A Mercenary's Ending

Following Tobias’ outburst, the room was silent, but only for a moment before Gregory smacked the abyssinian on the back of his head before snatching the weapon away. “Hold your tongue,” he said as he put the lightsaber down, “there is a child present.”

Tobias looked sheepish immediately before turning to Cadance. “Apologies,” he said sincerely.

Gregory nodded in approval before he looked at the double bladed weapon before him. He couldn’t blame Tobias for saying what he said, however. When he saw the lightsaber, he too had been confused as to why it was here. It was completely out of place in this world. He turned to Twilight. “Did Discord say where he got this weapon?” he asked, holding it up. “Giving out weapons doesn’t seem like his M.O.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, he didn’t say where he got it,” she said.

“Can you show us the conversation?” Celestia asked.

“From my memories?” Twilight asked. “I can.”

Gregory raised his hand quickly. “Anti-scrying spells first,” he insisted. He would take no chances even if Majesty was still unconscious.

Celestia and Luna nodded before raising their horns. To Gregory’s surprise, Shining Armor also raised his horn and cast a shield spell of his own. Gregory was momentarily confused, but then realized that since his magic was heavily defense based, it made sense. When the spells were in place, Twilight raised her horn. A screen appeared and the memory began to play.

Seeing Discord as a Jedi wasn’t surprising to Gregory. Seeing him in Obi Wan Kenobi’s Jedi robes from A New Hope was a bit confusing, though, since he wasn’t even sure how Discord knew what he looked like. Everyone else watched with the same rapt attention that he gave the screen, but at the back of his mind, a hypothesis was already forming. Could it be possible? Could Discord have used…that trick?

When the memory ended, everyone exchanged looks. What Discord had said was rather interesting. Discord had done something against the wishes of someone else, that was for sure. Gregory looked down at both the lightsaber and the Rainbow of Light. Picking up the amulet, he found the latch and opened it without thinking. He expected to see a solid rainbow moving around with that strange magic sound he remembered from the G1 show. What he got instead, however, was a flat mirror on the inside with rainbow light swirling around behind it. The magic sounded identical, but nothing came out. Slowly, he closed it and the clasp made a clink as it locked. He placed it back on the table before looking around.

“You look like you may have some idea that none of us may have,” Luna said, looking intently at him. “Is it something you wish to share?”

“The anti-scrying spells are still up, correct?” Gregory asked. When the three casters nodded, he exhaled. “I have a hypothesis, but nothing more than that.”

“Are you willing to share it?” Luna asked.

“Well, at this point, I suppose there’s no point in hiding it,” Gregory said. He felt Dengal’s hand on his, followed by Tobias’ paw on his shoulder. He looked at the two, gratitude swelling within him for their support. Nodding at them both, he turned back to the gathered assembly. “What I’m about to say here cannot go beyond this room, is that understood?”

Gregory attempted to put some warning behind his tone, and he apparently succeeded because everyone stiffened. Celestia spoke first. “Is it that drastic?” she asked.

“I don’t want certain enemies to know about it,” Gregory explained. “If you know what I mean.”

Understanding dawned on the faces of everyone. So much so that Cadance looked at Flurry Heart and said, “Flurry, sweetie, could you leave the room for now?”

Flurry pouted at her mother and was about to protest when Spike put his claw on her head. “This is important, little sis,” he said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gregory saw Twilight’s ear droop. Flurry looked up at her apparent adopted brother, her pout still visible. “You owe me scritchies,” she said.

Gregory tried not to chuckle. Who is she, Iscream? he thought. Nah, Angel would be more like that demon bunny, he thought as Flurry spread her wings and flew out of the room.

When she was gone, everyone turned to Gregory. “So, what is it you want to talk about?” Celestia asked.

Gregory didn’t reply at first, Instead, he reached down and pulled out one of his most prized possessions in this world: a tablet. It was a bit sandy and there was a slight crack in the screen, but it was still something he held onto dearly. His hope to go to the Equestria Girls world, if such a place even existed, vanished when he was chased out of Equestria and rescued by his best friend. He turned the tablet on and everyone watched as the screen lit up. Opening it, he maneuvered to his folders and tapped on the appropriate file. He only had about a twenty percent charge, but he supplemented it with a portable power bank. One thing he’d discovered was that in this world, solar panel chargers worked much more efficiently than on Earth. “Can everyone see this screen?” he asked. When the room replied in the affirmative, he nodded. “I need to ask you not to say anything until I turn off the video.”

