A Renewed Ending

Monday, December 6, 1007 A.L., Gryphonia

The first snowfall of the season fell only three days after Amira and Silica moved into Gregory’s new home. By that time, there had been a sturdily built garage built next to Gregory’s house for his truck and camper. The walls were made of strong stone brought down from the mountains by Silica and other gryphons and the roof was made of strong wooden planks placed down with straw placed on top of them, much like other houses in Gryphonstone. Like most other first snows of the season, this one was light by Gryphonia standards and only about six inches fell, covering the city and the valley floor with a good covering of snow.

Gregory’s new houseguests had no issues with the two delegates from the other two nations staying there, although a couple of them had to ask Silica to keep her human obsession to a minimum. That had stung the dragoness, but she promised that she wasn’t just there to learn about humans but to do her duty as the Dragon Land’s representative. And in the week and a half that followed, she had.

She and Amira had joined in on many Convocation meetings, and while most had to do with more domestic affairs, the two newcomers brought forth ideas that none of the others seemed to think about. One of them coming from Silica herself who had, on her second day living in Gregory’s place, gone to a nearby mountain cave and discovered a vast underwater lake. She suggested that the gryphons could dig a cave entrance near this lake to provide cleaner water to the city as the lake was being refilled by snowmelt that seemed to be filtered. Digging had commenced immediately, and was scheduled to be finished by the beginning of the next year.

Amira also suggested that certain sections of the city which were currently uninhabited be repurposed. She referred to three separate branches of Gryphonstone which were in utter ruin and had been abandoned. She knew of rejuvenation spells that could heal the branches, but also suggested that they also ask the zebra shamaness Zecora if she knew of some other means to heal the town branches. Gregory himself was flown down to Gryphonville with Silica carrying him this time. The light aquamarine dragon was strong despite her size, and it seemed like she could carry him easier than a gryphon could.

As it turned out, Zecora did have a means of rejuvenating a plant, but she wasn’t entirely sure it would work on the dying Gryphonstone branches. Still, it was worth a shot, she said in her rhyming way.

Long story short, combining the magic of the three unicorns who were using élanite to boost their magic and the potions that Zecora had brewed worked better than anyone had hoped. A large crowd had watched as three branches were surrounded by the misty glow of the magic of the three mares along with a swirling cloud of dark green. In only a half hour, all three branches of the city were restored to their former glory. The buildings still needed to be demolished and rebuilt, but that was a job for the upcoming spring.

As for the two Convocation members who were now currently living and working in two separate countries, the Saddle Arabians had provided both of them with a rare magical item. In short, at each empty seat at the Convocation’s missing members was placed a clay bowl full of water from a certain spring in Saddle Arabia. The spring’s water had a rare magical property in it that could, with the right crystal placed in the water, project magical three-dimensional images from a matching clay bowl of water a far distance away. To Gregory, their images looked like transparent holograms that were seated in the chairs despite being hundreds of miles away.

During the first full week that Amira and Silica became involved in the Convocation’s meetings, they started out by discussing a topic that had been mentioned earlier, the invitation of the Crystal Empire to the negotiating table. During that meeting, it had actually been Geoffrey who had broached the subject.

“I have met with the Empress a few times,” Geoffrey was saying, “and she is not known as the Princess of Love to the Equestrians for nothing. I agree with what Gregory said last week in that it wouldn’t hurt to invite them to join in on the current treaty we are forging.”

Grandpa Gruff scowled at this. “Yer forgettin’ that she was once an Equestrian,” he spat. “What’s to say she won’t do somethin’ against us?”

“You’re forgetting something too,” Gwendolyn said as she turned to Grandpa Gruff. “She and her country cut ties with Equestria after the latter established the ban a few months ago.”

“Saddle Arabia did as well,” Amira said.

“Pretty sure the Dragon Lord did too,” Silica said, “although I don’t know what was being traded between us and them.”

