With the ponies' location now known, Conda and I are traveling to the Hive, Queen Chrysalis' hideout. We don't expect it to be easy, but I fear there are no other options. I have done some stupid shit in my life, but taking on an entire army of flying parasites by myself with help from a snake is probably a personal best. I can't say I want to do this, but I sure as hell can't avoid it.

1-10-2024, 8:10 AM

“Oh, what fun! The Mane 6 have been sent to my domain just for some time alone with me!” The leader of the unreformed changelings, Queen Chrysalis, trotted over to the encaged Princess of Friendship. She pressed her face against the iron bars and stuck her tongue out in a taunting manner. “You girls really do like showing everypony the true power of friendship. I mean, I can’t believe all the great things that I have missed out on! If this is what it’s like to have friends, then sign me up!” She leaned her head back and cackled aloud, basking in her evil ways.

The lavender alicorn sat in her cage, silently glaring at the queen. Her body was covered from head to hoof in scratches and other superficial wounds, her normally purple coat tainted by the blood from said injuries. The rage in her soul was unfathomable, filling by the minute as she thought about everything that the Legion had taken from her. Looking into the eyes of her enemy, she wanted nothing more than to use her magic to blast a hole right through Queen Chrysalis’ face, but the green gems littered around the area disabled her magic manipulating powers, rendering her weak.

“Tell me, how does it feel to lose everything you worked so hard for?” Princess Twilight grit her teeth together, violently striking the iron bars with her hoof. “Everything you once loved and cared for is gone. Now you know exactly what I feel. Consider this revenge, revenge at its best.” Chrysalis glared down at the alicorn princess, her malicious stare embedding the feeling of fear and dread into Twilight’s soul.

“You better back away from her, Chrysalis.” Rainbow Dash shouted, using her words to pull the queen’s attention to her. "We won't let anyone talk to Twilight like that!"

“That’s Queen Chrysalis to you, fool!” The changeling queen shifted over towards the sky-blue pegasus’ cage and kicked her hoof against the bars containing the creature. “Do not disrespect me! I am the queen of the changelings, their true queen, and you will respect my title! Understand?”

“Sure, whatever.” Rainbow Dash said, turning her head away from Chrysalis. “Remind me to actually give a care when you learn to shut up for once.”

“Oh, you want to end up like all the others who defied me!?” Chrysalis kicked the cage again, this time with even more force. Her voice increased both in volume and intensity, enough to strike fear into anypony else. But, Rainbow Dash kept calm, glaring at Chrysalis as she yammered on. “Do you really want to lose your life over something as minor as this!?” Rainbow Dash kept her mouth shut. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew very well that the queen meant what she said. Rainbow Dash had always thought of herself as a very fit, agile pony, but without the ability to fly, due to the unfortunate fact that her wings were tied together with rope, she knew she couldn’t take on any more than three or four changeling soldiers by herself. “That’s what I thought.” Queen Chrysalis turned away from the pegasus, focusing her attention back on Princess Twilight.

The rest of the Mane 6 were all located behind the princess, each encapsulated in their own separate cage. Rarity sat up against the iron bars, using her hoof to groom her mane. Applejack kept her hat down in front of her face, casting a shadow over her eyes so that no pony could see what she was looking at. She kept a blank expression on her face, keeping to herself as to not annoy the queen any further. Fluttershy kept low to the ground, shaking vigorously while hiding her face behind her pink mane. Even Pinkie Pie could not find any reason to be happy, as her normally joyful spirit was completely stripped away from her. She layed in the corner of her cage, softly crying behind the cover of her forelegs.

“Just you wait, Twilight. Soon everything will return to normal, and you will finally experience the greatness that Lord Grogar has planned for us.” said Chrysalis.

“You are wrong.” Twilight said, pulling her head into the light.

“Ah, so she does speak.” Chrysalis chuckled to herself. “And how exactly am I wrong about that, dear princess?”

“You will never win, Chrysalis. The power of friendship will overcome all the evil that you have placed in Equestria and we will stop you from hurting anypony else.”

“You have so much hope that things will turn out ok, don’t you.” The changeling queen lowered her head towards the Princess of Friendship. “I don’t see that happening. Whatever, it isn’t like I don’t enjoy watching you perish in these cages, haha!” Another cackle escaped from the queen’s lungs.

An unreformed changeling clad in black battle armor suddenly came into view, bursting through the dungeon doors. He stopped in front of Chrysalis, holding his halberd straight in the air and standing straight in front of his queen.