Gregory hit play, and the video began. Everyone watched in stunned silence as music played and the screen showed a book with a unicorn head on the cover. The book opened to show the words Once Upon A Time. That was when everyone heard Celestia’s voice start to speak. “Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony through all the land.”

Forty minutes later, once the show’s ending was over, Gregory hit pause and turned to the room. Everyone was staring at the screen in shock before he closed the laptop carefully. Tobias reached over and took it, Gregory having taught him how to handle his technology. Slowly, everyone turned to him. Gregory began the explanation. “Back in my world, back home, this is what’s known as a cartoon. It’s a children’s animated entertainment. In this case, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as the cartoon is named, is entertainment made for little girls. It was made to teach them all about friendship and to entertain them with the adventures of the Elements of Harmony. Each adventure shows a twenty three minute snippet into the lives of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. There are episodes which can focus on some other characters, like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Prince Spike, and others. Now, this show gained so much success that it gained a following not just from its target audience, but from a group of adult human men and women called Bronies and Pegasisters respectively. Millions on my homeworld watched this show and it gained a big following.” He turned to the Mane Six. “If I had to guess, I think that Jason Wright was a Brony for wanting to come here. He probably was a huge fan of you all.”

He saw the looks of guilt pass over them, but turned away from them when he heard Celestia clear her throat. “This…children’s entertainment…how did your kind create the stories? Surely they must have gotten some details wrong. After all, Nightmare Moon’s night didn’t last for only twenty minutes, but for a full week.”

“This is a children’s entertainment,” Gregory repeated, “so they had to make it with that in mind. I’m sure they got some details down differently. For example, let me ask if anyone here breaks into musical numbers randomly.”

“Nay,” Luna replied. “If you mean do ponies or other creatures break into song like young Pinkie Pie did in the entertainment you just showed us, then no.”

“I did sing that,” Pinkie said softly, “but only because it helped everypony else.”

“If I had to guess again, I think Jason came to this world because he didn’t know the full truth about it from the show,” Gregory continued. “There was an episode about how Ponyville ignored and hid from Zecora, and it did show some of the darker sides of pony society, especially near the end of the show where ponies began turning on each other and summoned, albeit unintentionally, the windigos back. But that’s not important right now. The point is, Jason and I used a secret technique a secret group on our world discovered that allowed us to travel to worlds of our fiction, although clearly this world is no fiction. Once more, this is just a guess, but if the multiverse is infinite, then every conceivable story we can come up with has a corresponding universe, maybe more.” He picked up the lightsaber, looking at it. “This weapon is from a fictional series of movies, television shows, games etc. It was used by an ancient order of mystical knights known as the Jedi Order. The fact that one exists in this world might mean that Discord used a similar method to reach into another universe to grab them, although the why is the issue.” He set it back down. “I imagine you all have questions, but I don’t think we have the time to talk about this. If Majesty knew about this, she may want to have me back even more. Because there’s another show about the adventures in Ponyland. That is how I knew about her. She was once the queen of Ponyland, as we all know, and was known as the most magical of ponies. She was once a kind ruler, but also just. Her justice was rather unique, as I’m sure Queen Chrysalis can attest to.”

Chrysalis shuddered. “She put me in a damned painting. I was nearly frozen, but I could think in normal time.”

“She turned Tirac into a snake after he was defeated by Megan and the Rainbow of Light,” Gregory said, picking up the ancient artifact. “She also laid out what you might call ironic punishments to three deadly witches who tried to destroy Ponyland.” He looked at Celestia and Luna. “In her own, twisted way, Majesty loves ‘her dear ponies’. Perhaps she is striving to return to a time when ponies lived in friendship with other races.”

“Unlike today, where we’re more insular and ignore the other races,” Sunset snarked.

Ignoring her blatant insult, Gregory continued. “Unlike other villains you have faced, like Tirek, Sombra or even Nightmare Moon, Majesty is the most dangerous one you will face. In her mind, her cause is just. She wants to see ponies become better people. And the thing is, she’s right. Up to a point.” He stood and quickly undid his shirt, displaying his chest for everyone to see. It showed a scattering of ugly looking scars. Pointing to several, he said, “This was from a blast of magic I received on my first days on Erda from a unicorn. This one from a buck in the chest from an earth pony. Most of these scars are from my time as a mercenary, but the first several ones I got from the ponies of Dodge City. And from what I’ve heard, Jason Wright received much worse in his time near Ponyville.”