“Very well,” Geoffrey said. “I believe we can put this to a vote. All in favor of sending a missive to the Crystal Empire to invite them here?” He, Gwendolyn, Georgia, Gael, Ginna, and Gregory all raised their arms. Amira and Silica, not being members of the Convocation, had no say in certain affairs, including this one. “All opposed.” Grandpa Gruff didn’t raise his claws. “Any abstaining?” Grandpa raised his claw.

“I see yer points,” Grandpa said by means of explanation, “but I don’t know if I can agree or disagree. We need teh meet with whoever they send.”

“Then it’s settled,” Geoffrey said. As ambassador to other nations, many in the Convocation looked to him as an unofficial leader despite their being no elected Chancellor, a rank that would make them the leader and main representative of the Convocation. It was in the booklet Gregory had read, but nobody had been elected to that position yet. “We will work on a letter to the Crystal Empress at a later time.”

“Meaning me,” Gwendolyn muttered under her breath.

Gregory, who had heard that, turned to her. “Well, you are this Convocation’s secretary and mage,” he said. “You’re the best when it comes to writing letters. I still have the one you sent me the day you invited me to join.”

Gwendolyn shot him a glare, then her features softened. She had revealed her title to the Convocation earlier, which did include the temporary other members Amira and Silica. “Would some of you help me, then? I’m not sure what we should add.”

“We can discuss that at the end of the meeting,” Geoffrey said. “Now then, what is the next topic?”

Thursday, December 9, 1007 A.L., Gryphonia

Another topic that was brought up in a subsequent meeting a few days later was the status of a few of the newcomers, especially the three ponies who were now living with Gregory along with Zecora and Ladybug. It was Silica who brought it up mostly out of curiosity, but it grew into a discussion.

“I think they should be rewarded fer there actions,” Grandpa Gruff said without a hint of hesitation.

“Agreed,” Geoffrey nodded, “but with what? What could they want that we could give them?”

“Why not give them citizenship, like you gave me?” Gregory suggested.

Gwendolyn’s eyes brightened. “That is a great idea!” she exclaimed.

“Would you like me to go and get them now?” Georgia, who had moved to Gryphonville with her family, asked.

“Well, let’s discuss other things we could give to them as a thank you for all they’ve done,” Gregory said. “It’s possible that they might view citizenship as something of a bribe to keep them here. We don’t want them thinking that.”

Everyone thought a bit about it, and one answer came from Silica. “Hey, um, far be it from me to stick my nose in the business of domestic affairs,” she said, “but what if you did something not just for them personally, but for others like them?”

“What do you mean?” Geoffrey asked.

“Well, the three ponies I live with left because they were misfits in their old nation,” Silica said. “Perhaps Zecora and Ladybug left Equestria for the same reason?”

That made everyone pause and look at each other, each deep in thought on the matter. Gregory leaned back, thinking. That could very well be a good idea, but he foresaw one problem. “I’m not opposed to the idea,” he said, “but we’re currently incapable of accepting many refugees from other nations into our own. We’re barely a nation as it is.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t do it in the future,” Gael said from his magical hologram. “Think of all the good that not only we can do by offering other creatures a better life here, but what these creatures may be able to do in helping build whatever nation we build.”

“A multispecies nation,” Gregory said. “A true multispecies nation. I like that idea a lot.”

“Having that many different species living among gryphons will be risky,” Geoffrey cautioned.

“Of course it will,” Gregory agreed, looking at his fellow Convocation member. “There are many races in this world, and they each have differing beliefs and ways of life. Where I came from, humans were the only race who could speak and reason like the races here. We were separated by nation, language, creed, and belief systems. In my old home nation, we strove to be accepting of all sorts of humans from many different nations. My old nation was called the melting pot because humans of various nations, languages, creeds, and belief systems came to my nation to have a better life. America was known as the land of opportunity. What if we did the same here?” He looked at the others. “When we begin to create a new nation, what if we open our borders not to just gryphons, but to other races as well? It could very well be good for us.”

“And it could be dangerous,” Geoffrey repeated, “but it is worth discussing.”

