Chrysalis stood at the entrance of the primitive dwelling she had set up in the Everfree Forest. The moderately sized hut was nothing but vines, bark and logs thrown together with a thatching of dead grass to keep it waterproof. It was a long way down from her time in the pampered rooms of Canterlot Castle, but she couldn’t afford to indulge in creature comforts, she could only focus on surviving and making sure her children survived. Without the next generation of changelings strong and healthy, her hive would become extinct in just a few short years.
She scowled and hissed out at the distant pinpricks of lights that were Canterlot city visible through the forest clearing that had been made to accommodate her hive in the forest. Several whimpers came from a large nest she had created from the softest grass she could find and she was instantly by her children’s side nuzzling through them through the blanket.“Shhhhhh... Don’t worry my little ones,” Chrysalis cooed at the fitfully sleeping little drones. “Soon, we shall have all the food you can possibly want.”
She once more looked out to the lights of Canterlot. “One way or another, our suffering will end.” A sudden burst of bright green fire, heralded the arrival of one of her scouting parties. Growling softly, she left her young ones and stepped out her crude dwelling. “You three better have a good reason for coming back early! Or I swear-” Her yelling stopped at the sight of a bound unconscious unicorn held captive by her drones. “Well well well. I see the scouting trips have finally paid off. The three of you can take the rest of the night off while I entertain our new guest.”
The three drones each gave their a queen bow before once again bursting into green flames as they teleported away. Chrysalis glared down at her prisoner. His coat was covered in some kind of illusion spell that mottled his fur color with different shades of greens and grays that perfectly matched the tones and ambiance of the Everfree Forest. The Ranger gave a pained groan and his eyelids fluttered open, his gaze narrowing at the sight of the Changeling Queen. “Where’s my partner!?” he demanded with a dark growl.
“You were the only one bought to me, Ranger.” Chrysalis’s horn glowed and she picked her prisoner up with her magic. “I’m curious as to what happened out there on your patrol that led you to be captured? You Rangers have never been so careless.” She grinned revealing her small fangs and malicing glint in her eyes. “But I’m not complaining. You shall be of great assistance to me and my drones. One way or another you shall tell us how to get past the Ranger’s Operating Base on the outskirts of Ponyville.”
To his credit the Ranger didn’t even try to struggle free from his captive’s magical grasp. He was no doubt saving his strength and wits for a more opportune moment to escape. Chrysalis resolved to keep a very close eye on her new conquest.
“If you think I’m going to betray my comrades...”
“I have no interest in interrogating you, Ranger.” She grinned a bit wider. “At least not right away...” She stepped back into her crude shelter, placing her prisoner in one of the corners before nestling done with her young. The tiny drones all moved closer to their mother and snuggled against her cooing with contentment. The Ranger watched on silently. “Besides, any information I could coerce from you would be useless to me right now without any significant military strength.” She narrowed her slitted eyes at the Ranger. “I have finally come to realize that I will have to resort to different methods in order to get what I want.”
“What the hell are you going to do me?!” The Ranger yelled as the Queen’s magic enveloped his body and he was dragged without ceremony into a dark tunnel in the middle of the room...
<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>
Tashi remained perfectly still and silent in his hiding place crouched against the base of a large gnarled tree. His green mottled coat kept him almost invisible from the enemies trying to find him. He wanted nothing more than to go back and attempt a rescue for his partner, but he had barely escaped capture himself. Now, he needed to get back to the Ranger’s base back in Ponyville and report the discovery of a Changeling Hive hidden deep within the Everfree Forest. And he couldn’t do that if he was captured. He gritted his teeth and cleared his mind of all distractions, focusing instead on getting past the changeling patrols. He was about to move out of cover, but stopped.
A nearby drone, merely three feet away from Tashi was scanning the surrounding area looking for the Ranger. More than once the drone’s gaze drifted over his hiding placing but no matter what his instincts told him to do, he remained completely frozen. The camouflage illusion was only effective if he kept still and didn’t break the pattern the drone had first seen. The only problem was the awkward positon he was in was causing his legs to cramp, and he was fairly certain the tickling sensation on his back was a large spider crawling over him. He didn’t move an inch. There was simply too much at stake to risk being caught by the changelings.
Seemingly satisfied that his prey wasn’t anywhere nearby, the drone began walking away. Tashi still didn’t move. Sometimes, if the scouts were experienced enough, they would walk away for a few steps and suddenly turn around hoping to catch their targets off guard as they tried to move away. He counted two minutes and moved from his cover. But he didn’t suddenly dash away, he moved slowly and methodically. Each step he took was carefully felt out to make sure he didn’t step on a leaf or twig and alert the scouting drones to his position. It was slow, hard work, but ultimately it was key to his survival.
“I see something!” a drone called out only ten feet away.
Tashi instinctively froze, becoming as still and silent as a statue.
