Markings of a King

Chapters

Reconstruction
Acclimation
Transition
Dissatisfaction (Pt 1)
Questions
Control
Stage
Stratos (Pt 1)
Displaced
Dissatisfaction (Pt 2)

Reconstruction

Far away from the Equestrian border, the changeling squad that had retrieved the human from the hooves of the Royal Guard carried their precious cargo gently into the depths of their outpost. The orderly honeycomb exterior belied the twisting and complex tunnels that were carved deep into the earth.

The squad navigated the corridors flawlessly, bringing the human to the medical area, where they set him down on an unoccupied slab of stone. Several changelings swarmed over to the critically injured being, each pooling their magic in an attempt to heal him. Try as they might, however, their magic was not made to restore, and the changelings present could only manage to keep the human’s heart beating and seal a few light gashes that would have healed flawlessly on their own anyway.

The group’s attention was broken only briefly as the air behind them crackled and sparked, the queen of all changelings teleporting into the room without fanfare. One of the changeling drones monitoring the human broke away and went up to its queen as she gathered her breath. Long-distance teleportation was not easy, not even to a queen.

“My queen,” the changeling spoke, bowing briefly. “We have recovered the human.”

“I can see that,” Chrysalis responded irritatedly. “Why is he on a medical slab, surrounded by healers? Did I not tell you to save him?”

The lower changeling’s gaze was unwavering. “We did not reach him in time. The Royal Guard attacked him before we arrived. He fought back, and even managed to kill their sergeant. But they appeared to have overwhelmed him with numbers.”

Chrysalis snarled in disgust for her enemies. “How severe are his injuries?”

“Unless he is kept with someling at all times to keep his heart beating, he will not survive,” the drone said bluntly. “His body cannot heal itself as it needs to, and we cannot heal him ourselves. It is likely he will starve, if not die from blood loss or infection.”

Chrysalis frowned and stared at the ground. The thoughts of the Hive responded to her own, offering suggestions, adding their thinking power to hers.

Take a pony healer…

Kill him…

Bring him to the ponies…

Support him…

The changeling queen rejected each one of these thoughts. They were either too contradictory to her desires, or cost resources they could not afford on such a risky investment. The queen dug deeper, using the full collective thinking of the Hive Mind, but it seemed that any of the voices of her subjects called for something that had already been said.

Graft him…

Implant him…

Chrysalis’ head snapped up at the thoughts. Graft, paired with implanting… it could work. The twin techniques had long been used to heal changelings with severe injuries, and in extreme cases they could replace entire limbs or organs. It was risky, however, as nothing was known about human anatomy or biology.

“You!” Chrysalis called, pointing at one of the changelings that served as one of the medical personnel. “Tell me, could it work?”

The medical changeling traded places with the drone, the latter dismissed with a mental wave. “I am not sure, my queen,” it replied, shifting its weight uncertainly. “I do not think it would be wise to take flesh from him right now, not in his state of injury. We would have to supply the material ourselves…”

“And the catch?” The queen asked.

“It would have to come from you, my queen,” the changeling said, its voice wavering slightly. “Only your body can be altered to the degree we need to fix him. The rest of us simply cannot change like you can.”

Chrysalis smirked slightly at the compliment. “Very well then. What degree of grafts and implants does he require?”

“You would have to give at least a leg’s worth of material, my queen,” the changeling said. “And that would simply be for his exterior wounds. We may have to take some of your bone as well. Even then, there is no guaren-“

“Then do it,” Chrysalis commanded resolutely. “This human holds the key to our victory. He will not die.”

The medical drone nodded and created a magical blade around its horn. “As you will, my queen.”

***

In the mind of the human, a dream began with a flicker of green static. A small room with no discernible features, save for one chair, flashed into existence. His view flickered once, twice more, and suddenly he could make out a creature similar to the ones that saved him. But if the smaller ones had been majestic, this one was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

“Sit,” it commanded. The human obeyed after a moment’s hesitation, slowly settling into his chair, which creaked once as he sat. The creature opted to simply stand, looking its companion over, face showing no emotion whatsoever.

“What is your name?” It asked. The teen began to answer, but stopped himself a moment before he did so. Instead, he smirked, and posed a question of his own.

“Names are powerful things. I could just as easily tell you a lie, and you would not know.” The creature’s face flickered to show a moment’s worth of irritation. “What is your name? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“There will be no lies in here,” the creature declared, the human now deciding it was likely a female. “My name is Chrysalis. Queen Chrysalis.”

“Called it,” the male muttered to himself. He smiled widely, before getting up and bowing to what he knew to be the queen of the changelings. “’Tis an honor, Queen Chrysalis. My name is Jack.”

“You are human, correct?” Chrysalis asked, and for a moment Jack could discern a flicker of concern from her. His smile immediately became a frown.

“Much as I wish otherwise, yes, I am human,” he answered. “And you are a changeling?”

The queen took a step back, surprised by the show of knowledge. “How did you know that?” Jack chuckled and sat down once more, resting one leg on top of the other.

“Oh you know, because you totally weren’t the season 2 finale villain of a show that I love oh-so-much,” he remarked, grinning. “Though I will say, everything is much less cartoonish in person.”

Chrysalis was taken aback by the human’s words, before cocking her head and questioning him further. “Do you know where you are?”

At this, the human got up, sighed, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he began milling around. “At some god-forsaken fence, ready to die and enter the pointless oblivion of the beyond.” He glanced at Chrysalis. “That is, if your underlings haven’t eaten me and I’m some spirit cursed to wander what I’m going to assume is Equestria until the end of time.”

The queen smiled. “Not even close.” Jack immediately whirled to face her, his expression expectant. The changeling continued.

“My children brought you back to an outpost, far away from the Equestrians. You were severely injured, burns all over you, deep stabs, missing flesh and bones broken in several places.” The teen let out a whistle.

“Wow, just give me some shades and call me Adam Jensen,” he said nonchalantly. “And yet, I’m getting the faint vibe that I’m not dead.”

“We are in the process of healing you,” Chrysalis explained. “For a timely recovery, we had to use some… unorthodox methods on you. You’re still you… you just might have a few extra bits and pieces now.”

Jack nodded slowly, placing a hand on his chin. “How long…?”

“One month,” Chrysalis deadpanned. Jack blinked and recoiled slightly.

“Well damn,” he said, surprise evident on his features. “And how did you keep me alive that entire time?” Chrysalis shivered.

“Don’t ask,” she said quietly. “Just know that there are a few changelings who you owe your life to and will never meet.”

Jack nodded solemnly and the dream-room flickered once more.

“Time’s up,” Chrysalis said. “Time to wake up.”

And with another flicker, the dream ended.

***

Jack’s entire body ached. His limbs felt heavier, and he could hear a buzzing noise that could only be coming from his own head. He opened his eyes slowly, grateful that there wasn’t some overly bright light above like some cheesy hospital wakeup scene.

He immediately noticed several things. First, he was surrounded by changelings, including the queen herself.

Second, the buzzing in his head was slowly turning to whispers. He tried listening to them, and soon the sound of a thousand voices speaking as one filled his ears. The human flinched at the sudden rise in noise, and quickly tuned the voices back out. Around him, several changelings twitched or staggered, one or two even letting out a wistful sigh.

As he lifted his arms to inspect them, their prior heaviness faded away, replaced with the feeling of strength that he had not known before. He noticed that his entire left hand was now covered in a clawed gauntlet of black chitin that reminded him of the changelings that surrounded him. Odd band-like pieces wrapped around both of his upper arms, small spikes jutting away from his arms at one end, while the other was firmly placed on his biceps.

An odd feeling on his back brought his attention to that next, and he groped around, careful not to scratch himself with his new hand. His eventually located the source: two long, somewhat thick spines that remained just separate from his back that he found were capable of raising and lowering, like something he might have found on an urchin, if said urchin’s spines were curved and could be moved at will. A slight tap with his still-fleshy hand revealed the spines to have sharp tips, something that brought a wicked grin to the human’s face.

And fourth, his only garb seemed to be his underwear which, if Chrysalis had been telling the truth, was now one moth overdue for a wash.