“Commander Akula. What brings you here?” Chrysalis inquired.

“There are reports of an unknown creature covered in golden armor seen spawning in front of the hive. We do not truly know if its intentions for coming here are hostile, but I have my reasons to believe that this thing intends on attacking us.” The armored changeling reported in an almost monotone yet powerful voice.

“Can you tell me more about this… unknown creature? Pony? Changeling? Come on, I need answers.” Chrysalis demanded, striking the ground beneath her with her hoof.

“It does not resemble any known creature, my queen. None of my men know of its existence, nor its reason for coming to Equestria.” Commander Akula informed, squinting his red, beady eyes. “Although, I do suspect that it is not one of Grogar’s accomplices. It’s appearance can only be described as a tall biped, around six feet tall; hair on its head and unclawed hands and feet.”

Each of the ponies all perked up. They knew of the creature that Akula had spoken of. Princess Twilight stood on her hooves and leaned closer towards the two changelings.

“Wait, is it a human?” Twilight shouted, eager to know more about the creature they discussed about. A hopeful smile swept over her face as she thought about him. Chrysalis looked over her shoulder, glaring at the alicorn princess.

“Oh, so you know of this thing?” Chrysalis grinned at the princess, knowing that she had caught her in her act. Twilight’s heart sunk, immediately regretting her outburst. Her eyes widened once she realized that she just exposed the identity of the creature. “Well, that makes things a whole lot easier. Commander Akula, ready our troops and take care of this thing. I want it dead. Now. No questions asked.”

“Yes, my queen. It shall be done.” The commander rotated and proceeded through the doorway and exited the dungeon. Meanwhile, Queen Chrysalis stared at the Mane 6 with an evil grin, laughing aloud.

“No! Don’t do this to him, he doesn’t deserve the same fate as us!” Twilight shouted, begging for Chrysalis to recall the attack.

“Chrysalis, don’t ya go through with this! Ya hear me? Let him go!” Applejack exclaimed.

"Don't you dare touch him, Chrysalis! He doesn't deserve this!" Fluttershy yelled, pushing her mane away from her face and striking her cage with her hooves. “You cannot do this! YOU CAN'T!!!”

“Quit your whining, you pathetic ponies.” Chrysalis shouted, stomping her hoof down against the ground. “If this thing poses a threat to me and my kind, then I am forced to act accordingly. You may not want him dead, but the way I see it, it is the only way to make sure that you do not leave my sight.” The changeling queen pressed her forehead against the iron bars on Twilight’s cage. “Believe me, Princess. You will never see him again, I will make sure of that.”

Queen Chrysalis turned around on her hooves and exited the dungeon, leaving the mares in the dark as the doors closed. Twilight could not believe herself. Her careless act had brought doom to the human. She stumbled backwards and away from her current position, pushing herself into the corner of her cage. She curled into a ball and buried her face against her forehooves. Humiliated and embarrassed, she began to softly cry, letting the tears freely escape from her eyes and flow down her hooves. The other mares all hung their heads in sympathy for their leader, feeling the same dread while they thought about the human.

“Carter. Why…? *sniff* Why did you have to come back?” The lavender alicorn could not hold in her emotions anymore. The weight of her burdens grew too much and she fell to tears.

“Don’t worry, Twi. Carter will get through to us. Ah know for sure he can do it.” Applejack said, attempting to lift Twilight’s spirit.

“Applejack, I don’t think you understand.” Twilight said, turning her head towards the orange farm pony. “I appreciate your positive outlook on things, but if he… if Carter is really out there, he is not going to make it here alive. They will outnumber him, they will hurt him and they will kill him.”

“You don’t know that, dear.” Rarity said.

“Carter is one of the coolest guys out there, and that’s saying something coming from me!” Rainbow Dash added.

“If he has made it here after all this time, Ah am sure he can do it.” Applejack stated.

“Maybe…” Twilight moved her head to its previous position. “but if he doesn’t make it, what then?”

“Well then… we will have nothing more to lose.” Pinkie Pie said.

“All we can do now is hope.” Fluttershy added.

~

The portal closed behind the armored warrior once he was fully through and safely on the other side. Standing before him was a massive structure built from what could only be described as black webbing glued together with green ooze, towering in comparison to everything else in the vicinity. The structure itself did not seem to resemble anything like a castle, but rather a hive similar to that of insects.

“So, this is the changeling’s new home.” Carter raised his head as he analyzed the Hive, finding himself bewildered by its unique appearance and architecture. The Hive itself was protected by a wall made of the same material, with a single doorway granting passage protected by a multitude of changeling soldiers. “Looks like shit.”

