"M-more?" Cadence swallowed as Ornstein nodded.

"Yes. That just now was a Taurus Demon, one of the lesser demons from Lordran. We expect more, possibly stronger, demons to invade thine world Princess." He watched as Cadence swallowed and rubbed her forehead. Looking around the room, he stopped, looking at the left wall. He gripped his spear gently, Cadence looking up at him. As she opened her mouth, he threw it and-

"Ahhh!!!" The changeling sat up straight, panting hard, her eyes wide. One of the many nearby bugs glared at her and went back to sleep, huffing gently. She swallowed gently and wiped her hoof across her face, going over her dream in her mind. 'What...what was that thing? I...I must see her.' She slowly stood up, gently pulling and fluttering herself out of the pile of insects. She was in one of the changeling sleeping chambers of the Hive. Here the many servants of Queen Chrysalis (those that remained) slept together in a massive huddle to keep warm. The cave's ceiling was far above their heads, and it's walls were slathered in different areas with changeling slime, which inside several eggs were growing. As she walked past, the changeling silently prayed this batch would take and would hatch. She exited the cave into a large hallway, much smaller than the cave but it's smooth walls were still large enough to hold five changelings abreast. Her chitin hooves clicked gently as she walked, her wings held tightly to her body. After navigating past several mining tunnels, she came upon a set of extravagant black doors, an image of thousands of changelings bowing to one figure carved into it. However, it seemed that someone had tried to remove the image, to little avail. She swallowed gently and raised her hoof, and after several seconds knocked gently. Immediately a dark, yet powerful voice echoed from within, it's cords almost seeming to have two speaking at once.

"Come in." It said emotionlessly. The changeling gently pushed open the large doors, watching them swing open slowly across the smooth stone, almost as if they were floating. Inside was a massive chamber, as big as the sleeping chambers. Along the right wall was a large bed, hued from the same black stone, but draped with silky pink sheets. There was a golden full body mirror placed nearby it, with several small leather hats next to it on green crystallized stands. There was a simple woolen rug on the floor, on which was a wooden desk and chair. Sitting in said chair was a marvelous changeling, except thrice as large as a normal hive worker. It's slender body clearly placed it as female, even the holes dotting its legs and arms were of exquisite beauty. It had magnificent translucent wings, the left one bearing a large scar arcing from near the tip to the base and into her body. She had long emerald hair, which was currently messy and unkept, parting around a long and crooked horn. She had deep gemstones for eyes, a beautiful bluish green with black ebony in the center. They were currently focused on a large stack of papers, slowly looking them over and sifting through each one. The worker quickly scurried up to the desk and bowed, drawing the attention of the Queen. She looked up slowly and smiled. "Ah. Hello Yira (pronounced ee-ra). What brings you to my quarters at this hour?" Yira swallowed and stood back up, offering her queen a smile. After the failed invasion several years ago, Queen Chrysalis had changed a lot for the better. She appreciated her workers more, and had been trying for a long time to establish some form of peaceful way with nearby ponies to obtain love. She even stopped using mind control on her workers, except in cases of danger.

"Hello my Queen. I...had another one." She looked downwards as Chrysalis gently set her papers down.

"Another vision?" Yira nodded slowly. "I see. What was it of this time?"

"I-it...it was of her, my queen...of Princess Cadence." Chrysalis' face grew serious, and she nodded gently. "She was in her castle my queen. She was talking to some...strange creature. Like...a lion, but made out of gold...and taller than you my queen...I-it was from somewhere other than here...a-and it...it seemed to know I was listening...a-and..." Chrysalis pondered this for awhile, then slowly rose. Yiras eyes widened and she bowed her head, every step of her Queen echoing in her mind. She was surprised as she felt herself being drawn into her chest gently, into a caring embrace.

