“Bzzz.”

“Bzzz.”

“Bzzz.”

Atop her grandest of thrones, bored, the Tyrant Queen lounged– finally granting her most competent of Officers the attention she’d been signaling for with those tired, teal compound eyes. The Changeling in question stood dutifully at her Queen’s side, her head fixated once more on that seemingly ever-buzzing Scarab-Scrye positioned before the throne.

“Sigh…”

“Yes, Arachne?”

The words slip from her lips with the sort of exhausted tedium more fitting a rebellious schoolfilly than the Heiress of Equestria & Ruler Above All; the sort of meandering speech that oozed with muted contempt. If it bothered Arachne any, she didn’t let it show.

“Another correspondence from Canterlot, my Queen.”

In fact, Arachne sounded quite the same as her Queen– her discontent and the discontent of Queen Chrysalis being much the same. The Queen had asked her to report on each and every attempt the now-rebel Capital tried in phoning the Queen’s quarters, after all. Still, dutiful as she was, Arachne knew to follow out her explicit orders to the T– until ordered otherwise.

So, she had.

Queen Chrysalis let her head flop back, a low, very un-Queenlike, whine trilling out from her maw.

“Arachne, please: Kick that fucking thing out of the Throne Chambers and get an Advisory Drone to answer their calls.” Chewing on her cheek, Chrysalis is quick to add “tell her to ignore everything they try to say and just repeat the necessity of Canterlot’s immediate surrender. They will not see my face until those Princesses are on their knees begging for my ovipositor.”

An expert in her role of service to the Queen, Arachne’s sigh of relief went unheard. “Immediately, my Queen” she replied, gentle little touches of the toes sending the buzzing transponder anywhere but near Chrysalis. The Queen’s eyes lazily trail after Arachne’s form, finding focus on tracing the perfect ebony curves of her nude frame. Only then, could Chrysalis breathe a sigh of relief.

Even then, the action provided little proper relief. Queen Chrysalis sank deeper into the plush belly of her throne’s cushion– its actual belly. Just about everything within the Hive was alive, after all. Even the Hive itself.

“Ugh, by the Hivesprawl, where is the damned Northern Front’s Cicada…”

These days, everything moved slow. Taking over Equestria needed to happen in its entirety immediately– that much couldn’t be changed. The caveat with that approach, though: Every Changeling from the Badlands out into the Frozen North surrounding the Crystal Empire was busy. Busy with logistics. Chrysalis had proven to the world that she could enslave just about every single pony in Equestria under the Changeling yoke in little less than a week– but there was more to slavery than just slapping a chain around a mare’s neck. Cocoons needed to be constructed, pheromones needed to permeate, Broodwives needed to be assigned to Mistress-Lings and relocated… Worst of all, every little thing needed the Queen’s seal of approval– the current most efficient method of procuring this being to send a ‘Cicada’ Drone from wherever advising was needed back to the Hive Main, and asking the Queen herself. Then the poor Changeling would be sent off, back on her way to relay the orders.

Of course, the 'beloved' Scarab-Scryers could've alleviated this issue entirely: If not for the construction of even one of the damned things requiring enough internal magic to be a self-perpetuating source of power and a swarth of skilled Changelings to make sure it didn't explode during assembly. The Queen didn't have the heart to pull those most-deserving of Drones away from the Front, away from the war they'd been promised since her Hatching.

Really, the war was easy.

The logistics were a nightmare.

Chrysalis daintily touched a palm to her temples, nearly laying sprawled out on her Throne now. The current state of the Changeling’s system had brought further calls of conquest to a near-standstill. It made no difference to the Queen’s most assured victory, of course– but at this point, after now months of back and forth correspondence with the ever-distancing front lines away from the Hive Main on the furthest reaches of Southern Equestria… Well, loyal as any one Changeling might be– she can only carry new orders as fast as she could buzz her way through the Lower Hivesprawl, the network of living tunnels that now served as the new life-veins for the Queen’s Equestria. She’d need to work on that name, too…

Really, the status quo was just cruel. Those poor, future Broodwives must be in paranoid fits awaiting their liberation into Changeling ownership. The Queen wasn’t a monster, after all– she knew better than anypony else what was best for her subjects, conquered yet or not! But… for such a victorious Ruler, one who’d spent her entire life since hatching in pursuit of total Changeling domination over the Equines… well, the Queen was bored. Though she’d never admit it, paranoia kept her just as much cooped up within the Hive Main as it kept the Princesses within their shielded city. Chrysalis’ was justified, though– conquering a species that didn’t know it wanted to be conquered was a lot of work!