“Never mind,” the same voice called out. “It was just a wild cat.”
“That’s the third false alarm this week!”
“Bite me!”
Tashi smirked to himself and continued his slow journey back to his base. With the changeling scouts arguing and bickering among themselves it was easy for him to avoid them, it also made it so he could move a bit faster as their arguing voices drowned out the sound of any twigs or leafs he stood on. with his faster pace, the lights of Ponyville and his base was soon in sight just few hundred meters and he would be...
“Stop right there.” The ominous sound of a .45 being cocked accompanied the drones command.
Tashi closed his eyes and mentally cursed himself for his lack of discipline that had now gotten him caught. Moving very slowly so as not to appear threatening, he turned around to face the changeling holding the gun in its green magical aura.
“Now drop your weapon,” the drone pressed the revolver against Tashi’s head.
“Easy, there” Tashi said softly trying to keep the drone calm. “I’m going to pull out my weapon out and drop it now. No need to...” Suddenly he moved while the drone was expecting him to finish his sentence. He moved his head to the side out of the line of fire. His magic pulled the 9mil from the holster at his side and whipped it across the drone’s head, knocking him out cold.
“Over there!” Another scout yelled running towards the commotion. Tashi cursed, holstered his gun, and took off at a gallop through the forest with the entire changeling scouting party chasing after him. A life time of miliary training, and years of being in the Ranger Corps had toned his muscles into thick strong, steel-like cords that coiled beneath his skin with every running step he took. He was almost safe now. Only a hundred meters until he left the forest, and another two hundred meters across the field that separated the Everfree from Ponyville.
A changeling teleported in front of him with a burst of green flames. The drone was only carrying a large hunting knife in its magical grasp. Tashi didn’t draw his gun, not wanting to use deadly force to subdue such an insignificant threat. Instead he picked up a large stick and used it as a quarter staff to bat the knife away before clubbing the drone over the head and leaping over its unconscious body. He finally burst out the darkness of the forest and came into the light of a full moon shining down.
“RANGERS! TAKE YOUR STATIONS!” he yelled as soon as the Ranger’s base came into view. Yelling and orders being shouted filled the night as the base came alive and the rangers began pouring out of the fort with various firearms and weapons. Snipers took positions behind large embankments of dug up earth, and even a few M60 guns were placed on the battlements of the fort. Tashi soon burst through the ranks picking up an falling AK47, turning to face the Everfree waiting for the first of the changelings to come out.
All was silent.
The rangers all began murmuring and shifting with uncertainty. “What is it, Commander?” one of the Rangers nearby asked softly. Tashi remained silent as he scanned the Everfree making sure that the changelings weren’t preparing some kind of ambush.
“Get back inside the base!” Tashi commanded. “We have to warn the princesses the changelings have returned.”
“Something has to be done about those Ranger bastards!” The noble’s voice reminded Celestia of a spoiled cat mewling for its dinner. It wasn’t very often her temper and ire could be provoked, but with each meeting she held with the nobilities she surprised herself with how long she had been able to hold herself in check.
“They can’t be allowed to run around doing as they please...” Another noble pony, a plump mare whose belly was no doubt suffering due to the recent raids on the noble’s food stores. Celestia sighed loudly and raised a hoof silencing the arguing nobles. “As I have pointed out countless times in past counsel meetings. The Rangers are out of the governments reach, beholden to no authority but their own.”
“That’s ridiculous!” another clueless noble blurted out. “We should send out the Royal Guards and...”
“Do what exactly?” Celestia snapped, making the nobles flinch. “Wage war against them? Lay siege to their strongholds?”
“Obliterate them!” the noble called out. It took all of Celestia’s resolve not to repeatedly smack the noble’s head against the table and pray to all the goddesses she could think of he would get some commonsense. Instead she took a deep calming breath, leveling a glare at the ponies in the room.
“I need not remind you, as I’ve also done many times before, that the Solar and Lunar guard have been greatly weakened since repelling the griffon rebellion.” She resisted pointing out the Rangers also played an integral part in saving their fat lazy flanks only made that way due to their treatment of the lesser ponies. “The resources we have left are barely enough to keep the peace of the kingdom. If we were to go up against the Rangers, heavy casualties, starvation, riots and internal rebellions would be the least of our problems. The Rangers are the only thing that stands between Equestria and a complete national melt down. I’m afraid the Rangers are a necessary evil.”
A grumbling chorus of displeasure sounded throughout the council chambers and dirty looks were thrown at Celestia. “Need we remind you, Princess, that your job is to make sure the peace of the kingdom is kept? You’ve allowed the Rangers to raid our lands, steal from our homes...”
