he wasn't that desperate...
The glittery ponies continued to watch him, himself returning the favor as he met their gazes.
'This is a little fun...' he mused, shifting himself 'I guess there are worse ways to spend an afternoon...'
The non-shiny pony, the white stallion, stepped forward, his gaze stern as he took a stance of superiority.
"Why are you here?" he asked/commanded.
"Mppha, mmm, mmmm mmm huddah, huda HOWA, hu mmph" he explained, gesturing to the bubble.
He face-palmed, so hard the very ground shook beneath him.
"Pha huh..." he complained.
A pad of old paper, a quill, and an inkpot slid through the bubble, skidding to a halt before him.
"For communication" the stallion said, as if he were an idiot.
Plucking the objects from the cobblestone, he held them at the ready, dipping the end of the quill into the inkpot.
"Wuh?" he asked, staring back at the pony.
"Why are you here? Why have you attacked us?" the pony asked.
Sightseeing he scratched out, somewhat sarcastically.
'Not a total lie...' he convinced himself.
The stallion took the paper- it passed through the dome, and into his hoof.
"You consider attacking ponies as part of a sightseeing trip?" he asked incredulously.
Needed a hobby...
"Uh-huh..." the stallion replied, unconvinced "why did you kill those ponies?"
They attacked first he responded simply.
"That doesn't give you the right to kill them- self-defense, maybe, but you killed multiple members of the Crystal Royal Guard"
You try it sometime, see how well that works out for you
The stallion rolled his eyes, and turned away from him.
"You're to remain under close watch until further notice" he said, trotting away.
'Dammit...'
The Crystal Guard, as well as a few curious Crystal ponies watched with rapt attention as the creature trapped inside the small dome toyed with the fire between its hands, shaping the dancing flame with its yellow-tipped fingers.
"How does it do that?" "Is this some kind of magic show?"
The ponies continued to chatter amongst themselves as it seemed to ignore them as it went about its business, literally playing with fire.
"It's things like that, Cadie," Shining Armor said, shuffling out of the way, so his wife might peek through the telescope "that really makes me concerned about what we're dealing with..." "I can see where it might be a problem when it's fighting..." the pink alicorn replied "...but besides it playing with fire, what's really so strange about it?" "Cadie...did you even hear yourself, just now?"
The princess playfully bopped him on the nose with a wing tip, making the prince wrinkle his muzzle.
"I certainly did; but, back to my question?" "It terrifies me," he said simply "one minute, it's setting fire to the Crystal Guard, the next, its entertaining the whole Empire with the very thing that makes it dangerous! It just doesn't make any sense!" "I wouldn't say the entire Empire, Shiny...it's just a...oh, there are a few more..."
"Cadie!"
"Oh, sorry, I was just-" "-surprised?" "Yes..." "Welcome to my world..."
Cadence thought on it for a bit, her hoof placing itself beneath her muzzle as she wondered, searching for a possible answer to their current predicament.
"Well...he's dangerous, correct?" she asked, her eyes focusing on the brilliant skies above the empire's thorough-fare. "He can shoot fire from his hands, I'd say 'buck yes'" "He's just as dangerous as any unicorn," Cadence responded "if you treat him with kindess, he might repay it" "With a hay-duken to the forehead?" he said sarcastically.
Cadence bopped him once more, a little harder this time.
"Shiny, how do you think a pony would feel if you just put him in a bubble, and kept him under close guard?" "Scared...alone, I guess..." he reasoned. "His mannerisms seem to be similar to crystal ponies, as well" "He's just as capable of setting the Empire aflame as the scullery maid down the hall" "The scullery maid doesn't have a horn..."
"Shiny..." "Alright, alright- but we reacted to the situation, we couldn't just let it roam free!" "I'm not arguing with your decision" she replied, embracing her husband. "I know..." "But I'm just asking...could you treat it- him, less like a monster, and more like a pony"
"But-"
"Please Shiny? For me?"
He his years of training crumbled beneath her adorable puppy eyes.
"For you, anything" he responded.
The two shared a kiss, more of a peck on the lips.
"Sometimes...I don't know how you ended up with a stallion like me..." he said. "A certain sister-in law comes to mind"
"I don't see anything out of the ordinary, Captain." Shining Armor stated, eyeing the creature inside the dome.
"We're having a bit of trouble with the creature, Your Highness." the captain saluted, his hoof lightly thunking against his helmet as he did so.
The Crystal Prince face-hoofed, groaning as his hoof slid down his face.
"Just...nevermind...what's the problem?"
"It's trying tell us something," the crystal captain said hesitantly, pausing for a moment "but...for the life of me, we just can't tell what it's saying."