With the measured, even steps of soft chitin echoing out upon the black marble-esque floor of the Throne Chambers, Arachne returned from her duty.

“Drone Adelocosa is seeing to the ignoring of the Equestrians, my Queen.”

Queen Chrysalis let her eyes fall shut, and her pupils drift upward and back to the inside of her skull.

“Which one.”

Arachne didn’t miss a beat.

“Drone Adelocosa Number 9,433, my Queen.”

The Queen sighed again– now finding any and all news being something to sigh about.

“You know she’s a chatterbox, Arachne.”

Arachne nodded.

“Precisely my thoughts, my Queen.”

Chrysalis sighed again. Oh, to be the Queen.

If the situation in the Hive Main was boring and victorious, the situation in Canterlot was frantic and failing. Nearly half of Equestria’s population had been swallowed up by the Changeling scourge in a single night– and a good number more come that morning, before news of anything at all being amiss could even begin making its way to Canterlot. The Elements of Harmony could hardly be sent summons to Canterlot in time. Perhaps the last train that ever ran in Equestria was the one that took those six fillies up the mountain and away from Ponyville– just as the order was given to drop disguises and begin showing the town the true meaning of Love.

The same could be said for Princess Cadance & Shining Armor– Celestia going as far as to teleport the two directly to Canterlot, figuring the Changelings wouldn’t be interested in such a far-flung, frozen clime. Celestia was wrong, of course, but she couldn’t have known at the time. Besides, with odds so immediately stacked against their favor, ensuring the Elements remained safe & on hand as a trump card took priority– even if the act looked incredibly cowardly from the outside. Such were the decisions that Princesses had to make in times of disaster, and well…

For Equestria, this was disaster.

Just as soon as Ponyville had fallen, so too did the many routes into and out of Canterlot snap shut– the Queen needing to turn what should’ve been a silent coup into an outright siege. Not ideal, but hardly an issue– the Queen liked that her subjects could feast first, before she’d take her most prized morsels: The damned buxom Princesses who claimed to rule what belonged to her, and their six stacked lackeys that held Harmonic magic they didn’t need.

Still, many refugees from the occupied cities managed to evade the Changeling swarm… for the first few days, at least. By the end of the first month of Queen Chrysalis’ invasion, those refugees hoping for sanctuary in Canterlot had shrunk to less than a trickle– and they stopped being able to get in at all not long after. What Canterlot had now was all that they would have until the Shield Bubble fell, and after that– well, then the Queen could finally get around to enjoying her true spoils of war.

For as many ponies as there are lumped up within its timeless marble, Canterlot was a ghost town. Those that have lingered too long out in the open or too close to the shield barriers have learned that doing so was a great way for the Changelings on constant post to learn your name, and if you had friends who were now the Broodwives those same Changelings were breeding out in broad daylight– they learned every little thing that made you tick or got you going. Perhaps an uncouth means of gloating, if not outright harassment– but these Drones were hopped up on more victories than they ever could’ve dreamed of, and now: More beautiful Equestrians than they could ever hope to turn into walking incubators. Plus… they were Changelings, after all.

Just about the only place you could still find ponies losing their minds was in Canterlot Castle. Within its gilded walls, scrawled with the now-legacy of a bygone Equestria, something of a resistance discuss the newest developments across the country– and swallow their pride, knowing in their heart of hearts that reclaiming the world they once knew was now nothing but a pipedream.

…

The Scarab-Scryer that’d been seized by the Princesses back during the Royal Wedding was seemingly about as useless now as it’d been then. Either that, or Chrysalis hadn’t been in a talking mood for the past… well, months. Twilight knew what the thing did– or at least, what it was supposed to do; but the Changelings refused to hear Equestria’s pleas. It was troubling, of course, but no more so than it’d been the day before. Or the day before that.

“Ugh… I don’t get it, Fluttershy. If anything, I would’ve expected Queen Chrysalis to spend her every waking moment gloating at us– or at least demanding our surrender. But total radio silence?” Twilight’s head cradled in her hands, finally finding herself fed up enough to tear her eyes from that ever-familiar, swirling projection. When not directly assisting the Princesses in discussing plans of counter attack (or, as had become more common these days– terms of negotiated surrender), Twilight could be found fiddling with the Scarab-Scryer, staring holes into its grand, empty projection. Sometimes, when there was nothing else to do (a common occurrence, these days), Fluttershy would accompany her friend on this most unfruitful of exercises in futility– primarily as moral support.