"Don't worry, my sweet Yira. It must have been so frightening." She nodded gently, nuzzling gratefully into Chrysalis' chest. The queen in return smiled, then pulled away and lifted her head. "It will be fine. I'm sure that we'll be okay. Now, go back to sleep with your brothers and sisters. We don't want them to know how special you are." Yira nodded with a gentle smile and bowed once more, then quickly scampered out of the room. Chrysalis watched her go with her a smile, before her face fell into one of grief. 'I see...some strange creature...I fear this bodes ill for everyone...'

Yira huffed and swung her pickaxe, chipping away at her tunnel a little more. It was daytime (she thought) and she was back to work on expanding their caves. A group of manticores had taken over their old nest, and this was what they had to do to survive. But, they could trade with some locals any gems they found for bits to buy supplies, so that was good. She swung again, closing her eyes as she put as much force as she could into her swing. A massive crash rang out, and she opened her eyes in excitement. But her pick had barely even scratched into where she hit. She looked around, then heard a scream. She snapped her head towards the exit of her tunnel. Dropping her pick, she galloped down the path, bursting out of the exit into a crowd of changelings. What she saw next horrified her. A strange being had one of her brethren by the horn, and he was writhing in pain. The being wore a long brown coat, fixed with many buckles, and a single dried rose. It had simple black trousers, and fine white gloves, although the one gripping the horn was pulsing with a dark energy. It's head was a thick helmet of metal, with slits around the eyes, and the head coming to a point. In its left hand was a long, curved blade, made out of some living material. Hairs came out of the wide hilt, and it reminded her of a spider's leg. On the creatures back was a long staff, the end fitted with a wicked, curved blade. Blood stained its surface, yet it still shined brightly. She and her brothers and sisters watched as the creature looked over the changeling it had captured. It's hand pulsed again, and the changeling screamed. It's body began to whither and thin, almost as if it was being drained dry. Eventually the screaming stopped, and the monster tossed the withered raisin of a corpse aside.

Yira swallowed in fear and watched as it closed its hand, almost as if examine the life it had sucked away. One of her brothers yelled and charged at the beast, leaping at it. She gasped as the blade shot out, impaling her brother clearly through. The creature swung the corpse aside, sending it flying off the blade to join the other. They all watched in fear as it looked around where it had come out from, a tunnel that they had been working on ever since they saw a crack appear there. Then, it turned its head toward them gently, the glow from the walls reflecting off its helmet. Screams, both of fear and anger, broke out among the crowd. Several changelings bolted, others swarmed the monster. Yira only stood horrified and sickened as she watched her brethren get cut down one after the other. One of them bolted towards the tunnel he came from, and suddenly burst into flames. A small flame was in the thing's right hand, and he had turned towards the bug to set him ablaze. One of the changelings took advantage and swung its pickaxe into the thing's left leg. Yira heard a male groan of pain come out of the helm, watching her brother grin. That ended as the creature grabbed his horn and ripped it off, making him howl in agony. The bloodbathe continued, Yira begging for help as her family was cut to pieces. It grabbed one of sisters and lifted it into the air, the last one left besides Yira. Her eyes were wide, her wings buzzing frantically as she tried to wiggle from his grip. He lifted his blade and pointed it at her, then thrust it for-

"Yira!!!" She gasped, lurching upwards. Her advisor for the day tisked annoyed and walked away, leaving her standing there. She looked up at the crack in the wall, and sighed, shaking her head. She hefted her pickaxe and went down her tunnel, a small one she had made earlier that week. She was supposed to look for small caves or gems, and so far she hadn't had much luck. She reached the end of her tunnel and swung her pick. Ding. It made a dull ring as it chipped through the rock. She swung again. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Some of the rock fell away, and she paused. That last ding had sounded almost...hollow on the rock? She shook her head and resumed chipping at the rock. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Crash! She yelped and leapt back as the wall collapsed in front of her. She buzzed happily and set her pick at the entrance to the new hole she had made, skipping in happily, her wings buzzing gently. She quickly realized that it was far darker in this small cave than she realized, and barely any light came from her tunnel. She concentrated and focused her magical energy in her horn. Slowly her energy condensed, creating a green glow around her horn, illuminating the craggy, uneven walls of the small tunnel she had found. Huh...almost looks hoof made... She shrugged as she looked around, walking forward slowly. After several minutes, she swallowed, not noticing the small sweat that had broken out on her forehead. Why do I feel so...uncomfortable? She smacked her mouth gently, realizing there was a strange taste on it. She continued working her mouth, lost in thought, not realizing she passed right by a tall shadow against the wall. She gasped as she finally realized it. Pain! But...from where? She focused her senses, then started jogging forward. The shadow followed quietly, unnoticed. After another minute, Yira slowed down, noticing a small light coming from an opening in the cave up ahead. She swallowed, the source of the pain only growing closer, as well as a faint trickling sound. She slowly made her way around the wall and gasped at what she saw inside.