As he covered himself back up, Celestia rose from her seat, as did Luna. Then, to the shock of everyone in the room, especially Gregory, both of them got on their knees and bowed to him. “We are so very sorry for the way you were treated by our subjects,” Celestia said. Gregory locked on to the fact that she hadn’t said ‘my little ponies,’ and the fact that her voice had a regal tone he had never heard from her before either in reality or from the show. “We will ensure that those who wronged you know what they did and are disciplined.”

“A double whammy, huh?” Sunset smirked, rubbing her hooves together with glee. “I wanna see that.”

Gregory looked over at Tobias, who nodded before the abyssinian reached over and smacked her upside the head with enough force to shove her head forward. “That’s enough out of you, Sunset Shimmer,” Tobias snapped.

“Ow!” She glared up at Tobias while rubbing her head. “They deserve it!”

“That’s not our call,” Gregory replied with a glare of his own. “You’re an empath. That means not only sensing emotions, but showing, oh, I don’t know, some empathy?”

“No, I tell it like it is,” Sunset said.

“Find a better way to do it, Shimmer,” he replied.

“Nnng…fine, whatever,” Sunset said.

Gregory looked back to the two princesses who were still kneeling. “Please stand up,” he said, his glare returning to his normally neutral tone. “We don’t have time for this sort of thing. Majesty is still out there, and is still a threat. If she’s smart, she’ll evacuate Sanctuary and move her location to another location.”

As the princesses rose and sat, Twilight spoke. “If Majesty and the others do evacuate, the fastest way would be through mass teleportation.”

“Is that possible?” Cadance asked. “I’m an alicorn and I can’t teleport an entire city’s worth of creatures.”

“You’re forgetting just how old Majesty really is,” Gregory said. “Even when she was a unicorn, she apparently wiped out a bunch of demons in a fit of rage. With becoming an alicorn, you get a power boost of sorts, right?”

Cadance shrugged. “I was just a pegasus when I transformed.”

“It does give a unicorn more magic than before, if my experience is any indication,” Twilight replied. “I’ve also grown a bit and my horn is longer.”

“You’ll eventually get as tall as Celestia and have a wavy mane and tail like her,” Gregory said.

Twilight’s ears flattened and she gained an angry tone. “Great…”

“Are yah sayin’ that Jason…” Applejack had to pause for a bit before continuing, “that Jason was a fan of what yah just showed us?”

“It’s very likely,” Gregory replied, “and it’s also more than likely that he came to this world from mine using the same method I did.”

“We have fans in another world…” Rainbow sounded absolutely crushed, “and we did what we did…”

Pinkie seemed to lose even more color, so much so that Gregory could barely see any pink. He ignored that as the Mane Six started to wallow in even more misery. He turned to the princesses. “I don’t know how Majesty might use this information, but I don’t think it can be anything good. Most likely, she could use it as cannon fodder for her movement in Equestria.”

“Movement in Equestria?” Cadance repeated with confusion.

“She has to be behind the recent movements calling for more equality and fair treatment of nonponies and calls for ponies to be better,” Celestia said.

“It certainly isn’t Opaline,” Gregory said as he looked at the two ancient alicorns who now looked stunned. “So, you not only have to fight an enemy who is likely more powerful than you are, but a movement that, in and of itself, is actually in the right with their message. What will you do?”

Celestia caught on to Gregory’s language choice first. “Us? Are you leaving?”

Gregory nodded, then looked at Sunset, Dengal, and Tobias. “The four of us are not really obligated in any way to help Equestria. None of us are citizens, and three of us are a mercenary group-”

“Four,” Dengal piped up.

“Four, then,” Gregory amended.

“What about what Discord sent to you specifically?” Twilight asked with wide eyes.

Gregory looked down at the Rainbow of Light before he picked it up and opened it. The inside was empty save for a mirror. Looking in, he only saw his reflection, but nothing else. He shut it with an audible CLICK before putting it back on the table. “I doubt I can use it,” he said. “The only ones I know of who have used it are in another world, and if time passes the same between worlds, they are most likely long dead.” He looked at the lightsaber on the table and picked it up. “If Discord wants me to have this, though, then I’ll gladly accept. It gives me more of a chance of survival in my job-”

“How much would you and your mercenary group want if asked to do this job?” Celestia interrupted, shocking everyone in the room.