Trying not to fixate too much on her own lingering fear just from being in such close proximity to something distinctly Changeling in nature, even if just technology– Fluttershy tried in her own little Fluttershy way to soothe her friend’s woe.

“Well… maybe that means she’s really busy? It, um… I wouldn’t exactly call it a ‘good thing,’ but we don’t get any news from beyond Canterlot anymore. M-maybe Chrysalis overestimated her own abilities?” As if she could believe her own wishful thinking, Fluttershy’s voice began to rise with the slightest burgeoning of hope. “W-who knows, right? Maybe the ponies in Northern Equestria are managing to push the Changelings back?”

The ever-supportive hand of the pegasus drawing shallow, petting trails down Twilight’s back was a nice gesture– but one the unicorn herself couldn’t find any true reassurance within.

“ … I want to believe that, Fluttershy– I really do. I just…”

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose, her next words going unspoken. Hope wasn’t at the forefront of anypony’s mind these days– save for Fluttershy. Twilight never wanted to admit it aloud, but part of her figured her kind friend was simply too naïve to fully comprehend the odds that were stacked against them. Twilight didn’t have the heart to see whether or not that part of her was right.

So, the unicorn stayed silent, letting their otherwise-empty dining room echo with the hum of the Scarab-Scryer, its portal projection still looping on that maddening swirl– showcasing that the Changelings weren’t going to be answering any calls yet again. What went unnoticed by both mares, though, were the subtle pulsations rippling the reflection of the portal…

Gently, the door to that abandoned wing of the Castle’s excess dining room was nudged open– a pink Princess pushing her face through the periphery.

“Twilight? Fluttershy? Still no luck on making contact with the Queen?” Cadance’s tone was as mousey as her entrance. Both mares turned to meet the newcomer’s gaze, mutually offering only a defeated shake of their heads. “Well… maybe we’ve set it up wrong? I mean, as smart as you are, Twilight: This is Changeling magic. It might not even respond to ponies.”

Twilight bit her lip. Cadance was right– but what was her alternative? Do nothing at all? Atop of the nothing they already couldn't help but do? Atop the nothing they'd done for months? Twilight wasn't even certain if there was something they could've been doing otherwise– but so far, it seemed Princess Celestia's current goal was that of stagnation without purpose; pumping more and more magic into Shining Armor's shield and little else. All the while, those nasty, pulsing things the Changelings insisted on building just further pocked the world beyond their little bubble city– their purpose still a mystery. At least the Changelings clearly had something to do– what could the Equestrians claim? Of course, even now, the mere thought that the beloved Princess who'd taught her so much might, indeed, not actually know a way out from this nightmare was nearly painful to the unicorn, but...

Tracing a finger down the door she clung to, Cadance continued “I know it’s not what you want to hear, Twilight– but the Princesses and Shiny are discussing plans again… if you wanted to attend.” Meeting Fluttershy’s eyes now, she adds “of course, you’re welcome to attend as well. Celestia knows we need all the help we can get, since…”

Cadance cups her mouth with the tender poise only a tired mare can manage, averting her eyes from Twilight's. A tired mare, whose politeness couldn’t help but be overshadowed by more… unsympathetic emotion. The Princess hadn’t meant it, nor was the slight directed at Twilight– but she was offended by it all the same. Of course, she couldn’t blame Cadance much beyond that.

Biting back the urge to defend her friends, Twilight was about ready to give in once more and withstand another who-knows how many hours of fruitless back and forth–

"Ahem."

As a Changeling appeared on the screen. Two Changelings, in fact.

The three ponies now in attendance to the long distance call froze, though their eyes scattered about in their skulls– trying to confirm in vain that the others were seeing what they were. Before the ponies were two Changelings who, despite their uniformity, possessed obvious differences. Though, both were equally nude– much to Fluttershy's embarrassment. Where one was more on the shorter side, packing a more almost excessive heft upon her bare chest– the other boasted an unspoken, obvious grace in both even her subtlest of movements and her form itself; taller, more hour-glassed, and a cooler disposition showing off her boredom. Where one kept a longer, more free manestyle of deep crimson that surely disregarded the opinion of brushes– the other deftly swung around a pale bob that seemed to rebel only in the ways its keeper liked, making for a shockingly attractive Changeling (not that any of the ponies would dare say such a thing aloud).

