Author's Note
First chapter of MANY to come
The Flight
Chapter 1
Ever since Steelwing could remember, he wanted to belong somewhere and be useful , and most of all be safe. Growing up in the distant lands east of Equestria across the sea, in a town bordering Griffin Kingdoms, he always knew what fear and worry meant since the day he could understand words his mother, a silvery unicorn mare with thunderstorm-purple eyes, said to him each day when he walked with her through cobblestone streets to her work. "They are a brutal kind, not very forgiving either. In Equestria, Princess Celestia ensures peace for all ponies, but she can't be here and there at one time, so it's up to us to be careful and alert so we don't have to fight. No one wants an angry griffon on their flank." Steel recognized the sad look in her eye, she was remember his father. He scarcely remembered his father, a black stallion pegasus, who had been killed when Steel was only a young colt of two years old. Never wanting her son to suffer the same fate, she was sure to teach her only foal how the world overseas worked; with no ruler who wanted peace year long for everyone, pony or other race. "Be courteous and alert, and you'll always know what's happening around you."
That was so long ago, and right now, Steelwing couldn't feel more free, soaring with the thermals under his wings and beautiful landscape below, Steel relived what Princess Celestia and Luna had asked of him in his head as he let the winds carry him higher as he went over it again.
"Ever since the attack we realize how vulnerable ponies could be to these creatures. They have proven how dangerous they are as a whole, and Chrysalis proven how bold she is to go to such lengths! I've trained you the past seven years as best I can in spells and Luna has overseen your progress with me, but no one can prepare you for what we must as of you," Celestia said somewhat sorrowful to him. Her mane and tail flowed around her as beautiful as ever while her robe bearing Canterlot's insignia sparkled gently over an ivory silk gown; every part about her echoed radiance and perfection despite her troubled expression.
"You know I'd do anything for either of you, Princess. It's my honor to do such after how well you've treated and taught me all these years." Steel replied dutifully. Though he had to admit, this made him feel very anxious.
Celestia nodded with a hint of a smile. "After the brief tragedy that happened, Luna and I have decided it best that you need to infiltrate their 'Hive' and gather any knowledge you can from them. It is now a necessity for us, and the future security and safety of all Ponies we watch over."
"Thou must use utmost care!" Luna added in hastily, "for thou art not immune to such deception and hypnosis as Theirs'." The night Princess looked much more worried for Steelwing than her sister but, she had in truth come close to the colt when she'd become freed of Nightmare Moon and returned home with her elder sister. She cared for him as she would her own brother.
Steel smiled sympathetically and nodded. "Thank you for your concern but, I will be careful, Princess Luna," he looked up from her to Celestia who now stood a few hoof steps away from him. "I will not succumb to their hypnosis and if I must, I'll leave if my life is threatened but otherwise, I'll do whatever I can to get information from them."
She inclined her head saying at last, "depart with care then, if you do not send word of anything at the turn of spring, we will assume the worst and attack them with full force. We will keep you in our hearts and prayers of good luck."
Steelwing stifled a nervous gulp and with a last look from the Princesses and a tender caress of his cheek from Celestia, he left the throne room and took to the sky.
Hours of flight later, Steel took enjoyment from the sun warming his wings and back from the noon-high sun while he began to cross miles of jagged peaks that jutted out of the ground, he was now well past the expanse of the EverFree Forest and into the Badlands of Equestria. It was now his silvery-grey wings began to tire from the constant flight and he started to search for a place that could hold some drinkable water to quench his thirst while he rested a while. Gazing over the new landscape he finally spotted a small pond sheltered in the shade of one of the massive peaks that were scattered across the rough, rocky terrain. "Thank the Stars," he muttered in a sigh as he made the descent towards the water. Landing a few steps away he hurried over and stuck his muzzle down into the clear coolness of the liquid and drank deeply, bringing relief to his dry throat. Once he was satisfied, he lay back near the edge of the water to take a quick rest, trying to recall just how far away the Princesses' advisers theorized the Changelings' Hive might be.