“Agreed,” Gwendolyn said.

“But back to the topic at claw,” Georgia said, “I still think that we should give those five the gift of citizenship. And perhaps even some talons as a thank you.”

“The ponies might accept that,” Gregory said, “but I feel like Zecora wouldn’t. What if instead we offer her something else? Say…perhaps we give her a piece of land where she can grow some of her herbs and medicinal plants so that she doesn’t have to go into the Evertide as often? And if she needs help with the plot of land, we find and hire a gryphon or two to help her tend to it.”

“That…is a great idea,” Georgia said. “Should I go down and speak with her about it?”

“Bring me along too,” Gregory said, “I’d like to be there to tell her with you.”

Tuesday, December 14, 1007 A.L., Gryphonia

All five equines accepted the gifts that were given to them gratefully, although Zecora asked to be granted dual citizenship, keeping her Farasi citizenship while also being granted Gryphonian citizenship. She was also nearly speechless at being given a plot of land where she could grow her own medicinal herbs instead of having to go into the Evertide. As he predicted, she didn’t accept any monetary compensation, but instead asked that it go to the town reconstruction fund, which the Convocation gladly obliged.

Another topic that was less serious that was discussed was the upcoming Blue Moon Festival. When Gregory asked what it celebrated, he learned that it commemorated the day when King Grover first showed the Idol of Boreas to Gryphonstone. The name Blue Moon Festival had come from the fact that on the day the revelation of the new artifact took place there was not only a full moon but the moon had a blue hue to it during a lunar eclipse that same night. Everyone in Gryphonia knew the date: December 25th, Year 1 of the Gryphon Calendar which translated to 257 B.L., or Before Luna. When Gregory did the math later that day, he figured out that the corresponding year on Earth would have been 763 C.E. He’d already figured out that the start of the Equestrian Calendar corresponded to the Earth year 1020 C.E.

The city of Gryphonstone along with the town of Gryphonville were already decked out with their own versions of holiday décor. Most was silver and blue, but Gregory did see other colors mixed in, like green, red and white. He had decked his own living room with Christmas decorations he had brought from Earth, including an artificial Christmas tree he’d brought with him along with decorations.

The Convocation wanted to have a big festival for the big holiday, but as there wasn’t enough time to plan something. Instead, what they planned on doing was having the horns of the city blow for the first time in centuries. Not only that, but they would declare that the holiday would not just be treated as an evening holiday, but as a daylong holiday, meaning businesses could close down. Of course, they didn’t think that any of the taverns would be closing.

During that same meeting, Georgia, who had not shown up at the beginning of the meeting strangely enough, came barging in with some news that shocked the Convocation. A refugee group of twenty-seven ponies, nineteen adults and eight foals, had arrived in Gryphonville because of an economic depression in Equestria. Many of them had lost their jobs and were searching elsewhere for work. Thankfully, Zecora and Ladybug had helped to grow a few houseoaks as homes for gryphon refugees from the Badlands colony in a field next to the town. In anticipation of any further refugees, the two planned on growing a few more houseoaks before the winter storms really began.

This led to a debate on how to deal with the newcomers. Gael suggested again that they could be helpful in restoring Gryphonia, but Gregory immediately added that they not be treated as simple labor but as actual citizens of whatever government they establish. That led the Convocation down a rabbit hole of what kind of government system they should establish, as there was currently not much out there in form of a nation.

This led to a heated between members on the type of nation they wanted. Even Geoffrey couldn’t hold back the arguments. Finally, Gregory stood and threw his fist down onto the table, causing everyone to stop and stare at him.

“Listen to me, everybody,” he began with a stern expression as he stepped out from behind his chair and began walking around the table, looking at each and every member as he did so. “We’re getting so caught up in what kind of nation we want that we’re missing the point!” He paused, then looked at each and every one of them before continuing in a softer but still firm tone. “Whatever our nation becomes in the end, it needs to focus first and foremost on the needs of the people who live here, whether that be gryphon, dragon, pony, or any other race on Gaia. That is our primary objective as the Convocation. We need to think of their wellbeing and safety above all else. Everything else we think of comes straight from that. We need to let their voices be heard as well. If we screw up and do something that goes against what the people want, they will and should rise up in rebellion.”