Gregory paused, a bit confused by the question. Not what it meant, but more why she was asking Shadow Dawn to help specifically. Looking at her with an intense stare, Gregory leaned closer. “Let me ask, why are you interested in hiring us? This is a big ask.”

“I…truthfully couldn’t tell you,” Celestia said, “but I can say that if Discord wanted to give you that ancient artifact on the table, he must have had a reason.”

“He’s Discord,” Gregory said, “I believe he once said ‘Where’s the fun in making sense?’ Once a prankster, always a prankster.”

“I would not be too sure about that,” Luna said. “In his conversation with the six mares over there, he seemed more sincere.”

“So he’s good at acting, big whoop,” Sunset snarked. “I’ve met him, Celestia. He’s a pain in the flank.”

“I…think that he was sincere,” Flutttershy spoke out loud enough to be heard.

“Why would you think that, Miss Fluttershy?” Luna asked.

“I may not have seen him since the events with Jason,” Fluttershy said, “but I’ve never seen him act quite like he did during our conversation. He was always a lot less serious when he visited for tea time or when I visited him. And then there’s the fact that somepony pulled him away.”

“He also looked like that manifestation of Harmony when it spoke to us two years ago,” Twilight said.

“The Tree of Harmony spoke to you?” Gregory asked with a raised eyebrow. Twilight nodded, then raised her horn to display the memory. Gregory watched as Harmony, in the form of a beaten and malnourished human, spoke in front of the former Castle of Friendship. When the memory faded, Gregory could only nod. The tree spoke similarly to how it had in the show, with no contractions whatsoever. “They did speak to you,” he agreed, “but that doesn’t answer why Discord wants me to help you. This is a pony problem, not ours. I’m not a pony, not a citizen of Equestria, not a citizen anywhere, actually. My loyalties lie with my companions and my mercenary group. I need to think of their safety and happiness when it’s within my scope of power to do so.”

Nobody in the room spoke as they digested that fact. Gregory didn’t take his eyes off of Celestia, but he felt Dengal take his hand in hers, squeezing firmly, while simultaneously Tobias put his paw on Gregory’s shoulder in a reassuring gesture. Even Sunset reacted by adjusting Gregory’s hair. Gregory saw an emotion he never thought any pony would give to him pass over Celestia’s face: respect. “You’re right,” she said, “and I have no right to ask this of you and your group, especially not for free. I would like to hire your group to assist us. You would be given free reign to act in any way you see fit to accomplish the objective, all of your expenses would be compensated completely, and we would agree to any other stipulations.”

Gregory folded his hands and leaned forward, an eyebrow raised. “Any other stipulations, you say?”

To his surprise and even a bit of delight, Gregory saw a very slight shudder pass down Celestia’s body, but her expression never changed as she nodded. “My subjects are in danger,” she said, “and Discord seems to think that you and your group will be able to help in ways we may not be able to, if his gifts are any indication.”

Gregory didn’t reply right away. He wanted to give the illusion that he was digesting what she had said. Which he partly was. Seeing her this desperate was something he never thought he’d see, and he truthfully wasn’t sure he knew how to feel about it. Slowly, he stood. Tobias, Sunset, and Dengal all stood, and to his surprise Chrysalis and Thorax stood seconds later. “Give us time to discuss your generous offer,” he said.

“Of course,” Celestia said with a tight but polite smile.

Grabbing all of his things, he turned, then walked out of the room, followed by his companions, Chrysalis, and Thorax. They had much to discuss.

“Princess Celestia, forgive me for questioning your decision,” Cadance said moments after the group left the room, “but why would you stoop to hiring mercenaries? They can’t really be trusted.”

“It is precisely that line of thinking that caused the death of young Jason Wright,” Luna said, scowling back at her adopted niece.

Cadance felt her ears splay back. She was right, the Crystal Empress mused. With a growing fear, she wondered what else about her was all mixed up. Clearly, Celestia knew something about this mercenary group that she didn’t or she wouldn’t make such an offer. Unless Celestia was desperate, which she clearly was in danger of becoming. Still, Cadance knew that her aunt was good at covering her emotions even from herself, so it was hard for the younger alicorn to tell what the alabaster alicorn was thinking. “You’re right,” she said. “I suppose even I am capable of making such foolish assumptions. Still, why are you paying them?”

