Endgame: War - Shadow of the Hive

Flames, dragon fire, debris filling the sky, alarms, shouts, corpses strewn everywhere, wailing, crying—scenes flashed before Chrysalis, piercing her heart.

"It's that feeling again." For some reason, as war loomed, Chrysalis, who had been agitated and restless, became exceptionally calm. Invaders, the invaded—it seemed the queen had grown accustomed to it. Over her years as queen, she had experienced many wars, both those she initiated and those she was forced into. Yet, whether she won or lost, she had always survived.

"Give the order: all changeling units are to enter wartime status and do everything to stop the dragons from approaching the hive. All teachers must organize the evacuation of the remaining changelings from the hive," Chrysalis commanded. She knew she couldn't win against the dragons, but she could do her best to preserve the future of the hive.

She glanced at the two small creatures in the doorway and said softly, "You two should leave."

Then she turned and left.

"Soldiers, follow me! Surround the hive!" The queen led her guards to the front lines. Her shouts echoed back to the throne room, reverberating continuously.

One hour before the outbreak of war:

With Thorax's help, Spike had made it to the throne room and, by accident, successfully entered the secret room, standing before the weapon they intended to steal.

"Spike, that should be the queen's secret weapon," Thorax pointed to a black crown inlaid with gray gems. Made from special materials, the crown could amplify the effects of the magic-blocking stones to an extreme. Any magic cast at the crown would disable non-changeling magic within a ten-mile radius, though artifacts like the Elements of Harmony would be exempt.

For some reason, ever since Spike had arrived at the throne room—no, ever since he had arrived at the hive—he felt something strange pulling at him. This feeling grew stronger as he approached the throne room and peaked when he saw what Thorax was pointing at.

"Is that... a gem?" Spike asked, his dragon instincts sensitive to their food.

"Maybe," Thorax explained. "There are a lot of these stones buried around the hive. The queen's throne is made from them. Our teachers told us they have magic-suppressing properties."

Thorax removed the crown and handed it to Spike.

"But their range is very small, so the crown is needed to amplify them," Thorax continued. "Since the queen isn't here, we should leave quickly. I know a secret exit."

Just as he finished speaking, the door to the secret room suddenly opened, revealing the queen's silhouette.

"What are you two little creatures doing?!" The queen's voice startled them. Just as they thought they were doomed, a series of events unfolded: the arrival of a messenger, the dragon invasion, the defense of the hive, and finally, the queen's words to them: "You two should leave." They still didn't fully understand what was happening.

But given the chance, there was no reason not to run. Thorax grabbed Spike and led him away.

They ran through a secret passage connected to the throne room.

"This passage is used for emergency escapes. Each area has one of these passages, and they connect to lead far outside the hive," Thorax explained as they ran.

Spike held the crown, still confused. Why were the dragons attacking the changelings? Why did Chrysalis allow them to take the artifact? What was going on?

Along the way, they encountered many fleeing changelings. Teachers led their students, nursemaids even carried a few eggs. This was the future of the hive, escaping to a new place to establish a new hive and start anew.

"Are the dragons going to destroy this place?" Spike muttered to himself.

"What? What did you say?" Thorax shouted over the noise, pulling Spike along.

"I said, are the dragons going to destroy this place?" Spike stopped, shouting. "I know dragons can be jerks, but I didn't think they were this bad. Why would they destroy this place for no reason? These changelings are innocent!" Spike's face showed anger, but he also looked sad.

Thorax gazed into Spike's eyes. "Spike, I know you're a kind dragon, but this has already happened. We can't change it."

Spike lowered his head, gripping the crown tightly. It felt like when he held the Crystal Heart in the Crystal Empire. Back then, he bravely leapt from the tower and delivered the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance, saving the Crystal Empire. The residents even built a statue in his honor, calling him a hero.

But this time, as he clutched the crown, there was no pony to hand it to, no miracle awaiting. He could do nothing.

His tears fell onto the crown. "I thought I could be a hero and save you all, but I'm just a self-important jerk." Thorax looked at him, unsure of what to say. The swarm flowed around them like a river around two stones, unmoving in the middle.

The calls, cries, and even distant dragon roars, soldiers' screams, and the sounds of buildings being destroyed enveloped the little dragon. He felt scared. He had stolen the artifact to protect his home, but he couldn't protect the home of the little ones passing by. Though they were enemies of ponies, those children were innocent, just like ponies had accepted him, a dragon. They were all innocent.

"If only Twilight were here, she'd know what to do," Spike said, gazing at the crown. Through the gray gems, he saw his reflection.

"Dragons, gems, a crown that amplifies power..." He seemed to understand something.

"The dragons must be drawn to the gems here. These gems have a strange attraction to dragons, and the crown amplifies it. If we go far from the hive and cast a spell on the crown to increase the attraction, maybe we can lure the dragons away and save this place," Spike said, hope rekindling in his eyes as he explained his plan.

Seeing Spike's renewed hope, Thorax also smiled.

"But we're too slow. We need to find the queen and have her help us transport the crown far away," Thorax added to Spike's plan.

So, the dragon and the changeling ran against the flow of the swarm, heading back. Spike looked at the fleeing changelings, his determined eyes telling them he would protect their home, just as he had protected the Crystal Empire—by giving the crown to the queen.

As they neared the throne room, the hive began to shake violently.

"We must hurry!" Spike was getting worried.

As they exited the passage and reached the throne room, a violent explosion above shook them to the ground. Spike clung to the crown, and Thorax was almost knocked unconscious. The sound of falling rocks followed. The throne room was near the bottom of the hive, and it seemed a massive explosion had destroyed the upper part of the hive. The throne room itself was on the verge of collapse.

At that moment, a battered figure teleported into the room, seemingly having just survived a life-or-death situation. Her wings were scorched, her hair disheveled, and she was covered in bruises and burns.

Spike struggled to his feet, trying to maintain balance in the shaking hive. He saw the changeling queen.

"You must activate the crown and teleport it far away to save the hive," Spike said, tossing the crown to her. A day ago, he had hated her, but in this crisis, Spike no longer cared who she was or what she had done.

The queen fired a magic beam at the crown, but to their shock, her magic didn't activate it—it destroyed it. She then used her magic to carry Spike and Thorax, fleeing through the underground passage.

"No! How could you do that?!" Spike pounded on her back.

"Quiet, dragon! The hive is lost." The queen finally spoke her first words since fleeing. Spike and Thorax fell silent, carried by the queen at top speed. Behind them, the throne room collapsed, the hive reduced to ruins, even the passage almost collapsing. They had to escape quickly.

The fires of war gradually subsided. The dragons, having gotten the gems that attracted them, feasted and reveled in their victory. They dug up Chrysalis's throne from the ruins, enjoying their spoils. Pits were dug around the hive, extracting all the gems buried around it as their trophies.

In the distance, under the setting sun, two small figures supported the nearly exhausted Queen Chrysalis as they moved further and further away from the hive's shadow.

Spike's adventure had ended; he would return to his home. The changelings' war was over; they would find a new home.

Author's Note

Yes, it has a grand sequel, and I'll publish it at the right time