Trading a look with her shorter peer one last time, the more 'proper' of the two began to speak once more.

"This is your official correspondence with Hive Main, Equestrians. Drone Adelocosa Number 9,433 shall be ignoring any and all of your concerns and encouraging your swift surrender."

Coming to her senses, Twilight stood up from her chair– her voice riddled more so with panic than demand.

"W-wait! This is Twilight Sparkle, the Element of–"

With her part of the chore completed, the taller of the Changelings stepped out of frame, not to be seen again & not bothering to hear out the unicorn’s pleas. Twilight spun in place, pointing out toward the innards of the castle. "P-Princess Cadance! Go get everypony, quick!"

Cadance did not need another word, slipping back from her spot at the door and disappearing into the Castle beyond. In the meantime, the two Equines couldn’t help but trade one another glances– the former Changeling’s words finally seeming to click in their minds. Twilight broke the silence.

“... Did she say ‘ignoring?’ “

Perhaps unbecoming of her status, Queen Chrysalis openly fondled herself before the Northern Front's Cicada– a Changeling who wasn't bothered in the slightest. Had she not been directly relaying news to her Queen and not very, very busy– she probably would've been doing much the same. So, ever proper & loyal to her Queen's wishes, the Changeling instead rendered a sharp salute, knocking her breasts about nicely for Chrysalis' hungry eyes.

"My Queen! Vanhoover's resistance has been cornered into a mere three city blocks of the former residential district! They're surrounded on all sides by Swarm, as instructed."

... The Queen pulled at the black, wrinkling chitin of her Royal Sac's skin, mutedly taking in the Drone's words. Of course, when news did eventually reach her ears– it was seldom surprising.

"... Then finish the assault and move on– WITH the rest of the line, this time."

Chrysalis could hardly even muster up a growl at the Changeling before her. This was partially her fault, after all. Throughout each step of her master plan, the Queen had again and again drilled the necessity of total subservience into her children. Now, as expected, following the Queen's each and every word had proven to yield such wonderous rewards... There wasn't one Changeling in all of Chrysalis' ranks that'd dare defy her exact orders.

More or less.

Still saluting, the Drone readied her lungs for the long run back to Vanhoover. "At once, my Queen." She departed just one breath after.

The Queen's eyes followed close behind the jostling black rump of the Drone as she exited the Throne Chamber, still palming the bulk of her balls– flaccid as could be. Truly, Chrysalis was suffering from success.

"... Ugh, Arachne!"

Ever attentive beside her Queen's throne, Arachne stood close by at Chrysalis' beckon call. "Yes, my Queen?"

Her own muted boredom reflected the Queen's own nicely– perhaps inevitable, considering how seldom the two were seen apart. Still, Chrysalis knew any Changeling better than that Changeling could claim to know herself; a skill only a mother could have, perhaps.

"You're dismissed for the present moment. Find yourself a Broodwife and enjoy the spoils alongside your sisters."

... And, though she'd never say it– Chrysalis loved her daughters just as any Equine mother would their own. Arachne made no immediate move.

"My Queen."

Just another reason why Chrysalis liked her so much.

"I'm content to stay by your side, should you so wish."

Having expected that sort of reply, Chrysalis' voice fell softer– tender. It was a rare thing to hear, and something often only heard by Arachne's ears.

"I do not wish, Arachne. You're starving. Get yourself one of the new arrivals from the Luna Bay– those fillies eat well there. They swallow eggs with hardly any gagging."

Arachne's cool professionalism cracked with a single upward curl of her lip.

"Ah. A pity, my Queen. This Drone is quite fond of their gagging."

Chrysalis met her smile with one of her own, similarly low. Still though, Arachne refused to budge. The Queen grumbled– though she was far from anger. "Arachne..."

"You're starving too, my Queen." Arachne spoke to her Queen in a manner few Drones could ever dare to– questioning her decisions, and knowing she wasn't infallible. "Please, join us in the Breeding Cells. The Drones would love to see you again."

"I cannot, Arachne. Those Broodwives are yours to use. Feed from them, and teach them to unlearn the wrongs their freedom has let seep into their minds. My Broodwives are coming in due time."

