The Waning Moon War Book 1

Chapter 4 The Secret Of The Hive

Amesis quickly slipped through a closing hole as two of his Changeling brethren just exited the same hole. With the sound of his hooves echoing off the walls with luminescent cocoons hanging all around. He grazes a wall while slipping between a group of Changelings near a path he needed. A few seconds later he comes to a grinding halt in front of two heavily built and armored Changelings standing in front of a multi sliding stone slab door.

"Halt." Says the one on Amesis right side. "The Queen doesn't want to be bothered right now."

Amesis bows his head then sits down and looks up at them saying "I understand Tifen but you and Sophie must let me see the Queen. I've come with an urgent message from our forces in Everfree Forest."

Sophie and Tifen look at each other for a few seconds then Tifen says "Fine I'll get the Queen for you." Using his magic he slid one of the stone like slabs in a upward arc and steps in. A green pulsing light emits from across the room showing an outline of Chrysalis and her prey on a cocoon like bed. As wavy green energy is excreting from the nightmares chest Tifen says "Excuse me your Majesty."

The green light disappears as a body of a Pegasus drops to the bed in the darkened room. Chrysalis looks over at Tifen her green eyes glowing she growls "I thought I told you two I didn't want to be disturbed!" As multiple candles erupt in flame brining new light to the room.

Tifen bows his head as his head as he kneels down on one leg "Once again, excuse me for the intrusion but Amesis has a message for you from our Everfree forces." He says in a nervous tone.

Chrysalis smiles and says gleefully "About time, quickly send him in."

Tifen gets up and says as he turns around "At once my Queen." He moves the stone slabs out of the way and lets Amesis in then exits the room while sliding the slabs back in place.

Amesis standing a fourth of the height of the Queen. He quickly bows as Chrysalis walks over and lays down to come closer to eye level with him "So what’s the message from my Everfree forces Amesis?" She asks eagerly

Amesis raises his head and sits down then says "I regret to report that three of our encampments were destroyed from Timberwolf attacks, and numerous squads went missing from our camps. Also Captain Iron Shell and Thunder Striker were killed by a silver eyed unicorn Nightmare with a deep blue coat, a deep green mane and tail over a week ago. Only four of his team survived the attack." He pauses as he watches Chrysalis expression changes to an irritated and angry look.

Chrysalis asks with a growling tone in her voice "Did they capture any other Nightmares?"

"N..No my Queen." He answers nervously

She looks away muttering under her breath "It's been almost two months and they captured only one. What’s going on up there?" She looks back then asks "Did they at least report how Iron and Thunder were killed?"

He quickly responded "The report said that Iron was crushed by rocks with the assistance of a pink goo that held him in place, also it said that magic didn't effect it. Afterwards apparently she blinded him, then stabbed him, and then she blasted his throat out. As for Thunder he was out maneuvered and got his throat cut out." he stops for a moment then asks "What do you want me to tell their messenger, my Queen?"

Chrysalis gets up and starts pacing around the room. After a bit she stops in front of Amesis and releases an angry sigh of frustration. She steps back and leans her head down then says in a slightly calmer tone "I want the four survivors back here A.S.A.P I have a new job for them. As for the outposts have the messenger tell them that the outpost commanders are in charge now and I'm sending other teams their way to help with the capture of the Nightmares but they are not under any outposts command. You got that?"

"Yes my Queen." Amesis says as he repeats what he heard. Then he says "Only one last thing my Queen. Zifana wants to have a private audience with you."

"What is it about?" She asks curiously

"She wouldn't say but she told me to say it's urgent." replies Amesis "What do you want me to tell her?"

"Tell her to be here after I'm done addressing the hive in a bit." She says. Then asks "Anything else?"

"No, my Queen." he replies

"Then your dismissed." She says as she opens the door with her magic. When he exited she closed the door and started back towards her bed while she slowly extinguished the candles. While she crawled back in to her spot then feels a wet spot next to her. She looks over at the barely conscious pegasus then says lustfully as she pulls his head up "Drooling in your new Queens bed, you naughty Nightmare." Then continues feeding off the Nightmare.

