The Not So Killer Cazador
Okay, maybe a bit of a killer
By all accounts, Fluttershy was have a rather nice day.
The sun was shining bright and warmly, the sky was a cloudless blue, and the tea she had brewed just minutes ago still remained within optimal parameters of enjoyable, being not too hot or too cold, but just right enough to elicit a satisfied sigh from the butter-yellow pegasus as she laid comfortably upon her couch, legs tucked under her barrel and tail slightly swishing as she simply sat and soaked in the sun's rays through the nearby open window.
Now if you knew Fluttershy, or at least knew of her, you may find it strange that she would be lazing about when there were animals who likely needed to be tended to, or maybe her animals needing to be fed, or even a certain little bunny who just wanted to be pampered.
Well, you would not need to worry as today was a day in which it belonged only to Fluttershy. How so? Well it had actually been thanks to some of the very same animal friends that Fluttershy cared for on a near daily basis. One such animal friend in particular was a certain bear, coincidentally named Mister Bear, who saw it fit to reward its kind pegasus friend with a day to herself, free of any hassle or burdens as all tasks needed to be tended to on that day would instead be tended to by some the animals themselves. Such tasks like feeding, habitat inspections, cleaning, and tending to minor injuries would all fall upon the animals while their actual caretaker took care of herself.
Sure, the pegasus was very reluctant at first to have the whole day all to herself, but after some convincing from none other than her own pet bunny Angel (who had been paid a generous amount of carrots in advance for its services earlier on), the pegasus finally succumbed to her pet's sliver tongue and was now wondering just what she could do with all the free time she had.
"Hmm, maybe I could go with Rarity to the spa? She has been wanting to go again for some time." Fluttershy said to herself, tapping a hoof against her chin in thought.
As Fluttershy thought over what she could do for the day, there came a tweeting from the nearby window, and upon looking over, spotted one of her bird friends fly in. And from what she could tell, the poor thing seemed in a rush as it looked about for something.
"Oh! Hello Mister Robin, is something wrong?"
Turning to the voice, the bird squawked happily when it saw the pony before zipping over to her spot and beginning to tweet and sing at a rushed pace. The pegasus listened attentively, her face slowly morphing from calm, to confused, to now full concern.
"What? you found a strange, sick-looking bird in the Everfree that can't fly?" the pegasus said, immediately going into mommy-mode as she hopped off the couched. "Was it injured? Was it crying? Was it all alone? Oh my."
As the bird was barraged by question after question from the ever-worrying pegasus, it responded with a few more tweets of its own, to which Fluttershy promptly nodded to.
"You're absolutely right, Mister Robin! We need to hurry now before the poor thing gets into any more trouble."
With that being said, Fluttershy was instantly on the case. She first went to grab her saddlebags. Then racing about her home, she grabbed a blanket, a first aid kit, and a small canteen which she filled with water from the kitchen sink, before placing all those items in her bags, strapped them on, and was out the door a second later, galloping behind her bird friend as fast as she could.
But as the both of them approached the foresty edge of the Everfree, just before the woods got considerably more thicker and the shade from the trees more akin to darkness despite the the mid-day daylight, Fluttershy suddenly stopped. Looking into the forest, the mare shivered slightly, ever aware of the dangers that lie within.
But as if sensing her hesitation, if it wasn't already apparent enough, the bird flew back over to the pegasus, and in a series of tweets and chirps, reminded her of the very reason why she was out here. Blinking, the pegasus realized her error and what should be the real priority in this situation.
"You're right Mister robin, somecreature in that forest needs our help, this is not a time to be scared."
With her resolve made and nerves steeled, the timid pegasus put on her best warrior-bunny face and marched forward into the forest on determined, albeit shaking, hooves.
Several minutes were spent braving the dark depths of the Everfree's interior. And while their journey could have gone by just a bit faster, the bird couldn't find in himself to fault the pegasus when almost every noise, whether it be the snapping of a twig or the rustling of leaves, reduced her to a jumpy and jittery mess. but luckily, all that would be behind the two as with one final tweet, the bird announced that they had made it to their destination.