“How do you sssupossse we get inssside?” Conda inquired, laying his head against Carter’s shoulder and tilting it in his direction.

“I don’t know. We will just have to see if they can tell us that themselves.” Carter said, lifting his right hand to eye level.

“Umm… I don’t think they will jussst tell usss how to get in sssimply becaussse we asssked politely.” Conda said.

“Well then-” The hidden blade from within the golden bracer extended out of its sheath and into view, locking in place once fully extended. “-don’t let it be said that I never gave them a chance to cooperate.” The armored warrior retracted the blade and lowered his hand.

“Hello, can you hear me?”

A sudden voice echoed in Carter’s head. The source was unknown to him, sounding like a monotone male. He lifted his head up, looking around for the one responsible.

“Who’s there?”

“I take it that you can in fact hear me. Great!”

“Who are you talking to, Carter? I don’t hear anyone.” Conda inquired, looking around and expecting to find someone nearby.

“I don’t know. I hear someone’s voice in my head.” Carter answered.

“I won’t waste anymore of your time, as I have been informed on the severity of these events. I am SETH, the sentient spirit embedded within your armor. I was created by King Terra in order to help you with your journey. Forgive me for being so late, but I was unknowingly awoken just now.”

Hmmm… so I have my own personal voice in my head. I mean, that can only mean good things, right? Took its sweet time, but I guess it's better late than never.

“What is it you do?” Carter asked. While the human began to strike a conversation with the spirit in his head, Conda just rested along the human’s shoulder and watched in silence, hoping that Carter hadn’t lost his sanity after going through the portal.

“My purpose is limited, but can grant a very great advantage where it applies. I can project a map of nearby areas, allowing you to see places that your eyes can’t. I can also inform you about points of interest, such as special items and places that may be of help to you. I will work in silence, so you need not worry about any distractions. I will only talk if you call for my aid.”

“Interesting.” Carter turned to Conda with a half smile. “I guess I got my own little scanner in my head. It says it can help us map out the area.”

“Wow, really? Who gave you that?” Conda asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“I think it was the old king. It’s name is SETH.”

“Ok, I guesss I can underssstand that.” Conda said, looking back at the hive. “Well, if it can give you a map of the nearby area, why not try it out right now? Tell SssETH to ssscan the area ssso we know where to go from here.”

“Good idea, Conda. SETH, give me a map of the hive.”

“Understood, calibrating Chrysalis’ domain now. Processing…”

As SETH created the map image, Carter found himself astonished by what he was seeing. The map was being drawn out in his mind, allowing him to mentally see the map as if it were physically in front of him. Conda shook in surprise, finding that the human’s eyes began to glow with a purple pigmentation. Carter’s jaw was left agape, surprised that the king would give him something so advantageous. While the human and the snake patiently waited, the map soon stopped in development, ending just outside the hive’s walls.

“What happened? Are we too far away?” Carter inquired, raising his brow in confusion.

“No, it is something else. It appears that I am unable to scan the area any further due to magic prohibiting crystals located inside the Hive. With these activated, I am afraid that I do not have the means to locate Chrysalis from here.”

“Damn, it’s a no go.” Carter said to Conda.

“Ssshoot. It wasss worth a ssshot.” Conda replied.

“Luckily, I have found another means of getting you in the Hive and finding Chrysalis.”

“Really? What do you have planned for us?” Carter tilted his head.

“According to my scans, it would appear that all of the reformed variants of the changelings are located outside the walls of the Hive, just east of your current position. Upon further inspection I have located their leader, Thorax. If you can free him then he may be able to guide you through the Hive in order to locate and defeat Chrysalis, as well as free the ponies. I have marked Thorax’s coordinates on the map. There are no magic prohibiting crystals outside of the Hive, so I will be able to keep him marked for as long as he is outside the hive’s walls.”

“Understood, on my way.” Carter said.

“Well, what did it say?” Conda inquired.

“SETH has been able to find and mark Thorax. If we free him, then he might be able to tell us where to find Chrysalis. It’s not guaranteed, but we have no other options… I mean, unless we just want to go in swords swinging.” Carter flicked a quick smirk at the anaconda.

“No, no. I think your firssst idea isss better.” Conda shook his head violently, protesting against the human’s second option. “Let’sss jussst find Thorax and help him. If we are lucky then we can get sssome help from the reformed changelingsss asss well.”