... Arachne could push the envelope, but she would not fight her Queen's will for long. So, she too rendered a salute; one her Queen met with but a nod– and departed.

Once more, then, the Throne Chambers fell silent– the Queen standing vigil whilst her daughters feasted.

Within Canterlot Castle, all that remained of Equestria's leadership packed into that once-quiet pocket of the Dining Wing: The Princesses, Shining Armor, and but 3 of the Elements of Harmony.

"Do not cast thine compounded eyes at us, bug! Have thou forgotten just who still brings about thou night!?"

Twilight scrambled to grab the Princess of The Night by her arms, holding her back from trying to assault the Scarab-Scryer's projection. "P-Princess Luna, please! We can't upset them!"

Luna held poor Twilight at bay instead– keeping the unicorn herself a few feet off the ground beside her in a levitation hold. "Thou'st should look upon thine superiors with naught but fear! Present us that cur Chrysalis at once!"

Adelocosa just blinked, apparently finding something at her feet more interesting than Luna's threats.

When the room fell silent once more, the Changeling figured now would be a good time for another reminder– now clearly struggling to keep from busting out laughing. Or at least... struggling with something.

"I'm once again, ngh– stressing the necessity of Canterlot's i-immediate surrender."

The Equestrians collectively broke out into their own displays of hysterics, the pregnant pause having been for naught once again. They'd tried everything, the past hours they'd 'spoken' with the Hive Main's representative. Diplomacy, coercion, promises, sanctions, and now outright threats– anything that might at least leave something of Equestria still under a modicum of self-determination. It all fell short.

Twilight wormed her way free from the grip of Luna's magic, openly venting her own frustrations with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash– the last of her friends who'd still come out from their rooms in the Castle.

"Urgh! What's Chrysalis' plan here– drive us all insane with monotony!?"

Rainbow dragged both hands down her face. "Tell me about it, Twi– I liked it better when we didn't have some nasty bug-junk spitting out a whirling portal in the Castle, in fact! I half-expect that Changeling to go feral seeing all our 'shapely Equestrian rumps' and jump through the thing!" The pegasus ensured to make air quotes and attempt a poor rendition of Changeling inflection for that last bit of her words.

As if it was her turn to say something negative, both parties turned to face Fluttershy– who, of course, startled at the immediate attention.

Well... Just what did Fluttershy have to say? Really, this was nothing new from what they'd seen before. The Element of Kindness rarely offered her two cents on the matter beyond trying to keep hopes up, but...

"I-I mean– the Changelings have always demanded our complete and total surrender. I don't think a Drone is even, um... capable of going against Chrysalis' orders?" Fluttershy retreated inward as best she could between her two friends. "But, ah... I-I don't know."

It was hardly a passable answer in the others' eyes. Rainbow took the pegasus by the shoulders, jiggling her about like a madmare. "Oh, come on, Fluttershy! This doesn't upset you at all!? Chrysalis is one-hundred percent rubbing it in our faces! She's not just asking for our surrender– she wants us to strip down, practically spread our cheeks, and say 'Oh, come invade us Queen, we're so sorry for ever resisting!' "

Letting the dizzies in her eyes finally fade away– Fluttershy just blinked.

"... Yeah? I, uh, I know."

Was she missing something here? Shy was far from fond of the Queen herself, but Chrysalis was anything but a liar. No, she'd made it quite clear since the Revival Night just exactly what she wanted– it wasn't a lot of Equestria, but all of it.

Dash sputtered, her face contorting into something ugly– leaving Fluttershy where she stood. Tensions were running high, sure– and they'd been high for quite some time now, but it seemed Rainbow could stomach Shy's apparent lack of passion no longer.

"... Maybe you should just stay in your room like the others, Fluttershy. I REALLY don't think you realize what's at stake here."

She could keep her cool, but only just barely– before returning to berate the Changeling on the screen beside Luna. Twilight at least noted gentle trembling of Fluttershy's hands, and her glossy eyes wetting anew. That had been a low blow from Rainbow– mentioning the ponies Fluttershy couldn't even console anymore.

"... Fluttershy... Dash is right. Maybe go into town and visit some of the fillies again, yeah? They loved seeing you."

At least Twilight had been a touch gentler in shooing Shy away. Even her words, though, carry with them that same short exhaustion that bubbled so close to the edge, teetering on a snap– as if the months of pent up, futile aggression needed to be thrown at somepony.