Celestia then did something Cadance didn’t expect. She smiled warmly at Cadance. “Gregory has suffered greatly since coming to our world,” she said, “and has had to live the life of a mercenary to survive. There are two reasons why I am hiring him and his group. One, I intend to give them a large sum of money, enough to live on for the rest of their lives if needed. Two, I intend to honor his hidden wish.”

“Hidden wish?” Cadance’s confusion was mirrored in everycreature else in the room save for Luna. “I’m afraid I don’t get it.”

“This way, Gregory saves face,” Celestia explained. “He is correct that he holds no loyalty to Equestria, but if we hire him and his group, they will be on our side. I could tell he was sincere about his mercenary code of honor. He and his group, unlike other mercenaries, will not betray us for a higher paycheck.”

Cadance nodded, but she could only hope that Celestia was right. Luna then spoke. “Empress Cadance, before we end this meeting, have you sent out scouts to the location of Majesty’s hideout?”

“I have sent two of our best scouts,” Cadance explained with a nod, “and hopefully they will return to us soon with news.”

“Um, not to sound rude, but why did you two join us?” Dengal asked Chrysalis as the group all gathered in Gregory’s temporary room after their exit several minutes before. “You’re not in the mercenary group.”

“Technically, you’re not an official member either, Den-Den,” Tobias said with a smirk, earning him an elbow in the chest. “Ow.”

“Any place would be better than being in that room,” Chrysalis said before making a gagging noise. “The level of hatred leveled against me made me want to wretch.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Sunset asked with a smirk. “You invaded Canterlot. Isn’t that why Majesty put you into that painting?”

Chrysalis hissed at the flame colored unicorn, but Thorax intervened. “Mother, please,” he pleaded, “we can’t go on like this. The hive still needs you, and we also need to change how we do things.”

Chrysalis growled, but sat down in a huff. “I suppose making more enemies shouldn’t be on my to-do list,” she said before looking around the crystalline room. “Yuck…too sharp for my tastes.”

“Mother, it’s better than being trapped,” Thorax said.

Dengal was beginning to like this changeling. He was a very kind soul, unlike other rogue changelings who called Thornfall their home. He was forgiving, assumably to a fault. Still, she couldn’t fault Thorax for loving his mother, even if she was an enemy to Equestria. “You’re not looking to join Shadow Dawn, are you?”

“Goblin, I am a queen,” Chrysalis said in a haughty tone. “I am the one who hires the mercenaries. I am not looking to become one.”

“Hey, merc work has its moments,” Tobias argued, glaring at the changeling queen. “We get to see the world, go on epic adventures, and in my case sometimes get the girl.” He grinned at that, then winked at Chrysalis.

She shuddered. “Filthy cat,” she scoffed.

“At least we get off our behinds and do something,” Tobias continued. “You get to sit on that uncomfortable looking magical seeping throne and look pretty.”

She glowered at him. “I have heard many pickup lines, abyssinian. Nothing you say will work on me.”

“Says the changeling who blushed when our resident human here called her sexy?” Dengal asked with a smirk of her own.

Once more, the changeling queen’s cheeks went darker. “That-That was different! He caught me in a vulnerable state!”

Dengal looked over to where Gregory was, only to see that he had collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a contemplative look in his eyes. Worry for the human she loved washed over her, and she moved over and lay on her side beside him. “Copper talon for your thoughts,” she said softly as she moved closer.

Gregory slowly looked over at her, and his expression seemed to soften. He sniffed the air as if smelling something before he said, “You smell nice.”

Dengal felt her cheeks burning, and her smile only widened. The moment was interrupted, but not really ruined, when Tobias came over, lying on his stomach and placing his head on Gregory’s chest, looking up at him. “I’ll double her offer,” he said.

Gregory reached down and began scratching behind Tobias’ ears. This cause the abyssinian’s tail to curl and a small purring noise began to be heard. The abyssinian relaxed and closed his eyes. Dengal found this more amusing than anything. She knew that these two had a very close bond, and abyssinians expressed their bond in a rather unique way, a way that was a lot like a cat. “Did I say the right thing in there?”

“What do you mean?” Dengal asked, reaching down to grasp Gregory’s hand with her own.

“Should I have just turned down Celestia and go back to Thornfall?” He looked at her, then at Tobias, and lastly at Sunset who was watching curiously. “We’re a team, but I unilaterally decided what to say for Shadow Dawn. I’m no leader. Even if Celestia offers us all the money in her personal coffers, should we accept?” Dengal saw uncertainty in his appearance as he looked at her, then Tobias, and finally Sunset. “Majesty is a powerhouse, but she’s also smart. Would we even be able to do anything?”