Carter nodded to the snake and proceeded on course with the path that SETH’s map had created. Traveling along the outskirts of the Hive walls and staying out of sight, the armored warrior traveled through bushes and small trees in order to give himself some natural cover to work with.

Hundreds of unreformed changelings flew above the Hive, patrolling the area and searching for any potential threats such as the human. They would travel to one side and then proceed to the other side once they confirmed that it was clear, repeating the motion nonstop. Carter and Conda made sure that they were out of sight, keeping a lookout for any oncoming enemies.

The sound of two changelings conversing with each other was soon heard, alerting Carter that someone was nearby. He pressed his back against a nearby pillar, maintaining a low profile while also giving himself enough room to eavesdrop on their conversation. Carter flicked a quick glance at Conda, ordering him to watch his back while he looked forward. The anaconda nodded, turning his head and surveying the area. Carter leaned his head in a bit closer, listening to what the changelings had to say.

“I find it quite pathetic, really. You were so easy to overthrow.” The first changeling to speak had a low and raspy tone, which Carter titled ‘the grunt’.

“Our queen thought that you would be of at least some challenge to her, but now all she can talk about is how boring you were. To think that they chose you to be their leader, ha!” The second spoke with a slightly higher pitch, no rasp at all. Carter named this one ‘the scout’.

“Who are they talking to? Can you get a glimpssse of them at all?” Conda asked, keeping his eyes focused on his side.

“No I don’t. Just keep quiet and make sure we aren’t being watched, I might get enough info to work with if I listen to their conversation a bit longer.” Conda replied with a silent nod, keeping watch over Carter’s shoulder. Carter remained quiet, resuming his tactical espionage.

“You know what? I don’t know what the queen has in store for you. It makes me giddy trying to figure out all the possibilities.” said the scout.

“I don’t know either, but I am quite certain that her highness will be more than happy to torture the hell out of you when she gets the chance!” added the grunt. The two changelings erupted in laughter, no doubt imagining all the cruel things that Queen Chrysalis would do to this unknown creature. Through their chuckling, Carter could hear the sound of wings flapping in the distance, closing in on their position. The armored warrior kept to the pillar, hoping that it would pass by without noticing them.

“Hey, what are you idiots doing!?” Carter and Conda froze up, expecting to have been caught. However, the sound of flapping wings stopped on the other side of the pillar, giving Carter the knowledge that this new creature was in fact heading towards the two changelings instead of him and Conda. The two of them looked at each other with nervous smiles and let out a quick sigh in order to regain full focus. Upon further audible examination, a third changeling had entered the scene, surprising the other two with his booming tone.

“C-C-Commander Akula! We were just… uh… making sure that he was in his rightful place, yeah.” said the grunt, who stumbled over his own words due to obvious panic.

“That is correct, sir. We were just doing a quick check on him, nothing more!” The scout also found it rather difficult to speak fluently, as he too was filled with anxiety.

“Enough of your insolence, you two!” Commander Akula struck the ground with his boot-clad hoof, furious by the way the grunt and the scout were acting. He growled at the other changelings. “I have been sent here to inform you two that there have been a few of my men telling me that an unknown creature has been seen walking around the Hive. Our queen has ordered me to tell you that if any of you find this thing, be sure to kill it on sight. No mercy.”

“Why? What could be so bad about that?” asked the grunt.

“You dare question the queen’s orders!?” Another forceful, metallic stomp echoed through the air for a second.

I swear, if he stomps the ground again then this whole place is gonna turn into a crater.

“No, never!” said the scout, his voice rising due to the fear he felt for his higher-up.

“If you must know, it has been confirmed that this creature I speak of means to attack us and free the ponies. As I have previously stated, if any of you find it, kill it. Does that make sense to you two? Have I specified it to your likings?”

“Yes, Commander Akula! We understand completely!” said the scout.

“Good, now get up there with the rest of my men and help them search for this thing. We cannot afford to let this thing slip past us.”

“Yes, Commander Akula!” The sound of fluttering wings was heard once more, this time getting quieter the more it went on. Carter kept still until the sound was fully mute, letting him know that they had left the scene.

“I think they are gone.” Conda said.

“Yep, but just give it a second. For all we know there are still a couple more in the area. The last thing we need is for the whole platoon to come after us.” Carter replied, keeping his back against the pillar. He kept his ears alert for anything like a footstep or even a whisper; anything that could ruin their plans.

“If it would help you at all, I can do a quick scan for nearby lifeforms.”

Are you serious!? You just now tell me that you can search the area?