Coming to a stop just beside her bird friend, Fluttershy looked about as the two faced a small clearing surrounded by a number of small berry bushes.
"Is this the spot where you found it Mister Robin?" Fluttershy asked, looking about the open area. The bird nodded, and with a flap of its wings, began darting about to different parts of the clearing, searching.
Walking into the clearing, Fluttershy also began looking about, though despite their combined efforts, neither could spot what they were looking for. But just as the two regrouped after a solid three minutes straight of searching, there came a sudden bit of rustling from a nearby bush, grabbing the pair's immediate attention.
"H-Hello?" Fluttershy asked, slowly creeping up on the rustling bush as it continued its ominous rustling before suddenly something emerged, causing the pegasus to eep before scrambling back a few feet. The creature meanwhile continued to crawl out from under the bush, before after a few moments, came into the sunlight to reveal itself as a...as a-.
"What is that?" Fluttershy blinked, staring at the small thing as it too looked up at her.
What stood, or laid, before Fluttershy was a creature unlike anything she'd seen before. It was small, maybe the size of a newborn foal, albeit a bit bigger. Its skin was a dark blue, almost black. It lacked neither feathers nor fur, had six stubby little legs, two tiny little antennas, and two large red eyes.
"This isn't a bird," Fluttershy gasped, now approaching the little thing and crouching low. "Its an insect, a baby one too!"
The baby insect continued to stare up at the pegasus, its tiny little mandibles clicking a few incoherent sounds of curiosity as it tilted its head this way and that. This of course elicited a pained little noise from Fluttershy as she picked up the little grub and began to rock it gently in her arms.
"Who would leave such cute little larvae out in this dark and scary forest?" Fluttershy asked, looking up to Mister Robin who was now hovering over the two, chirping along.
"Abandoned? Oh, the poor thing." Fluttershy whimpered, now bringing the little bug into a big hug, which the grub apparently liked as it rubbed its head affectionately against the pegasus, who smiled sweetly in return.
"That settles it!" The pegasus suddenly said, pulling the bug away and holding it out in front of her. "I'll take you home with me, and there, you'll be able to grow up big and strong!"
Looking more determined than she's ever had, Fluttershy gently placed the bug back on the forest floor before she twisted her head and began rummaging in her saddlebags before withdrawing with her teeth the pink blanket she had brought along. Then a few moments later, Fluttershy was now cradling the baby bug in a little blanket-burrito wrap in one hoof as she took to the air, though only to hover a foot or two off the ground, began to make her way back home, her bird friend flying beside her as the little bug continued to quietly chirp.
"Don't you worry, little one. I'll make sure that you're well fed, have a soft bed, and get plenty of love and attention."
And with that, the trio left the Everfree Forest behind, the bird ever-curious about the strange creature, the bug ever-curious as to where the yellow creature was taking it, and the pegasus, ever-enthusiastic to the idea of raising the creature in her hooves as a mother would with her own.
"See, isn't the water nice Blue?" Fluttershy said as she lightly scrubbed away the dirt off of her new bug friend. The bug, aptly named Blue by Fluttershy a week after she brought it home, chirped dejectedly as he sat in the little wooden tub, soap and suds covering his blueish-black exterior.
"Aww, don't be like that, Blue." Fluttershy said before grabbing a smaller wooden bucket of water with her teeth and tipping it over the creature, banishing away the soap and leaving the bug now thoroughly wet in the gleaming sun. "After we're done, I'll make sure to give you a nice bowl of tasty fruits. Now how does that sound?"
The bug went quiet for a moment, before it nodded its head, causing the pony to giggle.
"That's a good bug."
"Come on Blue, you can do it!" Fluttershy quietly cheered, watching her bug friend try to fly for the first time since she found it in the forest a month ago. The bug meanwhile struggled to remain a few feet above the ground, its fours small amber-orange wings buzzing at a blurring pace at it tried to stay airborne before falling to a heaving heap on the grass.