"I'm stumbling around with no good facts to go off of, this could take a while..." He knew if he couldn't find them soon, he'd have to find tolerable shelter for the night because although the day felt warm now, come nightfall in early autumn the temperature would plunge harshly. With a sigh, Steel knew he couldn't stay here and got up. Just as he was about to spring back into the sky, he heard a voice calling out in a distressful tone. It was distant but sounded female. "Who could be this far out here? Don't they know any better?" Steel thought out loud, knowing he couldn't have reached the destination for Changeling scouting yet. Following the voice, he found it true, a lovely chestnut-brown mare unicorn with a black mane in a tattered green sundress seemed to be stuck in disgusting looking magenta goop. "Hello?"
Hearing him, her eyes brightened with hope, although they appeared clouded as though she may be blind. "Please, help me?! I've been trapped out here for days now! I'm so hungry! Please, help get me out?" She begged Steel as he approached.
"How did you get so far out here? Don't you know its dangerous?" He started to tug her out as she grasped his forearms and he did the same with hers. Soon, her legs and hooves were freed and she stumbled a bit before smiling at him.
"Thank you so much!!" Steelwing looked her over, and he noticed with horror that her horn was jagged at the tip as if it had been broken in half.
"What happened to your horn?!" Steel asked in a quite tone, trying not to offend her. "Can you do any magic?"
The mare grinned. "Certainly! Want to see?" Unexpectedly Steel felt a raging pain in his head as his whole body stiffens, and his joints lock up just before his body hit the ground.
A paralysis spell! How?! Steel thought, glaring up to the mare through blurry eyes, the last thing he could make out was a dark skinned pony with a sickly looking horn and large eyes that were pale green and turquoise in color with menacing slits for pupils, standing where the beautiful mare once stood seconds ago. With his mind going hazy, it dawned on Steel that the Changelings hunting grounds must stretch farther out than predicted. I found them... His eyes soon shut and he faded into unconsciousness.
Author's Note
Here's hoping more of you like this chapter
Harsh Hive of the Queen
Chapter 2
When Steelwing came to he found himself in a dank cell not much more than five feet all around him, thick bars gated off the only opening to his left as he sat up off the cold, rocky earth, his limbs trembling slightly as the paralysis spell began to wear off completely. The wells were of black stone that reflected an eerie green light that illuminated from large stones on the ceilings, allowing him to see there were many other prison cells other than his, tilting his head and peering through the bars he could see some of the other ponies, but nothing too distinguishing. Now I'm here but, no guards outside the cell...how can I investigate further trapped like this? Deciding to do what anypony in his imprisoned situation like this would do, he began yelling loud as his dry throat would let him. "Hey! Where am I!? Where the fuck did you bring me!?" He shouted, throwing questions out for ten minutes and occasionally just yelling, hoping someone would get tired of the racket. However the only response that greeted him once his voice was ragged was low groaning of pain and confusion from the cells further down than his own in the long corridor.
After what seemed like hours slipping in and out of troubled sleep, Steelwing finally hear hoof steps approaching down to his cell, two ponies by the sound of it, or well, Changelings. He stood a bit shakily at first but, felt a little stronger than before as the two creatures came to a stop at the other side of his bared cell. The two figures looked to be no taller than young teenagers, pushing only a few inches over five feet high. Both however were near-identical; both having short pointed horns with a few degrees curvature to them, periwinkle blue eyes that bugged out somewhat from their black, gaunt-ish black heads and small fangs protruding from their upper jaw; their whole bodies were black and had a reflective quality when shifted the right angle, except a six-inch band around their abdomens which was a dark grey color, behind them he could just make out small, frail wings folded against their bodies. Their short tails were torn and deformed as the rest of them and their manes were short with a web like look rather than hair. Over all the most disturbing feature beyond their too-large eyes had to be that all along their arms and lower legs down to their hooves were holes of varying sizes. One even looked like he was missing the last two fingers on his hand because the holes were so bad, the other only had a stub of the lower arm that reminded Steel of mauled and mushed-up Swiss cheese where points poked out at random, the bone underneath not knowing what to form so instead settled for jagged lumps.
The Changeling to the left spoke first, his voice brittle and a hissing undertone to it, "looks like the 'honored' guest is strong enough to walk now."'
To the right, the twin with the stubby arm whispered, "She did say to bring him once he appeared strong enough. No snacking though." The partner guard nodded in agreement. Steel wasn't interested in their agenda just yet though, he still felt overwhelmingly weak compared to how he normally felt after resting.