“SONOFABITCH!” Jack yelled. “Clothes, anybody!?”

Chrysalis laughed and levitated the rest of the human’s clothing over to him. “Oh don’t be like that,” she said mockingly. “We washed all your clothes.” The teen let out a sigh of relief and began to put his jeans back on.

“Wait, did you say ALL of them?”

The changeling queen chuckled again and waved her holed hoof dismissively. “Oh, nothing.”

Once he had dressed himself, Jack patted his pockets and sighed. “Well, I don’t suppose any of my usual possessions would help me now, would they? With a lack of electricity and all that.” He received a blank stare in return.

“I do not remember any ‘electricity’ from your memories,” Chrysalis said. “I must have missed it.”

“Wait, you rooted through my head while I was unconscious?” Jack asked indignantly.

“It’s not like you were going to stop me. After all, I think I deserve a bit of knowledge for saving your life.”

Jack’s lip raised in a snarl. “You could have asked first.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh I’m sorry, perhaps I should have asked an unconscious patient for permission to enter his head!”

“Yes, you should have!” He shouted back, clenching his fists as a feeling of aggression that was not his own, yet at the same time, was. Out of the corners of his eyes, the teen saw the crowd of changelings slowly backing away, forming a ring of bodies around the human and their queen.

Chrysalis snarled and lowered her head, pointing her twisted horn at Jack, who clenched his fists and settled into a fighting pose. The two circled one another, the challenge clear.

Chrysalis snarled slightly. The aggression flooding the two of them was in fact of her doing. She needed to fight this human. She needed to see just how overboard her subjects had gone with his restoration.

Jack frowned. His body felt awkward and mismatched. Some parts of him practically reverberated with a strange vigor, and other parts felt disused and worn. With a growl to himself, he focused on the task at hand: teaching the queen he respected some of the same.

The changeling queen was the first to move, bull rushing the human with her horn poised to spear him. Jack dove away, his right leg putting considerably more force into the dodge than his left, which sent him flying into the wall of changelings that quickly pushed him back into the fight. Chrysalis pawed at the ground, her wings fluttering intermittently.

Everything seemed to slow into bullet time for the teen. Chrysalis’ sudden charge became predictable, but the human could not move any faster than he could normally. A bizarre humming filled his ears, and his left hand moved backwards of its accord. Jack’s eyes followed his appendage, the human unable to control himself.

The hand opened up, making a five-fingered claw that began to spark with green magic. Jack’s eyes slowly widened as the magic sparked once, twice, three times, then surrounded his hand in an aura of green light and arcs of arcane power. The hand re-clenched and thrust itself forward, speeding up as the human’s perception of time reverted to normal.

The human’s newly acquired magic burst into a gale of green, high-speed winds countering Chrysalis’ charge and rooting her to the spot. Several less-fortunate changelings were sent flying, either into each other, or into the walls of the large medical room.

The burst of magic went as quickly as it came, leaving an exhausted human who promptly fell to the ground, and a hugely surprised changeling swarm.

Chrysalis slowly walked over to Jack, who was panting on his hands and knees as his vision swam. He saw the hooves of the changeling queen in front of him, and slowly forced himself to stand up, his stomach threatening to reject whatever his hosts had put in it. Previously invigorated limbs felt as deadened as the rest of him, but none of this deterred him from fighting through a foe he had conquered once before.

Jack eventually stood upright, vision fuzzy and hearing muffled. He shakily rose a clawed digit to poke Chrysalis in her chest.

“Respect…” he croaked. “Show some.” The changeling queen looked him over, then nodded slightly.

Only then did he allow himself to pass out.

Acclimation

Jack’s eyes shot open, and he quickly sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. His body still ached, although it was lacking in the state of being half-energized. He found himself on a stone slab once more, although there was a definite change in décor since he had last awoken.

The human was in a small, square room, with a sparse yet tasteful decorum. The stone slab the teen rested on was cut to be large enough for him to move around comfortably, despite the somewhat stiff material it was made of. The slab itself was pressed up against the wall opposite to room’s entrance: a portal surrounded by glowing green runes. Two large pillars holding bowls of flickering flames stood on either side of the entrance. And finally, a single green curtain emblazoned with a changeling head hung on both the walls next to the human.

Jack swung his legs off of what was apparently his new bed and slowly stood up, stretching to relieve the stiffness in his joints. Once he had finished, he looked around his new room once more, thoughts falling into coherence.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose,” he said quietly. “Though I’m really not complaining, regardless.” He smirked. “Note to self: remind humanity that stone can be just as good a bed as springs.”

After standing for a moment and chuckled lightly to himself, Jack sighed and looked out of his room. With a shrug, he passed through the gap in his wall and began to explore the hive he had been brought to.

The human walked briskly through the hallways and tunnels of the changeling outpost, hopelessly lost but not really caring. One of the first things the teen noticed was a distinct lack of any changelings. He slowed to a stop once he came to a sort of hub, where several tunnels convened and spread into the walls, ceiling, and even the floor.

“Anyo…anyling here?” the human called, hearing his voice reverberate down the tunnels. He strained to hear the faintest buzzing of wings, the slightest scraping of chitin on rock. But try as he might, his ears were only able to pick up a few whispers.

Jack blinked. Those whispers… I’m not hearing them. Or at least, not how I should be.

The human closed his eyes and focused on the whispers. They quickly became proper voices, but just as he began to make sense of their speech, they hushed themselves and Jack could no longer hear them. But as he began to turn his attention elsewhere, a single voice reverberated through his mind, bringing a single word and an undeniable command.

COME.

Jack’s body twitched and jerked against his will, and soon the human found himself navigating through the underground hive like he had lived in it his entire life. His arms and legs were suddenly in possession of an alien strength and determination as his body continued onwards, Jack’s conscious taking a back-seat to the will of the voices.

He continued on through the hive for some time, the only direction that he could keep track of being up. Eventually the human found himself in an enormous circular cavern, easily as long and as wide as a baseball field, and as high as almost two gymnasiums, filled with changelings that milled about almost aimlessly. It was in this cavern that the voices in Jack’s head seemed to amplify, pushing him to travel up a stone slope that hugged the wall of the cavern and circled around to a high-up ledge that jutted out over the floor.

Jack traveled up the slope, regaining enough motor control to look at the ledge to see none other than the changeling queen standing expectantly. With a slight jerking of his head, the teen managed to look down at what must have been a few hundred changelings, who had suddenly turned their undivided attention to him. He would have shivered, but his body refused to acknowledge that which had guided it for so long.

Finally, the human reached the beginning of the ledge, where Chrysalis greeted him with a smirk. “I trust your accommodations were adequate?”

The voices in Jack’s head finally subsided to whispers, allowing him to control his own self once more. He shivered, partly to make up for the one he missed, partly because the receding voices left him… alone.

“Fine enough,” he responded. “Now what is this all about?”

Chrysalis smiled and stepped closer. “It’s time for you to see those who saved you. They wish to see you as well.” The queen leaned in and placed her mouth next to the human’s ear.

“We have gifted you in ways you cannot imagine,” she whispered. “We did not mean to, make no mistake, but you have been given far more than just a new life. You have already scraped the surface of your magic, and you have touched the Hive Mind.”

Chrysalis drew back slightly and lifted Jack’s left hand, now his left claw and talons, and placed her warped hoof on his palm. Jack’s eyes widened as a green flash enveloped his hand, turning it back into the fleshy appendage it had been before. The queen allowed him to observe in awe for a brief moment, then shifted the hand back into its true form.

“I have given of myself so that you could live again,” Chrysalis said. “And I ask one thing in return: Will you claim the changelings as your own?”

Jack’s thoughts whirled. She’s the reason I’m alive? I owe my life to her, of all people? The human frowned. Take the changelings as my own… that’s an odd, incredibly vague request. But… I suppose don’t owe any…anyling else anything.

Jack opened his mouth to give Chrysalis her answer, but she held up a hoof.

“Don’t tell me,” she said, smirking once more. “Tell them.” She pointed over the ledge, towards the sea of insectoid beasts that awaited a response just as eagerly as their queen.

