Another Day

Mena yawned as she got off the blanket; the mare rubbed the tiredness from her eyes. It was a brand new day, even if the sun wouldn't rise for another two hours. She made her way past the sleeping ponies and changelings. Currently, the group was sleeping in the Lullabye Nursery next to the castle. And why were they sleeping in a building meant for foals? It's because Raven refused to sleep in the castle, and in his own words, 'I wouldn't be caught dead sleeping in a castle.' It didn't help that the beds were too small for him to sleep on.

Not wanting to be left behind, they followed after their new leader and slept where he slept. This resulted in over fifty ponies and one Human occupying the castle. The remaining changelings who weren't on guard slept in the castle. Funnily enough, their Queen was sleeping in the nursery. The undead ponies were the only ones who weren't sleeping; they just sat around and stared into space. Mena found it super creepy, but her new Master didn't mind; it meant he could relax a bit more.

As much as it pained her, it was time to wake up the tired Human. While making her way there, she nearly tripped over a snake pony's tail on the way there. It almost took her a minute, but she was standing over the sleeping form of Raven Maxwell, and he wasn't wearing any of his gear. Even in the dark, she could see the scars covering his body. The worse had to be one across his chest and one on his back; it was an X shape. The mare thought it was a miracle that the Human could smile; then again, she never heard him laugh.

Mena lightly tapped Raven's shoulder. "Mas-" She quickly corrected herself; he didn't like being called that. "Sir, it's time to wake up." They had a long day ahead of them; Raven needed to finish his research on creating love for the changelings. Mena herself had to make breakfast for everypony, then do her best and clean around the castle. The changelings who aren't patrolling the border are dismantling Adam's body. The Lamia's are to search around the castle grounds and find anything of value. Doctor Cold and the other undead ponies were in charge of the castle's medical wing while the vamponies were gathering and hunting. The three Sirens were stuck with farming until further notice; thankfully, the castle had a plow.

Raven was adamant about the Sirens farming because the food supplies they found in the castle's storage would last only two months. Luckily for everyone, they found radish seeds, allowing them to harvest them every month, and they didn't need pesticides. The trio of singers was still upset with their positions, but Raven clarified that it was only temporary. "But why?" Mena wondered. She only knew that the Human had something in the works. 'A machine on wheels that'll be more valuable than the Canterlot castle,' that's what she remembers him saying. Speaking of which, the Human was still asleep.

The former party pony tapped the man's shoulder again, and this time he woke up. Raven brought his claw over his white eye and touched it several times. Realization dawns upon him, and he sits up while keeping his blind eye covered. "Good morning, Mena." He said, trying to keep his voice low. "Let's do our best today." Mena nods with a smile. Once he stood up, Raven made his way to the corner of the room where his gear was. It was going to be a long day.

"ORA!" Raven swung his blade towards, then charged forward with his claw and slashed at the air. He charged forward again with his claw leading the attack this time. The claw grasped at nothing, but it would have crushed anything in its grasp if it did. As he did this, sweat dripped down his nearly naked form; his undergarments were the only thing he wore.

It was bliss; training was the only thing that took his mind off everything. The only downside was that he couldn't use his skills in the castle courtyard; besides the non-destructive skills. Still, the feeling of pushing his body to its absolute limit was amazing. The stress and anxiety washed away, leaving him with a sense of euphoria. Unfortunately, such a feeling couldn't last forever; he would be back in the laboratory working on the love brew. "It seemed so simple," Raven said as he swung his sword.

Two days ago

The male changeling named Killer Bee gives Raven a glass bottle filled with a pink mist. "So this what love looks like?" Raven said, sounding amused. He opens it and drops the content into the Mysterious El Flask. The flasks make quick work of it, leaving the broken down materials.

Dismantle Items Result:

1 Magic Stone

1 Cysteine

1 tyrosine

1 isoleucine

1 glutamine

1 asparagine

1 cysteine

1 proline

1 leucine

1 glycine

Raven cursed as he saw the ingredients; this leaned heavily on chemistry. Worse yet, the components that came out were too small for their own container, so they were all dropped into one, leaving a brown mess. The man already knew the first batch would be a failure, but he had to start somewhere. Raven made a new base for the cauldron and dumped all the contents into it, including the magic stone.

The smell was interesting, to say the least; Killer Bee looked ready to puke. As Raven stirred the concoction, it became a sickly green. He kept this up for another five minutes until he thought it was done. He poured the foul-smelling brew into a bottle and handed it to the changeling. Killer Bee looked down at the bottle, then back up at the waiting Human. "Well, go on." Raven encouraged.