She walked slowly into a massive cavern, easily twice, no, three times as large as her sleeping quarters. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, hanging above her like large chandeliers. Far above, towards their base, were several small lights, most likely fluorescent bugs. She looked to her right slowly, her eyes falling upon a giant lake, easily as large as her queens bedchambers. There was one long stalactite pointing towards the middle, and occasionally a drop of water would slip of the end and drip into the water, sending one serene ripple across the lake. The lake reflected the ceiling, where thousands of the bugs gathered, like stars in the night sky. She could've gazed at the lake for hours, but a flickering light caught her eye. She turned around, and gasped gently at what she saw. There was a large stone circle on the ground, made of some stone that wasn't from the caves. In the middle was a fire made of something white, a twisted and warped sword coming out of the center. But that wasn't what had caught her attention. Next to the bonfire was the large, white, dead corpse of a spider, several white hairs sticking out from the legs, it's eyes milky white. Coming out of its head was the upper body of some..creature, similar to the one from her vision. It's skin was pale, almost translucent. Long white hair cascaded down its body, falling down to its elbows. It had its...paws? Hands? over its naked chest, which had two small bumps. The two hands were grasped together, it's head bowed. Yira walked forward slowly, almost entranced. She looked at the sides of the half-spider, and noticed multiple egg sacs, each one connected to it, each one dead. She swallowed and looked up at the face of the upper creature, seeing its eyes closed. She lowered her head, feeling the pain echoing from her body. She looked back up again and backed up a little, then sat down. "Why...why are you in so much pain..?"

"It is because of the BlightPus." Yira yelled and jumped up, turning quickly towards the gentle male voice. Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks as they fell upon the figure of her vision, him looking down on her. Seeing her fear he raised his arms slowly. "Now wait. I mean you no ill will." Yira swallowed and began taking deep shuddering breaths. After several she could finally taste his emotions, realizing he only spoke the truth. She swallowed again and began slowly calming down, sitting down again.

"W-...what do you mean? What's the BlightPus?" He slowly sat down cross legged by the bonfire, holding out a hand to it. Yira scooted a little closer, finding the warmth of the flames oddly comforting.

"Back in Lordran, where we are from, she and her sister were rulers of servants from a place called Blighttown. Their servants felt pain from the pus, but her older sister Quelaag cared not. She, however..." He looked at her mournfully. "She could not stand to see their servants in pain. So..." He looked back at the crackling fire, gazing into its depths. "She swallowed the BlightPus that infected them. Doing so cured their pain but...also brought her close to death." Yira swallowed and nodded grimly, all traces of fear gone. "So her sister Quelaag turned her into a FireKeeper, for this fire. That is what keeps her alive. However...she is in eternal pain now..." Yira looked over at her sadly, then turned back to him.

"Is...is there nothing we can do..?" He looked at her, his helmet creaking gently. He pulled open his coat and rummaged around in one of his pouches, mumbling. He pulled out a box and set it on the ground, the fire glinting off of its smooth wooden sides. It gave a small creak as he opened it, and Yira looked inside. She swallowed as an empty void peered back at her, the inside of the box seeming to continue forever. He reached into the box, Yira baffled as she heard the sounds of many different materials clinking, clanging, scraping, squishing, etc. She watched as he slowly raised his hand, clutching something gently. He closed his box, then looked at Yira. He slowly unfurled his hand, and Yira's eyes sparkled in curiosity. Inside his hand was a small dark...flame almost, with a white border. It seemed to shimmer gently to her, calling to her gently. She looked up at him, then back at the tiny flame. "What is this..?"