Nonetheless, Fluttershy smiled warmly as she approached the now filly-sized insect. Helping it up onto its six little legs, the pegasus then patted it on its head, offering praise all the while.
"Good job Blue! See? I knew you could do it. We just need to practice a little more and pretty soon, you'll be flying around in no time."
The bug looked up at the smiling pegasus, cooing at her petting before replying with a happy little chitter of its own.
"That's the spirit. Now let's take a little break, then we'll try again later."
"Apologize."
...
"Apologize."
...
"Apologize right now."
Now, despite being nearly twice the size of the average pony, Blue just couldn't look the pegasus in the eyes. And despite living with the pony for well over three months, the bug knew that if there was one thing that you didn't do, it was piss off the creature that raised you from a young age. Maybe it was knowing how compassionate she was towards animals, how much she cared for them, and how upset she would most definitely be when she found out that one of them got hurt. But since Blue knew that what he did was in self-defense, maybe the pegasus would forgive him?
Slowly looking over its shoulder, Blue realized she looked anything but forgiving.
"Apologize. Right. Now." The pegasus coldly said.
Oh no, she's using the stare again.
Flinching, the bug finally succumbed to his caretaker's iron hoof approach and, after a moment of hesitation and another stare from the small equine, he begrudgingly turned to face the wounded manticore.
The manticore, in the bug's opinion, looked fairly alright. Well, despite having a bandaged stump where one of its arms should have been as well as sporting an ample collection of sores and red lumps which dotted almost his entire body. Pretty much alright if you asked the bug. I mean really, considering that the manticore is part scorpion what with that stinger on its ass, one would assume that they obviously have an immunity to poisoning, or a minor resistance at the very least. But no, all it takes is apparently one sting from Blue and the thing suddenly goes ballistic, roaring and crying, begging for its manticore momma while the bug just watches.
Luckily, or unluckily depending on who was more at fault in this case, Fluttershy had apparently been close enough that she heard the creature's wailing and had brought the two back to her home, where after immediately amputating the arm which Blue had stung, and after emptying out her entire supply of antivenom potions, Fluttershy had done all that she could've for the creature and was now waiting patiently on Blue.
"...Chitter." Blue finally said, to which Fluttershy gave a small smile and a nod to the sulking insect before turning to the manticore.
"And what do we say in return?"
The manticore, after several moments of looking from the sweet, innocent, smiling pegasus to the large, murderous bug-thing beside her that was obviously giving it the 'come near me or the pegasus again and you'll lose more than just the arm' look, quietly roared its own apology and with its scorpion tail between its legs, limped back into the woods. The pegasus meanwhile smiled warmly, turning to the bug beside her who continued to see the creature off.
"See, now was that so bad?"
Looking away, Blue chittered something under his breath, before buzzing off into the house.
"hmm." Fluttershy hummed, a frown ever-evident on her face as she watched the bug leave.
"I just don't know what to do Twilight."
Princess Twilight Sparkle sipped at her tea a moment more before setting the cup down and looking over to her friend.
"Just how long exactly has this been going on for?" The purple alicorn asked, to which her friend could only fiddle with her hair as she thought back to the first incident.
"Well, the first time something like this happened was about two months ago." The pegasus said, looking suddenly downcast. "And ever since then, Blue just hasn't been the same sweet little bug I found in the Everfree all those months ago."
Twilight looked to her friend, closed her eyes, sighed, the opened them again.
"I think I know why."
The pegasus looked to her friend, eyes wide with hope.
"You do?"
Twilight nodded.
"Fluttershy, Its because you took it from the Everfree. That's why it's been acting so hostile to all your other animals, because it's not used to our way of life out here."
The pegasus blinked, shocked at just what her friend was telling her.
"Th-That can't be it Twilight." Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "It just can't."
Twilight sighed once again.