“Should?” Silica asked with confusion.

Gregory nodded and resumed walking around the table. “My old homeland started out as a number of colonies of a vast empire. To simplify my old homeland’s history, that empire began to treat the colonies as nothing more than free wealth for their homeland. They began mistreating the colonies and taxed them without any representation in the government. That was the start of a war for independence for the colonies. If we want to bring about the creation of a new nation, we must consider what the people want. We also must tread carefully when making any laws in regards to the inherent freedoms of every citizen. If we step on the inalienable rights of citizens, again, they will inevitably rise up and topple us.”

He paused at his chair and gripped the back of it. “Gryphonia, from my understanding, was once a proud empire, full of greatness and might. Depending on what we do here, it might make or break a new nation we form here in these halls. We must tread carefully as we move forward into this new era of Gryphonia. Do we want an Empire with the power in the claws of one individual or do we want to keep that power slightly less centralized, like the Convocation we have currently?”

He felt a surge of pride rising up in him, but wasn’t sure where it came from. “As a nation, we must also learn that with time will come change. Right now, we are a broken civilization, but in the upcoming months and years as we rebuild, there will come new challenges and new changes we must adapt to. Our people are our top priority. They should be well fed, well protected from the elements, be paid fairly for their work, not be too heavily taxed, and most importantly, be heard.”

He turned back to the still broken throne of the last king of the Empire. Pointing up, he said, “That throne there should not represent who we are as a new nation. We must not look down upon the citizens. We must harmonize with them. We must show them that we truly do care. And we must care.” He turned and pointed in the general direction of the city. “When I first arrived, I saw the state of this city. It was and is still currently a mess. Less so now than it was then, but it will take months, perhaps even years, to restore it. Even with the help of the shamaness and the creation of new houseoak trees, our city will not be restored to its former glory for a while. Winter is coming, so we cannot do much work on the city itself. That gives us, as the Convocation, time to create a new system of government for our people.”

“Are you suggesting we use the winter to come up with a new form of government instead of using the old Empire as the basis?” Geoffrey asked.

“I’m saying we come up with a government that will benefit the present-day citizens of this continent,” Gregory added, “if, of course, they want to be a part of it. The continent has no government currently, and if not all the continent wants to fall under our governance, we must respect their autonomy. We do not want to be seen as an invading force, not that we have any standing army anyway. We give other cities and towns out there a fair choice, and even before that we must listen to what they want and attempt to accommodate their needs as best as we can.”

“And where do we draw the line?” Geoffrey asked, leaning forward and giving Gregory a stern gaze. “We must be a strong government if we are going to survive.”

“Agreed,” Gregory nodded. “We can’t be doormats when it comes to governing and caring for our people.” For the first time during his speech, he smiled as he sat back down. “This is my new home, and I’m proud to call it so. I want it to be one where everyone can feel the pride you all feel today!”

He brought his fist down onto the table, and two things happened at once. The gem on the Idol brightened and a bright wave of what everyone could only assume was magic erupted from it. It went through the walls of the former throne room and they later learned that everyone in Gryphonia saw the flash.

The second thing was that the simple gold ring on the table, which, along with the sash and crown, had been unable to be moved by anyone, flew up into the air and headed towards Gregory, who instinctively reached up and caught it, putting it back down in its place without even thinking about it at first. There was silence at first as everyone looked at the ring on the table. Soon, it dawned on Gregory what had just happened.

Geoffrey was the first to move, flying up out of his chair and moving over to the ring, which he reached down for, but just as it had before, the ring didn’t move. Silica tried next, but nothing. Then, everyone looked to Gregory. Unsure of what to do, but feeling somewhat compelled to pick it up, he reached down, and with ease he picked up the ring, examining it. It was nothing special, just a simple gold band. It partly reminded him of how the One Ring looked in the Lord of the Rings movies. It was unblemished and felt like it was well forged. He placed it in the palm of his hand, moving it up and down to feel the weight. It was solid. He reverently placed it back down in its place.