Jack gulped as his eyes went wide. “Um, I’m not really the best at pub-“

Chrysalis growled lowly, and Jack raised his hands and backed away. “Alright, point taken, I’m going.”

The human made his way to the end of the ledge somewhat less rapidly than his walk to the cavern, stopping at the precipice and looking out at the swarm of changelings that held unblinking gazes, all directed at him. The teen licked his lips and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before looking down at his saviors once more.

Finally, he raised his arms and began to speak.

“Changelings!” he began, already berating himself for being overly dramatic. “I do not know all of you, but I am almost certain that you know me. I am Jack, and I am, or at least was, a human. I came to your world alone, and as you know, I was attacked by the Royal Guard simply for being near the border. But your kind saved me, and made me, well…” He gestured to himself vaguely. “Whatever I am now.”

Jack spared a glance back a Chrysalis, who was watching him even more intently than her subjects. He nodded quickly at her, and then resumed his speech.

“You have shown me the utmost generosity and kindness, and your queen has possibly been the most generous to me.” Jack raised his left hand, green arcs of magic sparking across the surface. “You see this? This is but one of the gifts she has given. And I am sure that there are some that remain to be given. In return, she has asked what I can only call trivial.” Jack took another deep breath, only now realizing that there was some unknown gravity behind what he was about to do. “She has asked me to claim the changelings as my own. And in light of all that has happened so far, I can only think of one answer.”

Jack turned and faced Chrysalis, his expression resolute. “I answer you…”

“YES!”

As the uniform cheers of the changelings below him rose in volume, Jack could hear them in his mind as well as his ears. He frowned as he realized that each and every single cheer was in total unison, the lack of variance giving the impression that changelings, or at least the ones currently gathered, had little to no sentience or individuality. Save for the queen, of course.

“Thank you,” Chrysalis said, approaching the human with a genuine smile. “You cannot imagine the scope of what you have just done.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “A little early for world-shaking decisions, isn’t it?”

“History knows no clock, human,” The queen said softly, looking off to the side with an expression of sadness. “Do you think history cared what time Chaos was unleashed upon Equestria? Do you think history cared when our forces were decimated at the Siege of Canterlot?”

The teen considered Chrysalis’ words as the crowd beneath them splintered and returned to their duties. “I suppose not.”

The changeling queen turned and gestured with a hoof for the human to follow her, the mismatched pair walking back down to the floor along the circular ramp at a leisurely pace. Chrysalis led the way back to the lower levels of the hive, an uneasy silence between the queen and teen. Eventually, Jack decided to break it.

“So,” he began slowly, attempting to think of a conversation-starter. “What was that whole bit back there? With the acceptance speech and all?”

Chrysalis’ expression became somber, and she was thankful that she had her back turned to her follower. “It was… an important thing. Your comment about world-shaking events was not inaccurate.” Again, silence pervaded the air, but only for a moment. “But for now, you have other concerns. I will tell you what you need to know later.” The queen glanced over her shoulder to view an irritated human. “For now, ask me a question. Anything other than your acceptance, I will indulge you.”

Jack frowned, but didn’t comment any further on the topic. He lowered his head and thought, eyes searching the ground as if his chosen question was engraved in the dirt.

Anything, huh? I suppose I could ask about the changelings themselves… but I think I already know or guessed at what I need to. Jack looked up for a moment at the changeling in front of him, her words suddenly coming back to him, igniting unease in his mind.

“I have given of myself so that you could live again.”

He knew what to ask.

“You mentioned that you had ‘given of yourself’,” Jack asked, making air quotes with his fingers as he spoke. “Exactly what does that entail?”

Chrysalis chuckled lightly. “A wise question,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “And I understand where your concern lies.”

The queen kept walking, offering no further response. When Jack began to open his mouth to ask about her delay, she simply shushed him and continued to guide him deeper into the changeling hive. The teen rolled his eyes in annoyance and sighed dramatically, but kept following his companion.

Eventually the duo came to a large set of intricately carved wooden doors, various scenes of changeling royalty imprinted upon them. Chrysalis stopped in front of the doors and turned around, looking straight into Jack’s eyes with an air of command and authority.

Jerking her head backwards towards the doors, the queen uttered a simple sentence.

“Open them.”

She stepped aside to allow Jack to walk up to the doors, which he did. But as he prepared to push the wooden artwork aside, Chrysalis snapped up a hoof to block his right hand.

“Not like that,” she said. “You know what I mean.”

Jack looked at the hoof in front of him for a moment, until it lowered. His gaze drifted up to the possessor of the limb, who he contemplated for a moment before lowering his right hand. Instead, he brought up his left hand, the hand that he was no longer sure belonged wholly to him.

He examined the chitinous gauntlet, truly observing for the first time how it was attached, yet at the same time, was made to seem like his own arm had sprouted the armor-like covering. Veins and capillaries were clearly linked to both his arm and the black plating, and the more he focused on it, the more trouble the teen had seeing where human ended and changeling began. The way the shape matched that of the hand that may or may not have lain underneath did nothing to help differentiate.

As a final test, Jack turned his hand so that he was looking at the palm, feeling for the odd, almost-yet-not-painful sensation that would have signaled whether his years-old improperly healed wrist injury remained.

As he let his hand drop to his side, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

***

Chrysalis observed the human with a strange curiosity. Her words had not been lost on him, his drawn-out observation of his new hand had made that reasonably clear. She raised an eyebrow when she saw his lips twitch as he rotated his wrist, then lowered his entire hand to his side.

“Something wrong?” she asked. Despite being the queen, she had had enough experience among ponies to spot internal conflict, if only for the purpose of either rapidly soothing or avoiding it.

Jack paused, then slowly shook his head. “No. Nothing.”

He raised his warped hand, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow. Chrysalis squinted, trying to make out the ever-so-faint glow around or in him that would mark him as being able to use the innate magic all creatures possessed.

Both human and changeling held their breaths for some time, the former searching every recess in his mind for the burst of power that had allowed him to stop the queen in her tracks the day before.

The latter kept watching, unsure whether she would be disappointed or indifferent if he failed to use magic. It had never been part of her design for him to unlock such abilities, but fate seemed to have countermanded Chrysalis’ wishes. Her passive expression slowly became one of disappointment as time seemed to drag on, her internal clock annoyingly telling her that they were spending far too much time on a simple test of ability.

“Alright, that’s eno—” Chrysalis began, but a small, almost unnoticeable flicker stopped her dead in her tracks.

Her excitement gently rose as the flicker appeared once, twice, thrice, and then became a small ember of energy. She smiled as the human’s left hand sparked and lit up with a weak green aura, gritted teeth signifying how much the human struggled to keep his magical abilities working. But the ember inside him stayed strong, allowing Jack to slowly but surely push open the wooden doors that rested but a half-foot away from his palm.

No sooner than the doors had been fully opened, than Jack let out a breath and fell forward, only the magic of the changeling queen saving him from embarrassingly face-planting on the ground like a larva after their first use of magic.

“Easy now…” Chrysalis said softly. “Good… good job.”

The human raised his head weakly, a small grin on his face. “Well…” he began, panting somewhat heavily. “At least… now I can… tell science… to stick it… where the sun don’t shine…”

The changeling queen couldn’t resist a harsh laugh, getting a great deal of amusement out of the human’s sense of humor. She carefully levitated her exhausted compatriot onto her back, not minding the extra weight half as much as she would have for anyling less important.

The queen closed the doors effortlessly behind her, briefly wondering how something so simple could be so exhausting.

***

Jack’s body felt like it was burning.

Not just the sensation of being on fire, but that of being frozen, and that of being electrocuted, flooded his
senses. It was painful, yet there was a certain degree of comfort to it, as if he was being warmed, cooled, and energized as opposed to being incinerated, frozen, and shocked.

And once more, his vision was unfocused, hearing rendered null, and stomach upset. But it seemed much more manageable, and so the human tried to clear his head and focus once more.