He sneered and grasped the bars to where his knuckles turned white under his thin coat of pale grey fur. "What the fuck did you do to me?!" They hissed in response and threw open the door, despite their frail-looking forms and smaller build, they hauled him out effortlessly. The one with both arms pinned him against the bars once the door slammed shut,
"Shut up! We did nothing! Our mother brought you here after luring you in close since you were so far into our domain! She stunned you with her powers, and is blocking your own; you are under the Princesses' watch no more!" His face was inches from Steels, his small fangs bared threateningly before the other one nudged his arm to let the magic-less pony down. To his horror, Steel indeed found he couldn't summon his magic more than to make his horn glow, and that merely served as a nightlight in a place like this. They snickered at his attempts then proceeded to push him on through the corridor and up an uneven stairwell.
All around them was the same dim light, and as the moved he began to see that the brighter light was not radiating from the stones like in the cell hall but large cocoons against the slopping walls of the rocky tunnels they walked through; inside them appeared to be more Changelings growing in the green cocoons. This made Steelwing pause in his walking, the changeling drone with the stub of an arm poked his hard to keep going down through the nightmare-ish place. Even worse, as the ventured deeper into the tunnels -the hive, he saw real ponies of all kinds, pegasi were rare while most were earth ponies. Regardless of their kind, most all looked to be malnourished or starving, a filly no older than twelve years old happened to bump into the stubbed-arm changeling with a dull look to her eyes with large baskets clutched in her hands. She was instantly shoved to the ground with a sneer of offence from the drone. "Stupid husk! Watch where you walk!"
The filly fell, tears forming as her baskets dropped, spilling what looked like grain of some sort as she slowly reached to her exposed legs, now cut from the jagged rocks embedded in the ground. "Creed! You moron, you can't do that!" Steel looked hatefully to a trim, changeling he assumed was another drone but, soon realized from the longer mane and thin lashes surrounding parriwinkle eyes that this was a barely-recognizable female! Who would've thought? Even the Princesses assumed only drones followed a main Queen of each hive. Steelwing also caught a glimpse of how much more deformed she was compared to hte other two beside him before her body flashed a dim green, then there stood and older mare in a checkered pink dress. She knelt down to the filly and held her up to her body, hugging gently as she whispered, "come sweetie, you have to keep going Lilydrop. You get to eat and sleep soon as you're done with your chores."
The filly shook her head weakly, tears sluggishly dripping down her dirtied white cheeks. "I don't want to Auntie Maylynn. I hurt," she began weeping harder, visibly trembling. "I hurt all over."
"Please," the false mare cooed."You're such as strong girl, I trust you and I need your help..."
"Can I have an oa-oatmeal cookie before bed? I'm so...hungry."
"Of course sweetie. Lets clean this up and get it down to the cellar, hm?"
"Y-Yeah." The filly slowly began scooping up the spilled grain under the watchful eyes of the chengeling female. MEanwhile the drones nudged him forward.
After turning a corner, away from the grim scene, Steel turned on them, scorn filling his eyes. "What the fuck, was all that?!" he growled, willing his power to do something, but to no avail.
"Life. Now keep moving, we're almost there."
"Not a chance! You either tell me what shit hole I've been brought to now, or drag me to wherever it is you are herding me to!!"
From ahead of them, Steel heard a sultry, even sweet in nature voice echo down a well of stairs to them, drawing his attention away from the drones. The voice was purely female as two piercing venom-green, and dark turquoise eyes with cat like pupils stared right at him as a figure descended the stairs. "Very well, stubborn Steelwing. If its answers you desire, follow me." He could just make out her shiny turquoise tail and mane before she turned to go back up the light-less area of the stairs. One of the drones finally pushed him forward after a hesitent few minutes, Steel stumbled and scraped his palms and part of his arm on a jagged rock before righting himself and slowly going to then up the stairs while his simple pony eyes tried to adjust to the utter black. He was thankful that the walls surrounding the stairs were smooth, so that he could follow the way up easier. It wasn't like he could afford to run now. Soon he couldn't even see his own nose but, kept going up, listening to the light steps of the female's hoof steps. "You have questions, right? Speak."
