We Will Live On

Love Will Live On...

By Michael A.

Prologue

The cool night breeze blew threw the silky hair of Drone 9836-12. He was small for a drone, but he had never let that bother him...much. The small drone enjoyed the feeling of the wind threw his mane — though he wouldn’t admit it to any of the other drones. It gave him the feeling of being free, and not stuck with the job of being one of the many sentries that guarded the changeling hive. He had liked the job at first, the feeling of serving the Queen for the better of the hive… but that can only get you so far when you have to stare at rocks for 18 hours a day. Drone 9836-12 let out a long sigh.

    A gentle tap on his shoulder made Drone 9836-12 jump in surprise, nearly falling off of the large cliff that was his sentry perch. Once recovering and making sure he wouldn’t plummet with a wrong step, Drone 9836-12 turned to see who had, so rudely, frightened him. The slight hint of anger in his features softened immediately. “Hey, Drone 7345-10,” he said, his voice raspy, like most of the other drones. His lips curling into a small smile as realization struck him. “Here to take over my shift, already?”

    The other drone chuckled slightly. “No, you still have a few more hours,” he said as he sat next to the other drone. “I figured I’d keep you company in the mean time, as I have nothing better to do.”

    The smile remained on Drone 9836-12’s face as he sat down next to the other drone. After having stared at the vast, dead wasteland that surrounded the hive for hours on end, he enjoy having company. “Thanks,” he muttered, then returned his gaze towards the emptiness of the surrounding land.

ZAP!

    Drone 9836-12 jumped at the sudden sound, which was accompanied by a blinding light. When the light faded, and his eyes readjusted, Drone 9836-12 gaped in horror at the sudden appearance of a large, burning hole that sat in the middle of the chest of his friend. The drone, in turn, stared at his wound with fear, then nothing as he slumped to the ground, unmoving. Drone 9836-12 scrambled to his hooves, and over to his fallen brother. It only took a moment for him to confirm that he was dead, then he began to run back towards the hive, intent on warning to other changelings. He didn’t make it far, as a twin, burning hole erupted in his chest. He fell to his knees, and stared at his wound just as his friend had. Then, he was gone...

3 Days earlier...

Chrysalis walked into the large throne room of the hive, her steps echoing with the amazing acoustics of the room. The hive was located in a large cave; caverns and tunnels branching out in all directions. The walls of this section of the hive had been carved by many great changeling artisans who had changed the bare stone walls into depictions of beauty. Carvings of the past queens lined the walls, each with a nameplate below them. The roof consisted of many root-like carvings, all branching out from the large throne that sat in the middle of the room. The throne was a marvel in itself, being made from a rare gemstone that could capture and hold love-energy. It also held a second purpose of showing the prosperity of the hive. The more love the throne stored, the brighter it glowed. Currently, the throne was almost completely dark, flickering only occasionally. Chrysalis stopped in front of the throne and sighed, knowing it's flickering glow meant that her hive would die if this didn't change soon.

Chrysalis shook her head, a sad frown plastered on her muzzle. The sound of hoof steps clopping against the floor resumed once again as the changeling queen made her way past the throne and down the hallway to her living quarters. As she got closer to the grand doors of her room, the sounds of laughter slowly began to grow. Her downturn expression began curl upwards into a smile. She reached the doors and saluted the changeling drones that guarded the door. Their expressions were that of stone, and could have been mistaken for statues if they hadn't saluted back. Chrysalis pushed open the double-doors with her magic. They opened with a slight creek. A large bed, bookshelves, and a large desk filled most of the room. The bed was made of a green, leathery skin that contained a glowing green liquid (the changeling version of a waterbed). The bookshelves that lined the walls contained many ancient changeling tombs, each holding ancient secrets. And the desk held many changeling documents, most being reports of the state of the hive. The room seemed to have an ancient style, with modern enhancements.

The middle of the room was occupied by a small changeling pupa, who was laughing and playing with one of the royal servants. The servant stopped playing with the pupa when Chrysalis had stepped in, and gave the queen a polite bow. Chrysalis smiled and waved for the servant to leave. The servant complied with a quick nod of her head before exiting. Chrysalis then turned her attention to the little pupa in the middle of the room.

"It seems that my daughter has been enjoying herself, have you not?" Chrysalis spoke, using a gentle and caring tone that she reserved only for her daughter. Her voice sounded like many voices mashed together at once, and it was just that. Her voice was a mash between all of the changelings in her hive. The greater the numbers of the hive, the more menacing her voice got. But, she could still tone it down at times.

The little changeling filly looked up at the towering queen and beamed, her smile running from ear to ear. "Mommy!" she squeaked, jumping up to hug the queen.

Chrysalis smiled and hugged back, nuzzling her head into her pupa's mane. "It is good to see you, Aurora. Your laughter and happiness warms my heart," she said through the embrace.

Aurora was small, her legs stumpy and her horn was still developing. Though, even with this, her magic was far more developed that expected for a changeling her age. Her mane was a mixture of red and orange and her eyes practically glowed a light pink. The little pupa was also more mature and intelligent for her age, but she still acted and played the part of a happy-go-lucky child. Because of her stumpy legs, Aurora only managed to wrap her hooves around one of the the Queen's front hooves. Aurora looked up at her mother, her eyes filled with childhood joy. "Momma, wanna play?!" she asked, hoping that her mother would agree. As of late, the small changeling had been seeing less and less of her mother, and when she did she was usually really tired and grumpy. But not today!