He was faintly aware of being carried on Chrysalis’ back, and as his vision began to refocus, he saw that they were in a large bedroom, one that could only belong to the queen herself. A sensation of weightlessness came over him, and his world spun as he was levitated off of the queen’s back and onto a large bed, one made out of fabric and springs, not a simple stone cot the likes of which he had woken up on.

No sooner than he was lain down on the mattress than his senses returned to him fully. The teen sat up and observed the changeling queen as she paced in front of him. Jack prepared to speak, but a voice rang through his head, clear and familiar.

“Listen, do not speak.”

He obeyed, ending his attempt at speech before a single word escaped his lips. As he had done before, Jack listened to the chattering at the back of his mind, but one voice seemed to stand out from the swarm.

“You hear my voice above all others for a reason.” Chrysalis’ voice, with a slight echo, rang through Jack’s head. “I am the queen, not some mindless drone. But!” The changeling snapped, looking directly into the human’s eyes. “You asked what I meant by ‘giving of myself’. Here is your answer.”

The teen felt his limbs suddenly go limp, but only for a split second. Almost immediately, they began to move on their own in a jerky, uncoordinated fashion. Chrysalis frowned, lip raised in a small snarl as she closed her eyes, evidently deep in concentration. Jack began to panic, trying desperately to get his arms and legs to respond to him once more.

Finally, Chrysalis released a breath and panted lightly, and at the same time Jack regained control of his body. His features bore an expression of amazement and fear, and his next question came shakily. “W…wh… what did you do?”

The changeling queen opened her eyes and stared at him once more.

“You were grievously injured. Magical wounds, some reaching deeper into your body than the surface damage would suggest. You would have DIED. Do you realize that? You owe me your life.”

Jack’s eyes widened. I don’t like the idea of owing somebody my life.

“Then be glad I’m not collecting,” Chrysalis said aloud, making Jack sputter in confusion with the slightest hint of fear. “Why do you think I did what I did? I didn’t do it so I could have some slave or servant, as you seem to think. I did it so that you would help us, hopefully from some sense of honor or being indebted.”

The human smiled slightly. “Well, I won’t deny that I feel like I owe you now. But I think I still would have helped you anyway.”

The queen cocked her head. “Why? All of pony-kind hates us. Why would you help us?”

The teen chuckled for a moment. “Well, apart from the fact that they hate me, I’ve always been partial to changelings.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened in genuine surprise, and Jack could sense a form of positive feeling in the back of his mind. He grinned.

“By the way, you still haven’t answered my question.”

The changeling looked at him peculiarly, as if she was judging him in some unknown fashion. Finally, she nodded slowly before speaking.

“As I said before, you were close to death. You may have noticed some extreme measures we had to take.” She
gestured to Jack’s black hand. “Other things were more surgical. We literally had to replace several of your bones because of the damage those Royal Guards did.”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “M…my BONES!?”

The queen chuckled at his outburst and nodded. “Yes, your bones. That part was a bit painful for me.”

Jack’s expression became even more shocked. He then let out a dramatic sigh and flopped backwards onto Chrysalis’ bed, lying down for a moment in a state of false unconsciousness before springing back up, a serious look on his face.

“So…” he said slowly, steepling his fingers. “I’m guessing that the repercussions were far more extensive than a simple recovery.”

The changeling chuckled slightly. “From completely exasperated, to extremely sophisticated in just a few seconds. It seems you’re more of a changeling than you think.”

“No, I’m more of a changeling than you think.”

Chrysalis gave Jack a blank stare, coughing once awkwardly before she continued. “Yes, well… as I was saying, I think you’ll find that you have changed.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you say that?”

The queen grinned. “How many humans can claim to be part of the hive mind of another species?”

“None, or at least nobody that I can recall.” A wry smile accompanied the end of the sentence.

“I would think that that alone would mark you as being different,” Chrysalis said. “But in case that wasn’t enough for you, let me tell you this. Do you remember how I changed your hand? How I led you to speak in front of this outpost’s changelings? How I spoke directly to you?” Jack nodded, unable to stop himself from looking at his chitinous left hand.

“Those new parts of you… they all came from me.” Chrysalis lifted up her right foreleg and let it hang in the air. “It took me a month to regrow this limb. To regrow the material we used to save you. And because of that…” The queen swung her hanging limb from side to side, Jack’s right leg suddenly moving in perfect sync.

“I am a part of you, and you are a part of me.”

Jack frowned and gritted his teeth, putting all his willpower into seizing control of his leg. For a moment, the limb froze in midair, and the queen who had been controlling it gasped as her control was slowly but surely removed. Finally, with a mutual gasp, Jack regained control of his appendage and Chrysalis was left to stagger backwards as if he had struck her with another gale.

Jack panted, thoroughly mentally exhausted. His head throbbed, but he couldn’t help a grin that crept onto his face. His left eye began twitching rapidly, and the twitching was accompanied by a gradually increasing headache. The teen forced his eye to stay shut, and began rubbing it fiercely.

Immediately, he noticed a change in his world.

“What the…” was all he could muster. Everything, the bed, himself, and as he looked up, even Chrysalis, had become exactly like what he enjoyed watching on TV only one month ago. Jack stood up, abandoning his left eye. No sooner than it opened, however, than the his perception changed once more, Chrysalis turning from a cartoonish ponyesque bug into a majestic black, chitinous, insectoid beast, and her room retuning to the gritty, three-dimensional reality he was used to.

Jack sputtered, his attempt to understand exactly what was occurring not being at all helped by his slowly mounting headache. He brought his hand up once more to cover his left eye, but he froze when his hand brushed his face and caught on something that was not skin, and did not have the right texture of a scab he would have been unsurprised to find.

“M… mirror…. Now…” Jack grunted, removing his hand from his face so he could use both to rub his temples in an attempt to relieve the mounting pressure in his skull. Chrysalis’ face showed the barest hint of curiosity, but was soon covered in a mask of non-emotion as she led him across her room to a mirror that had been mounted on the far wall. The changeling queen stood next to the human as he examined himself in the mirror, a mixture of fright, amazement, sadness, and sick amusement on his features.

Jack brought his right hand up to run it across his face. Flesh met flesh, initially, but slowly slid onto a sliver of black chitin that protruded from his skin. Several bits of the same material were scattered about his face- on his cheek, next to his right eye, underneath his jaw. And as his hand ran through his hair, a rebellious whimper escaped him as he felt a row of small spines. They were completely hidden underneath his hair, but that fact did nothing to comfort the teen as he once more shakily brought his left hand into his field of vision. The appendage pulsed and crackled with magical energy, sending painful jolts up Jack’s arm that only worsened the pain in his head.

The human let out a yelp as he felt his back muscles tighten up in a way they had never done before, remaining painfully contracted as he groped at a new source of what was slowly becoming torture: his spines. The twin add-ons remained almost perpendicular to his back, sending painful jolts across the teen’s back whenever he tried to force them flat against his back.

Tears came to his eyes as the agony increased, as what felt like liquid fire erupted in his arms and legs, as if his own body was trying to burn itself from the inside out. Jack finally collapse onto the ground, trying and very nearly failing to avoid rolling around in anguish. He managed to look up at Chrysalis, whose only outward emotion was one of pity.

“H… h… h… elp…” Jack croaked, tears forcing their way to his eyes. In response, the queen turned and walked away, out of Jack’s sight. He heard two large doors opening and slamming closed, and he knew he was alone.

But even the loneliness did not last long. A sudden cacophony of voices burst into Jack’s mind, causing him to let out a scream that he had tried to hold in, but had ultimately failed to. And with one scream, his entire semblance of self-control vanished, and he began writhing on the floor in agony, clutching at his face, his hand, his back, curling up, and then repeating in a randomness manifested in sudden, mind-piercing pain that seemingly could not decide which part of Jack’s altered body it wanted to manifest in.

After an unknown amount of time, Jack felt his vocal chords give out, and his screams were reduced to coarse whimpers and choking half-gargles. He attempted to stand up, but could not manage to get off his hands and knees.