Steelwing had to swallow a few times to try and get his dry throat to cooperate. " What, are you. All the ones here who aren't, pony?" He knew the answer, but what other question would any other prisoner ask in such a case? It felt like an eternity before she bothered to answer, during which time Steel stumbled a few times due to uneven stairs.
"We are Changelings. I am their Queen, Queen Chrysalis. I rule the largest Hive in all of Equestria. If not for the Elements of Harmony and two newlywed ponies...I would also be on the way to ruling Equestria and Canterlot as well."
Chapter 3
Trying not to be intimidated, or aroused, by the Queen's voice, Steelwing began to recall his history of how Shinning Armor, Princess Cadence and Princess Celestia had fought off Changeling Queen Chrysalis and her swarm along with the help from the six Elements of Harmony. It had happened several years before he had stumbled into Canterlot as a colt. "The Queen of Changelings...that is, a big title."
"Yes. Ah, you're beginning to comprehend just how much danger you're in. I can feel it rolling off of you, the fear that is~ It is delicious, keep that up if you can help it," she added, giggling quietly in a mischievous tone. Steel shuddered nervously and was thankful that he saw them approaching a lit room at the top of the stairs; allowing him to see most of the Queen's form. She also had the same deformity, holes in her limbs, as the rest of the drones he saw before. "I'd be foolish not to feel fear in a place like this." The Queen came to a halt at the top of the stairs, blocking his way, and giving him a full view of everything else, those soul-piercing eyes ever watching. Her mane and tail were indeed long, her horn cruel looking and crooked at two areas before coming to a dangerous point and her fangs were longer than those of her kin, however every other feature about her was horrifyingly beautiful to Steelwing. Her figure was far leaner than those of the ponies he was used to seeing around Canterlot or even the Princesses. Each curve was pronounced from there being not a scrap of extra flesh on her sleek body. A shell was on her abdomen, but wider than the others, stretching down to her lower belly then up to cradle against her rib-cage and the underside of her plump breasts, causing them to perk up more than a normal pony's would, it was a deep jade green. He breasts remain exposed much to Steel's shock, the areola being a dark grey in contrast to her smooth black skin.Down lower her trim waist flared out into impressive hips and around to a pert, rounded plot beneath her turquoise tail. Despite the deformities on her legs they still appeared strong and of beautiful shape, even the slightly pointed pair of ears peeking out the sides of her head out of her hair were cute to him.
Gazing over her, Steel knew her keen eyes missed nothing and he only prayed that she took the excessive staring as a compliment rather than an insult. Finally he spotted a a delicate ebony tiara on top of her head, the three main tips were adorned with large green opal stones with small turquoise stones set under them along the rim of it. How can someone so terrifying be so enchanting like this? Everything she does is wrong! "You feed off emotions, it makes sense you would enjoy my suffering as well," Steel said quietly, tearing his gaze away to stare at a wall. She scoffed and continued to walk, leading him into a room illuminated by dozens of pillar candles, rather than the eerie green lights in the lower sections of the Hive. "Now why am I here, why trick me?" And after all my lessons from the Princesses, why can't get my magic back out of your control?!
"So impatient, if it's anything you spoiled ponies lack inland is patents. You learn to get some when you're forced to wait month to month for a substantial meal." She shook her head, sitting down in a curved, high-back seat pulled out from a nearby, simple in design desk. Her eyes narrowed crudely as she addressed him. "You chose to leave the safety of Canterlot; of domesticated Equestria and all its glory, and the protection of the Princess of the Sun. Why wouldn't I take the opportunity to steal away something she believes is special to her? And the love you feel for the Moon Princess? Mmm, very tasteful -scrumptious!" she mocked lightly with a hearty laugh. "I took you for those reasons and being an alicorn, it is known that your power and emotions are far more than normal ponies, therefore the love I get off of you is stronger. Surprising after having control over that dope Shinning Armor, I didn't think anyone could sustain me better than his blind love for that pink alicorn. Cadence, yes? Yes. Well, why don't you tell me what element you specialize in anyway now that you're here and I have free time at hoof?"