After a bit she exits her room licking her lips and lets out a satisfied sigh. Then says to Tifen and Sophie "You two take him back to the dungeon for cocooning I'll finish with him later."

"As you wish your majesty." They both say as they bow to her as she walks by.

Chrysalis continues her way through the hive to her throne room. She approached a dead end with two heavily armored changelings standing about two meters apart. As she got closer the dead end opened up to a new room. When she walked through they followed her in and walked to either side of her. She enters a room with a cocoon and rock throne. As she walked around it while the others took a position on either side. She sat down in her throne looking in to the large green glowing room filled with changelings of all sizes.

She cuts the silence in a loud voice "Hello my loyal and beloved subjects. I've just received some rather unpleasant news from our forces in the Everfree Forest. Apparently Captain Iron Shell and Thunder Striker were killed in combat against the Nightmares there."

Some of the changeling start talking amongst themselves, Chrysalis clears her throat to quiet the room. "So in response I'm letting ANY of you take a..." She points with her left leg to them all "shot at getting rid of them one way or another but there is one I want alive. She is a unicorn, she has a deep blue coat, a deep green mane and tail but her most distinguishing mark is her eyes they are supposedly silver. As a reward for bringing her alive to me I'll bestow upon the group or single warrior a position in my royal guard and if I deem her useless to me she can be yours to do with as you pleased. So if any of you want to try contact a commander tomorrow to give them time to prepare." She stands up and takes a step forward then says in a more cheery tone. "As for our forces here in Nighdramar; are spies have reported that the Nightmares are preparing for a final attack against us. The location is still unknown but once we know..." Her tone changes to a more sinister and ominous sound "we can wipe them out IN ONE SWIFT ATTACK and the ones that survive will become our food and slaves. Then with their race out of the way..." She raises her voice "NOTHING WILL BE ABLE TO STOP US FROM TAKING CANTERLOT AND BRING THAT BUCKING PRINCESS CELESTIA TO HER KNEES FOR IMPRISONING ME AND SOME OF YOU IN THAT FORSAKEN VOLCANO! Then will take all of Equestria by force!"

The sound of clopping hooves and cheers of the changelings ring through out the hall. Chrysalis smiles at the sound as she walks past her left guard she says "Aflis, I want you and Reva to tell the messengers to get all the commanders in the war room in a few hours. Also tell them to spread the info on Everfree."

Aflis replys "Yes my Queen."

She exits through the back and heads for her room. As she comes around the corner and sees a changeling wearing glasses, sitting against the wall in front of Sophie and Tifen. looking at a clipboard with some papers on it. Chrysalis walks up and says "Hello Zifana." Zifana doesn’t respond as she continues to look at the sheets and muttering to herself. "Zifana?" Chrysalis raises her voice a little.

Zifana looks up from her clipboard and sees Chrysalis standing next to her. Zifana quickly bows and says "Sorry my Queen I meant no disrespect I was going over some..." She pauses for a moment then looks over at the other two for a few seconds then looked back finishes "information."

"For what?" asks Chrysalis

Zifana looks back at Sophie and Tifen then back to Chrysalis then says "Can we go to my lab and talk there. Plus I want to show you something my Queen."

"Okay lead the way." She says

"At once this way my Queen." She says as she trots away.

Zifana leads the way deeper into the hive and stops in front of two guards then says "Don't let any changeling in here and I don't care if they have something important for me they can wait."

"Yes, mama." They both say as Zifana and Chrysalis pass by.

As they entered the spacious room with some lab equipment Chrysalis asked "So what is it you wanted to show me?" She looked back to the sound of Zifana casting a spell sealing the wall.

Zifana replies "Well it's not here but..." She walks past the Queen to a table she pushes the table to the right. She grunted while saying "when I move this here..." then walked over to the middle of the wall. "and a knock or two here." She knocks a spot three times then a section of wall opens up in ward. Reviling a dark passage with soft glowing blue light. She motion to the Queen with a interested look "This way my Queen."