Through tear-filled vision, the tortured human made out his reflection in Chrysalis’ mirror. As the pain graduated from mind-crushing to all-consuming, the teen let out an angered yell, lashing out with his mutated left hand in a punch that shattered the glass and left a crater in the wall. Whether through a haze of suffering too great to be interfered with, or by virtue of his changes, Jack hardly felt the impact, let alone the additional pain that should have followed.

The human only lasted a few moments more before passing, for the umpteenth time, into unconsciousness.

Transition

Okay, I HAVE to give props to Cortex Repository for being a) a bro, b) a complete BOSS. I would encourage you all to not simply read this chapter, but READ it. Maybe then your mind will be blown as much as ours were.

Enjoy

The castle had been breached.

The White Knights barreled through the winding corridors of their home, rushing forward with the single-minded purpose of protecting what was theirs.

As they approached the site of the invasion, however, their once unstoppable assault came to a grinding halt. Their fellow Knights clustered around the breach, the Invaders but a short distance away from them. The arriving Knights urged their comrades forward, but the Knights clustered around the breach did nothing.

The Invaders began communicating with one another, relaying information in their incomprehensible language. But to the arrived Knights’ surprise, their comrades began responding. But the Knights were hesitant to attack their former comrades, despite what was at stake.

Then, with uncharacteristic swiftness, the once-Knights turned on their allies, restraining them as the Invaders flooded into the castle. Most went deeper into the structure, but a handful remained with the restrained Knights.

The Invaders latched on to the Knights, corrupting them in some horrible and unnatural way. The Knights struggled futilely, but eventually stopped their resistance as an overwhelming force began overriding their minds.

Then, suddenly, the force receded. The Knights remained still, stunned by the contact. They could no longer remember why they were up in arms, nor did the breach before them seem like a pressing issue. And the Invaders suddenly seemed like old friends, friends that had simply been forgotten for a moment. It seemed that all was well, and there was nothing to be concerned about.

The Knights left the area, resuming their usual patrol routes.

***

The Invaders flooded through the halls of the castle, taking over everything that got in their way. The White Knights that resisted them slowly dwindled in number, and soon the Invaders found that the castle was no longer hostile, but had become a new home for them.

The Red Servants were left well enough alone, and only a few Invaders converted any of them. The Servants were no more able to resist the Invaders than the castle itself, which the Invaders began to reorganize, almost rebuild.

A group of especially potent Invaders made their way to the throne room, where the King rested on his mighty throne, completely unconscious. The Invaders clustered around the King, hovering close but not touching him in any way. The King shifted in his sleep, utterly unaware of his would-be predicament.

One of the Invaders placed a chain of ebony of the King’s lap, and slid a vial of elixir into his hand. Then the Invaders departed, leaving a few of their number to guard the room, and to act as representative to the King when he woke.

No sooner than most of the Invaders had left the room, the King stirred once more. Slowly, and with some difficulty-

***

-Jack’s eyes opened once more, gradually revealing more and more of the bedroom he had fallen unconscious in. He stared at the ornate doors that blocked the rest of the hive from his view, flickering green flames held in bowls suspended from the ceiling illuminating the intricate designs.

Jack’s mind took some time before it began to process anything, and the first thing the human realized was that his body... tingled.

It was a strange sort of energy, one that many nights of inadequate sleep had denied the teen from feeling in some time. He slowly pushed himself off the stone floor, taking a deep breath. He blinked a few times, a total lack of thought in his mind.

Slowly, Jack stood up. He began stretching, loosening up his strangely stiff muscles. As he loosened up his back, he became acutely aware of his spines shivering. A momentary flash of discomfort ran through him as he remembered what had transpired before he had blacked out, but an almost alien, yet strangely familiar presence soothed him, wiping away his concerns like a brush against cobwebs.

Immediately after he had fully woken up, Jack felt the presence in his mind enlarge, almost as if it was... connecting. Abruptly, his head was filled with voices, chattering back and forth, relaying facts, figures, and the slightest hint of emotion. The human took a step backwards in shock, then decided to raise his voice to join the symphony.

“What’s going on?” he asked. Like so many times before, the voices died down almost immediately. Jack’s vision flickered, and suddenly what could only be described as a heads-up-display formed in his vision. A three-dimensional model appeared, something that he somehow, in an unknown way, knew was a network. A network of changelings, each one of their thoughts forming the immense Hive Mind.

Lights were present across the network, each one representing the mind of an individual changeling. Each was like a small candle, indicating only the barest glimmer of sentience. They were all linked together by innumerable silken strands, each mind relaying its contents to the rest. But one mind stood out from the crowd, a massive fireball among embers.

The mind of the Queen.

Jack, unused to mental communication through the Hive Mind, tentatively reached out towards the mind of the queen. As his mind neared that of Chrysalis’, her thoughts became clearer and clearer, as if he was watching her very thought processes. As he watched, it became clear that she was coordinating the rest of the Swarm, directing groups of changelings with almost flawless skill. Eventually, he spoke up.

“Chrysalis?” he asked, the words not only coming from his mouth, but reverberating though the entire Hive Mind. The changeling queen’s attention shifted to him almost immediately, yet she still managed the Swarm at the same time.

“So, you’re finally awake,” she remarked, a cold tone to her words. “I assume you’re still taking up space on my floor?”

Jack gritted his teeth in aggravation. “You left me there. Not even a second thought.”

“Of course I did,” the queen spat. “Any one of us would have, you ungrateful monkey!”

With that, Jack felt a flicker of irritation. But as Chrysalis’ words cycled through his mind for just one repetition, he felt some part of himself respond. His irritation quickly turned into full-blown hyper-aggressiveness, to the point where only a glimmer of self-control remained with the human.

The Hive Mind itself shuddered with his next words. “Is that a challenge?”

A flash of curiosity and confusion came from the queen. “And if it is?”

Jack’s last remnants of self-control shattered, an angered growl coming from the teenager as he burst into a full-on sprint, the strange, energetic, tingling feeling that he had felt upon waking up now surging through his body, turning him into an undeniable force that had one goal.

“CHRYSALIS!!!” he yelled, bursting through the doors of the aforementioned changeling’s bedroom. As Jack blinked, the network-image of the Hive Mind vanished, suddenly replaced with another three-dimensional image, this one showing what could only be the layout of the outpost. Jack was faintly aware of his perception of the world being slowed as a red line was drawn from his location through the winding halls and passages of the hive to his target: the changeling queen herself. The barest flicker of curiosity flashed through Jack’s mind as he wondered what had turned what would have been an likely fruitless search into nothing less than a hunt. The curiosity was quickly submerged in anger, however, and Jack’s perception sped up, returning the world to normal time.

The human bolted through the hive, running down halls, scrambling up a few ledges, and darting around corners with a speed he had never been in possession of. The large image of the hive had disappeared, replaced by a smaller image in the upper left of Jack’s vision. His attention flicked to it at uneven intervals, making sure he was on the correct path to reach his target. The human swore as he misjudged when to turn, but was soon pleased by the red line instantly reconfiguring itself to compensate for his mistake.

As he neared the location of the changeling queen, his fist lit up with a green aura of magic, ready to accept the challenge that had been issued.

***

Chrysalis was impressed by Jack’s reaction. From what she knew of him, he was currently far faster and stronger than his previous lifestyle would have cultivated him to be. It was almost worrisome.

The queen scoffed at the thought, ordering a five-strong squad of changelings to stand ready at the entrance the incoming human was likely to come through. She patiently waited for him, smirking as she felt his anger rattle the Hive Mind in a way only she had ever been able to. As a side thought, she briefly wondered how he had taken so well to his implants.

Her time for thinking was over. Jack was nearing her at a rapid rate, a force that would certainly take some effort to subdue. The changeling flexed her magical muscles, her horn lighting up with the signature green glow of her species’ magic.She stared intently at the entrance before her, ready for the incoming human.

She blinked in surprise as a hiss was relayed directly to her, completely bypassing the connection of the Hive Mind. She then started as the human abruptly changed course, rounding a corner in order to flank her position. Chrysalis did not even have enough time to send the mental warning to her current guards before she was tackled by a very fast, very angry human.

