Agony: extreme physical or mental suffering

Pain. Sixty-four couldn't begin to describe the pain he was in, he desperately wanted to go back to the land of unconsciousness and wait until this anguish had passed. He would receive nothing to alleviate his pain, he was too focused on the pain the came in crashing waves from his chest as he stained the flooring and bed he was in with his cyan life force.

Doctors were scrambling as were nurses, trying any way they could to help the creature that was in so much agony it would have made Nightmare Moon wince, or so they thought. Everyone stopped rushing about to stare at what was happening, Sixty-four had a nurse by the neck and was glaring at her. He could feel the fear coming from the ponies in the room and hissed a quick statement. "Bodiiees...other, ccchhangelings...bring to mee..!" He released the nurse and she scrambled away, some of the guards had already left as they had seen him trying to sink his fangs into the flesh of another slain changeling.

Sixty-four laid back and growled as he did, tears and blood covered his face, it was easy to tell that only one of those things had been his. The sound of quick shuffling and grunting, as well as hardened carapace being drug reached his ears as several guards and Princess Celestia walked into the room he was currently in. A wave of sympathy hit him and he rolled his tongue around the weird emotion, it was like jello.

He could use this to help ease his pain but seeing the corpses of his killers had excited him, he knew that each of them would have an ample amount of love and if he could get his fangs into it, he would. Celestia spoke up, Sixty-four turned to look at her. "While i can see that you are in a major amount of pain, I must ask: what do you need with these corpse?" Sixty-four hissed softly a simple word. "Lloovveee..."

Celestia cocked her head and motioned for a body to be placed over near Sixty-four. As two guards worked to move one of the bigger changelings over Sixty-four's tongue snaked out and ran over his lips with a predatory purpose, coating his fangs with a thick saliva coat. The guards eyed Sixty-four with slight worry and set the heavy changeling down in his lap, grunting softly as they did.

Sixty-four channeled energy into his horn and brought back the claws he had during the fight, he brought his hand down with purpose and ripped the carapace off the changelings back, spraying any one who stood too close with green gore. Celestia wiped the blood from her face and narrowed her eyes, as she watched Sixty-four sink his fangs deep into the changelings back.

A subtle pink glow filled his fangs and went down his mouth into his neck, disappearing beneath the thick carapace that protected him. Celestia raised an eyebrow as he brought his fangs back up and sunk them back into the love filled changeling below him. Sixty-four sighed as his own love reserves only filled enough to stave off starvation and not fix his chest.

Unless the other changelings had more love for him to devour he would be in this position for awhile and he sincerely didn't want to be stuck in the same bed for that long. Another corpse was brought over and he wasted no time in snapping his fangs into position, the familiar pink glow filling his fangs. Celestia had written what she had seen down and stopped the guards from bringing the third corpse over. "No, I think I've seen enough. If he wants more, he will have to answer some questions I have." Celestia narrowed her eyes at the changling.

Sixty-four returned the look, staring defiantly into her eyes. With a wave of her hand the guards and the bodies disappeared, the machines that the doctors had hooked him to while he had been feeding showed he would be okay, to their knowledge at least. As the solar diarch held her gaze with Sixty-four he hissed softly at her. "Not, myy queeeenn..." Celestia blew air through her nose abruptly, and then sighed, turning and leaving the changeling to his own boredom.

**Canterlot Dungeons

The guards winced at the cracking sound of carapace followed by an intense pain filled hiss. Luna had been in the dungeons for a little over an hour, she had been slowly breaking the carapace of the captive changeling. Little information had been gained despite the slowly growing pool of green blood that the changeling was kneeling in the middle of. The changelings carapace was cracked and webbed, in some placed it was gone, leaving the exposed green flesh open to view.

Luna crouched down and grabbed the changelings face in a hand and brought its face up so it could stare into her white eyes. Luna growled mentally and left the changeling there. It's arms had been pulled up so that it was open to whatever Luna had thought of. Her own armor was now covered in a light layer of green blood, a few chunks of green flesh hung from the hooked serrated blade on her leggings from the vicious kicks she had started the session with.

Every so often a solar guard would come by and ask her progress, claiming Celestia wanted to know. Luna had said the same thing, that she hadn't made any progress yet, and the guard would leave. Luna was about to deliver another strike to the changeling before her when a knock at the door sounded, stopping her. Nodding her head at the changeling, the guards moved and lifted it higher into the air, leaving it dangling just a few feet above the ground.

When she answered the door she was surprised to see Shining Armor. "Princess Celestia wants our presence, Twilight and her friends have just shown up and are being escorted to her now." Luna let out a sigh and nodded, stepping out from the chamber and motioning for Shining to take the lead. As they walked Shining kept glancing at the lunar diarch, more specifically at the gore that covered her armor.

"Wouldn't you want to clean your armor a little bit princess?" Shining asked, looking at her as she spoke.

"Why would I? I want the seriousness of whats happening to be ingrained on everyone around. I also want to strike fear into the heart of my enemy, wearing they're flesh as a trophy has proved useful in the past."