Killer Bee did a small prayer, then drank the love brew. The taste was indescribable; he wanted to throw the bottle at the Human and curse him out. But it would result in a flank kicking from the Human, so he drank with tears pouring from his eyes. He was nearly done with the drink, but a sharp pain came from his stomach, followed by vomiting. Killer fell back as more bile came from his mouth; he began convulsing. "AAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!" He could only gurgle.

Raven rubbed his chin and wondered if he had just made pesticide.

Present

Raven snorted in frustration; it was nothing but trial and error for the last two days. The love brew would always become green, red, or even yellow, but never pink. Although the red mixture had some effect, Killer Bee kept it down this time but claimed it was too spicy and tasted like salt and vinegar. It was the right direction, but now he had a taste problem. Thankfully, this was alchemy, and he could cheat a little bit.

The Sweet Love Potion from the Cobo Service event should be able to mask the flavor and add more 'love' to the brew. Considering what it did to Elsword the first time he drank, it should be more than enough. "It would have been a lot more time-consuming and expensive if it wasn't for alchemy" He was a fortunate man. "I need to focus."

Taking a deep breath, Raven dashed forward and then jumped. Once in the air, three Valasia branches shot from his arm and grabbed the castle wall, pulling him forward. Raven surrounds himself with Valasia, which allows him to dive straight down and slam the ground with his claw. He stood back up while panting. The man wanted to try one more thing before he ended his training session. It was something he's been working on ever since his fight with Luna.

Raven remembered how he couldn't do a damn thing against her because she was high in the sky. He'll change that, with Valasia Raven will create wings capable of flight! Black branches in the shape of wings sprout from Raven's back. A black and white mist covered them, and they were massive. With these wings, Raven would become the angel of death. "Crows Wing!" Raven took to the air! And after one flap with his wings...They fell apart. "Gah!" The man landed on his rear with a yelp. Black feathers and broken branches followed soon after.

One of the Changelings stuck her head out a window and yelled at the Human. "Keep it down; some of us are trying to sleep!" The cranky changeling went back inside, leaving Raven to wallow in his failure.

"Strong enough to create a drill, but not wings? Hah." At least the skill worked, somewhat, and maybe with enough training, he could glide with them? Until then, he would go with Plan B: Learning to use Ciel's sniper rifle. "Maybe even shoot the blue bitch out of the air next time?" That brought a smile to his face, but soon enough, the smile was gone.

"There's so much to do." The changelings needed to be fed, he needed to be a proper father, the Nasods needed to be modified, Maya's flight code still wasn't working, the funeral, officially establishing New Elria, and making a speech. If that wasn't enough, he had to deal with the Equestrians. Hopefully, offering Chrysalis' head will appease them. But the biggest hurdle the nation might face is building a tractor.

Building new Nasods will be easy because they have everything they need, including the code. Making an automobile from scratch, on the other hand, is no easy task. Raven found the blueprints and gave them to the twins to look over. "Oh, goddess." To think, something he took for granted in everyday life in Velder was hard to build. Even with the blueprints, over thirty thousand parts needed to be made from scratch. Still, the payoff will be well worth it. Plowing, tilling, planting, spreading fertilizer, and many more; could be performed by one machine.

He sighed in frustration, feeling conflicted. He hated that new Elria would become machine reliant so early on. And using the technology that made him into a monster didn't help. "Everything used to be so simple." When he joined the El search party, he was relieved that he didn't need to lead the group. Raven needed to swing his blade and let the others do the rest. Now? Raven is a new nation leader, with everything riding on his decision-making.

"For Humanity."

"For Humanity." That was all he needed to say; he would bear this burden. Once the human race is restored, he can finally reunite with his precious allies.

Raven hears the familiar sound of hoof steps and turns around. Mena was approaching with three hardtacks and a glass of water on a metal tray. The grey-pink mare no longer wore a cloak to hide but a maid's uniform. It was a black dress with a white apron, and she wore a white cap to conceal her mane. The uniform also covered her body, tail, and, most important of all, her cutie mark. The uniform was a courtesy gift from Ambrosia; where and how she got it? Raven didn't want to know and ensured it was washed before letting Mena wear it.

The former party pony looked prim and proper, just as Raven liked it. "Your breakfast, sir." She offered, which the Human took with great delight.