Her world spun as she hit the floor, dazed for but a moment. The changeling was quickly aware of Jack on top of her, rearing back his gifted hand for a deadly punch. Chrysalis jerked her head to the side as the fist whizzed past her, missing her head by precious inches. A crunching noise and the cracking of the ground signified how deadly the blow would have been, but the queen prevented another strike from following by quickly bucking the human off her with her fore hooves.

Jack sailed backwards, landing on the ground near his entrance. He wheezed as he grabbed his chest, crawling to his hands and knees. His breathing remained heavy a few moments, allowing Chrysalis to climb to her hooves once more. No sooner than she did so than Jack began chuckling, then laughing. The queen blinked in confusion as she heard the same chuckle whisper in the back of her mind.

The human wasted no time in attacking again, rushing towards Chrysalis with his left claws bared to swing at her. She read the attack, both in the movement and through the Hive Mind, and reacted accordingly, unleashing a burst of paralytic magic into the teen at point-blank range, sending him into convulsions as he hit the ground, arcs of magic crackling across his immobilized body.

“What was that?” Chrysalis asked, genuinely curious as to why he had attacked her unprovoked.

Jack did not respond immediately, too preoccupied with stopping his body from spasming. Once the convulsions died down, he slowly stood up, breathing heavily as he did so. His gaze slowly rose to meet Chrysalis’, full of anger and resentment.

“You... left me... to... suffer alone...” he panted. “Then... you... had the gall... to just insult me? Where... do you get off...”

The changeling queen hissed and stamped her hoof down on the ground. “You rejected our- my! -gift! The gift of the Hive Mind!” she walked closer to Jack, putting a hoof underneath his chin as she leaned down. “I gave you the honor of feeling my direct control. I gave you my own body, and you think you are the one who has been wronged?”

“I never asked for you to control me. Have you ever heard of ‘individuality’?”

Chrysalis backed away. “In case you haven’t noticed, Jack, we are not an individualistic species.”

The human grunted and stood up, spines on his back standing up from his back. “I think I see what the problem is here,” he said, frowning. “We’re too different. Our cultures and ideals are clashing. We can’t cooperate like this.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened as a feeling of dread washed over her, so strong that the entire changeling race felt it clear as day. “Y-you’re not...”

Jack shook his head, hearing her fears and denying them. “I’m not leaving, no. This isn’t an issue worth leaving over.”

“What are you getting at?”

The human allowed a small smile to come to his face. “Simple. I need to live with you. With the changeling race. I need to see things from your point of view.”

Chrysalis let out a small sigh of relief. “Well then, I suppose we’d better return to Kruziik-Ahrol. I think you should move there if you want to learn our culture.”

Jack grinned. “I don’t really have a choice, now do I?”

The changeling queen chuckled slightly. “I would never force you to do anything,” she said, sarcasm pouring from her voice. She closed her eyes and began preparing a teleportation spell.

“Place your hand on me.” Chrysalis’ voice echoed in Jack’s head. The human hesitantly put his right hand on her neck, and for the first time he felt Chrysalis’ hair, made of thick, soft and slick strands similar to that of wet human hair.

“Yes, like that. But lower.”

He nervously slid his hand down slightly, closer to the queen’s shoulder. A pang of sadness went through him as the queen’s hair left his grasp.

“I said LOWER.”

Jack’s hand slowly moved to her shoulder. In contrast to her hair, the chitin of the changeling’s carapace was much dryer, and somewhat rough. A sudden feeling sparked in the back of his mind.

“Oh for goodness sake, if that’s what ‘lower’ gets me, then AS LOW AS YOU CAN!”

A sudden and alien boldness washed over the teen as he took his hand off Chrysalis, biting his bottom lip before placing it on her flank.

Chrysalis’ eyes shot open as her magic sputtered and faltered.

“NOT THAT LOW, YOU IDIOT!” she screamed, her voice rocking the Hive Mind and causing Jack to wince and cover his ears even as he giggled to himself. Chrysalis smacked him upside his head, which only served to increase his giggles to full-on laughter.

The changeling queen glowered at the human, who continued laughing as her irritation rolled through the Hive Mind. Eventually his mirth subsided, and he wiped a tear from his eye, an immensely wide grin on his face.

“And WHAT do you think gave you permission to do THAT!?” Chrysalis half-asked, half-yelled. Jack chuckled once more and narrowly dodged another swipe by the queen before he responded.

“You did tell me to go a low as I could reach!” he cackled, his grin setting Chrysalis’ temper at a constant boil. “I never would have done that oth...er...wise...” He trailed off, grin and humor disappearing in the blink of an eye as something mentally clicked in his head.

“I... would... never do that...” he whispered. Chrysalis blinked as she felt his confusion, along with the slightest inkling of... fear.

Jack’s eye suddenly twitched, and he gasped as his neck muscles suddenly spasmed. The convulsions were nothing compared to the ones from when he had previously passed out, a mere annoyance. He rubbed his neck and looked at Chrysalis, imploring her to explain. The queen sighed and prepared her spell once more.

“Place your hand on me,” she instructed, knowing that he wasn’t about to attempt another flank-grab. Jack gently laid his hand on her back, faintly aware of her smooth plate of glossy green chitin that stood in stark contrast to its black surroundings.

Chrysalis closed her eyes, casting her teleportation spell with a bright flash of green light, sending herself and her companion away from the outpost she had spent a month and a half in.

It was time to go home.

***

The air in a deep, underground chamber began sparking and crackling around a central point suspended in midair. Then, with another bright flash of light, and a smokeless detonation, Jack and Chrysalis appeared out of thin air.

While Jack was simply dazed for a moment and refocused with a simple shake of his head, Chrysalis gasped loudly and fell to the floor, panting as she sweated profusely. Her vision spun hazily as fatigue consumed her, robbing her of the strength to do anything for the time being. Concerned, Jack kneeled down, nudging the queen’s shoulder.

“Hey,” he called. “You alright?”

Chrysalis did not answer, not even through the Hive Mind. Jack slowly began to feel drained, as if a part of him was dying. Panic began to form in him, fear for the queen replacing his fear of himself.

With a blink, the layout of the previous outpost flickered across his vision before fizzling out and being replaced by the map of a much larger structure. Jack closed his eyes and called out to the changelings he was mentally linked to.

“Brothers and sisters, give me the knowledge to help the queen!”

The buzzing voices of an entire species filled the human’s mind, coalescing into a legion of sounds that all spoke the same words. The words themselves were harsh, brutal, and sharp, resonating with an authority an innate power that transcended the teen’s ability to understand, yet they inexplicably gave him what he needed to know.

“Daal wah zii-laas-sos, saviik, leh monah-lun dir. Du Jun Sombra, zahrahmiik ok zii-laas. Lahney, Chrysalis, lahney! Kron fin Hokoron! Saviik, kron Dinok!”

The map of Kruziik-Ahrol was suddenly implanted with a red line, starting in a dead-end chamber and trailing down, deep into the hive, to a large cavern at the very bottom. Without a second thought, Jack slid his hands underneath Chrysalis, her exoskeleton now seeming much more delicate and the queen seeming less and less lively as her breathing became shallower.

The teen hefted the changeling up onto his back, performing a fireman’s carry as he set off with as much haste as he could while encumbered by the queen’s weight. A light jog was as fast as he could push his body to go, his teeth clenched as he felt Chrysalis’ heartbeat through her natural chitin armor as it pumped faster and faster, as if it would burst any moment.

As the human bounded through the changeling hive, an escort of the majestic insectoids formed around him, protecting their queen as best they could. Jack felt a stream of energy flow through the Hive Mind to Chrysalis, every changeling alive trying to preserve their queen long enough for him to reach... whatever it was he was trying to reach.

Jack travelled down what seemed like never-ending corridors and passageways, even sliding down a few sections too steep to be traversed on foot. After what seemed like a lifetime, he finally arrived at a large hole in the floor which, according to his map, dropped directly down into the chamber he needed to go. A mixed glow of bright blue and grey radiated from the chamber, sending electric tingles and malicious chills through Jack’s body. With a slight gulp, he took a few steps back, then ran forward and leaped down into the chamber.