“Sure, go for it.” Carter said, speaking with a bit of irritation, yet keeping it to a soft whisper in case any other changelings were nearby.

“Understood. Activating vital scans, view your map for details.”

Carter's eye color shifted to purple, changing what he saw to get a look at the map image. A pulsating wave came into view on the diagram, expanding across the nearby area. Soon following, a multitude of small green dots were seen on the map, warning Carter that there were still a massive number of creatures in the area.

“Threats?” Carter inquired.

“No, not threats. Anything of caution will be highlighted in red. This is actually the entirety of the captured reformed changelings I previously mentioned. Somewhere just on the other side of this pillar is Thorax, which I have marked for you on your map display.”

Carter looked up at the map, noticing that one of the green dots had the familiar mark right above it. The armored warrior gave off a deadpan expression, feeling stupid for not picking up on this any sooner. He gingerly leaned his head past the pillar and looked around at the area behind him. Sure enough, all of the reformed changelings were right there, trapped within separate cages. Flicking his eyes to either side, he made one final scan before he left the pillar’s cover and stepped into view.

While Carter looked around for Thorax, the rest of the reformed changelings all stared at the human, their eyes widening in fear. A collective gasp was heard coming from each one as they laid eyes on the human. Carter could sense the fear that came from them, as it was something he unfortunately found himself accustomed to. He turned his head and looked out across the entire nation of reformed changelings, feeling sympathy for them, as he found it impossible to find at least one that wasn’t encaged.

Carter lowered his eyes and looked upon a small, innocent, reformed changeling boy. The boy looked back at him, their eyes locking in place. The human gingerly made his way towards the boy, slowly approaching him. The young reformed changeling began to cower in fear, scared by the mere sight of the human. Once Carter made it to the otherside of the bars that detained the young boy, he knelt down and continued to look upon him with a welcoming smile. The boy moved to the corner of the cage, whimpering and nearly breaking out into tears.

The human could tell that the young boy was not entirely sure that Carter meant no harm, so he held out his left hand, hoping that the gesture would be enough to calm the boy. The young reformed changeling calmed himself for a second, but looking back at the armor covering the human’s arms sent him right back to fear, making him hold his forehooves in front of his face and shut his eyes closed. The other reformed changelings all stayed silent, watching the event take place.

Carter sighed, thinking of some other way to show his peace. He looked down at the straps that kept his gauntlet tightly around his forearms. He looked at the golden plating covering his fingers. It was then when Carter thought of the perfect idea. He unlaced the straps and removed his left arm from the gauntlet. His bare arm came into view, with nothing but the linen straps protecting the wounds on his forearms. He then held his hand out once more, allowing the young boy to get a real look at who he really was.

The young reformed changeling opened his eyes and looked down at the human’s bare hand. The sight of skin and flesh somehow calmed his nerves, so much so that the boy felt brave enough to cautiously approach the human. Once in close proximity with each other, the boy looked at Carter’s eyes, wondering what he was supposed to do. Carter quickly glanced down at the boy’s hoof, then to his own hand. Understanding the gesture, the boy lifted his hoof, albeit hesitant at first, and rested it in the palm of his hand. Carter smiled at the young boy and softly stroked his hoof with his thumb. The kind and loving gesture rubbed off on the boy as tears of relief accumulated under his eyes.

The boy leaned his head as close to the human as the bars would allow, happy to know that there were still those who were there to help. Carter moved his left hand to the boy’s head, petting him with tender and gentle strokes. The two had formed a bond, and the other changelings all began to smile. The boy rested his head against the palm of Carter’s hand and smiled. Carter returned the smile, leaning in and sighing. Conda leaned his head down towards the boy and smiled. The young reformed changeling shook in surprise, but he then returned with a smile, looking at the anaconda with interest. Conda moved in and flicked his tongue out, licking the boy’s face. The boy let out a playful laugh as the snake’s tongue tickled his cheeks.

“Can you tell me where Thorax is?” Carter asked, speaking softly as to not scare the boy anymore. Conda moved away and allowed Carter to speak with the boy. The young reformed changeling nodded, wiping his tears away with his hoof and pointing towards the east. Carter leaned back on his heels and found the cage where Thorax was imprisoned. Carter turned his head back towards the boy and nodded in return. “Thank you.” Carter lifted his gauntlet off the floor and placed it back on his left arm, locking it in place.

Carter turned to meet up with Thorax, but he was instead met by two unreformed changelings standing in front of him, preventing him from walking any further. Surprised at first, Carter furrowed his brow at his enemies and clenched his fists.

