“Do you know why you’re all here?” Twilight asked, taking her seat at the crystal table.
“Nope.” AJ said.
“Okay, so it’s our job to help spread friendship right?” Twilight asked, turning to everyone.
“Yeah... “ Dash nodded.
“Something’s come up that needs us?” AJ asked.
“Well, whenever this map lights up, I’m guessing that means something that is bad.” Twilight said, pointing to the spot on the map that was blinking.
“Oh. Blinking is bad right?” Fluttershy asked quietly.
“Guess that means we’re going to investigate!” Dash said.
“Yaaaay! Investigation time.” Pinkie cheered, now wearing a detective’s outfit and Deerstalker.
“Great! Let’s get going already!” Dash said as she shot up from her chair.
“Slow down there! We don’t even know what we’re gettin ourselves into or where we’re goin!” AJ said.
“You’re right, we don’t… And that’s exactly why we have to go. The only way we can find out what it is, is to go there. Right?” Twilight started.
“Then let’s stop wasting time here and just go already!” Dash said impatiently. Twilight stood up and her horn began to glow. “Finally!”
“You’re just itching to get into something.” Rarity said.
“I’ve just been bored sitting around here doing nothing!” Dash stated.
“Well we’re here.” Twilight said bluntly. Dash blinked a few times, noticing she was not in the castle anymore. She was as surprised as everyone else. They were in what looked like a forest, so they assumed Everfree.
“We should stick close together.” AJ suggested.
“Which way are we heading?” Dash asked. Twilight’s horn glowed faintly as she scanned the area. When her head turned her horn started glowing brighter.
“I guess that way.” Twilight said, pointing into the forest. Fluttershy clung to Rainbow Dash tightly. The group slowly and almost reluctantly wandered forward into the dimly lit trees. The forest was relatively quiet compared to the other times they’d been here, almost eerily so.
“This is a little weird.” Dash said as she glanced around.
“Yeah. Shouldn’t there be more animals makin noise?” AJ asked. The six of them heard a strange low squeaking.
“Like that?” Fluttershy asked curiously.
“Yeah…” AJ nodded.
“What is that?” Dash asked, looking between Fluttershy and Twilight.
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard that kind of animal before.” Fluttershy said. The half squeak half gurgling echoed again.
“Well… We have nothing else to go on, so lets go find out what it is!” Dash said. The six quickly followed the sound, stopping occasionally to listen as they came to a clearing.
“This is new.” AJ said as she looked around the clearing.
“Let’s look around for whatever was making that noise.” Dash said. There was another sound, but it seemed to be coming from… below them? The ground shook as a sinkhole opened below the six of them, only going down about three feet. The stunned ponies blinked a few time, noticing a strange purple and orange patterned rock they were lying on.
“I’ve… never seen a rock like this before…” AJ started. The rock seemed to be made of… hide? It was not the texture a rock should have.
“I don’t think it’s a rock.” Dash stated.
“Then… What is it?” AJ questioned. Twilight’s horn was the brightest it had been so far, seeming to point to the rock.
“That might not be a good idea!” Dash said quickly.
“No… That’s the tracking spell.” Twilight said slowly.
“Then…” Dash started to say. The rock rose up a couple feet, the six of them now on whatever it was’ back.
“This… is what we were looking for?” AJ asked quietly.
“It’s certainly radiating the same energy. If it’s not it, it certainly came from the source.” Twilight said. Each of them squealed as it climbed up out of the hole, the six of them sliding off the smooth surface and back into the ditch. The six of them looked up from a prone position at the creature and saw its’ centipede like legs as it shook back and forth, shaking the dirt off of it.
“What… is it?” Dash asked quietly.
“I have no idea.” Twilight shrugged. The creature turned around and they saw the two crab like claws, along with the pincer mouth and almost cute beady eyes.
“Well… It looks cute.” AJ said. Fluttershy flew up and approached the creature, staring down at it.
“Yes it does!” Fluttershy giggled, hugging the creature awkwardly due to it’s strange shape.
“Well… This is really all the lead we have.” Dash shrugged as she looked back to Twilight. The creature turned and started to skitter further down the clearing. Dash quickly shot up and followed it. Everyone else was quick to follow. They followed it to a large rock foundation with a sliver taken out at the bottom that lead into a tunnel, a tunnel too small for anyone but the creature to enter as it slipped in and disappeared. “That was a bust.” Dash sighed.
“C’mon, there’s gotta be a cave somewhere around here.” Twilight reassured, following the rock wall around.
“I have a weird feeling about all of this.” Dash said. Twilight closed her eyes and her horn started to glow.
“It IS hollow inside, so there is a cave. I can try to teleport us in.” Twilight suggested.
“Okay, do it then!” Dash said.
“It could take us inside a wall.” Twilight said as her horn grew brighter.
“That would have bee-” Dash cut herself off as she and everyone else was placed in pure darkness. “Um…” She mumbled.
“H...Hello?” Fluttershy’s weak and squeaky voice called out.
“Fluttershy? Are you okay?” Twilight asked quickly.
“It’s really dark an- EEP! Something touched me!” Fluttershy whispered loudly.