Jack landed sloppily on the cavern’s floor, the changeling queen falling off his back and landing at the edge of a large pool of a bright blue, gel-like fluid that pulsed with an azure light. Bright blue vine-like plants seemed to crawl in and out of the fluid, arcs of electricity sparking between them as smokey blue particles drifted up from the lake, which seemed to stretch farther than Jack’s map had indicated.

The human took a moment to look at a small island that rested in the middle of the lake, a single, smokey-grey crystal that floated in the air, enveloped in a green, black, and purple bubble of magic. The longer Jack seemed to stare at it, the more interesting it seemed to become.

A loud mental hiss snapped the human out of his observations and refocused him on the situation at hand. He looked up for a moment to see his escort of changelings still above him, ears folded flat against their heads, as if they were too scared to descend.

Jack glanced over to the pool once more, eyes slowly widening in recognition of the strange substance. He looked down at Chrysalis, who had finally summed up the last dredges of her failing strength to crack open her eyelid. A sort, hoarse whisper escaped her lips in between her gasps.

“Please...”

Jack’s expression became resolute, and he nodded firmly. He kneeled down next to the blue lake and cupped his hands, submerging them in the liquid for a moment. He gasped briefly as an electric sensation rippled through his body before taking his hands out, the feeling fading but not entirely being eliminated as he did so. He held a small amount of the liquid in his hands, which he quickly brought to the clearly dying changeling queen.

Kneeling down next to her, the teen slid his hands under her mouth and gently let gravity slide the blue substance into her mouth. Chrysalis’ eye opened once more and she shakily swallowed, shivers running through her body as she did so.

Jack found himself slowly grasping one of the queen’s holed hooves in his hands. He took a moment to marvel at the way the chitin seemed to flow over itself, forming a beautiful, yet practical piece of organic artwork. Slowly, he closed his left eye, watching as the hoof became smooth and more uniform, taking on a cartoon-like appearance, and strangely even changing its very texture, as if Jack had changed one reality for another.

With a small smirk and a short sigh, he opened his left eye. The world returned to its more realistic version, and the human found that, despite the roughness, he preferred it that way.

Jack felt a sharp pang in his chest as the Hive Mind resounded with fear and anxiety. The changelings were afraid for their queen, but the human felt far closer to her than they did. The thought of loosing her filled him with a sadness, and the guilt of a debt forever unpaid. He squeezed the changeling queen’s hoof in both hands, hoping that she would be brought away from the precipice she rested on and banish the despair that seemed to permeate the air.

Slowly, Chrysalis’ gasps faded, becoming more regular breaths that caused the changeling species to let out a collective sigh of relief. She withdrew her hoof from Jack’s hand and slowly stood up, taking a few tentative steps toward the pool and leaning down, taking a few seconds to lap at the precious blue liquid that refilled her strength and thus brought her subjects comfort. Jack felt the electric sensation from before return, though it seemed greatly diminished. He shivered as Chrysalis brought her head up to look at him.

“...You feel what I feel, don’t you?” she asked.

“I... I think I do,” Jack replied hesitantly. “You feel kinda... tingly.” Chrysalis nodded.

“It seems we are closer than I had predicted,” the queen said, stepping closer to Jack. She lifted a hoof and gently placed it under his chin. “Yet another gift. Something I think I will look into. For now though... thank you.”

The changeling moved to take her hoof back, but some part of Jack made him gently grasp the retreating hoof and bring it to his lips, kissing it in a way befitting of royalty such as herself.

“Think nothing of it,” the teen said. “my... Queen.”

Chrysalis gave him a genuine smile as she enveloped him in her magic and levitated him out of the cavern, flying up after him. Dismissing the group of changelings that clustered around her, Chrysalis signaled with a wave for Jack to follow her.

“Come,” she said. “I think you would appreciate a tour.”

The changeling queen set off at a leisurely walk, unaware that her human companion lingered at the edge of the cavern for just a moment longer. He looked down at the pool blue liquid, a scowl etched on his features.

“Corruption of the foulest sort...” he whispered. “What business doth thou have here?”

With a shake of his head, he quickly set after Chrysalis, forcing himself to avoid thinking of the lake that the changelings kept hidden.

Dissatisfaction (Pt 1)

Chrysalis led Jack through the carved-out hallways of Kruziik-Ahrol, the pair walking at a somewhat quick, yet leisurely pace. The changeling queen held a small smirk on her face, the only betraying sign of her twisted satisfaction. Her human follower bore a blank expression, eyes only straying from the majestic insectoid in front of him when one of her lesser brethren created some small movement that registered on his peripheral vision.

Jack’s attention was largely focused on the image of the changeling hive that rested in front of him. The Hive Mind provided no guidance this time, as the teen had no idea where he was going. He settled for simply observing the layout of the Hive, a mental push here and there rotating the image that existed only in his mind. With a short sigh and a blink, the layout vanished from his vision.

“So...” the human began slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Where are we going?” Chrysalis asked for him, turning her head slightly to look at him over her shoulder. “I’m still feeling a bit hungry after that incident. We’re going to stop at hub so I may consume some of the love a drone brought back.”

A flicker of irritation flashed across Jack’s features, the twin spines on his back flaring for a moment before settling down. “And what about me? What am I supposed to eat?”

The changeling queen chuckled. “The same as me.”

Jack’s slight aggravation was displaced by a sudden thought. “Wait. I felt the other changelings give you energy through the Hive Mind. Can’t you just feed that way? Is it really necessary to go to a... a hub?”

“Very astute of you,” the queen commended. “I suppose I could feed like that. But doing so leaves you... hungry, even as it sates you. I prefer to feed with my subjects.”

Jack shrugged. “So it’s like Chinese food. I guess I can live with that.”

Chrysalis gave the human an odd look before refocusing on getting them to the closest of Kruziik-Ahrol’s many hubs.

The two eventually arrived at a large cavern not unlike the one Jack had given his address in. A large cavern, with numerous holes in the walls and ceilings for entries and exits, and a stone spiral that ran around the cavern up to a ledge that extended over the floor. A small crowd of changelings was in a constant state of shrinking and expanding as the polymorphic creatures came and went. The only constant was a single changeling that stood in the center of the hub, body rigid and radiating a bright pink light. Its fellow changelings would take a seat as near to it as they could, stay for a few moments, then leave.

Jack felt inexplicably drawn to the still changeling, yet he repressed his urge to get any closer than the queen he was following. He kept behind Chrysalis as she stepped closer to the immobile changeling, her subjects parting to allow the both of them passage. The changeling queen stopped once she was directly in front of the glowing insectoid, slowly laying down with a large sigh.

The queen allowed her head to fall backward as she closed her eyes, the pink glow that came off of her brethren developing around her as well, though it was much dimmer. Jack sat down next to her after a moment’s hesitation and closed his eyes as well. The human felt Chrysalis’ conscience through the Hive Mind, attempting to talk to her without disturbing either the changeling or the noticeable near-silence that pervaded the hub.

“Is this how changelings share love?” he asked, aware that although his lips still moved, he prevented himself from speaking aloud for the first time. He allowed himself a small smile.

“It is...” Chrysalis responded slowly, almost lethargically. “It may seem strange... but this is one of our most... sacred practices....”

Jack shivered as he felt a tingling at the back of his mind. At the same time, he felt slightly more energetic, and a feeling of faint fullness. “... do I seriously have to subsist off of love from now on?”

Chrysalis’ mirth was clearly felt through the Hive Mind. “Yes... you do... though I take it you need to be shown how. Or would you rather I feed you, like someling would a larva?”

The teen couldn’t suppress a growl. “As if I need your coddling. I can figure this out myself...”

The human ignored the queen’s lighthearted laughter as he focused on the task at hand. He sat still, trying to calm himself as he felt for the changeling that was currently sharing it’s gathered love. He quickly located the drone’s presence in the Hive Mind, but that alone was not enough.