"Have you tried translation spells?" Shining asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Everyone in our arsenal, sir."
"Alright...uh..." Shining Armor said, hesitating as he thought on what he should say.
Not wanting to alert the other guards in the vicinity to the plan formulating in his head, the newly-crowned prince whispered into the captain of the guard's ear. The captain's eyes widened, almost fearful as he backed away from the prince, unsure if he should follow the order just directly given to him.
"S-Sir? Are you sure?" he asked, trying not to show any sign of weakness to his superior- one little slip could cost him is job.
"Yes, Captain, I am." Shining replied, not a bit of doubt showing in his voice, though coming to a furious broil in his mind.
The captain nodded, and his horn glowed, releasing the blue-skinned creature from its prison.
It glanced around its surroundings, down at the curious equines surrounding it, whom were now a safe distance away, the diameter of the ring having grown quite larger in the few seconds it took to set the creature free.
The pyromancer made its way through the sea of crystal ponies, waiting with baited breath to see what would happen. The ponies side-stepped the creature, all-too-eager to get out of its way as it walked towards the Crystal Prince.
Shining gulped, wondering if this was the best possible decision he could've made. He suddenly regretted releasing it in such close range of civilians, chastising himself for his rookie mistake concerning hostile prisoners. It loomed over him, its terrifying mask staring blankly down at him, preventing him from detecting what it could possibly be thinking- would it kidnap him? Take him hostage as revenge for capturing it in the first place? Or-
*GLOMP*
Shining struggled to breathe as he wriggled in the creature's thickly padded arms. The crystal guard jumped into action, already far too late to save their beloved prince from his fate.
"Er, you're welcome?" Shining stated, staring up at the dark face of the creature.
The creature released him, and made a strange gesture with its hand, the thumb sticking out, with the rest of the fingers curled in, against the fist.
Given the creature just gave him the bear hug of a lifetime, Shining took the gesture to be a friendly one, and coughed into his hoof.
"Well, Cadie and I are sorry-"
Shinging recieved a polite jab to the ribcage from his wife, forcing the stallion to wince as the wind was knocked out of him.
"We're sorry." Shining rasped.
It seemed to accept his apology, and it turned and went on its merry way, humming a merry tune as he went.
Pausing a moment, it stopped right next to a mare standing beside a fruit cart. It stared at her a moment, before it raised its index finger, then touched the mare's forehead.
She screamed as she fell to the ground, writhing in pain as the flames spread over her body and burned. Shining leapt into action, as did the guards, as they proceeded to chase down the pyromancer. It took notice of them just in time, and began running, fleeing for its life as the crystal guard gave chase to it.
The Crystal Guard struggled as they kept the infernal spirit trapped under themselves as they struggled in the street. Shining Armor circled back, making his way through the panicking crowds as he went back to help the poor mare that the creature had set fire to. Approaching the location of the body, Shining dreaded reaching the mare, if only to discover a small pile of ashes.
'Stupid, mother-bucking pyromania-' Shining thought menacingly, wishing doom on the spirit.
Shining Armor's brain stopped working, as soon as he spied the body of the mare. Lying in the street, was a quadrupedal creature, covered from head-to-hoof in dark chitin.
"Changelings." Shining breathed silently, hurriedly looking up and down the street to make sure there were no witnesses.
Quickly gathering the still-smoldering body of the changeling in his magic, Shining disguised the body with a cloaking spell, and quickly took off towards the castle, galloping as fast as he could.
Chrysalis could simply not believe her own eyes as she stared down at the reflective pool beneath her hooves, jaw agape. The spirit...the infernal spirit...
'Can it really tell the difference between ponies and changelings?' she wondered 'It never displayed such a feat before...'
The spirit now had a bigger role in the survival of her hive than she'd originally thought. If it could distinguish changelings from the real thing, then things could go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye, if it decided to turn against her.
Chrysalis wondered how it was remotely possible that the creature could tell the difference between pony and changeling, in retrospect, she probably should've spent more time learning about it before sending it ahead to the Crystal Empire.
The queen was shaken out of her thoughts as an Elite entered the room, spear in hoof.
"Your Highness?" she asked, bowing.
"Permission to speak." she replied.
"We've got...another visitor..." she replied, somewhat hesitant.
"Put it in a cocoon with the others." she ordered, rolling her eyes.
"It's not a pony, Highness..."
Chrysalis thought back to the event she just witnessed, and glanced back at the soldier.
"Detain it, not in a cocoon; if this means what I think it does, and I pray to The Queen that it doesn't, we may have our hooves full."