“The Chancellor’s Ring…” Gwendolyn said in an almost reverent tone.

“Chancellor?” Amira asked curiously.

All eyes were on Gwendolyn now. Ever since she had revealed herself as an Imperial Mage, everyone had begun looking at her as much more than just the secretary, but also as a historian as she had studied plenty of old texts. She cleared her throat and began explaining what the Chancellor did in the past. “The Chancellor acted much like a regent would. There was an Imperial Council, and the Chancellor was the head of it. He bore the ring as a symbol of his station. The last Chancellor of the Council was Chancellor Gabriel. He tried to keep the Empire together in the absence of the Emperor and his family when they left, but he sadly failed, and when he did, he took off the ring and put it there, retreating to Egrypt in shame and disgrace.”

There was silence in the room once more. A few moments later, Grandpa Gruff leaned forward. “Welp, guess that means yer our new Chancellor, Mr. Graystone.”

Gergory’s eyes shot open wide and he raised his hands defensively. “Whoa there, hang on just a moment,” he said quickly, “there’s no way I can be a Chancellor.”

“We won’t force that decision on you, Gregory,” Geoffrey quickly said, shooting Grandpa Gruff a look before turning back to him, “but would you at least think about it?”

“You can take as much time as you want,” Gwendolyn said, then gestured to Amira. “You can even speak to others in positions of power and get their advice.”

“I will gladly give advice to you,” Amira agreed, giving Gregory a reassuring smile before putting a gentle wing around him. “We are allies now, and I look forward to the future where our alliance can be strengthened.”

“Hey, maybe I can contact Dragon Lord Ember and you can talk to her,” Silica said. “I think you impressed her when she visited.”

“This is a topic we can discuss a bit more privately at another time,” Geoffrey said, then immediately looked at Amira and Silica. “No offense to you, but this is more of an internal affair.”

“No, that’s understandable,” Amira quickly replied.

“Sure, I’m cool with that,” Silica said.

He looked at the group, then gave a small nod. “For the time being, I’m saying no, mostly because this is sudden. But back to the matter at hand. This winter, we should focus on what sort of nation we want to form. We could send out surveys that ask the people what they want their government to do, and we will read them all as best as we can. We can compare notes on what made other nations successful, either here or back where I’m from. What do you all think?”

Tuesday, December 14, 1007 A.L., Changeling Hive

“The Emperor wants us to WHAT?!” Nictis seethed after he read the orders that had been given to him by a messenger from the main hive. Beside him, his wife and second in command Elytra looked equally as pissed as her husband was. He threw the message down on the ground and stood. “How the fuck will pulling our teams back from the other nations help us?!”

“I understand your frustration, dear,” Elytra said as she walked over and put a wing over his back gently, “but the Emperor has been acting a bit unusually lately. How long did you wait to see him before you came back home?”

Nictis sat down at the small kitchen table and groaned, covering his face with his hooves. “Too long,” he said. “I even tried sneaking into his chambers, but his personal guards caught me and told me that he was receiving no visitors.”

Elytra nodded in understanding. Nictis could feel her own frustrations, and he found it comforting that some of it was for his sake. She walked over to him and nuzzled his cheek gently. “I know, love. I know. But he is our Emperor. We swore loyalty to him years ago.”

He sighed. “Yes, but I…considered him a friend for those years I served beside him during the rebellion. I just want to know why we’re pulling our spy network back to minimum. Especially in Equestria and Gryphonia! Things are happening in those countries that we need to know!”

He felt, rather than heard, her shift form. Turning, he saw that she had a female humanoid form. She put her new hand on his shoulders and began to massage them. Human hands, the changelings had learned, were very efficient and useful in certain areas. Massages were definitely one of them. He felt the tension ease from his shoulders as he, too, shifted into a humanlike form, making it easier for her to massage him. Putting his head in his hands, he felt the love she had for him only escalate. “What do you plan on doing, dear husband?” she asked.