As they started walking into the tunnel while the wall shifted back into place. They continued down the blue lit tunnel until they reached another room lit by torches. When they entered they saw two guards sleeping in cocoons, while another two are feeding off of six Nightmares in the back of the small room, and two more standing guard near another tunnel. "What’s this place for?" Chrysalis asked as the two feeding stopped and came to attention.

"They're here to keep the little Nightlings from going to far from their nests." She replied

"What are Nightlings?" Chrysalis asks with a confused yet curious look as they passed the two guards into a torch lit tunnel.

"There a hybrid of us and Nightmares." Zifana says "They are a secret project started about twenty two years ago by your stand in Queen Valisa. They were going to be a new infiltration unit but due to multiple unforeseen problems in them we found them better as a reinforcement unit. There is a few things I found really interesting about them is that we all share the same ears, fangs not as long as ours, some have holes in their legs and shells that vary from in design and form. But the most interesting thing I found out about them is that there blood is brown."

Before Chrysalis could ask another question the sound of something bouncing off the walls along with clattering of wood on stone. Then multiple voices says "Not again Star Crusher."

Chrysalis stops and pulls Zifana back with her magic as a ball comes around the corner and a young girls voice says "Please don't be to far down here." Chrysalis stops the ball with her other leg and looks down at Zifana. Then a light green coated, with a moldy green shell that ran part way up her neck, golden Nightmare shaped eyes, with a blonde mane and tail Pegasi comes around the corner saying "How far did that ball bou...nce" She freezes when she sees the Queen and instantly drops to her front knees then says "Your majesty."

She lifts the ball up with her magic and asks "What's going on? While looking at the little Nightling.

"Uh...I guess you could call it training your Majesty." Replies the pegasi.

"Training with a ball?" Chrysalis asks she puts the ball in front of the pegasi. "Lets see this so called training."

"As you wish." She replies as she unfolded her large insect like, pegasi wings and turns around. Then sits down and grabs the ball between her wings then starts leading the way.

After a few seconds they turned into a slightly darkened hallway where some of the torches have fell on the floor. As they made there way towards the end of the tunnel Zifana relit and put back all the torches. Just as they came to the threshold of the room the pegasi stops. Chrysalis looks up to see a unicorn nightling getting struck in the head by something and sent flying in their direction. He bounces off the ground and comes to a tumbling stop at the pegasus hooves. "Are you okay Star Runner?" She asked helping him up.

"I'm fine Dust Fire but that really hurt." Star says as he shakes his head then he grabbed the ball from Dust with his magic but as he does his eyes light up with a red glow but the nightmare pupils glows white. He tears off not even noticing the others behind her yelling "I'm still in and I'll get you for that Blitz Wing!" Laughter fills the air for a bit.

"What just happened to Dust?" asks Chrysalis while she continues to watch.

"Well I'm still new to this but this tests our abilities in combat. So as long as your conscious you go until you're out cold or you give up." She replies then turns around and says looking up at Chrysalis "Is there anything else you need your Majesty?"

"No." She replied as she looks at the golden eyed nightling. "Go back to your training Dust." She turns to Zifana as Dust runs off to the left. "What was up with Stars eyes?" Asked Chrysalis.

Zifana smiles "It's one of there traits as a unicorn but I'll explaining more at the demonstration I have set up." She starts walking to the right side under the balcony that goes all around.

Chrysalis lowers her head see how big the room is and counted five levels but each level on each side had five doors all with symbols above each door. Zifana stops for a second as a brown coated, gray shelled, earth nightling with a black mane and tail tumbles into one of the open rooms with a crash. As they continued passed as another one says "He's out cold but he's okay. I think?"

Chrysalis continues to watch the game as she walks. Not noticing all the Nightlings that were bowing as she passed by. When reaching the other side and enters the next tunnel she asks "What was that room before?"

"It was my first breeding area. There were fifty Nightmares with over a hundred Changelings to tend to the eggs and Nightmares. Then after a very successful hatch rate of a hundred percent to the lousy less then one percent to a female Changeling." They started to reach the end of another tunnel and entered a warm sunlight filled massive room. "Valisa ordered this place to be built by our workers and then erased their memories to keep it a secret. Then she gave me a total of four thousand Nightmare females along with more Changelings to help." She turns around to Chrysalis which is looking around in amazement.