"But it is Fluttershy. it's the only logical reason why it continues to stay hostile to just about anything that gets near it or..." Twilight trailed off, keeping her eyes on her friend while her ears flicked at the sound of buzzing. For just out of the corner of her eye, she could see the large insect which had been causing her friend so much grief, its red eyes staring daggers at her. There were a few moments where Twilight remained quiet, listening to the bug buzz in place. Then just before Fluttershy was about to ask the bug whatever it had come for, it suddenly left, leaving the two once again to themselves. "...You."
"What should I do Twilight? Fluttershy asked, her voice quieter than usual. "All my animal friends are too scared to come over and wherever I go, Blue always follows me."
Raising a hoof, Twilight rested it over the slightly-shaking mare's wither, looking deeply into her friend's teary eyes.
"Fluttershy. You need to take it back."
The pegasus stared at her friend, lip quivering and mouth left open and speechless besides a few stuttered syllables. She knew her friend was right, she almost always was afterall. What could she do anyway? Pretend that the creature she had been caring for would stay the same little grub she found in the woods five months ago? Pretend that she was happy while the rest of her animal friends suffered? It wasn't fair, it just wasn't no matter how she looked at it. And she knew that.
After a few more silent seconds, Fluttershy sniffed, then with a slight nod of her head, had made her decision.
"I will, Twilight."
With a small smile, the alicorn rubbed her friend's shoulder once more before the smile suddenly vanished.
"I'm sorry for what happened to Angel."
The pegasus stiffened at that, but still managed to smile, albeit sadly.
"It's okay, Twilight."
The next day, Fluttershy found herself braving the Everfree, Blue buzzing beside her as she made her trek further into the depths of the forest. Despite being in such a place as this, the pegasus couldn't help but ignore it as she remained lost in thought. After all, this was for the better, right? Her bug friend would be free in its natural environment, Fluttershy's animal friends wouldn't have to be scared of coming by her house anymore, and she would go on living her normal life, everyone wins. So why did she still feel hesitant about all this? Looking over to her bug friend, Fluttershy almost felt sorry for it as it continued to buzz along, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen next as she suddenly stopped.
Turning about, she knew that this was far enough, and as she looked over to Blue who had also stopped and began looking about as well, that's when she simply turned around, and just...started walking back. Of course she didn't get far before she heard the sound of Blue buzzing behind her.
"Blue, stop!" the pegasus suddenly said, not turning around. And not soon after saying that, the buzzing of wings ceased. Once she knew that Blue was listening, she began.
"Blue. Do you remember that day I found you?" the pegasus asked, to which she was given no response, and promptly continued. "You were just a little grub back then. A small, helpless, innocent little bug, who I thought needed love and attention."
She turned to face Blue, a sad smile on her face. "Back then, I should've known better. I should've known that by taking you home, I was actually taking you away from your real home."
She gestured around with a hoof.
"This forest was your home. The Everfree is your home...and I took you away from it." She looked down, sniffling slightly. "And I'm sorry for that."
She looked back up at Blue, a few stray tears already rolling down her cheeks. "I was selfish and I am so, so sorry for that."
She closed her eyes, trying to keep her composure from completely shattering despite the shakiness in her tone.
"But do you know what I'm thankful for? I'm thankful for being able to watch you grow up, being able to spend time with you, get to know you, make you more than a friend to me."
She wiped her face, tears matting the fur but going unnoticed.
"But I should've known better. I should've known it was all too good to be true." She said, approaching the silent bug, who actually backed away from her.
"I should've expected that that little bug from the Everfree wouldn't stay the same. That you'd eventually change."
She halted her advance, looking up at the flinching bug.
"When you would pick fights with the other animals, I thought you just wanted to play. When you would get fussy whenever Angel or the other animals got near me, I just thought that you were feeling left out."
She narrowed her eyes, watery sky blues staring into glassy reds.
"But when you attacked my animal friends, scared them away, hurt them when they had done nothing to you...I knew what you wanted then."
Her voice suddenly got a lot quieter, but the iciness behind her words could've made it seem as though she were yelling them.
"You just wanted to be a bully."
Then she actually yelled.
"You just wanted me all to yourself!"