“Well well well, look what we have here.” Carter immediately recognized the voice of the changeling as the grunt from before.

“It would seem that Commander Akula was telling the truth after all. There really is a creature roaming around the Hive.” The other changeling was easily identified as the scout.

“What do you say we kill him?”

“Ha, that is our mission, isn’t it?”

“You do not want this fight.” Carter said, giving the two changelings one chance to run away before brute force was used. “Leave now, or you will leave this world for good.”

“Oh no, I am shaking!” scoffed the scout.

“Let’s just get this thing over with.” added the brute. The two changelings reached behind their backs and pulled out a spear, holding it in the crook of their forelegs and pointing it straight at Carter.

“Dammit. You fools never learn.” Carter let his hidden blade escape its sheath as he took a stance. He did not want to fight them, especially with a whole bunch of reformed changelings watching him, but he knew they were not going to retreat.

The grunt lost his patience and charged straight towards Carter, spear pointed straight at his chest. Analyzing the attack, Carter simply side stepped the attack, countering with a left hook. The force of the punch was enough to knock the grunt off its hooves and land on his back. He grunted in pain, swearing as he applied pressure to his wounded nose. The scout shouted in anger after watching his ally get easily defeated. He too ran at Carter with his spear in hoof. Carter lowered his arm and parried the spear with his gauntlet as he raised his arm. The spear was flung out of the scout’s hooves, landing on the floor beside him. Carter let out a vigorous shout directed towards the scout.

“Leave now, and I promise you that no harm will come to you!”

“Likely story!”

“Carter, look out behind you!” Conda shouted, warning the human of an oncoming attack.

Carter felt a spike of pain erupt from his left cheek. He stumbled back and placed his hand over the wound, revealing blood that had spilled out. He looked back and found that the grunt had landed a successful attack with his spear that had glanced off the side of Carter’s face while he wasn’t paying attention. The armored warrior got up and gritted his teeth.

I warned you.

The scout rushed in and took another stab at Carter, but the human had had enough of their stupidity. He grabbed the spear with his hands and yanked it out of the scout’s hold. He then flipped it around and kicked his foot under the scout, forcing him to the ground. Knowing he had the advantage, Carter raised the spear above his head and drove it straight through the scout’s head, ending his life then and there.

“No! You bastard!!!” Carter could hear the grunt yelling at him from behind as he ran towards him. Carter quickly turned around and took a stance. Waiting for the right time, Carter jumped into the air and dodged the spear attack, parrying with his hidden blade and cutting the grunt’s left foreleg clean off the rest of his body. The grunt fell to the ground in pain, bellowing as he crawled over to retrieve his spear. However, just before he could reach it, Carter stomped down against his hind hoof and kept him from moving. Carter then followed up by lifting his right arm and driving it into the grunt’s skull. Blood escaped from the wound and spilled out onto his blade, ending the battle.

With a nod, the human stood up and retracted his hidden blade. He looked down at the blood that ran down his hands, the cruel image reminding him of his dark past. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, forcing himself to move away from the hurtful memories. While this happened, Carter noticed that the deceased changelings' bodies began to melt, turning into pools of black goo. Even the green blood that tainted his blade formed into goo. Soon following, the black substance faded into thin air, disappearing from view. This was not a good sight to Carter, as he remembered this very same goo from a previous battle all too well.

That battle with the evil Pinkie Pie… is she and these creatures related to this ooze situation? I swear if I have to fight that bastard again, I will not show mercy.

Shaking away the memories, Carter turned his attention back towards the reformed changelings, only to be welcomed with faces of pure fear. One in particular, a mother with her newly born infant, used one hoof to shield her baby’s eyes while she herself cried in horror. Carter could do nothing but hang his head in shame, giving off an expression that said ‘I am truly sorry.’

“Do not be sorry, warrior.” Carter looked over to his left, finding Thorax applauding the human for his bravery. He was smiling sympathetically at him while he clapped his hooves together. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You have done the right thing, even if it was difficult.”

“Thorax!” Carter said. He was in pain seeing the leader of the reformed changelings. Thorax was covered in bruises and cuts from only God knows what. “What happened to you? Who has done this to you all?”

“Queen Chrysalis. She had captured all of us and sentenced us to death for betraying her.” Thorax said, sitting up on his hindlegs. “I take it you are here for the ponies.”

“I was, but I am afraid that will have to wait. How can I get you out of these cages?”