Cadance stared down at the charred body of the changeling, not believing what her husband had told her.
"I...I just can't...believe it..." Cadance said breathlessly, not sure she wanted to accept the evidence before her.
"What does this mean for the Empire, if there're more of them out there?" Shining asked, afraid of the possibility that there were more changelings inside the Empire.
"Shining, we can't let this out," Cadance said firmly "if word spreads that changelings are hiding among the Crystal Ponies, there could be chaos! Riots! Dozens and dozens of complaints! Felonies!"
"Cadance!" Shining shouted, placing a hoof on his wife's shoulder "Calm down! There's still the possibility that there was only one."
Shining didn't believe his own words, he said what he could to get his wife to stop hyperventillating.
"As much as I don't like it...maybe we should keep him here in the Empire..." Shining suggested, almost not wanting to believe the words that just fell out of his muzzle.
"That's...both a good and a bad idea..." Cadance admitted, her breathing having slowed significantly.
Shining's ears fell flat against this head, weighing the options given to them.
Pyro sat with his legs crossed, his masked face resting in his hands as he stared out of the barred window of the room. His thoughts wandered as he glanced backwards, the two guards in the room standing at the door to the decorated room he was currently imprisoned in. He wondered whether his team had missed him or not, or whether they'd already replaced him. He could only guess that time passed here as it did back home, if so, he'd most likely have been erased from the Administrator's files by the time he got back, having been gone for longer than was allowed. If that was, in fact, the case, he'd need a new source of employment, and the fact that he was trapped in a room, thus preventing him from doing so did nothing for his mood. He didn't understand why though, it wasn't his fault he set fire to a Spy, it was one of his main priorities back home.
'Old habits die hard, I suppose...' he thought.
The door to his cell opened, and one of the two leaders of the glittering city stepped in, his horn glowing. Uh-oh, he hung around Medic enough to know a body bag when he saw one. The white unicorn carefully set the bag on the floor before him, the expression on his face a sour one.
"How did you know?" he asked, unzipping the bag with his magic.
"Huddah mmpha huh." he explained, motioning to the bag.
"I don't understand." Shining said "why are you trying to protect us, when you were trying to set the entire empire on fire?"
"Huddah huh, huh-huh." Pyro stated, turning his back to the unicorn.
"I...look, I know we haven't gotten along...but this is for the future of the Crystal Empire."
Shining's words hadn't penetrated Pyro's mask, he'd been lied to enough to know when someone was faking it. This, unfortunately, wasn't one of those times. He sorely wished the unicorn was lying, otherwise he'd be forced to protect his new 'home' here in the Empire. While the city was indeed beautiful, he'd been hoping to settle down somewhere else; full of dry brush and foliage, if possible.
"Mmmphya harrgh mrgha hrghgph..." he sighed, plopping down on the comfortable bed in the room.
"Can I take that as a yes?" Shining asked.
"Mother," a nymph asked, trotting into her mother's chambers "are you alright? One of the nursemaids beckoned me."
The sheen of her mane was a deep scarlet, as were her eyes. She stood out from her hatch-mates, her 'defect' greatly separating her from the rest of the clutch.
"Yes, I have sent for you, my child." Chrysalis replied, slipping off of her bed of hay and nutrient matter.
"What ever for? Surely my duties-"
"Your duties can be held off for the moment; I must ask a favor of you."
"What could be so important as to call on me?"
"Do you recall the summoning spell we performed?"
"I do," she replied, suspicious of her mother's intentions "the spirit escaped before I could meet it, I recall as well."
"It seems I shall have to take 'manual control', as it were."
"Mother!" she sputtered "Surely this spirit is nigh god-like! If it were to break free, the repercussions could wipe out the entirety of the hive!"
"I realize that..." Chrysalis said, walking to a faded chest.
"You can't seriously be thinking of threatening the very survival of our hive, our future, for some spirit!?"
"That is why I have made a contingency, in case the spirit would not listen." Chrysalis said, removing an ornately decorated gem from the chest.
"How will that help us?" she asked.
"This has enough of my magic stored in it to take control of the average pony," she explained simply "with this, the spirit shall be under my control."
"But Mother-!"
"Enough!" Chrysalis screamed "If you are so in love with the spirit, then by-all-means, run to it! But do not question my authority again! Do I make myself CLEAR?!"
She grew placid, keeping her face devoid of emotion.
"Yes Mother, crystal."
"Good, now return to the fertilizing chambers, we must keep trying."
"Yes Mother."
Little did Chrysalis know, spraying changeling eggs in the basement of the hive was the last thing on her mind.