Well, it wasn't so much a yell as her just speaking slightly louder than how she usually spoke.
"You just wanted to have all my love and affection to yourself. Well buggy, I'm tired of it!"
She began to unload on the bug, who could do nothing but take it all.
"I'm tired of having to coax my animal friends out of hiding just so that they can be fed. I'm tired of having to argue with you every time I want to go out, especially with my friends!" And you know what I'm tired of the most?"
The bug silently shook its head.
"I am tired of having to treat my animal friends every time you hurt them, and I am tired of Every. Single. Time. When...I...can't.
She stifled a cry, shutting her eyes tightly, but to no avail as the tears began to now freely flow.
"Why? Why did you have to kill all those animals? And...And-”
A violent shutter rocked the pegasus before with one last crack, the dam broke.
"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL ANGEL?!?!"
And with those final words, the pegasus broke down and openly cried, a deep heart-wrenching noise that seemed to bring all of the Everfree to a grinding halt.
For minutes the pegasus sat on the forest floor, crying out what her heart had wanted to say for so long. And for minutes, Blue just stood there, its wings occasionally twitching as it watched the mare that had took it in, fed it, sheltered it, loved it with all her heart, just cry.
Blue didn't want to admit that what she said was true, but could he really? After all, she was right. All those things she said about him were absolutely true.
He knew he was greedy, selfish, and above all else, a killer. But Blue thought that whatever he did, he did it to protect the mare, to keep her safe and happy.
But when the other creatures would constantly hound her for food and affection, Blue thought that he would teach all of them a lesson.
When those other mares would force her to go on dangerous journeys to who knows where, Blue thought that he could convince her to stay home and thus stay safe.
And when that little bunny would consistently pester and belittle her, Blue thought that it was best if the creature simply got a taste of its own medicine.
Guess in the end, it was all for nothing.
After what he heard. what she said and how she felt about saying it, Blue knew now that everything he did for her was all just meaningless.
Well, if there was one thing Blue knew now without a doubt, it was that the mare crying in front of him no longer needed his help, its protection, or for all that matter, him. So, with little more than a slight buzz of his wings as a goodbye, he left the one whom he loved dearly to quietly weep alone on the cold, forest floor.
When Fluttershy felt as though she had cried her heart out twice over, she looked up and around to find that Blue was gone, a realization that both delighted and deflated her significantly. Sniffling, she got up, dusted herself off, then began to make the quiet journey back home. But just as she was leaving, there came a rustling from the bushes behind her. Turning around, there was for whatever reason a faint glimmer of hope that flickered within Fluttershy, thinking that Blue had come back. That was then promptly snuffed when she remembered everything she said, and turned her head away.
"No, Blue. Don't follow me."
The rustling persisted and Fluttershy huffed. Facing the bush once again, her grief from earlier before now replaced with a slowly burning frustration.
"I said NO Blue. I don't want...you...to follow...me."
In an instant, the boiling frustration that Fluttershy had was now gone completely, leaving only a quivering fear in its place as what she thought was her old bug friend was actually a timberwolf, a snarling glowing-green-eyed mass of evil and wood that snarled at the sight of her as soon as it cleared the bushes.
Quickly stumbling back, Fluttershy whirled about as more of the growling wooden wolves came into view, and not a moment later did Fluttershy now find herself surrounded by seven of the bark-covered beasts, with the biggest one of the pack, likely the alpha, stepping forward and staring down at the now terrified pegasus. And that terror only doubled when the creature opened its wooden maw, revealing numerous bits of jagged, splintered wood which were presented ever-more horrifyingly as the thing began to salivate sap. with the brownish liquid practically pooling at the poor mare's shaking hooves.
This was it.
This was the end for poor Fluttershy, the mare who brought in a creature from the Everfree and would be devoured by a creature from the Everfree as a result. Ain't that just poetic.
