The capital of the New Lunar Republic is the greatest city in all of Equestria, spanning a size and expanse of the whole surface of Tartarus it is the centre of industry and military for all the republic. But for all it's grand war factories, it's countless homes, the site of the throne of it's ruler queen Luna and prestigious school of magic, the hidden city was never truly theirs to begin with.
There is a reason why "the capital" has no name, and that is because it is not theirs to give it one.
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Deep underground in the lands of Tartarus, the hive hums with activity, countless drones working the fleshy walls of their home maintaining and expanding their underground domain, larvae crying out to be loved, and the the sound of ponies moaning and groaning were everywhere.
"Who is the fairest of them all?" The changeling queen spoke out, her regal tone sultry and affectionate. Sat upon a throne of writhing ponies, who she pawed and caressed with her loveless touch. All eyes were enthralled by her beauty, her sleek black form tantalising with the slightest glimpse.
"You are, my queen!" Moans of pleasure rang out as if chorusing agreement, love stinking the air like a smoky pheromone or foreign incense. The love of so many ponies tingled along the queen's spine. They moaned at her slightest touch and their faces contorting into that of euphoria. All around they squirmed and wriggled in a collective embrace. Ponies kissing and licking and rutting like it was the only thing they lived for. Every so often a drone came in amongst the throng dragging away a dead pony, having run out of it's usefulness as a giver of it's love.
The changeling queen looked out at the writhing throng and smirked. One by one she looked with a discerning eye, making a point to taste each flavour of love they offered in turn, until she was satisfied and lit her horn with a flare. With her telekinesis she raised a jet black stallion from the crowd. Her smirk had widened in an amused grin as she inspected the pony in question closely. His face was gaunt from endless loving, no sleep, no food, just endless rutting as the changelings fed upon his essence. There was simply no better joy than seeing once great and proud ponies degenerate into such broken husks.
"Who do you love, pony?" The changeling queen purred out as she levitated the stallion before her. The black pony began to flare with green energy, his body shook as the energies coursed through him. His eyes cried, his mouth drooled and his ear flowed crimson with blood. And yet he cried out with such pleasure, screaming for more. The scent of her burning flesh tingling the queen's nostrils.
"Who do you love!" Commanding in tone now, more than inquiring. Increasing her discharge of magic. A small sadistic chuckle escaped her lips as her absolute control had stolen this pony of the right to despair. The soul of this one wanted to cry out and scream, to have the mind desire freedom and escape from such endless torment, such blackening sin but the body was addicted. The mind long since given away as a mere play thing.
"I love you my queen. You are everything to me." The stallion cried red tears of joy, feeling so honoured to be given the privilege to speak with his beloved queen.
"Would you protect me? Would you be willing to die for me?" The changeling queen peppered him with light and slow kisses, occasionally biting and licking him. He loved everything that was done to him and yet it was never enough.
"Gladly!" The stallion exclaimed."I am yours to do as you wish. I love you with all of my being." Satisfied the changeling queen aimed her horn at his heart.
A jagged black horn ripped out from his back. Even with such immense pain burning his body, he let out a groan of pleasure as he felt the life in him escape. He was smiling, his eyes rolling up to reveal the whites of his eyes. And then his body went limp.
A simple wispy orb of energy raised itself from the lifeless husk, black and green with corruption. The pony's soul was now free to devour.
"Give me all of your love." She commanded frankly, almost business like without any remorse whatsoever. He did what was requested, obeying without hesitation. All his soul and the essence of his life, converted into pure unadulterated love. His memories, his feelings, the spark that animates his body drained and converted by the power of the changeling's horn. The changeling queen spasmed at the immense pleasure it gave, moaning out herself as fluids gushed out of her haunches.
And yet as if it never happened the moment passed, the onlinkling of its existance was the tiny spark flowing through her veins. The queen rubbed her belly appreciatively as the love settled in her.
Just a little more. A little more and a new highborn would be born from her. A creature made from the love of so many stallions. Mayhaps even her successor, should the larvae show promise.Nay. It will succeed her. Fed on by the love of only the greatest stallions of Equestria, this child would be the most powerful changling queen ever born.
A scream rang out, a most honorific and sorrowful scream that could break a thousand hearts. If circumstances weren't so unkind. But changelings had no such hearts to be broken, only this pumping engine in their chest filling their veins, blood filled with sustaining love. And no pony around was giving it any mind, too deeply enthralled by the paradise the changeling brought onto their bodies. To her misfortune only one creature was giving her any attention.
"You again. Are you still not broken?" The changeling queen rose from her throne of flesh as she descended down upon a stairway of kneeling stallions, each step groaning with pleasure. This mare, this unicorn mare had been a recent guest to the hive, just barely tasting a fraction of what the changeling's hospitality had to offer. For hours, they had made her watch, hours of torture and teasing as she did things to the stallion she loved. And to her horror she was forced witness the things he did onto the queen. But she endured, likely hoping that at any moment a chance would come to her. A chance to rescue her husband, slay some changelings and escape. It was a pity to waste such a choice, stallion but with his death. The mare was finally ready to be broken.