"That is known as Humanity. It is found in Lordran, and is the source of our...sanity. We don't know quite what it is, but...it is what keeps us human, and alive." Yira leaned in close, looking it over like a dog may a firefly. "Firekeepers light the bonfires like this one, which serve as..." He thought for a moment, reflecting on how he thought of them. "...almost like...temporary homes, or sanctuaries, for the Undead, which I am a part of. By giving her humanity, her pain becomes just a little easier to bare." Yira looked up at him, then at her, nodding slowly as she listened.

"I see...I'm a Changeling." He watched her, listening aptly. The lake rippled with another droplet, the only sound besides Yira and the bonfire. "We live in caves, here in Equestria. We're a form of bug, similar to ponies in shape and some anatomy. We hatch from eggs, and can change our forms."

"Truly?" He said surprised. Yira made a small "mhm" of confirmation and stepped away from him, standing up. She focused her energy, and green magic, almost like flames, surrounded her body. He gave a small grunt of surprise, watching as she transformed into a simple white pony with a pink mane. He clapped gently and she blushed, turning back.

"Thanks...I'm not used to compliments." He chuckled gentle and motioned for her to continue, to which she nodded. "We used to change into ponies and sneak into societies. The reason why is because we feed off of the emotion of love. We can actually taste and sense almost all emotions, which is why I can feel her pain." Yira nodded towards the girl, and he nodded.

"Can you sense anything from me?" He waved over himself gently. Yira nodded and magic enveloped her horn gently.

"Probably. Let's see...I sense..." She closed her eyes, concentrating on his aura. "...devotion...protectiveness...curiosity...and...hmmm...that's strange...almost like...fire..." He chuckled gently and poked her, getting her to open her eyes. He held out his hand, and made her jump when a small flame poofed into existence over it. He smiled as he watched her examine it in slight wonder.

"This is known as pyromancy, an art from Lordran. We have magic, same as you, but there are different kinds. Pyromancy is the art of wielding fire, put simply." He made the flame in his hand grow bigger, then smaller. He focused the flame into a single pillar, then made it fan out into a disk in his hand, before swishing it away. Yira clapped gently, her wings buzzing happily, to which he smiled and gave a minor bow. "Continue. You feed off love?"

"Yes. But...as you can tell from our appearance...ponies and other creatures are not too fond of us..." She frowned, slouching forwards slightly. "It's rather hard for us to get love from them normally, so...we have to take the place of their loved ones. Or at least, we used to." She looked up at him, and he simply nodded for her to continue. "A year or two ago, we tried to take the place of the Princess of Love, and-" she was interrupted as he chuckled gently, making her raise the skin over her eye. After he apologized she continued. "As I was saying, we tried to take her place at her wedding, but...we failed, and most of us were outcast to here, the Badlands. Or I should say, up there." She pointed upwards, and he nodded, looking up at the high roof. "Now we're trying to establish a more peaceful way of getting love, but...it's not going too well. We're facing a food shortage, and have been for...almost as long as we've been here." He nodded slowly, processing all this new info. He turned back to her.

"Who is in charge of the Changelings?" He asked curiously, but stopped when he heard several pebbles being scattered nearby.

"That, would be me." He jumped upwards and span around, unsheathing his blade and holding it in his hand. Yira did the same, but stopped as her eyes fell on her Queen. She stood by the lake, her hair polished and glistening gently in the light from the ceiling, and her eyes sparkling gently as they locked with the Undead's.

Author's Note

For the Undead, forgot to mention, he is wearing: Elite Knight Helm, Chester's Jacket, Leather boots, Gwyndolin's gloves, Priscilla's Scythe, Quelaag's fury Sword, and the Old Witch's Ring.