In what was likely her final moments, just as the timberwolf lunged at her, she thought back on everything that had happened ever since she found that little bug in the forest all those months ago. She remembered the good times, the bad, and the downright terrible. Yet in those few brief seconds when she thought back to that single moment when she held Blue close to her, for just the briefest of moments, she couldn't help but smile. Course, that smile only faltered when the timberwolf that was about to make a meal out of her was suddenly tackled to the side by a buzzing black blur.
Gasping, Fluttershy looked over to the where the pair of creatures landed, and soon watched in silent bafflement as the timberwolf was quickly pinned to the floor by Blue, who without hesitation, reared its back and plunged its massive stinger into the creature. But rather than burst into a pile of sticks and moss, the creature let out a blood-chilling howl as something else began to happen to it.
From where the stinger had made contact with wood, dark purple veins spread across the wolf's body, which in turn began to violently convulse as it barked and yipped in absolute terror. Then to Fluttershy's utter shock, the creature's eyes suddenly shifted colors, from its original green ones, the prone wolf's eyes now filled with a glowing violet as its body, all at once, rapidly decayed until in was reduced to nothing but a lifeless heap of hollowed wood in mere seconds.
After it was sure the creature was dead, only then did the bug eject its stinger from the corpse before staring down the rest of the other timberwolves, who briefly stared at the bug before they all suddenly turned tail and ran back into the woods. Though, if the sounds of them howling and yipping seconds after making their retreat was any indication, it seemed to Fluttershy that they didn't make it very far.
And her guess was only confirmed when out from the bushes and dark woods emerged six other bugs exactly like Blue, albeit slightly smaller but just as menacing with their sharper stingers, tattered orange wings, and naturally-grown spikes which dotted across the top of their heads and backs. These were afterall, the true cazadores of the Everfree.
Looking from them to Blue, Fluttershy slowly got up and after taking a hesitant step forward, to which was immediately retracted as the bugs all around the two began to buzz, simply stood facing the bug before her.
"B-Blue? Are these bugs your friends?" The pegasus asked, to which the bug seemed to regard them for a moment before looking back at the mare and uttering a brief chitter.
"They're your family?" Fluttershy blinked, and Blue simply nodded. "Oh."
Looking at the bugs that surrounded her, Fluttershy couldn't help but suddenly feel a shiver run down her back. She felt as though she wasn't welcome here, that she was the odd one out, and the sudden realization that these bugs had come to exact vengeance on her for bugnapping a member of their family frightened the mare above all else.
Yet as she stood there, not a single one of the bugs moved to do her harm. And looking back at Blue, listening to it chirp, she was surprised to know why.
"They're thankful?" The pegasus asked. "That I saved you?"
Rather than Blue tell her though, Fluttershy was further surprised when she was approached by one of the other bugs, and after a moment of silence, it suddenly began to merrily chitter away, first introducing itself as Blue's older brother before offering the mare praise and admiration for taking the task of raising Blue upon herself. The bug then introduced the rest of the other bugs as they too also offered their sincere thanks to the pegasus, who throughout the whole process, simply nodded and smiled, occasionally adding in a "you're welcome," or "no no, it's okay" whenever she could.
But just as soon as Fluttershy had become decently acquainted with the bug pack, Blue's older brother, who was actually named Shile, had noted that it was getting late and that they all should return home, as should Fluttershy to her own as well. But as the bugs departed further into the forest, Blue made to follow them but stopped, turning back to face Fluttershy. She too was also hesitant to leave for home as she silently stared at the bug.
"I guess this is it, Blue." Fluttershy said, more so a statement of fact than an intended question. The bug simply nodded.
"I-I don't think we'll see eachother ever again." She said, to which Blue remained silent except for the buzzing of its wings as it flew over to the pegasus. The two then joined in a tight embrace, to which Blue nuzzled while Fluttershy petted.
"Even after everything that's happened, I'm still going to miss you Blue." the mare said, cheek to cheek with her little killer cazador. The bug meanwhile stayed quiet as it continued to just enjoy the mare's company, her petting and her kind words, for what was most likely the last time it would ever have the privilege to.