Chrysalis looked at her daughter, staring into her puppy dog eyes. The queen sighed before chuckling slightly. "Alright, my daughter, I shall play with you," she said threw her chuckles, and her heart soared at her daughter practically jumped with glee.

Aurora ran around her mother a few times, before taking a running jump, aiming for her mother's back. She didn't make it, only managing to jump half way up her mother's height. Before she hit the ground, however, she felt her body tingle slightly as she was grasp on her mother's aura, and lifted up into her mother back. Chrysalis released her magic from her filly, feeling her weight on he back.

The Changeling filly shuffled forwards, and gripped her mother's mane with her hooves. "Giddy up, momma!!!" Aurora giggled, slightly kicking her hind hooves into her mother's caripus. Chrysalis, in turn, laughed and reared up slightly, before beginning to run around the room.

Chrysalis played with her daughter for what seemed like hours, the laughter of mother and daughter filled the room and neighboring halls. Chrysalis always loved playing with her daughter, as it gave her a release from her duties of being Queen, and allowing her to forget her troubles, at least for a little while. But, her fun ended seemingly instantly from a single remark from her daughter.

"Momma?"

"Yes, Aurora?"

"I've been really hungry lately..."

Chrysalis' heart shattered from that remark, her playful smile instantly fell to a sad frown. Aurora saw this, and instantly ran to her mother and hugged her leg

"I'm sorry, momma!" the little changeling cried, "I didn't mean to make you upset!" Aurora buried her head into her mother's leg and began to cry. Not soon after, she felt her mother shift before feeling her mother's front hooves pick her up and cradled her in her arms.

The changeling queen rocked her daughter in her hooves, whispering soft, motherly coos to her daughter. It had pained Chrysalis to see her own daughter suffer from her failure to provide enough love for the hive. She had tried to give her daughter extra love to feed on, but there was only so much extra she could spare, even going as far as giving her daughter some of her own share. Chrysalis frowned, but almost immediately a soft smile perked up onto her lips. "Don't worry, love. Momma has an idea to stop your tummy from rumbling," chrysalis said, tickling Aurora's stomach, eliciting giggles from the little pupa.

"I love you, mommy."

Present...

Insectoid screams echoed throughout the great walls of the hive—some of fear, and others of pain. The Royal Guard had penetrated the protective walls of the hive, and were making their way deeper and deeper into the hive. As they went, most of the guards captured any changelings that didn't attack. Those who did, were silenced without prejudice. But some of the guard were still angered by the Changeling’s assault on canterlot, and simply killed every Changeling they saw, regardless if they posed a threat. Magic blasts and changeling defenses echoed throughout the halls, along with more screams of pain.

Most of the drones that had stayed behind were all set-up in the throne room, and guarded the entrance to Chrysalis’ room. In said room, a young pupa hid behind changeling servant, shaking uncontrollably. The servant frowned and tried to remain calm, reassuring the young filly. But the screams of battle outside the large doors made that all but impossible.

Suddenly, the doors of the queen's quarters sprang open, and battle-worn equestrian guards swarmed into the room. The servant put up a defensive position over the young pupa, ready to defend her to her last breath. The guards charged, their horns coated in their own respective magic glow. The servant's eyes glowed as a blast of magic shot from her horn and pushed the guards toppling back. The guards soon got back up to their feet and each shot blazing-hot plaza bolts from their horns. The servant tried to put up a shield, but the guards blasts shot right through it. The servant choked, a large hole now stood in the center of her chest.

She collapsed onto the floor, blood pouring out from her wound and out of her mouth. She coughed a few times, her green changeling blood shooting out of her mouth as she did. She managed to choke out ‘Run’ to Aurora, who was huddled not far behind the falling servant.

Aurora looked at the dying changeling in front of her with horror. She managed to get her legs to do as instructed, and began running towards the only safe place she could think of: Her secret hiding place.

The guards notice the pupa and readied their spells, aiming at the young changeling. But their concentration fell when they heard choked out laughing coming from the fallen changeling. They all looked to her, and eyes widened as they saw the servant was holding several magical grenades with the pins out. The servant smiled and choked out, "Fuck you."

The room exploded in a blast of magical energy, vaporizing the guards and mortally wounded changeling. When the dust settled, there wasn't much left of the once grand queen's chamber. Everything not made of rock, metal, or jewel had been turned to ash, and everything else was stained with a black tint. The royal guards that had went to investigate the explosion collected the broken and dented armor of their fallen comrades, and left. Soon, the hive was completely silent, the only noise coming from the last of the royal guards that were leaving the destroyed hive.

Thousands of years of Changeling history was destroyed in a matter of hours. The hive sat in ruin, it's walls cracked by the guards attack, artwork and carvings lay destroyed by their plasma blasts, and thousands of Changeling's lay dead on the floor. The hallways of the hive were covered in green blood, with only a small amount of red in contrast. Some of the Changelings that lay dead had died fighting, using whatever spells they knew to fight back, protecting their home. While most died running away or cowering in fear...