Shining Armor nodded and kept silent for the remainder of the walk. Upon reaching the throne room that still sported green stains in the carpet and the cyan streak marks where Sixty-four had crawled to the infiltrators body, everyone turned and gasped softly at Luna, save for Celestia who narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

Luna spotted the new changeling that seemed to hide behind the group, seemingly afraid of the lunar princess.
Good, fear the night parasite. She thought as she moved past them and took seat by her sister, staining the cushion beneath with green. Celestia spoke first.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice, as you have been informed the changelings have yet again tried us, but it was not Chrysalis, it was a different group of changelings. After this meeting Twilight, could you ask your new friend here to take a look at the bodies?" Twilight nodded at the question.

"Of course Princess Celestia, any way we can help, we will try!" She said filled with determination and bravado

Celestia nodded and crossed her legs and motioning to Luna, who had been staring at the new changeling the entire time. "Luna has a few things to share with us as well." Luna came out of her trance and nodded, standing. "Yes, of course. During my time in the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadence and I found a changeling who had been banished from his hive, after being cast out he tried to make his way to the closest pony filled civilization. However he collapsed from something he called 'Love Starvation'." The new changelings let out a small gasp and put her hand over her mouth in shock, Luna merely nodded.

"Indeed, after we got him to the hospital the doctors there were not able to help him, we were forced to use our own magic to save him. His condition improved and by the next day he was able to move around freely. However, when I infused him with my magic it created a new form of telepathy, something called a 'hive mind'. Having no queen prior to our involvement he latched onto us and we are now his serving queen." The new changeling took a step back and bowed, lowering her head quickly.

Luna caught on quickly. "Rise changeling, we are not your queen. The only changeling we are queen to is the praetorian guard that fought for my sister and I. You owe us nothing." The changeling rose and nodded, looking a bit saddened by her statement. Twilight spoke up next.

"What do you mean your its queen Princess Luna? You don't look any different, well, besides that armor you're wearing. You don't sound different and you're definitely not trying to steal love from anyone, so...why do you think your this things queen?" Luna turned on her quickly.

"His name is Sixty-four Ms. Sparkle, and he is not a THING he is MY CHANGELING!" Luna took a step back and sighed "Forgive me...I'am not sure where that came from my friends. I..." Sighing again she shook her head. "We just feel a connection with him, Twilight, it's...hard to put into words but, we hold him close and dear." Luna's body shook with emotion as she heard his blood curdling scream replay in her mind, she hit the floor and sobbed, her tears falling from behind the illusion her helmet projected.

"W-we almost lost him Twilight...He almost died for us...I-In those moments Ms. Sparkle, it felt like when I was banished...I could FEEL him fading from us..." Luna continued to sob and Celestia had moved to comfort her but a sleek black carapace covered arm stopped her. Celestia looked at the new changeling who simply shook her head and approached Luna, crouching next to her and pulling her into a one sided hug.

Everyone watched the changeling, who opened her mouth to speak. "It will be okay Queen Luna, it is natural to feel such a strong connection to your only praetorian. Queen Chrysalis felt the same way when she first lost a praetorian. If you wish to rid yourself of this grief, please, take me to him. I can ensure his survival, but, I have to be part of your hive to do so." The changeling had spoken with a kind and soft voice that rivaled Fluttershy's own voice, Luna had composed her self but still trembled with emotion, the tears threatening to return, she nodded and sniffled.

"I-If we do this...Y-You can ensure that he will live..?" The changeling nodded slowly, Luna removed her helmet, revealing the bloodshot eyes that were red and puffy from crying, she grabbed the changeling by the shoulders and stared into her purple eyes, speaking with new found determination. "If you are lying to us, you will be the next one to have chunks hanging from our boots." The changeling smirked and chuckled softly. "I would expect nothing less, My Queen."

Luna lit her horn and let out at breath before touching horns with the changeling before her, giving energy to the changeling she cut the connection. The changeling lit its horn and tried the hive mind connection.

My Queen, can you hear me?

Yes, you're queen can hear you. Please, after this meeting and after you have identified the bodies to the best of your abilities, go check on our praetorian, we haven't been to see him yet.

The two stood up, going slow as Luna steadied her self, the changeling speaking again. "Thank you My Queen, we will tend to him after this." Luna nodded and sighed, looking to Celestia, nodding once more. "We are done, sister." Celestia hugged her sister and nodded, turning to Twilight and her friends. "Then this meeting is finished, Shinning Armor will lead you all to the bodies. Please, try your best...What were you called again? I don't think you ever stated as such."

The changeling bowed gently, speaking with her head lowered. "My mother named me Arachne, you're majesty." Celestia nodded. "Then please, Arachne, do your best. We need every bit of information we can get, now more than ever." She said as the group walked away. Turning to her sister she said "Luna, we need to talk about this whole 'queen' business."

Author's Note

BAM...Dunno why i started this with that, but regardless. I hope you all enjoy the update, hopefully I can take this to where I want it. More importantly I want to know where you guys think the story is headed, what are some of your theories on what will happen next? leave a comment down below, and also if you have any questions about what all just occurred then please, by all means ask and I will try my best to give you a straight/understandable answer.