Then after a few more moments of kind words and petting, the two finally parted and with one last glance at the waving pegasus, Blue flew off after his family, his real family.
Fluttershy stood there for a moment or two before she too also turned around and proceeded home.
It would be a silent walk for Fluttershy the whole way home.
Blue followed his older brother and other siblings into the depths of the Everfree until they arrived at the entrance of a large pit, which as Blue glanced down into, appeared to go on for miles deep into the ground. A short descending flight later and Blue was now following behind Shile as he led him through dark, winding tunnels illuminated only by the glow of bioluminescent mushrooms.
Taking turn after winding turn, Blue slowly began to hear a collection of buzzing that only became louder as the two pressed on. And after one last turn, the two finally arrived at the entrance of a massive cavern.
From wherever Blue looked, dozens of basket-shaped nests adorned both the walls and rocky pillars of the cavern's interior. Large clusters of glowing mushrooms spread about the open floor bathed the room in a greenish tint. And as Blue buzzed along, he could only stare in awe at the shear quantity of his kind out and about within the cavern. Flying overhead, buzzing into nests or out of them, crawling across the floor, conversing with one another or together in groups, hundreds if not thousands of his fellow cazadores of all ages and sizes surrounded the silent bug.
Many thoughts raced through Blue's mind, with most of them still in shock of discovering his own kind, that he wasn't the only one, and that if there were this many of his kind in one place, then that would mean that-.
The bug was suddenly roused from his thoughts when his brother Shile asked him to continue following him, so that he could introduce him to the queen.
Passed the hive of cazadores, Blue was led by his brother down a long dark tunnel until they entered another section of the cavern, a large open room somewhat smaller than the main cavern that Shile had simply referred to as the hatchery. Flanked on both sides of a walkway and dug a few feet into the ground, two massive trenches brimmed with thousands of small round and white objects, eggs to Blue’s astonishment. And passed all those eggs stood a creature which Blue could not help but stare at in absolute awe once again.
The massive cazador had to be ten or twenty times Blue's size, at least. Its carapace was, strangely enough, white, a stark contrast to the blueish-black that Blue saw on itself and on the other cazadores. It also featured a large transparent, stinger-less thorax which glowed the same amber-orange color as its massive wings.
Looking up and into the queen cazador's red eyes, Blue couldn't help but feel a flurry of emotions, with the one most prominent being comfort, a feeling which the bug thought could only be felt while in the presence of a certain butter-yellow pegasus. Guess he was wrong.
Luckily for Blue, who could do nothing but nervously shift his wings, Shile had taken the liberty to introduce it to the queen, who after shifting her massive form to get a closer look at the little bug, had found Blue to be not only cute but happily welcomed to her hive. In response, Blue simply bowed his head, a gesture which was met with a deep chittering noise, a giggle, from the queen who, after learning of Blue's tragic tale of being abandoned in the woods at a young age, had suddenly become greatly interested in learning of Blue's encounter with Fluttershy, and of the rest of his life after that.
Surprised by the queen's apparent interest in his life above ground, Blue couldn't help but feel delighted to continue on with his tales of the surface, of his previous life and beloved caretaker.
After all, if Blue continued to tell the queen of how wondrous the surface really was, maybe he could convince her to send more of his fellow bugs out into the world, see for themselves, set up new hives, and maybe even help him reunite with the one whom he cared for.
Maybe...maybe.
Author's Note
Well, that certainly was a hellish ride of emotions, wasn't it?
I Hope you folks enjoyed this little nightmare-inducing one-shot, which was brought to you in part by a mate coincidentally named knightmarepony, who had brought up the idea of a introducing a swarm of cazadores to Equestria, to which I couldn't help but attempt to make a story about, and I did. Hope you enjoyed it mate!
Also if I didn't know any better, this story is actually the first ever cazador-focused fic on this entire site. Ain't that neat, eh?"
Anyways folks, hope you all liked it. Constructive criticism is welcomed and any pointed-out errors is much appreciated.
And so, as always folks, stay casual.