Steelwing forced back a sneer. "I'm learning to master earth-metals. And what could you know of love? It's a bit beyond you I think, someone as cold-hearted and sinister as you, and everything that's here! What could you possibly know?!" His wings trembled with the desire to straighten up in defiance. The door they'd entered from suddenly slammed shut as a pulse of green energy smacked into his body and from the she-Changeling's horn, she glared at him menacingly as she stood, his body smacking against the wall hard before he drooped to the floor.
"I know much, you impudent whelp!! It feeds me and my swarm like nothing else in the entire world!" She strode closer, her porous hand soon curling around his neck as he groaned from the twinges of pain going down his back and wings. "How dare you question why I do things?! We are forced into this life and existence, thanks to your precious Celestia!!" she snapped bitterly.
Steel lifted his startled gaze to her menacing one. "Wh-What? How?" He choked out, fighting a bit to keep breathing normally.
Queen Chrysalis loosened her grip somewhat as she explained, hate dripping from her words, "I went to Celestia the week I earned my Queen-ship, I asked both Princesses to consider letting my subjects and theirs integrate, and intermarry if they wanted to, with hers. The Lunar Princess felt skeptical, but told me it sounded possible.Then that High Mare, Celestia, almost laughed me out of the throne room and ordered me out, else I'd be attacked by her puny Royal guards! She said this was out of the question for pony-kind to enter such relations with so terribly deformed and sickly creatures! That it would ruin any good lineage that ponies possessed by giving them undesirable mutations and deformities!! Never mind that love is supposed to be blind to imperfections of the body, she wouldn't hear any more of the subject!!" The Changeling Queen released his neck and Steel stood, bracing himself on the wall behind him and flexed his wings slightly. Nothing broken.
He stammered out, "I, never knew that happened."
"Of course not!" She paced across the room to the only window he'd seen since being in the Hive, it seemed to overlook the Badlands and the forest beyond them all the way to the ocean many miles away. "Everypony loves Celestia, but nevermind the wretchedness they've done to so many!" Her thin wings beat fast with irritation as the gazed out, like jagged pieces of stained glass tinted a pale blue. Minutes ticked by until they calmed with her emotions and slowly folded down against her back, the tips going down to the backs of her knees. Standing there, to Steelwing she looked to be lost in thought, her arms crossed stubbornly like she was reliving every plan she'd ever had only to have shot down, yet she still didn't give up. All for her children, not herself. Not for selfish reasons...All I've been told has been lies about these creatures, about Changelings. Like the rest of her, beastly, but amazing...
"I-I misunderstood. I'm sorry, Queen Chrysalis."
Said she-Changeling turned around, eyes wide as her wings brushed each other the sound they made sounding like dry leaves rustled by a breeze. "What," she blinked in a surprised manner, "did you say?"
Steel sighted and stood up straighter, figuring if she wanted him dead from a bold move of saying sorry, she would have done it by now."I'm sorry. I know I trespassed, was basically foal-napped, and am having my powers suppressed, but I misunderstood why all of that is happening to me. I didn't understand this place, or you." He cautiously took a few steps closer to her."I know I'm about to say something expected by you from anypony, but I honestly never knew Celestia would do something that horrible, to be so dismissive and uncaring. Can you please forgive this 'impudent whelp' of a pony?"Steel asked, standing very still, uncertain to whether or not this Matriarch would take offense or pity on his plea. What happened next however, Steel really didn't anticipate.
The dark Queen walked closer, the hard bottoms of her hooves making sharp clicks on the smooth floor and soon, Steel found that she was slowly wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. He caught a whiff of what he could make out as watermelon mixed with fresh dew on the she-Changeling's mane as his nose got covered slightly by it. Not knowing how to react, Steel shifted nervously and questioned, "U-Um, Queen Chrysalis...?" Despite the wonderful scent, he wasn't sure he wanted the Queen renown for turning ponies into mindless-love drunken fools.
"For an outsider, your eyes are not entirely blind to what life is for us. Especially being from the heart of Equestria... I'm impressed." She nuzzled the side of his neck briefly, inhaling the scent from his own short mane and flesh under the soft grey coat, a musky burning-wood smell. From her earlier nature towards him, Steelwing could have sworn this was some kind of dizzy day-dream, however it was real. Too soon for his liking it seemed though, she pulled away. It confused him inwardly how we could be this reluctant to have her move away from him, knowing all the evil she was capable of, could it be her magic somehow effecting him? "Perhaps you'll have more use here than merely becoming a Husk after all." Her smile sent an alarmed shiver down his spine, then he recalled the drones calling that poor filly the same name, 'Husk'.