"How is this place not discovered yet? It's out in the open." She asked looking at the ceiling which shows the blue sky, clouds, and the sun.

"It's only a spell that we acquired from a black market. This spell lets real sun light in to grow stuff like crops, grass, and trees down here." Explained Zifana then starts walking to the Queens left saying "Well lets continue the tour my Queen still a lot to tell and show."

Chrysalis asks "So what else should I know?" As she started following and looking around the vast cavern and all the plant life growing near by.

"Well the main reason we don't use them for infiltration is that they can't change size, sex, species, or colors as well as us. Another problem was the unicorns is that there glowing eyes are not hidden when they transform and use magic." She says as they passed a few apple trees with a few foals playing around the trees as a couple of changelings are watching over them.

Chrysalis asked while still looking around "What do you mean?"

"Well with extensive testing they can change the shade of their coats, mane, and tails but when it comes to shape, size, sex, species, or their eye color they can't change that. But the shape of there eyes and teeth can be hidden in their transformation." Then they approached a cave in a wall.

As they entered the cave Chrysalis could see six green oval eggs sitting in separate nests and anchored in an up right position in the torches light. "Is these the eggs you were talking about?" She asked curiously as she approached the eggs.

"Yes, they are my Queen." Says Zifana while she takes a clipboard from the wall and sat on the floor to look through the sheets.

When Chrysalis finally stood beside them they only stood a quarter the height of her leg. She lays down to get a better look at the little green eggs. Then she moves her head in closer to try and sees what was in the thick green egg only to see a faint silhouette. Then asks "Is it okay to touch them?"

Zifana looked up from her papers "Yes, my Queen. Their exteriors are almost as if made of a clear leather kind of like ours." She quipped a little excitedly as the Queen rubs one of the eggs in amazement of the texture. Zifana looks back at her papers "The only difference is that their eggs are just a little stronger then ours." Then the egg next to the one Chrysalis was touching, started wobbling and wiggling.

"What's going on here?" Chrysalis asked intrigued as she moves her head over and a strange green glow starts to emit from the egg giving a clear silhouette of the creature in the egg.

Zifana looked up from her sheets but before she could say a word or Chrysalis could react the egg explodes with a loud pop throwing green goop and leathery shell everywhere.

Then the sound of a small foal sneezing rings through the cave. Chrysalis opens her eyes to the site of a red coat, deep purplish shelled, colt, with a brown mane and tail Nightling sitting where the egg was. The slime covered colt looked up at Chrysalis as she leaned in with it's deep green nightmare like eyes and then it makes a quick bite at her nose. Chrysalis pulls back in shock of its speed and then watched it chewing on a piece of its shell. As a glob of goo fell off her face she looks back at Zifana asking "Do they all explode like that?" With wide eyes full of surprise.

Levitating a towel to Chrysalis to clean her face she replies "Uh..no. Only the unicorns do that but even some of them don't do that." She looks back at the Nightling still gnawing on its shell piece. "Although for some reason they all like to eat their shells or at least some of it."

Chrysalis looks back at the slime covered Nightling as it starts eating another strip of its leathery shell. She asked "So how long do they take to hatch?"

They take about two months for incubation then after the nightmare gives birth to the egg another nine months or so. But during the incubation unicorns have weakened magic fields but I've seen them use large amounts of energy to keep themselves safe from danger. As for the other two races I have seen pegasi fly less when carrying and as for the earth ponies they seem a little weaker but when they have to defend themselves they can." Zifana says as she takes a closer look at the foal.

Then a female voice says from a near by staircase "Well I didn't expect a royal visitor today." Then she walks into the light to reveal herself. A Nightling earth pony with a dull yellow coat, a light orange shell, deep purple eyes, a deep green mane and tail. She bows to Chrysalis saying "I'm Salena." and then takes the towel that Chrysalis used to clean her face with to started to cleaning the hatchling while saying in a kind voice "Well look who hatched early. Lets clean you up a little before we go see mom." When she finishes cleaning the foal and sets him down with the towel. While she grabs a bracer with a symbol etched on it from a nearby wall. As the foal starts playing with the towel.

