The platform had stopped, allowing the newly formed pair to step off.

“Guess this is our floor, heh heh,” the queen chuckled to herself. Spending such a long time in Limbo had changed her, she realized, although she wasn't too sure if it was good or not.

“I see nothing funny about it,” Nick muttered, looking around at the expanse around them. Just pure white as usual, nothing distinguishable. “We’re just stuck in a new landscape, unless we’re supposed to meet up with Sombra or Tirek?”

“Just because we were all villains to you doesn’t mean we know what each other is up to,” Chrysalis hissed at him. “I’ve been too busy watching that grub ruin everything I worked hard to achieve.”

“You mean leading your race to the brink of extinction,” Nick shot back at her, defending his friend. He too had been able to see the amazing feats Thorax had accomplished as a rather abruptly elected leader. He established trade alliances with neighboring nations, provided a stronghold in the Badlands and with Pharynx as his military general, they were almost able to push back the Stormking’s troops. But like with Twilight, he wasn’t able to see the conclusion for his friend.

“He was still defeated by that joke of a monkey, had I been there not only would we have resisted, we probably would have formed an alliance to take over Equestria,” she speculated, imagining what Equestria would have looked like in her image.

“Well I took you out before he could, so you should be thanking me,” Nick smirked at the former queen. “I’m sure the changelings were more glad to have gotten rid of an incompetent leader than having found a way to sustain themselves.” While they had made a loose pact, there was no need to be civil to her if she wasn’t going to reciprocate it back. While it may not have been in his character before he arrived in Equestria, given everything that happened, he learned you couldn’t just let others run your life. Sometimes you had to stay firm.

“My, my hasn’t someone learned to grow a spine,” the queen grinned, seeing that wolf was no longer the kind gentle soul she had first encountered but rather a more veteran killer. This made him moldable, perhaps to her liking if she played her cards right. “It’s much more attractive than your previous self.”

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop wasting your time,” he growled, growing tired of her constant attempts at influencing him. “Even though the Tree had used me, I am STILL loyal to Twilight and Luna, and will place their interests and safety above any other thing.”

Chrysalis could sense the love welling up within the wolf as he mentioned his former lovers, and she grinned cruelly at him. With a flash of her magic that silenced the reshaping of her exoskeleton, a clone of what looked to be like Twilight appeared before him.

“I’m so happy to see you again my love!” the imposter chirped at Nick, throwing her hooves around his neck. She could sense some of the wolf’s love oozing out most likely due to her new form. “We don’t have to go back,” she whispered in his ear, heavy lust in her tone. “I can be any form you want, and we can make sweet, delicious love.”

However the queen spoke too soon about her newly recovered powers, as Nick could hear the telltale sounds of the changeling reverting back. Shaking his addled mind, he pushed the queen off him. “I see your selfish tendencies haven’t changed. Or your cruelty.”

“Are you blaming me for following my instincts?” the changeling acted wounded, although having a taste of pure love in the longest time, now saw Nick as a new and only food source. She had to step up her skills if she was gonna make it out of this forsaken place. “Think of it as a mutual exchange. You provide me with love energy, and I can produce eggs for you to consume.”

Nick felt revolted at the idea of eating something out of the changeling’s body, let alone the obvious infidelity he’d be partaking in with this temptress. He simply resolved himself to glower at her, a growl rising out of him.

“The Tree never said I needed you to get out of here, neither did Astris,” he raised a claw. “Try anything else like that and I’ll strike you down on the spot.”

The queen flinched, thinking that she was making good progress with him, but true to as she had commented earlier, this was a different Nick than the one she had faced in Equestria. The question she had to ask herself now was try to keep up the ruse, or maybe turn over a new leaf.

There wasn’t any time to consider her options as the ground began to shake.

“Well I guess we’ve come to some big boss battle,” Nick warned, looking around for some monster to appear. He could see the ground beginning to crack under Chrysalis and acted before he could warn her. Lunging towards her and knocking her away from the growing fissure, he narrowly avoided causing them both to be sucked into the gaping void that was left. As they got up to their feet, they could hear a low growl ring out from the hole.

“No, it can’t be…” the queen had disbelief and fear in her voice. She knew that tone, it sometimes haunted her in her sleep.

“And what exactly is it?” Nick asked cautiously peering towards the hole.

“Something from my past.”

Author's Note

Hope you are all staying safe during the Coronavirus. Me, it just gives me more time to work on these stories for you. Tensions are escalating, what will happen next??