"Thank you, Mena." He ate the bland biscuits and started thinking. "Maybe I should plan world domination? So I can get all these creatures to wear some fucking clothes."Raven was still greatly disturbed by these creatures walking around naked. "Truly shameless creatures." Raven finished his breakfast and gave the mare a nod of approval. Before he could start his day, the man needed a bath.

Three Hours Later

Ambrosia skipped through the castle walls, humming a happy tune. It was her favorite part of her day, breakfast! She was still full of the Human's love and blood; it didn't hurt to have a little snack. Especially since they've captured more ponies and griffons, she licked her lips as she stepped inside the storage room where the cocooned creatures were being kept. The cocoons went from sixteen to fifty-three! It consisted of royal guards who thought they were sneaky, griffons looking to scavenge, and adventurous ponies.

The Queen watched as her children fed on their love. Ambrosia flew up, latched onto one cocoon, and began crawling on it. "Nice and warm." She purred. The changeling was in her natural habitat; prey cocooned, subjects with full bellies, and a castle all to herself; even though she didn't care for it. "Now, if only I can get a certain birdy to give me some hot monkey di-" A voice broke the Queen out of her thoughts.

"It's been three days; can't you let me down?" It was Monarch, one of Chrysalis' spawns. She was stuck to the wall with changeling slime keeping her in place.

"Hhhhmmm." Ambrosia hummed in thought about the request. "Nope~" Monarch deflated while the Queen giggled. "You should be happy I haven't ripped your throat out." This caused the drone stuck to the wall to shiver in fear. Usually, Ambrosia didn't care if a drone from another hive approached hers. She would have her fun and send them on their merry way, but this was Chrysalis' drone, so one couldn't be too careful. That did bring a question to mind. "Are you defective?" She wasn't talking about the obvious stuff, like her personality; every drone had its quirks.

Monarch's eyebrows furrowed in frustration; another changeling was going to talk about her flaws. "I-I'm not defective. I just look a little different, that's all." Her butterfly-shaped wings buzzed in irritation.

"But you're wearing glasses, which means you're defective." An entire hive is descended from a Changeling Queen's genetic code. Any genetic mutation, flaw, virus, or biological agent would spread incredibly fast throughout the hive. So it is the Queen's job to reject and destroy the egg. She can do this with a heavy heart or cold calculation, either way; it must be done. However, there can be some deviation; either an elite or a Proto Queen is Born. And Monarch didn't look like either.

"It's because I have difficulty reading with these things!" She pointed at her pupilless eyes, which were great for seeing in dark places, not so much for reading. "And I'll have you know; I was a well-respected scholar back in the hive." In reality, the other drones wouldn't go near her, and Chrysalis ignored her entirely. "As for my wings." Monarch turned her head as best as she could. "I'm not sure myself. Maybe I was a failed elite?"

Ambrosia shrugged and began feeding upon the royal guard. It was a few seconds of bliss before she picked up on something or someling. Thanks to the blood she drank from Raven, her senses have been heightened to the point where she can detect emotions miles away, and what the Queen felt made her giddy! Her old playmate is here!

"How dare he!" Adagio huffed as she pulled the plow along, with Aria planting seeds behind. "That.Human.Scum! We're Sirens. We don't labor!" The mare complained but kept pulling the plow, but then she was sprayed with a jet of water. "Watch it, you idiot!" She told Sonata, who was in her Siren form.

And why was Adagio pulling the plow? Simple, they all drew straws, and the Siren leader drew the shortest, meaning she had to do the back-breaking labor today. Aria snorted in annoyance. "When are we going to take over his mind? This is dumb." Adagio wanted to scream at her sister, considering she had an easier job, but she held her tongue.

"In due-" She strained against the plow. "time, once he's at his peak, then we'll control his mind! Then take over Equestria, then the world! HAHAHAHA!" She laughed maniacally, and so did Aria, but not Sonata.

"What about the tacos?" she chirped in sadness.

Adagio groaned in frustration. "Yes, Yes, Tacos first, then world domination. Now get some more water!" Sonata saluted and flew off to get some more water. As she got closer to the nearby river, she could see moving bodies under the water. Once she landed, Sonata dunked her head under the water. Strangely enough, she didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her?

"This is cow dung!" A male changeling complained as he tried his best to remove a metal panel from Adam's body. His two coworkers agreed with him.

"Yeah, what's so important about this? Can't we just leave it to rust?" Another changeling complained as he ripped out metal wiring from the robotic corpse.

