After waking up and speaking to the changelings and their queen a few things became blatantly obvious. The first thing became apparent after talking to 'Skitter' as Chrysalis called her. While I was groggy and probably injected with knock out juice it was apparent that I was also not given hallucinogenics. During my time in Hades I was subjected to the use of those drugs so often that my body became addicted to them. Even with the sleeping drug being processed through my system I could intrinsically tell that my surroundings weren't an illusion. If my surroundings weren't an illusion then that meant that this body is real. The alien feeling of new limbs protruding from my back only served to add to this idea.

My first thought was that I had died and that this is the afterlife. Those thoughts quickly pushed away as I realized if I were dead and my form was an astral projection then I wouldn't have the nerves needed to feel all of these new sensations.

Then after the questioning it was apparent that I was no longer in the Empire and probably not even on Earth. Seeing as these changelings don't know why I'm here they couldn't have summoned me or something.

Knowing the basics I just need to decide what to do next. Assuming the colt is Evan my top priority should be ensuring his safety. Next on the list is getting back to the Empire, though I have reason to believe that won't be possible. Assuming we can't get back I have no idea what we'll do. And even that is assuming we can deal with the changelings.

During our little game huge warning bells rang within me when Chrysalis asked for me to join her. I may not be gifted in the fine arts of subterfuge but under the tutelage of Marquise I learned to tell when someone was being deceptive. She may not be an immediate danger but she definitely doesn't have our best interests in mind.

The problem is that I can't run and even though the most agreagous of my wounds have somehow healed I'm still injured and weak. Even if that weren't the case I don't know how to fight in this body and I would sorely lose. Dammed if I do and dammed if I don't. Luckily the mare was receptive to the idea of diplomatic ties to this Equestria place, it will give me time to make a plan. Or at the very least time to decipher their true intentions.

Suddenly their was a stiring behind me and my ears swiveled to detect it... Yeah thats supper weird. The colt began to groan and I could tell the voice was Evan's. Now all I had to do was to stop him from freaking out.

Looking towards the colt I could see panic form in his eyes and a scream beginning to form. One that was swiftly silenced with a strike from my right fore hove. The colt looked at me with a great furry that was quickly replaced with fear.

"Pl-p-please don't kill me." he whimpered in a meager voice. I was confused for a moment until I realized that he wouldn't have recognized me yet.

"Relax kid, its me. I just didn't want you freaking out." I tell him and he gives me a strange look that I couldn't describe.

"Cultist? You're alive?" he asked completely baffled. I could feel my eye twitch. Not only have I outgrown my more er dogmatic ways but he was born to a cult to. No, he's just a kid. I can't be petty about these things.

"So I take it that the two of you are acquainted?" Chrysalis said from behind smiling as if she had won some game.. If only Marquise were here, he would know what to do in a situation like this.

"Yes, this is Evan McClain," I tell the queen, "Evan, this is Queen Chrysalis and her changelings. Please be polite and cordial." Even if these changelings can't be initially trusted, I needed for them to think we could be trusted. He gave me a look of concern, he was looking for a form of confirmation. He was a bright kid, he knew something was wrong and was putting his faith into me. Giving him a nod of conformation he eases up a bit.

"Greetings, I am Evan McClain the second. Son of Evan McClain and Professor Mallory. Pleased to make your acquaintance." the boy said in a respectful tone making a quick bow. This act seemed to please the queen. Perhaps she just wants us to submit to her? I don't know what her angle is but its putting me on edge. This new environment is putting me on edge, throughout my years as a frontline soldier and as a scout I've never been in a situation like this. I've been weak, I've needed to protect VIPs before and even still this situation was so alien. Is it because my enemies aren't openly hostile, or is this new body altering my thoughts. Equines are naturally skittish after all, even Spirit, who I would trust with my life was prone to fear.

"Greetings Evan, I am Queen Chrysalis ruler of the changelings." she said with an air of superiority. As much as the mare unsettled me, I did need her. Without allied support, my own weakness, a way back to Empire seemingly out of reach and a complete lack of information about the surrounding area makes her assistance necessary. Looking to her a loud buzzing made itself apparent and the mare rose to the sky.

"Well the are you coming?" Chrysalis asked. Ok so apparently these horse bodies are capable of flight, and if she wants us to fly then the answer is no. I'll never fly again, not after that day.

"Evan and I cant fly." I tell her simply, my remark earning me a curious yet annoyed look. She and her changelings then grounded themselves and the buzzing ceased.