With the death of over a dozen drones, it was no doubt that this one was a hero on the battlefields above. But here there was no army to help her, no means to retreat and no where to hold a valiant last stand. Here she was the queens play thing the moment she set hoof upon hive. A hero? Nay, just another fiesty little morsel to play with. The arrogance of this one, thinking herself able to defy the changeling queen. Once the changelings have you, there is no escape. It is not some mere, law or rule of the world. It is a truth that cannot be challenged. A little torture is no where near enough a punishment, this one would pay with more than her body.
"A pity isn't it. You go out to war and fight the empire, and here was your husband." She raised the black dried husk that was the mare's husband. The mare recoiled from it, the sight bringing terrified whimpers past her lips and endless tears across her face. But they refused her the ability to look away, eyes held firmly open and head turned to the front by the changelings' embrace.
"So lonely, so sad, so worried and endlessly wrought with grief. Questions left unanswered for years on end of how you faired. You know, he might have been saved if you had just sent one one measly letter." The changeling smirked at that last part, knowing full well that they'd had a hoof in intercepting and destroying such letters.
Rage and sorrow was on the unicorn's face. Tears endlessness flowing and her teeth bared like some wild beast. She struggled against her restraints as changeling drones in the guise of stallions held her down. It had been mere hours when she had come, charging it kicking up a fuss as she fought armies of changeling to find her husband. She thought it would be so easy, so simple. If the changeling queen merely willed it, she would have died before she even found one of the entrances. What a naive foal.
However foals had their uses.
"He cried out for release, an escape from his pain. He wondered the city, paying good hard earned money rutting with dirty mares and drink. He was on the brink of disaster when he found us. Well, really we found him but it wouldn't do to have let him think that."
The queen and the mare looked eye to eye. She could sense it, that defiant part of her soul dying out. In those eyes despair was taking over. The rage in her faded and her resistance fell limp, as she now laid there, not caring anymore, having lost count how many changelings had violated her body. A tear cried extra hard at the idea that mayhaps, oh Luna forgive her mayhaps, she was starting to like it.
"Your husband was so... delicious. A soul so gentle, so affectionate and so generously loving. I revelled at his touch, as he did whatever he wished with my body, every nook and cranny and hole was given such ample attention. He was a good stallion, a rare treat in fact, he had such... natural talent."
The mare was not listening. Irritated the changeling queen gripped her with her magic and slammed the mare against the wall. Her daze broke, the impact forcing her to cough and wheeze as the wind was knocked out of her. She was about to rise but the changeling queen had been way ahead of her. Putting a hoof to the small of her back, the mare was forced to fall lest the changeling queen's immense strength crush her spine.
"Such insolent ponies, never knowing your place. There is always a few who would think themselves rulers of the world! But nay. This land is mine. I merely let your night live on by my mercy. You are food to me, to be bred and cultivated like the live stock you are. If it were not for me providing you this place to hide away on the edge of the world, you would already be killed by the outside world. Do you understand pony? Without us your republic would be extinct."
The changeling queen released the pressure of her hoof and sparked her horn to burst with magic. The force of her telekinesis pinning the mare to the wall. The queen walked over to meet her eye to eye once more.
"The changelings don't ask for much. Only a little return of their affection, a homage to the mercy they have so freely given them as we take away the useless ones of your kind. The desperate, homeless and dying ponies so that the hive may feed upon them and they die with such joy on their sad lives for once. But you've been forcing my hoof and many hoofs of queens before me. So quick to call us evil, so fast to want us gone like a taint upon this world."
"My queen will miss me, they will find you... the mare-do-wells. Maybe even mistress Trixie will..." Her weak defiance was met with a hard smack to the face. The queen smiled as tears began to well on the mare. And then the queen began to laugh.
"No one will save you! This bargain has existed since your queen Luna bartered for it, begging and pleading like a vagabond. Without us changelings this land would be filled with demons and fiends and horrors of which you could not comprehend. We are the ones keeping them from you. We are the shepherds guiding your prosperity. and the Mare-do-wells? Those foals are too busy dealing with Discord to be of any threat to us. And Trixie you say? The filly is one of us!" The changeling queen cackled with such sadistic venom. The hope dying out with the mare's defiance once more, the remnants finally and utterly completely gone.
"Besides, we have many powerful ponies under our thrall. All across equestria we have our say on how the governments run. We control your pony's laws, your military and your industries and economy. We have eyes everywhere and if I so choose. I can destroy you all in an instant."
A new smile came across the queen's face. "In fact."
"I set you free. Rally as many ponies you can muster, see what happens."
The mare was released from the queen's magical hold and she hobbled undeterred as she began to exit the room. The mare's mind was blank, a mix of blind obedience and fear guiding her away from the changeling queen. The queen looked on at the mare wagering with herself outcome of this single life.
I can indeed destroy you all, but if I did that. I would grow hungry.
The queen of the changelings turned to her harem and purposely walked to take her place once more.
Now go forth and find me more food, so that inside foal may feed upon them.
and then finally... you