Chrysalis asked "What is that for?"

Salena says as she pulls the towel away "They mark our family's. Since our father has four wives and we all live together it keeps order to which mother we belong to. Although since they all raised me I see them all as my mothers."

Before Chrysalis could say a word Zifana says "It's to give three of the nightmare a break while the other one carries. When we did the first run we almost killed a few with exhaustion and to many births in a year. This way it cut down on it by a quarter for each mare.

Salena asks as she walks away with the newborn wiggling happily in her left leg as he tried to reach her snout "Do you want to meet our parents? I'm sure mom and dad would liked to meet you my Queen. If you want."

"Sure a quick meet would be nice." Chrysalis says as she follows Salena up the stairs.

They follow Salena up a narrow staircase to a large room as a couple of young foals cut in front of Salena, laughing and running out the front door. When she gets out of the stairs and into what looks looked like a large kitchen lit by a green luminescence cocoon on a ceiling then she walks into a room down a green lit hallway with numerous doors on both sides. She walked into a room at the far end when Chrysalis got there she sees a nightmare pegasi with a white coat, a light blue mane and tale. With glowing green irises she looks at Salena with the newborn and smiles. Chrysalis sees another two nightling foals cuddling near the rear legs. Salena set the newborn in front of the white nightmares front legs as she says "Ohh..don't you look so precious." Then she starts licking him clean of the remaining goo on the fur and shell as he wiggled around to lick her back.

Chrysalis looks in the room and a few nearby rooms seeing empty nests in each room. She looks back in the room and asks "Where's the other... mothers." Stopping herself from saying slaves felt weird.

"They must be out right now, they were here before I went down stairs." Says Salena.

Then the nightmare says as she looked up from the foal that was licking her mothers leg. "Vanessa said she was going to the market with Millie, Tiffin, and Ridner. As for Zimtra and Taz they took the foals out to play." She turns her attention back to the playful newborn.

Chrysalis exits the room and say "Thank you for the visit Salena."

Chrysalis re-entered the kitchen Zifana asks "Are you ready to go?"

Chrysalis replied "Yes, so what’s next?"

Zifana said "Okay off to the demonstration." While she walked to the entrance of the stone cave house.

Her and Chrysalis took off in the middle of the massive cavern. In a few minutes they saw three nightlings sitting looking at each other and talking. As the two landed next to them they scrambled to attention. Chrysalis asks Zifana "So who are they?" looking them over.

She says "These are the only three that survived the changeling birth tests of the first room." She looked at them saying "Okay you three introduce yourselves."

The first a female unicorn with a gray shelled torso and neck that ended with a purple shell running down in a diamond shape almost to the tip of her nose. Her horn jutted out then down as it shot straight then loops around slightly to the left then up to the tip. She had lovely purple nightmare eyes, her coat was silver with blue hair with two purple strikes for her mane and tail. With blue pony feathers on her legs, covering her silver like hooves, and with what looked like four small bites in three legs "I'm Heart Timer." She said while she bowed her head and bent her left knee to Chrysalis then stands.

The second one was another female earth pony with a two colored shell bottom purple and the top shell a reddish purple. Her purple fur almost camouflaging her purple nightmare eyes with a blond mane and tail. Her yellow pony feathers barely, covering her grayish hooves, with four holes in two legs "I'm Star Heart my Queen."

The last one was a male pegasi with a brownish upper shell and a grayish under shell that ran up his neck just behind his ears. He had red fur, yellow nightmare eyes, his wings had red fur over his wing bones with golden like insect wing, a black mane and tail. His legs had three small holes in his legs, and long black pony feathers hanging over his black hooves "I'm Patches, My Queen."

Then they stepped apart then closed their eyes as the three of them burst in to green flame. Next thing Chrysalis knew she had three new ponies standing before her. She took a small walk around them all examining them all over. She stopped at Patches and ordered "Open your wings." He opens his large wings revealing his red fur covered wing bones and yellow feathers. She says in surprise "Do they all have different colors for wings and large wings?"