"Queen Chrysalis, I have to ask, what is the reason for that? The ponies, look brainwashed, is that why they're called husks?"
Her smile drooped until her mouth was set in a serious line, her full lips parting to let out a disappointed sigh as she nodded. "They are ponies whom my swarm have lured in with the same trick I used on you. The fact is, what is your name again, Steelwing?"
"Steel, preferably," he added quietly as she moved to sit back in the chair she'd started in when they first entered the room.
She paused and gave another nod, "Steel. The fact is, my Hive is indeed the biggest and for now, the most powerful, but it takes so much to get to this point. Much moving, reproducing, building and there is never enough food it seems to go around, not just emotional either. Love is what keeps our life force ticking and our magic strong, but out here in the Badlands as Celestia so kindly named it," she had to inhale slowly to ease her temper from spiraling out of control again, her eyes glowed faintly as she opened them to continue," The Badlands don't grow food easily. I put out the order for Husks to be used in order for us to be less distracted by trying to grow tangible food, and more focused to find emotional sustenance. I know seeing that young filly displeases you, but they are as well cared for as we can afford. Only ponies who are resistant end up in the type of cell you were put in, they get fed and are allowed seven hours sleep between chore duties. Normally one of my children remain close to them as to encourage them to keep preforming their tasks. The younger Husks transport grain and the harvested crops that the older and stronger ones are able to grow and reap. It looks cruel to all outside the Hive, yet they are a necessity for use to live with a little less worry."
"Do they, only grow the food for the...swarm and themselves?" They're still slaves in every sense...
Queen Chrysalis shook her head. "Any female Husks we take get are taken to nursery chambers." Steel swore he saw her blush slightly. "That is where newly birthed stay until they under-go their metamorphosis into a drone. They need the most love to grow properly, so the drones stationed guard at the nursery chambers cast a spell to trick the mares into thinking that the newborns are their own foal to care for; their love allows them a chance to be strong after changing."
Steel felt conflicted about this and looked away from her. "That, does seem cruel to me."
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes but kept her voice calm. "Would you have survived without your mother?"
"No, not for long."
She nodded. "Neither would mine, but I cannot tend to hundreds at a time with me being only one Changeling. I visit as often as possible though, I cherish each one, even though I'm not the one constantly caring for them or holding them."
"Hu-hundreds?!" Steel sputtered out before thinking better of it, then quickly covered his mouth with both hands, his eyes still wide!
This caused a loud, trilling laugh from the dark Queen. "I was expecting that reaction, lower your hands, I will not rip out your tongue for that, this time," she smiled shrewdly. "Yes, hundreds. Unlike ponies who are born straight from the womb, Changelings are indeed born from an egg. A Queen, such as myself, can manage a hundred a day after we've been through our heat, or estrus cycle. Once outside our bodies, the eggs continue to grow for two weeks so the newborn won't be so terribly small." Tilting her head a bit, she smirked. "Does that explain it better?"
Steel chuckled nervously, "y-yeah. That sums it up, better." He pondered on that for a moment. "If you don't mind can I ask one more question?" Queen Chrysalis waved him on so, he asked, "if you're so concerned about having enough resources for your Hive to live on, wouldn't it be...wiser to not make, so many, er, children?"
"It would seem that way at first, but each of my children only live for ten years, more or less, after changing to a full fledged drone. And from egg to transformation takes two years roughly for each newborn so, you see the numbers fluctuate but I have to keep doing such things to keep my Hive from bottoming out and falling too much in number so another Hive does not over take ours in ruling."
There are more than hers? By how many? "I see," Steel replied with a reasoned nod.
"Now, its been a day and a half since I've been able to enjoy a good rest and I'd like to do that now. Enough questions for one night." She got up and went to the door.
Expecting her to open it and order him to leave he blurted out quickly, "please, don't send me back to that cell!?"
She looked over her shoulder and instead of opening the large door, her horn glowed and secured locks at the top and bottom of it. "I hadn't planned on it."
"Uh....what?" That, he hadn't expected.