The annoyance on her face dissipated as she replaced it with a smile. Sundering over she spoke "Well then, we will just have to walk." she said turning her back to me.

Deciding that it was best to bite the bullet I begin walking with her and with Evan follows suite. The colt made sure to stick close to me. Whether he was sticking close because of this new horse body or because he was naturally skittish I didn't know. My last mission with him was less than perfect and we didn't interact enough for me to decipher his character further than stereotypes and the first impression.

After a minute or so Chrysalis made her way to my side, "You mentioned diplomacy, do you have any experience in that area?" she asked sweetly. I never said that I had experience, I've only ever escorted diplomates. I've watched them do their magic but never practiced myself.

"I don't have direct experience but I have guarded a few smooth talkers during my resting period." I tell her. "And to answer your question, how best to deal with Equestria depends on their existing relations with you." she did need to tell me more if she wanted to know how best to deal with this. A different approach must be made with an enemy then a neutral or even befriended territory.

"Nine-hundred and eighty years ago my mother approached Princesses Celestia in an arempt to adopt our people into Equestria much like what was done with the thestrals, but Celestia turned mother away and banished her from Equestria calling our kind monstrous parasites!" Chrysalis fumed. It was clear that she was angry at this Celestia.

What caught my attention was that her mother made a diplomatic effort nine-hundred years ago, if that's true then just how old was Chrysalis? The second thing that caught my attention was that her mother sought to be absorbed into Equestria meaning that Equestria must either have a strong economy or that their military might scared her. The problem with the second thought is that if they were more powerful then why would Chrysalis seek to invade and why did the Equestrians not destroy the changelings entirely. Assuming Chrysalis is being truthful I would guess these negotiations will be hostile.

"And just what do you want with these Equestrians?" If she's hung up on revenge then she will likely try to assassinate their leader during negotiations. If that happens I won't be able to ask them for help and I'll be thrown into a war that I don't want to fight on the behalf of someone I don't care for.

"As much as I hate Celestia for what she's done to my changelings, integration would be the best for my kind." she told me soberly. Well if she wants integration then I can't treat this like a diplomatic meeting with the enemy, but at the same time I don't want to put the changelings in unnecessary danger by treating this as a diplomatic endeavor with previously established allies. Fuck, I wish I had paid more attention to those self absorbed smooth talkers when they prattled on about their diplomatic achievements. With my luck they would have already told me how to deal with a situation just like this and I was just ignoring them.

"Ok, it would probably be best to send a changeling ahead of time to let this Celestia know you want to speak with her. Then, you should prepare a gift as a show of good will." I lecture, next came the important part. I had to convince her to let Evan and I come along. "Of course if Evan and I come along we can smooth any initial disagreements out."

She looked at me with a thoughtful gaze humming to her self. Was she going to accept my proposal?

"I had already planned on bringing you two along. What do you think would make a good gift?" she asked thoughtfully. Dammed it. Why did she have to ask such a question. I don't know the first thing about Celestia so I can't say what kind of a gift would appeal to her personally, the only other thing I know is that diplomates usually give expensive or rare gifts. In that same vein their was more than one time when an opposing diplomat found such a gesture offensive and openly attack my charge resulting in a gunfight.

"I don't know Celestia enough to say. Most diplomates gave expensive or rare gifts, but this could potentially offend her." I stated. To my words Chrysalis began to give of a look of ponderance. After a moment she nodded to herself, seemingly content. It seemed as if she understood so continuing my train of thought was pointless.

Looking ahead of us it seems we reached this hive of hers. And I have to say, I am extremely disappointed. If this was where the queen resided then it was pitifully defended. The Capital hive of my country was defended by trenches and fortified bunkers that stretched beyond the horizon with a minimum of two entire legions manning the trenches with the Alvesta Guard protecting the hive proper. As small as the surface structure of the hivewas, I couldn't criticize it until I saw the tunnels beneath. Who knows, the small structure may just be front for a
well defended chokepoint.

"How far down does the hive go?" I ask, my curiosity building. Most hives were at least a half mile underground with the more important storage centers sometimes reaching two miles.

"About two-hundred hooves down." she replied seemingly confused as to why I had asked. As for me my jaw almost dropped. This place seemingly lacked any defenses, the guards could be counted on two hands, there were no defensive structures in sight and they didn't even use the earth to protect themselves. This famine brought upon by the Equestrians must be worst than I had imagined.