“Twilight… Rarity. You two do have magic…” Dash started. Twilight and Rarity immediately lit up the damp cave, the only sound being that of water dripping occasionally as they looked around at the symmetrical rocks around them. “That’s better.” Dash sighed.
“Well… we’re definitely in a cave. But where did that critter go?” AJ asked.
“I guess we should start looking.” Twilight shrugged, walking down one of the larger tunnels. Everyone else followed right behind her. They entered a large chamber, and in the back was a green egg, about the size of a pony.
“Wha…” Dash muttered. “What’s an egg doing here?”
The creature from earlier was circling around the egg, stopping and staring at them momentarily.
“Looks like its’ takin care of the egg.” AJ pointed out.
“Maybe it’s the mother.” Fluttershy suggested.
“That makes sense.” Dash nodded.
“I guess this may have been the disturbance… right?” AJ asked as she glanced to Twilight. Her horn started to glow.
“It is emitting large portions of the same energy.” Twilight nodded.
“What are we gonna do then?” Dash asked as she turned to Twilight. The purple unicorn stared silently at the large egg and slowly approached it. A dim green glow began emanating from the cocoon as she got closer.
“Twi…” Applejack started.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just going to…” Twilight continued, pressing her hand to the egg and being sent back into the cave wall by a burst of energy.
“TWILIGHT!” Everyone shouted as they rushed to her side. Twilight slumped down to the cave floor and sat silently, wide eyed and staring past the group. Everyone turned around and saw that nothing had changed before looking back.
“What are you looking at?” Fluttershy asked quietly. Twilight’s mouth slowly opened.
“Oww…” Twilight shivered in pain.
“Just don’t move.” Applejack said as she kneeled down beside her injured friend. They heard the creature make another squeak, the six of them turning to see it perched atop the egg and staring down at them.
“What’s it doing now?” Dash questioned.
“I have no idea.” Twilight shrugged. There was a small pulsating that seemed to echo from the cave walls itself. Almost like… A heartbeat?
“I think you may have caused the egg to start hatching…” Dash said.
“That’s not just coming from the egg… There’s something else in this cave.” Twilight said, putting her hand on the wall and closing her eyes, her horn lighting up dimly.
“So what’s making it then?” Dash asked. Twilight turned to the egg and stared at it, her hand never leaving the wall.
“I don’t know, but whatever it is… is about to hatch.” Twilight said, the egg slowly starting to crack and spilling a thin green liquid from it. Everyone stared silently at the egg. The shell slowly fell apart to the ground and sent the creature atop it to the ground, helplessly on it’s back and flailing its many legs around. Once the egg was completely gone, they all saw another creature with almost identical similarities to the first.
“Okay… It’s just another of that creature.” Dash sighed. The second approached the first and nudged it before looking to the six. Twilight’s magic lifted the creature back right side up and smiled. The two creatures stared almost mesmerised at what Twilight had just done.
“Heh. Looks like they’ve never seen magic before.” AJ laughed. The creatures turned to each other and started squeaking, as if talking to each other. “Ah can only imagine what they’re talking about.”
The two creatures turned and scurried off out of this section of the cave, seeming almost excited. The rest of them immediately bolted after the two, Twilight groaning and grudgingly following due to the previous ‘event’. They followed them to a large chamber full of eggs similar to the one previous, some big, some small. Twilight’s horn went ballistic, obviously due to the high counts of whatever energy she had been detection the entire time.
“Sweet Celestia.” Dash murmured.
“Yeah that’s about the response I’d expect.” Twilight nodded slowly, staring wide eyed at the clusters of green eggs laid around the chamber.
“Do you think this is what was making the pulsating?” Rarity asked. Twilight put her hand on the wall and looked over at the eggs.
“No… These aren’t what’s doing it.” Twilight shook her head.
“Then what is?” Dash questioned.
“Well if I told you that, you would be releasing your bowels at this time.” A feminine voice rang through the chamber.
“Um…” Dash muttered. Fluttershy was practically shaking worse than the chamber itself, clinging tightly to Twilight and hiding behind the purple wings.
“Who’s there?” Twilight called.
“I should be asking you that… You’re in my birthing chamber.” The voice questioned.
“Birthing… chamber.” Dash said.
“Every Queen needs servants.” The voice laughed. With that, everyone’s hearts dropped.
“Wh… Chrysalis?!? But… the wedding sent you and the hive to the badlands!” Dash stated.
“I am not certain I know what ‘badlands’ you’re talking about. Although, it must have been some wedding to send an entire hive packing.” The voice hummed, seeming slightly intrigued.
“What the hell…” Dash muttered as confusion took over her and everyone else. There were light footsteps coming from the other end of the dark chamber, and slowly… A pair of legs began to enter the dim light as a figure was revealed. It was a… female. She was decently tall, about Twilight’s height. Her body was covered in a mix of purple and red carapace, except for her face, which was as smooth as Celestia’s skin. The hair on her head looked almost unnatural, but looked as if it were made into dreadlocks, running down her back.
The woman stopped, her glowing purple eyes glowing brightly. “So… How was the reception?”
Author's Note
Short I know, but that line just had to be the end of this chapter!