Well, they weren't the only ones feeling that way.

With nothing more to say and little room for tolerating any further patronizing, Fluttershy simply slipped away from that squawking mad house. It'd been good timing, if nothing else: As Adelocosa finally decided to humor Celestia's barking demands to know just what the Changeling found so funny. With an unseen movement, Adelocosa panned her side of the projection down, showing off the mare currently hilting her face down to the root of the Changeling's black cock– a seemingly constant flow of plump eggs gliding down her throat. A familiar mare to some ponies still in the room, Coco Pommel, even gave the Equestrians a peace sign, her eyes lidded and drunk. Adelocosa loved the improv. The room erupted into outrage once more, while that exotic buzz of a Changeling's voice tickled at Fluttershy's ears one last time.

"I-I'm once again, hehe, stressing the necessity of Canterlot's immediate surrender..."

Despite what her friends had advised, Fluttershy did not go back to her suite in Canterlot Castle– and despite what her friends might've thought, Fluttershy knew well what was at stake.

Paying little mind to the equally apathetic Guards stationed nearly on every door in the city, Fluttershy passed them and this facade of a city by, the tears that speckled the ornate marble of Canterlot's streets serving as the most fleeting of breadcrumb trails for anypony who might've pursued her. Of course, nopony would be coming. This city might as well have been dead from its exterior– everypony being too scared for their sanity to go outside anymore. That is, if it could even be counted as such anyway, what with the constant specter of Shining Armor's shield overhead and all around. Fluttershy's bare feet carried her through city blocks and alley ways, her aimless march uncontested. Soon, the timeless stone of Canterlot gave way to the fields just beyond the precipice of its city limits– that safeguarding, imprisoning shield drawing up an arbitrary wall somewhere beyond that.

Finding both a familiar place of comfort & an opportune shade to sulk under, Fluttershy let herself collapse into a ball, finally allowing the worst of her tears out in some semblance of the nature she longed for. Of course, it was only fitting that the mare's ideal spot to sob would be beside a lone tree. Typically, she'd sooner run for a proper, more concealing forest, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Desperate times indeed...

There was nothing worth saying, here. Nothing that would repel the Changeling's advance. Nothing that'd bring back Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Scootaloo, or any of the friends and family that everypony had lost. There was no single enemy to direct the Elements of Harmony at– no way to poof things good again. Fluttershy knew what had been at stake– in fact, as far as she was aware, she had been the only one ever actually making rounds to both her more hopeless friends & those who persisted within the city of Canterlot, trying to keep ponies' spirits up however little she might be able to. While Twilight, Rainbow, and the Princesses all wasted the days away discussing the same old impossibilities– at least she was doing something.

Fluttershy shook those darker, accusatory thoughts away. This was nopony's fault– not any Equestrians', at least. That sort of distrust was surely exactly what Chrysalis wanted to sew within the ponies that remained.

'There's no use in thinking like that, Shy...'

So, under the purple glow of the bubble shield, Fluttershy's tears eventually dried up, and her thoughts danced away on flittering ruminations– trying to drum up some answer to the rhetorical question of Equestria's future.

Just as every other night, nothing came.

Nothing logical, anyway.

Something certainly came to poor, sweet Fluttershy though– as her own hopes, truly, the weakest of all her friends', finally wrestled free from the tedium of logic, and shattered. From that point, they were free to become delusions.

Despite having been the first herself to crack upon hearing the news of the Changeling invasion, Fluttershy had clung to her friends as her rock to stay afloat. As long as they still believed in the Princesses and one another, Fluttershy could manage her facade. With each passing month, though– her friends began to crack, themselves. Rarity, then Pinkie, then Applejack. Maybe Twilight and Rainbow too had cracked long ago, perpetuating the delusion that the Equestrians actually still had a chance.

So, for poor Fluttershy, who now stared up at the not-so-distant cracks in Shining's shield bubble, alone and on the edge of what still remained 'Equestria...'

Fluttershy came up with a great idea.

Author's Note

Not too much story in your smut, I hope! :^)

But seriously, I really like setup– even in something that's going to be as filthy as this. I hope that's not turning any readers off! We'll get there, I promise!

Oh, and just in case I didn't describe the Scarab-Scryer well enough, the inspiration for that tidbit of Changeling tech is actually somewhat canonical! Here's a clip from Season 6, Episode 25 : https://youtu.be/z-D0s3__0IA?t=3