"Why are you curious?" she asked as we trotted into the hive the walls shifting in unnatural ways creating new entrances and closing old ones. It would create a somewhat decent defense from a large relatively unorganized or unmotivated attacker.

"I was just thinking about how weak your defenses were for a capital." looking to her she gave a look of shock and indignation. "Back home whe had a minimum of two legions protecting the capital along with the most elite guard in the nation."

Her jaw dropped as if what I said were wrong or unexpected. "TWO LEGIONS!?" the mare screamed in my now much more sensitive ears. Despite the ringing i heard she continued ranting. "How could you waste two entire legions simply guarding a city!?"

"Well if it ever got to the point that we desperately need those two legions we would have already lost and our defeat would just be a formality." I told her simply. Each legion is compromised of a minimum of five-hundred-thoulsand men and their are one hundred legions that are combat ready not including guardsmen and the independent armoured legions and the 'civilian' population of sector three. Add to that the fact that the only reason we don't have more combat ready troops is solely because we have already pushed our supply lines beyond their limit.

Chrysalis gave me an odd look which i couldn't describe. It was almost like she was disturbed but intrigued at the same time. Looking to the boy he was still sticking to my side like glue, he wasn't comfortable at all. I need to make sure we stay together, at least until we get to Equestria. After talking to the mare a bit I'm a little more trusting of them, not enough to let Evan out of my sight but ill give a genuine effort to aid them rather than fleeing at the first opportunity.

"So where shall we sleep? I would like to be in the same room as Evan if you would." Chrysalis seems amicable and for whatever reason she is deferring to my judgment, convincing her to let us remain near shouldn't be hard. Though it made me wonder, was she differing to me so she could make her nation stronger, or was this some horse instinct?

"Of course, this chamber just ahead should do fine. I'm sorry but we don't have any bedding." Chrysalis saidas if it mattered. Bedding was a rich people thing anyways.

Looking into the room it was just an empty chamber,not sure what I was expecting.

"Why had you brought us to our sleeping chambers?" I asked. We hadn't even mentioned exhaustion or a sense of tiredness before she brought us here.

"I told you that it would be night soon, I simply figured you would need some rest. Now if you would excuse me I have a messenger to send and a gift to make." Chrysalis said in a commanding tone. After turning around she began to walk off and the rest of the changelings left with her.

"Cultist can we talk now?" the colt asked the first of his presumably numerous questions.

Looking around the shifting halls it seemed as if the changelings that were accompanying us have dissipated and we were alone. Now is a better time than never I guess.

"Before you start asking questions let me get a few things out of the way. The reason we're staying with these guys is because I don't belive we can return to the Empire as things stand and I need a way to protect you." I say in a hushed voice still weary of unwanted listeners. Evan stared at me with an intense focus, it was clear he understood the gravity of this situation. "The queen has shown interest in diplomatic ties to this Equestria place and from what I gathered the relationship of these two nations are weak to say the lest, so if I can stop conflict between them we could easily flee to one nation or the other depending on how things pan out."

"I figured it would be something like that, but isn't it risky for us to be in their home? I understand that their fortifications are weak but how are we supposed to flee from the heart of the foe?" The boy responded critically.

It seems he didn't understand that I was making a gamble. What else was I supposed to do? We had no water, no food, we were out in the desert and we couldn't properly flee.

"Evan we had to take this chance. We don't know what troubles lay before us so we must tread with utmost caution." I scold.

"A sector three cultist speaking of caution, that funny." He scoffed as if I wasn't trying to protect him from a highly unpredictable circumstance. I wanted to strangle the little bastard. No, once again, he's just a kid. He's probably just coping with this alien feeling and being from sector seven he's probably having an aneurysm because he's unable to understand what happened or something.

"Kid just get some rest. We are going on a diplomatic envoy and if we need to run I'll make sure the opportunity presents itself." I said yawning as I finished. I guess I was more tired than I thought. The kid opens his muzzle and instead of a snide remark, a yawn escaped from him as well.

"Ok cultist." The kid said curling up to me and resting his head on my barrel. Feeling the grasp of sleep claim me as well i begin to close my eyes. Before I could pass into the depth of my own mind an almost inaudible thanks made itself known. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Author's Note

Im going to go back to the initiall chapters to clean those up a bit before I move to chapter 5.

I had completed this chapter once and I absolutely hated it so I rewrote it with a different direction so this took longer than it should have.

To be honest I'm still not entirely happy with this but I needed something to move the plot to the more interesting bits and this will do I suppose. let me know if you think I should redo this chapter.