Shining stared at the spirit, dumbfounded, as he'd witnessed the creature remove a foal-pool from no-where, and fill it with a foul-smelling substance from a red container. The infernal spirit then jumped into the pool- suit and all. It appeared harmless right then, playfully splashing in comically-small pool, giggling like a school-filly.
"Ah, what have you got there?" Shining asked, tempted to just leave the room and forget what he'd just witnessed.
It only laughed, dwindling Shining's patience as the creature ignored him, continuing to stare into the shallow water of the pool as it splashed.
"Why don't you and I take a walk...maybe discuss-"
The words died on his lips as he took notice of the Imp's head shooting up suddenly, its round, soulless eyes staring directly at him. A green aura suddenly filtered out of the muzzle of its mask, surrounding its head. His head turned slowly, staring at Shining intensely.
"Er, are you alright?" Shining asked.
"Huh vpshruh huh mah phvur huh huhr huh-huh." it said, chuckling menacingly.
Shining's survival instincts kicked in, and he made a dash for the door, only for it to slam closed. Now trapped in the room with the creature, Shining backed away, trying to get as far away from the creature as possible. The Imp was now carrying its flame-spewer, a finger on the trigger of the handle.
"Can't we talk about this-?"
Pyro's fist gripped the doorknob, and it burst into flame, melting into a bronze puddle on the carpet. Smoke curled up from the carpet due to the molten metal, assaulting Shining's nostrils. It grabbed the foal-pool, still full of the foul liquid, and hurled it across the room, hitting Shining, head-on. The stuff doused him as the pool popped, a direct result of the thing making contact with his horn.
"Huddah huh, huh-huh." It said, before igniting the weapon.
Shining Armor screamed as he was burned alive, trying to douse the flames as he rolled on the ground. The devil stood over him, a thorn-covered axe in hand as the inferno raged around them, spreading to the bed and drapes as he approached.
"Please...no...Celestia no..." he managed to whimper, the fire still eating away at his coat and flesh.
The Imp brought down the axe with a firm swing, and Shining knew consciousness no more.
Diana DeLune followed the directions given to her by the elite drones guarding the entrance to the lower tunnels, where the captives were held. Puddles of green, hardened gel was spattered along the walls and ceiling of the tunnel, further proof that she was headed in the right direction.
Sitting next to the entrance of the spacious cavern, were a dozen or so freshly-woven pods, ready for use. Entering the cavern, Diana wound her way towards the fresh arrivals, trying not to look at the forms inside the pods. Most of them were asleep, and the ones that were awake, stared at her with hatred. Others still, had given up long ago, only staring on in depression and longing.
She soon happened upon the pod she was looking for. The bipedal creature inside was dressed from head to hoof in red, save the black mask and dark, yellow-tipped gloves on its hands.
"Have you come to rescue our Mother from madness? Shall you, creature in red, be able to ease her mind?"
Her scarlet eyes scanned for any sign of life from the creature.
She took a deep breath, and with her magic, sliced through the cocoon.
Meanwhile
Prisma Perfect trotted along the dimly-illuminated halls of the hive, as a shiver ran down her shell. Echoing, borderline-psychotic laughter drifted down the tunnel, from the direction of the Queen's chambers.
Cautiously poking forward, she soon happened upon her highnesses' chambers, the laughter louder, still.
"M-My Queen?" she asked nervously, poking her head in the doorway.
Queen Chrysalis was set upon her bed, a green glow surrounding her entire head.
Prisma nervously approached the bed as Her Highness chuckled quietly to herself.
"Your Highness? Are you well?"
"Never better," she chuckled darkly, unnerving Prisma.
"H-Highness?"
"I see the madness, and the logic in it! I see the chaos that our world of harmony was born of- it's- it's beautiful!"
'How in the hoof do I get into these situations?' the hoof-maiden wondered to herself.
"Er, Highness- what exactly caused this...epiphany?"
"My control over the spirit- my mind and his-"
She cut herself off, abruptly cringing.
"-are one-"
"M-My Queen..." Prisma stated hesitantly.
"Yesss?" she hissed softly.
"I...I don't believe...this is best for you-"
"Nonsense! The inflatable unicorn is much better company than you, surely!" her highness cackled "Isn't that right, Sir Lagsalot?"
"Your Highness-"
"Begone! Lagsalot and I tire of your antics!" she screamed.
"But-"
"BEGONE!"
...
Prisma just decided to leave the room, galloping to fetch the council of the proto-queens.
It woke up, glancing around its surroundings. The pit It was standing in was obviously made by itself.