Nictis bit his lower lip and slowly sat back up. “I don’t know,” he admitted softly. “These past months ever since the Emperor retreated, he has retreated himself.” He pushed his chair back and pulled Elytra into his lap, where she immediately pulled his head to her breast, stroking his head gently. “Something’s wrong.”

“Agreed,” Elytra said, leaning down to kiss his head lovingly. “But it’s getting late. You need to get your mind off of this for tonight.”

His breath caught in his throat when he felt his wife give his pointed ear a nibble. He could feel the desire for him radiating off of her. He turned and saw that she had retreated to their bed and had laid on her back, legs spread and arms outstretched. His desire for her came springing forth from him, and he stood. The blood from his head rushed somewhere else, and he bent his knees. He pounced.

Three hours later, the two were back in their original forms, lying next to each other as they held each other close. Lovemaking in other forms had its pleasures, and a humanlike form led to some unique and fun experiences, but lovemaking in the natural form was pure and exquisite. Elytra leaned forward and nuzzled Nictis’ nose with her own. “You feel less stressed,” she said.

He gave her a tender smile, then a kiss. “You know just how to help calm my nerves,” he replied gratefully. “I think I will sleep well tonight.”

“It’s been too long since you and I have shared a bed,” she said. Nictis felt the guilt rising up, and he was about to speak when Elytra reached over and put a hoof over his muzzle. “Don’t apologize, dear husband. It’s our job and duty, and we both knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this assignment.”

“Still, we both deserve a break,” Nictis said. “Maybe…maybe this order from the Emperor is a blessing in disguise for us. Maybe we can spend more time together. Perhaps even try for some nymphs of our own?”

The smile that crossed Elytra’s face lit up the room. “Do you mean it?” she asked, some hope in her voice.

“We’ve put it off for far too long,” Nictis said. “I want to start a family with you.”

She smiled wide and locked lips with him happily. He kissed her back and they both were about to engage in some more lovemaking when there was a knock at the door. Breaking apart, Elytra looked at the door with annoyance. “Who could that be at this time of night?” she asked.

“Let’s just ignore it,” Nictis whispered.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t ignore it because there was a harder knock at the door. “General Nictis, are you there?” a female voice called. “This is urgent.”

Nictis groaned and sat up. “Shit,” he growled as he stood and stretched, “of course we get interrupted.” He walked over and threw the door open, seeing that the changeling in front of him was one of his subordinates. “This had better be important,” he said with a growl.

To her credit, the changeling didn’t flinch. “We just received word that another burst of magic has come from Gryphonia,” she said.

That caught his attention. Back in September, they had recorded a strange magical burst that had been detected. It was like a burst of overwhelming emotions had passed over them. From other reports, gryphons had actually seen a light that other races couldn’t see, but the changelings could feel the emotion behind the blast. “When is it going to arrive-?”

The question was answered when he felt it. A surge of magic just like before washed over him, only this one felt different. It felt so much stronger than before. He stumbled forward, feeling full for the first time in a while. It was almost intoxicating too. He felt his mind go blank for a brief few seconds before he came back to his senses. The love that was taken from Equestria was still being rationed, so noling felt really full, but at least they had some respite from starving. Still, this was a feeling he hadn’t felt even from the first wave of magic. He turned on the changeling. “Do we know where it came from?”

“We only have a few agents in Gryphonia,” she said. “They haven’t managed to locate the source yet.”

“And what about here?” Elytra asked, stepping forward. “Was someling waiting for what just happened?”

The changeling drone nodded. “We had our best waiting, but…” she trailed off.

“Right,” Nictis said, “with the amount we just felt, they may have trouble finding its location.”

“Let’s go, dear husband,” Elytra said, already wearing the cloaks that their division wore. It bore her name and rank on it in hidden letters that only other changelings could see. “We need to investigate this.”