Celestia cleared her throat pointedly and deepened her glare at the group of nobles. “As I recall correctly, anything the Rangers stole from you was given to the Castle’s treasury as they were the taxes you in fact owed to the kingdom in the first place.” Celestia smirked at the growing discomfort she could sense in the room. She had been doing this for a long time, she knew how to keep the nobles in their place. “If you all really feel that the Rangers need to be bought into check, I shall start an investigation into their crimes. Of course I shall have to collect each of your income records for an accurate and thorough investigation... All in favor say ‘aye’.” The room remained completely silent. “Excellent! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with my student.”
“Something has to be done about the Rangers, Princess. You can’t keep avoid taking action against them forever.”
Celestia gave them a patient smile. “Well, as soon as you come up with a way for me to do that without throwing the kingdom into chaos and turmoil, you let me know.” Without another she rose from her throne and briskly trotted out of hte room. As soon as she was out of the room she allowed the scowl she had been keeping in check to spread over face. The nobles were nothing but selfish, greedy bastards that had no idea how lucky they were. If it weren’t for the fact she needed the noble’s wealth and resources to keep Equestria strong, she would have banned each and every one of the from the royal council room.
“That could have gone better.” Celestia squeaked in surprise and spun around facing the direction from which the mysterious voice had spoken. A bulgy shape in the shadows shifted and a unicorn with a dark mottled pattern over his coat seemed to step out the very wall.
Celestia let out a sigh of relief as she recognized the ranger as the messenger responsible for keeping contact between the base in Ponyville and Canterlot. “What brings you all the way here, Ranger?” She was slightly irked she couldn’t address with his real name as Rangers were notorious for keeping their names a secret least their loved ones be targeted by vengeful enemies within and out of Equestria. The ranger was, as always, grim faced without a trace of humor.
“Commander Tashi sent me, princess. Chrysalis’s changeling hive has been discovered hiding in the Everfree Forest.”
Celestia sucked in a deep breath at the ranger’s words and immediately turned around trotting more briskly to her student’s chambers. “Sister, please join me.” Seconds later Luna appeared in a flash of blue magic beside her sister. “The Ranger Corps have located the changeling hive hiding out in the Everfree Forest,” she explained, before Luna could question why she was so suddenly summoned. The Ranger remained grim faced and silent, following along after the royal sisters at a respectable distance.
“That... Is troubling,” Luna commented softly, her brow farrowing slightly with concern. “After the griffon rebellion, I am not sure we have the resources to defend Equestria if we are to face another invasion.”
“Princesses...” The two sisters stopped and turned to face the Ranger. “The Ranger corps, while not under your command have sworn to defend Equestria. All three hundred and seventy seven of us will be with you when the time comes.”
Celestia and Luna glanced at each other. Three hundred and seventy seven Rangers would make a massive difference in any kind of conflict, the Corps were comprised of trained soldiers from both the Lunar and Solar Guard. Soldiers who had seen war, grew tired of it and left the service to form a Corps dedicated to form a service outside any chain of command. With the Ranger Corps backing up the Guards, Equestria stood a much better chance of survival. Luna was the first one to talk.
“In the past the Ranger Corps have been trusted allies. Their only loyalty is to the Corps and the wellbeing of the commoners. But we will need somepony to act as a liaison between Canterlot and the Corps.”
“Twilight Sparkle,” the Ranger muttered. “She’d be the best one. She’s a princess, but not an integral part of Canterlot’s command. It will also give her the opportunity to learn how to make decisions of command without the noble pony’s corrupting influence guiding her.”
Celestia bit her bottom lip thoughtfully and glanced to Luna who nodded her approval. “Very well, Ranger. You shall take Twilight Sparkle back to the Ranger’s base in Ponyville. Luna and I will gather together some of our Guard and send them to you for support. How many more ponies will you need?”
The Ranger licked his lips looking somewhat nervous. “Twenty will be just enough to give us the support and strength we need to keep Ponyville and the Everfree forest safe. But, you will need to provide signed documentation that your guards will take no action against us.”
“Done!” Luna said with a curt nod of her head. “I volunteer my Night Terrors as support.”
The Ranger looked at Luna in complete shocked horror. The Night Terrors were a special ops group compromised of seven thestrals trained in the art of assassination and covert ops. They had singe handledly killed Silias Iron Claw the leader of the Griffon rebellion in his own tent, along with the entire command structure of the Griffon army. To let such a powerful force inside the base was a risk that the Ranger simply could not take. Luna smiled reassuringly and was quick to allay his fears.
“Do not worry, Ranger. My Night Terrors are completely loyal and obedient to me. They will do nothing without my absolute consent. The nobles have no influence over them and only answer to me.”
The Ranger nodded. “Very well, we shall take you up on that offer.” Luna was secretly a huge supporter and friend to the Ranger Corps, and if the nobles had no influence or authtority over the Night Terrors he would gladly accept that offer. Celestia cleared her throat and nodded to the door at the end of the hallway.
“Come, Twilight needs to be informed of these plans.” The three of them continued walked away not noticing the concealed noble pony watching them, smiling with malice.