“Behind you, along the side of that pillar, there is a special crystal that keeps us locked in here. Break it and the spell will be broken, freeing us in the process.” Thorax pointed his hoof towards the pillar that Carter used for cover.

Hehehe, bingo! I guess every unreformed changeling is an idiot.

Carter walked over to the green crystal behind him and unsheathed his hidden blade. Raising his right hand and clenching his fist, Carter stabbed the crystal with the blade, shattering the crystal in the process and breaking the spell. As the pieces of the crystal fell to his feet, Carter could hear the sounds of cages breaking under extreme stress. He turned to find that one by one every reformed changeling was freed from their bonds, the cages around them glowing bright before fading from existence. While the rest were freed, Carter proceeded towards Thorax. As the human held out his hand, the reformed changeling leader reached his hoof out and let Carter help him to his hooves.

“Freed at last! Warrior, I cannot even begin to express our sincere gratitude!” Thorax said, praising the human for his brave efforts. “I must know your name.”

“Carter.”

“Carter?” Thorax’s eyes opened wide. “You are that creature that Princess Twilight was talking about. You were the red alicorn!”

“Yes, that is me.” Carter replied, nodding his head as he spoke.

“But… how are you… whatever you are?” Thorax inquired.

“I don’t know how I became this, but this is what I really am. I am a human, from another land far from Equestria. I was sent here to understand the true power of friendship, but my goal now is to save Equestria from Grogar and the Legion.”

“Is that so? Well, whatever you are I gotta tell you that you are doing us all a great service.”

“Thanks.” A small smile slipped under Carter without him noticing. “How is it that Chrysalis has such a big army at her command? From what I could gather every changeling was reformed once you took the throne.”

“They did. The unreformed variants like the ones you fought earlier are evil versions of us.” Thorax answered.

“How is that so?” Carter crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels. “Did they just shift loyalty to the queen?”

“Grogar used his bell to create alternate versions of us all. They aren’t living creatures like us, but instead masses of black goo that mimic our ways. The process was… something I do not intend on sharing with you right now." Thorax shuddered upon the thought of the cloning process. "But what I will say is that you have no reason to find remorse for them; they aren’t really living beings. They were made to do evil.” Thorax explained, waiving his hooves in front of him as he described the process of creating Chrysalis’ army.

“So they are merely clones.”

“Exactly. I know it is hard to kill someone, I feel the same way, but luckily they are not living beings… if that is of some relief to you.”

“Ok, I think I understand that. Thank you for this information, Thorax.” Carter said, nodding his head to the changeling leader.

“Oh, thank you Carter. You have no idea how much this means to us.” Thorax placed his hoof on Carter’s shoulder and shook him a bit in excitement.

“I would love to hear about it, but I am afraid that this will have to wait. Can you and your kind fight?” Carter said.

“Us?" Thorax questioned, holding a hoof to his chest. “No, we cannot. My kind have not eaten in days, and I am sure that half of them have a family to look after. We are not known for being the most warrior-like species in Equestria.” Carter was afraid to hear that. While he didn’t prefer this, he knew that Thorax was right. Under these conditions, the reformed changelings would be slaughtered in seconds. “I am very sorry, but as leader of these creatures you have to understand that my decisions are only for their safety.”

“Very well then, I guess I can get you and these creatures to safety.” Carter held his hand out behind himself and beckoned for the Spirit to open a portal back to the Castle of Friendship. The entire group of reformed changelings all gasped at the sight of the phenomenon. “Enter this portal, all of you! It will get you to safety! You will meet up with a group of timberwolves, don’t worry, they are friends! Stay in the Castle of Friendship until I return, and do not under any circumstances split up.”

Eager to escape this accursed place, the reformed changelings all lined up and entered the portal. Carter and Conda motioned for them to enter in a single file fashion, signaling for the next one in line every so often.

“Carter, what will you do?” Thorax inquired.

“I am going after Chrysalis. I must free the ponies and rid this land of the queen.” Carter said. “Can you tell me anything about how to get in and find the queen undetected?”

“I do not know how to reach the queen, but I can tell you how to get in.” Thorax said. “There is a secret entrance just on the right side of these walls. Go in and there will be an elevator that will take you to the main chamber. I know because they used it to move us out here not too long after the ponies had arrived. Other than that, I do not know anything else. Queen Chrysalis built this once she took the throne, so this is all too new for me to know anything else. I am afraid that you will be on your own from that point on.”

“Understood. I will do my best to make sure that you and your kind get your land back. That is a promise." Carter said, holding his hand out to the reformed changeling leader. “Take care of yourself and protect them. Being a leader requires a lot of courage, but I have no doubts that you will do the right thing.”