“Hey, I’m the last pony to say anything like this about Sunbutt,” Sunset said, “but in her way, she does care for her little ponies. It’s one of her greatest strengths, but it’s also a weakness in this case. She can be blind to other things. Besides, that memory that Twilight showed us seems to indicate that Discord wants you to help in some way.”

“Well, how the hell would I do that?” Gregory asked, suddenly sitting up and looking at Sunset with a frustrated expression. “I have absolutely no magic, and the rest of you together couldn’t hold a candle to her raw power. Even if we included Chrysalis and Thorax over there.” That earned him a hiss of reproach from Chrysalis, but he ignored it. “I doubt Majesty will do anything so…bold…as to invade other nations, so getting out of here and going to Panthera would be the safe and logical choice.”

That earned a snort from Tobias. Dengal looked at the abyssinian with confusion. “Tobias?”

The black furred biped sat up, looked down at Gregory, and grinned. “Gregory Graystone, when have we ever, and I mean ever, done the logical thing?

“This is different, Toby,” Gregory said as he, too, sat up, running a hand through his hair and scratching at the stubble on his face. “The odds against us are so close to impossible that-”

“Fuck the odds right in the ass,” Tobias snorted. “We’re Shadow Dawn, the most promising up and coming merc group in the guild! Come on, we defeated another merc group recently and took their money. We’ve earned plenty of money, but you know the saying of the guild.”

“High risk, high reward,” Gregory sighed as he ran a hand over his face.

Dengal hugged him from the side, leaning against his shoulder. “If you go against Majesty, please let me help,” she said. “I may be only a blacksmith, but I’m no slouch when it comes to how to fight. I will be by your side no matter what you choose.”

“That last part goes double for me,” Tobias said.

Sunset walked up and gave the other three a nod. “I was once Sunbutt’s personal student. I know I’m good with magic. Majesty probably is much more powerful than I am, but that doesn’t mean I won’t fight if we’re hired. And if you choose not to accept the job, then I will accompany you wherever you go. All of you.”

“Ugh, that mushy stuff is so…blech!” Chrysalis stuck out a tongue in disgust.

“And here I though you love bugs ate love,” Tobias replied with a raised eyebrow.

“We find more sustenance in love than other emotions,” Chrysalis explained, “but what you’re displaying is like candy to us. And I never had much of a sweet tooth.”

“That explains why you threw out those goodies that Applejack gave you in Canterlot,” Gregory replied.

Chrysalis stiffened. “How do you-? Oh, right, that thing you showed us. That is…unnerving.”

“Just don’t ask about all the porn they make about the show,” Gregory said.

Chrysalis sputtered in shock and humiliation. “PORN?!”

“We’re getting off track, here,” Sunset said, although her face was flushed as well. “Chrysalis, Thorax, you’re sticking with us for some reason. Why is that?”

Chrysalis recovered herself, then turned to Gregory. “There is an ancient tradition among my kind,” she said, “and it involves what you might call a life debt. Thanks to your plans and actions, I am now a free changeling. The debt I owe you must be repaid.”

“I didn’t know about this tradition,” Thorax said. “It wasn’t in the hive mind.”

“I never shared it because nocreature ever did anything for us,” Chrysalis spat angrily before turning back to Gregory. “I must repay my debt to you before I can return to my throne.” She turned to Thorax. “Young one, you can return to the hive despite your abandonment of it. Your actions have guaranteed you a pardon.”

Dengal watched as Thorax considered, but then he shook his head. “No, my queen,” he said, “I cannot leave.”

Chrysalis glowered at him. “And why is that?” she asked.

“I will not abandon my queen in her time of need,” he said. “And I won’t abandon my mother.”

Chrysalis looked at Thorax with a stunned expression for a few seconds before she huffed. “Very well,” she sniffed, “do as you wish, I suppose.” Still, in a brief moment, Dengal thought she saw one corner of Chrysalis’ lip curl upwards.

“So, what’s the plan…boss?” Tobias asked, a teasing tone to his voice.

Gregory sat up fully, looking at everyone in the room. “First, we should discuss it,” he said, “and when that’s done, then we plan for whatever we decide.” He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “So, who wants to speak first?”