She stalked down the hall, the dark cheese-fly trotting next to her at a moderate pace. Whipping out her Backburner, as well as having her Axtinguisher handy, she approached the 'Royal Hall' as the cheese-fly called it. She squeezed the trigger gently, and held her thumb over a button on the back of the handle. Two guards were stationed outside the Queen's room. It was her understanding that she needed to take out the Queen in order to free her fellow pyromaniac, and she looked forward to meeting another teammate. She thanked her lucky stars that she wasn't alone in this world, the faster she reunited with her teammate, the sooner the both of them could plan a way to go home.
The guards made no motion to acknowledge them, which she thought was odd. A green haze was surrounding their heads, and she almost mistook them for wearing Unusuals, though she'd never seen that particular effect. She also doubted that this world's physics worked the same way that hers did, meaning that the possibility of particle effects were very low.
Nevertheless, she set them ablaze, then quickly finished each of them off with a chop from the Axtinguisher. They made no sound, not even a whimper, as their bodies collapsed, still on fire.
'Something is off here...' she thought.
Even if physics didn't work the same way here, they should still be susceptible to pain. Fire obviously affected them, and she doubted that there was a respawn here.
She barged into the room, Backburner prepared, and she spied the Queen. The same green effect swirled around her head, in and out of her ears. Her eyes could've been green already, but that was splitting hairs. She set the Queen ablaze, whom still performed no sign of recognition.
The Queen fell backwards on the bed, eyes wide and mouth agape, a small droplet of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth.
Cheese-fly approached the bed, patting out any flames and stray embers that had spread to the sheets of the bed.
"I'm sorry I had to ask you to do this..." Cheese-fly stated, her voice wobbling.
She felt a pang of guilt for the pony, and glanced at the charring remains of the Queen. She saw no similarities between the Queen and Cheese-fly, save the body structure. Tears streamed down Cheese-fly's muzzle, and she ran a gloved hand over and through her mane, in some semblance of a soothing gesture.
"Th-thank you..." she whispered "Now...we must destroy the resurrector...this madness must not continue."
'R-Resurrector...no- there's a respawn here?!'
That was impossible...there was...this world's physics couldn't possibly allow for a respawner...who controlled it? They needed to be monitored manually, otherwise everybody and their brother would be brought back. This world couldn't possibly be on the same technological level as hers was, what reason would there be for a respawn?
She approached the spawn point carefully, removing a class token and a large mason jar from her backpack. Placing the token on the ground near the spawn, and held the jar firmly. The soft orange glow of the point jumped across the surface of the token, and into the jar, swirling inside for a moment before settling. She quickly capped the jar, and shoved both it and the token back into her backpack.
'Just like Engie taught us.'
This little trick was handy, mostly because the team had to be prepared to move out at a moment's notice.
Cheese-fly touched a hoof to her lips, kissed it, and placed it on the spot where the spawn point was.
"Goodbye, Mother..."
She glanced around awkwardly, not quite sure what to do as the queen-to-be grieved.
Her tears exhausted, and her breath regained, Cheese-fly trotted past, a look of determination on her face.
She gestured to her, indicating what the two of them should do now.
"We gather the larvae, and head north."
'Why only the larvae?' she questioned.
"By now, the hive link to the lower tier drones is shutting down...Mother is dead...soon most of the hive will follow."
'But still, why the larva?'
"The larva are young enough, that the link to the hivemind hasn't formed yet, there's still time for them to connect them to another."
She nodded in understanding, walking after her.
Four more changelings appeared, all in similar appearance to Cheese-fly, if not older.
"Sister, what. Have. You. DONE?!"
It stood just outside the enormous barrier of the city, tapping lightly at it. It seemed like there wasn't any real give to the barrier, and there wasn't anything particularly interesting about it...but it was curious...it had no idea why...
It finally snapped itself out of it's stupor, and passed through the barrier.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
It plodded along, careful not to crush any carts or ponies beneath it. The small ponies were so adorable, like a massive collection of toys strewn about in a playroom.
They glittered. Odd. They didn't do that...if memory served. His own, dull grey paintjob didn't glitter or shine like theirs...pity...it would've actually like to see what it'd look like.
It glanced around the city, and became transfixed with a large, glowing heart at the...heart...of the city. It approached it...and simply stared at it. Something tingled in its engine block, and traveled all the way to the ends of his nerve-circuits.
Something tapped against his iron shin, and he glanced down, finding a smaller, glittering pony tapping curiously at his leg.
Tap tap tap tap tap
Its Humor Suppression Pump must've been on the fritz, because it discovered itself to be laughing at the curious pony, its voice box kicking in to create the noise.
It could get used to this.
At least it wouldn't have to get itself blow up and torn apart.