Nictis swiftly put his own cloak on, then looked at the cloak of the changeling before him. “Agent Tibia, go back and find out if they’ve discovered the source.”

“Yes, General,” she said with a salute before she turned and flew away fast, her wings buzzing quietly behind her unlike other changelings.

“What do you think this could mean, dear husband?” Elytra asked as they walked swiftly down the empty and ancient streets of the city where they made their base.

“Perhaps…it could mean some hope for our kind,” Nictis said. “Whatever this source of magic is, we need to find it, and soon. We don’t have a lot of time left before our reserve love runs out.”

Chrysalis was fast asleep in her chambers some time later when she shot up out of bed, eyes wide in alarm. She felt full, fuller than she had in a very long time. Quickly, she jumped out of her bed and walked out, heading towards the bedchambers that belonged to the Emperor himself. Everywhere, she could hear the sounds of confusion as the changelings that were awake felt the sudden amount of emotion filling them up.

She reached the chambers and knocked. “Jason? Are you awake?”

From inside, she heard a voice speaking, but it wasn’t Jason’s. She growled as she recognized the voice as Nictis, that meddling general. Not waiting for an invitation, she burst in and saw a hooded figure standing in front of the communication stones. Projected overhead was the infuriating image of Nictis. “…urge you to please reconsider recalling our agents from Gryphonia,” Nictis was saying. “This new source of magic could very well help the changelings! I think we should send more agents to Gryphonia. Our best trackers couldn’t find the source of that second blast because they were overwhelmed by its power.”

Chrysalis heard Jason clearing his throat. “You make a good point, but the more agents we send, the bigger chance there is of them being caught.”

“Then we send a manageable amount,” Nictis replied quickly. “We need to find this source of magic and bring it here!”

“I will have orders for you in the morning,” Jason replied. “For now, try and determine the source of the magic. The number of changelings I authorize you to send will depend on your results.”

Nictis bowed, putting a hoof to his chest. “It will be done, my Emperor,” he said before the stones darkened and the projection winked out.

Chrysalis stood silently as Jason slowly walked to the window that looked out at the Badlands. The moon was full and shone its silvery light in through the window which looked east. Tentatively, she took a step forward. “Jason?”

He slowly turned, and even though his face was hidden behind a hood, she could feel the anger in those eyes of his directed at her. “You’ve been keeping things from me,” he said slowly. “Nictis was here last month and you kept him from seeing me.” He took a step forward, his footsteps heavy and threatening.

Chrysalis gulped and stepped back. “I-I didn’t want to bother you with things that the Swarm could-”

“Are you trying to rebel against me?” Jason seethed. “Remember, you became my subordinate by right of conquest. I will not have you undermining my authority.” He held up a familiar folder and slammed it onto the table, revealing the report that Nictis had provided for the Emperor the previous month. “Why wasn’t I notified of this Convocation being formed?” he asked.

Chrysalis glared at the report but then turned to Jason. “M-My Emperor, this isn’t the first time that the gryphons have tried to restore their empire by creating a council,” she said. “They’ve done it several times in the past and each time ended in failure because gryphons are greedy, money grubbing-”

“That’s no excuse to not give me a report that the general thought I should personally see,” Jason interrupted her. “I don’t care that you dislike him because he was on my side during our civil war. We are all one empire now. One united hive. There is no us or them in our ranks, there is only us. That’s the same kind of attitude that affected me, and I won’t let it affect anyone here!”

Chrysalis stumbled back, her heart sinking. She hated being yelled at by Jason, because it hurt her heart. Still, she couldn’t help but feel anger towards Nictis. “I…I will try-”

“Do it,” he ordered. “There is no try.” He turned away and looked back out at the Badlands. “I take it you came here about some magical blast that has you full?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“That was what Nictis had to report too,” he said. “Thank you for your diligence.” He used the word like a weapon. “You may go, now.”

She quickly retreated and made her way back to her room. She was angry, but she put her feelings aside. She had to have a one on one talk with Nictis, and it needed to be soon.