One of the smarter changelings spoke up. "Reaper said everything here is valuable and needs to be recycled." He held up one of the giant metal wires. "I mean, look at this stuff, copper, gold, bronze, and other metals we've never heard of!" Indeed, Adam's body was a treasure trove. The other two Changelings didn't seem impressed.

"HEY!" A female changeling called them out. "Less talking, and more working! I mean, look at her go" She pointed a hoof at the cloaked mare. The first sister, Maud, was ripping off metal panels left and right with alarming speed. "Or would you like to switch places with Killer Bee?" She cooed, which scared the three males, and they quickly returned to work. "That's what I thought."

"Hm?"The Female changeling said as everyling around her received a message from Queen Ambrosia. The changeling grinned in excitement. "There's an intruder." With that, they dropped everything and flew off.

Memento, second floor

Killer Bee wasn't a very happy changeling right now. He sat there watching the Human work on six cauldrons with different tasting love brews. His only comfort was the bucket he clung to for emotional support and waste disposal. "Why did I volunteer!?" The drone shook his head; he was an elite! He needed to be strong for his Queen! "My spirit is willing, but my tummy." The changeling's stomach gurgled, sounding upset.

If this was it, he prayed that the all-mother took his soul to the afterlife. "Killer, it's ready. Try this." Raven offered the changeling a bottle filled with pink liquid. Killer cringed upon hearing that deep voice. The Human was a cruel, sadistic monster, even if the creature wasn't emanating that type of emotion. But the elite knew better; there was cruelty behind his one yellow eye.

Killer Bee took the bottle with his magic and sniffed the substance. It wasn't foul-smelling like before, the color was pleasant to look at, and it even had smoke-shaped hearts. "Bottoms up!" He drank the love brew in one go and was surprised to find that it tasted sweet! As soon as the liquid landed in his stomach, a warmth began to spread throughout the changeling's body. This was it! "It's love!" He said in astonishment. The elite felt energized and ready to do anything! An-

POP

Without warning, Killer's stallionhood was fully displayed for the Human to see. The Changeling elite closed his legs and chuckled nervously. "Hehehe, Whoops!"

Raven snorted in disgust, the new love brew was a success but the flaws needed to be ironed out. Turning back to his pink mixture, Raven didn't know if he should thank Cobo service or curse them for their blunder. The Sweet love potion he added to the love brew was meant to be a regular healing potion with strawberry flavoring. Ariel being the genius she was, thought it would be a good idea to add an aphrodisiac to the potion.

The Cyborg hated sweets, so he elected to use a normal one while everyone else used the event potion. To say one of their missions went poorly would be an understatement. Everyone, including Eve, got hot and bothered in the middle of combat, which ended with them retreating. Raven using his alchemic skills, found the source of the problem, a chemical used as a performance 'enhancer.' If Raven wasn't there, he was sure the El search party would have put Ariel in the hospital or worse.

Despite the situation, it was rather funny..."Maybe I can sell this as well? I'll call it, Lovebug!..."Raven chided himself for such a stupid thought. He needed to fix this brew, but this current brew should be safe enough to drink. He smiled to himself; it was another step for New Elria.

Near Dream Castle

A changeling with blue eyes peaked his head out of the river. "The coast is clear, my Queen." With that, Myxine stepped out of the water, along with a hundred drones by her side. The others will still stay in the water and act as reinforcement.

It took nearly a week, but they pinpointed that damnable Human's location. "He has to be here," Myxine said as she looked up at the pink castle. She would find the Human and drain him of his love, and maybe finally, her children could have full bellies.

"If you're talking about monkey boy, he is away right now!" Ambrosia shouted as she hung upside down from a nearby tree.

"W-what!?" Myxine jumped back in fear. Ambrosia's drones started appearing from everywhere! They were in the trees, bushes, and even the rocks! "What are you doing here!!!" The Hagfish Queen couldn't believe her luck or lack of! The one changeling she didn't want to run into. "And where is the Human?!" She fumed.

Ambrosia dropped from the tree and landed on all fours. She pouted, seeing her friend upset. "Don't be like that; we have a lot of catching up to do."

Footnote:
Raven

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:

Crows Wing - - The incarnation of revenge who still holds on to his past now spreads his large wings dripping with rage. It can be used as a double jump, and with enough training, it could be used for gliding!

Author's Note

Aright! Got another chapter out, hoping you guys are enjoying the story!