“You too, Carter. I will do my best to help protect the castle while you are gone. That is my promise.” Thorax replied, shaking the human’s hand before heading towards the portal. However, just before he took a step through, Thorax turned his head back towards Carter. “Hey, Carter!” The human looked back at the changeling with a raised brow. “I need to tell you one more thing. It’s about my brother, Pharynx. I don’t know what happened to him, but no one has seen him since the attack. If you can find him… please bring him back to me. I don’t want to lose him.”

“Don’t worry, Thorax. I will get everyone out of here and freed soon enough. You can count on me.” With that, the two nodded once more before Thorax stepped through the portal. Once all the reformed changelings had gone through, Carter closed the portal and headed towards the secret entrance that Thorax had spoken of.

Carter walked up to the Hive walls and looked around for some way to get inside. Unable to find the switch, he tapped the walls with his knuckles, listening for any hollowed parts of the structure.

Nothing… nothing… nothing… aha!

Carter heard echoes come from the other side of the walls by his fourth attempt. With that in mind, it was all the info he needed to push forward. Carter took a step back and threw his foot out in front of him, kicking the wall down and revealing the secret entrance. Sure enough, just as Thorax described it to be, the elevator shaft was just across the dark hallway in front of him.

"You really couldn't have thought of a more sssilent method of entering!?" Conda shouted in disbelief.

"They probably already know of our arrival. If we can't be sneaky then we can be quick about it." Carter said.

“Alright then. Phassse one complete.” Conda said, rhetorically lifting his tail in the air in a cheerful manner.

“Yep, now the real fun begins.” Carter added, shaking his head as he stepped onto the elevator. He looked around for a means to activate it, but soon felt it rise once he placed both his feet firmly in the middle of the elevator. As it began to rise, Carter and Conda felt more and more stressed about the battles to come.

“How much do you want to bet there are hundreds of changelings up there by the time we arrive?” Carter asked rhetorically.

“Are you ssseriousssly wanting usss to die!?” Conda slipped a threatening hiss at the human.

“No… just preparing for the worst. Hasn’t served me wrong yet.”

~

Queen Chrysalis sat back in her throne, enjoying the greatness that came with being the queen. She looked over to her right and ordered her servant to feed her more grapes. The servant nodded, grabbing more of the vined fruits and rolling them into Chrysalis’ mouth. She bit down on the grapes with a grin, laughing as she chewed on the fruits.

“Ah, it feels so good to be back in business.” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes back as she let out a satisfied sigh. In the middle of her enjoyment, the doors to the throne room blew open with haste, revealing Commander Akula. The commander looked unusually stressed upon arrival, which confused Chrysalis. “Akula? What are you doing here, can’t you see I am having fun being the queen?”

“Your majesty, I have to regretfully inform you that the creature has freed all the reformed changelings and is now making his way inside the Hive!” Commander Akula said. His usually calm yet booming voice had a bit of anxiety hidden beneath it all.

“What!? How is this possible!?” Chrysalis shouted, nearly choking on her grapes. "You mean to tell me that Thorax and the reformed changelings have escaped because of one creature!? You're seriously telling me that my entire army let this one guy slip right under our hooves and just freed an entire nation's worth of creatures!? Is that what you mean to tell me!? Is it!?"

“Every one of the cages that detained them has vanished. Not only that, but we have also spotted a hole in the Hive walls where we believe the creature has entered.” Commander Akula sighed. “You were right, my queen. This creature possesses strength and skills beyond us. We underestimated him, but it shall not happen again. Our strength in numbers will overpower him, and your legacy will live on. What do you wish for us to do?”

“What do I want!? I want the reformed changelings back this instant. I want you to make sure that this thing can't reach the ponies! I want you to get every soldier in the Hive and I want that thing dead!!! Do you hear me!? DEAD!!!” Chrysalis flailed about in her throne as she yelled at the commander.

“Yes, my queen. It shall be done.” Commander Akula turned around and proceeded outside the throne room, the doors closing behind him.

“Do not disappoint me again.” Chrysalis said as she tossed a few more grapes into her mouth. "I do not fear you, human. Come if you dare… I will be waiting."

Author's Note

Well, well... it would seem that the heroes have gotten one step closer to Chrysalis, as well as freed the entirety of the reformed changelings! Things seem to be going smooth for them... for now.

Hope everypony enjoyed this one! Chapter 7 will be a bit more action packed for all you fight scene enthusiasts.