Zifana replied "No, some do have the same colored wings as there coat. As for there wings yes they are all very large."

As she talked Chrysalis continued looking them over for any other problems then said "It's impressive that there eyes, fangs, teeth, and even the holes on the legs are completely hidden." As she raised Patches upper lips with her magic. She looked up to his eyes "Change your teeth, and eyes back into a nightmares." In a flash of green light they where in a new form. She lets go then with one last look at the others then looks back at Zifana she says "So anything else you need to show me?"

Zifana looked at the others "Your all dismissed." As they walking away they burst in to green flames going back to normal. "Yes just one last thing I would like to show you." She gestured to a lager column in the middle of the cavern while taking to the air.

"And what’s there that you want to show me?" Chrysalis asks as she took to the air behind her.

"That’s where are solders train." As they got closer a loud cheer could be heard ring through the air. "It's similar to the ball thing but with weapons that seizes up muscles or..." Another cheer drowned her last words. "Well you'll see in a moment." As they landed on one of the top walk ways.

They walk in the building and saw about thirty Nightlings surrounding a circular hole with a two foot high stone barrier and intensely watching something. They both walked up to the hole to a unicorn and an earth nightling walking around each other.

The unicorn fired a bolt at the other but the earth pony quickly steps aside and charges forward to the unicorn. The unicorn fires another bolt as she takes a few steps back, but the earth pony deflected the bolt back at the unicorn with his blades. The unicorn raises a barrier to stop the bolt as it exploded leaving smoke and dust in the air, the earth pony burst from the smoke and debris charging the unicorn. With too little time to react the unicorn got one sword through her chest and in a blur he stuck a smaller blade into her throat. As she fell to the ground wiggling and choking on blood filling her throat. The other one turns away laughing and saying "I got you Zen..." As part of his head exploded out in brown spray of blood and his body flopped to the ground shaking a and twitching.

Chrysalis asks in a concerned tone as she looks over at Zifana with a look of confusion. "How is this training when they're killing each other?"

Zifana giggled then says "They're not dead my Queen?" She looked back to see ten nightlings writhing in pain on a stone floor. "This is the other way a little more effective at showing damage and how it feels. The other nice thing about this way is they feel the pain afterwards."

Chrysilas sat down as the thirty nightlings disappeared down the stairs to the sparing pit. Chrysilas asked as she watched the next match get ready "So how many are there?"

Zifana flips through some sheets then says "Well best guess from last count is one hundred and forty-eight thousand three hundred and sixty-eight. Then there's the eggs which come to a little higher then six thousand. Then the few Nightlings that had young of their own say about a one hundred or so."

Chrysalis remained quiet as she continued to watch the fights. After a bit she looks over at Zifana then says "I've seen enough here and I have another appointment to attend. I need to see you in your lab."

"Of course my Queen." She says as she followed Chrysalis out of the arena.

As they flew back Chrysalis asks "How many are ready for war against the nightmares?"

Zifana replied when they landed "Well if you take the main battle trained nightlings and our almost graduated warriors of this year. We would have about one hundred and forty-eight thousand three hundred and sixty-nine."

Chrysalis remained quite until they were back in the lab and sealed the secret passage. She turned then says "After the Nightmares are dealt with I want the Nightlings destroyed is that clear Zifana."

Zifana confused asked "Yes, my Queen but why? They could help us with..."

Chrysalis face filled with rage then yelled angrily as her eyes glowed bright green "It's taken over a thousand years to wipe these bucking Nightmares out along with a few close calls for us! I will not stand for a race as powerful as them stopping us or some half-breed carrying on from where they failed! So I want them gone is that clear!"

Zifana bowed in fear saying "As you wish my Queen."

Chrysalis turned and walked out of the lab then one of the guards stepped in and asked "Are you okay Zifana?"

Zifana stood up "I'm fine but go get Valisa I need to see her. And tell the others we have to have a meeting tonight."

"Right away Zifana." He says as he turned away to run down the hall.