Jack frowned, trying to figure out how to take some of the changeling’s food. He focused on the insectoid, observing it’s mind to the exclusion of all else. The network of the Hive Mind faded from his focus, and he began to see a pink mist in the air, despite his eyes still being closed.

The mist seemed to expand, flowing all around the human. His mind reached out clumsily, trying and failing to grasp what he guessed was the love radiating off of the changeling drone.

Suddenly, Jack felt himself being assaulted by a haze of memories...

***

A mare frolicked happily through a flowery field, her giggles and laughs filling the air. Her wings flapped a few times, allowing her to rise into the air and descend upon her not-partner...

“I love you, Midnight Forest.”

***

Jack felt a pang in his chest, one that hurt him more than any previous spasm. He tried to shy away from the ambient love, but to no avail. A single unbidden thought coursed through his mind.

“No...”

***

The mare and the drone sat at a table in her home. The pegasus ate heartily, practically plowing through her meal. The changeling, on the other hand, took a more measured pace. The food was bland, simply another part of the ruse.

“You alright, love? You usually eat a lot more than that...”

***

The teen stood up, his heart feeling like it was in a vice. His entire body shook, and he fought to resist the tears that were clawing their way to his face.

“Alone...”

***

The mare stood poised over the drone, the light of the moon shining through the open window the only illumination in the bedroom. The pony smiled, fancying herself the predator that night.

“Even as they prey on us, we prey on them.” The voice of the queen echoed through the mare’s not-partner’s head, tone heavy with amusement.

“Ready, love? Maybe this will shake you out of whatever’s got you in a funk, hmm?”

Love.

Rich.

Pure.

Filling.

Love.

“Love...”

***

Jack’s staggered steps quickly turned into a walk, then a run, then a sprint. His eyes opened, dispelling the mental sensory image of love and replacing it with the realism of the changeling hive.

The human ignored the startled and disrupted buzzings, chirpings and hissings of the changelings behind him, even the shouts of Chrysalis herself doing little to garner his focus. He was occupied with only one thought.

Escape.

He took seemingly random turns and pathways, going nowhere and anywhere. The few changelings he ran past did nothing to stop him, even moving out of his way when it seemed they would halt him, even through inaction.

The human’s chest ached with pain, and his vision began to blur with miniscule droplets of water. He tried with every ounce of willpower he could to keep moving, but he could feel his body giving out on him, tiring more quickly than he wanted it to. A red trail faded into existence in front of him, the Hive Mind guiding him no matter how much he tried to push it away.

Jack eventually stumbled and collapsed into a dark room. He lay sprawled out and panting on the floor for some time before he gathered the strength to pull his head off the floor and look around.

The room was dug-out, a feature the teen was now fully associating with changeling architecture. Bioluminescent green domes, almost like cocoons, were attached to the walls and ceiling, and even some of the floor, each holding a small object inside them. The walls and ceiling shared not only the domes, but also bubble-like excavations that allowed increased storage space.

The human dragged himself over to the nearest dome, which rested on the floor. He ran a hand over it, feeling the smooth shell that held no rough edges or imperfections, texture akin to glass, yet the dome had the barest give to it, reminiscent of a balloon. Jack gazed at the object inside, and despite the slight distortion that the shell gave it, he was able to make out a small, curled up, worm-like creature.

Jack pulled back from the cocoon, a deranged smile spreading across his face. He laughed tiredly and fell backwards, chuckling to himself.

“Of all the places to wind up, I go to a nursery...” he muttered to himself, letting his head roll back and forth as his limbs went numb. “At least I’m not a... a...”

He choked up, forcing himself to squeeze out the last word, regretting it immediately.

“Alone...”

Instantly, his chest constricted once more, and tears flowed from his eyes. The teen slowly pulled himself into the fetal position, refusing to allow his last shreds of dignity to fade away with the sobs that were building up inside him.

“No, don’t you dare cry... do NOT be weak...”

“Why...”

“I can’t... I just... can’t...”

“It’s... it’s not fair...”

“Stupid emotions... you’re weak... weak for letting them get the better of you...”

“Why... “ Jack choked, feeling the Hive Mind just outside his reach, leaving him devoid of any contact with any other being to comfort him. “Why... does she get... to be happy?”

“Stop.”

The sobs he tried so hard to hold back came forth, shaking his form as hot tears accompanied them.

“BEING.”

“It’s... it’s not fair...”

“USELESS. WEAK.”

“UNLOVED.”

“Taking up space on my floor again?”

***

Chrysalis’ words left her mouth softly, more of a call than a mocking. She had taken her time following him, not too worried since his lack of recent feeding meant he would be low on energy. She was somewhat regretting her leisurely following, not particularly pleased to see the one she had sacrificed an entire leg for curled up on the ground and crying like a pony newborn, sorrow shaking the Hive Mind that he had unconsciously pushed away. But that did not mean she was particularly upset either.

The queen laid down next to the crying human, gently sliding a holed hoof under Jack’s chin and lifting his face they could look at one another. If he dried and opened his eyes, of course.

“You are in pain,” she said softly, knowing that she could just as easily get the human back to normal as she could send him into a despair in which he would likely remain until he either took his own life or swore revenge on her. Needless to say, she preferred the former option.

“It’s... nothing...” the teen sobbed, in clear contradiction of his words. Chrysalis let out a soft sigh.

“You’re lying,” she whispered, leaning down next to his ear. “Tell me what ails you.”

Jack ceased crying, letting out a soft chuckle followed by a loud sniffing. “You sound like my mother...”

“I am a mother myself, remember,” the changeling reminded him. “I may not have borne child, but I am monah-lun. Mother-Leech, in your tongue. All changelings are my children, regardless of their birth mothers.”

The human looked around the bio-illuminated room again, tears having ceased now that his mind had been engaged. “So... these larva... I’m guessing they’re larva at least... you didn’t birth any of them?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “No, these are all blood-children of the females you see around the hive. Although...” The emotional parasite let her head hang. “Not all of their mothers are alive today.”

The pair remained silent for a moment, both flashing back to the failed Siege of Canterlot. Jack was the first to speak.

“Why did you follow me?” he asked, sitting up. “Why do you... care?”

Chrysalis brought her head up and gazed at him, studying him for a moment. He was fragile, but she knew and understood why. She had felt his emotions flare in response to the drone’s memories of its hunt that pervaded the love it was supplying. She felt his pain, a pain that was not so different from a lovesick pony. She did not fault him for it.

Yet at the same time, he was strong. She didn’t know the rest of his kind, if his kind indeed existed according to legend, but she at least knew that no pony would have so willingly or so wholeheartedly become part of an entirely different species. She respected him for that.

With all that in mind, Chrysalis chose her next words carefully.

“I care because... you are more than just the legend I thought you were. Make no mistake, I do not... love you.” Jack’s suddenly slumped shoulders did not escape her notice. But the changeling continued. “I do not think I am capable of love as you perceive it. But I am not heartless. I will not let you grieve or suffer while it is within my power to prevent or stop it.”

Jack gazed at the ground for a long while. Eventually, he looked back up at Chrysalis and let out a shaky breath. “I... I think I’ll take you up on your offer...”

“There is no shame in needing help accepting the new,” Chrysalis said, her horn lighting up with a greenish-pink glow. “Hold out your hand.”

The teen slowly extended his right hand at first, then retracted it and held out his left. The changeling queen smiled softly.

“So you are learning.”

She then touched her horn to his palm, siphoning some of the love she had acquired from her drone to Jack. Immediately, he straightened up, taking a deep breath as he experienced his first feeding. Chrysalis felt a tingling at the back of her mind, as if an untouched portion of her had been restored and reinvigorated. She briefly wondered how deep her connection ran with the human, but decided to find out later.

“When you feed,” she began, drawing her horn away from Jack. A short sigh was her response. “You must rely on your changeling parts to absorb the love. From what happened in the hub, I would say you tried to use all of yourself, correct?”

Jack nodded slowly, and Chrysalis continued. “You are human. You are not meant to feed on emotion, that much I can tell from when we were... reconstructing you. But your hand, your spines, your implants... they cannot survive on ordinary food. You can touch the Hive Mind at will, and that is signal enough that you are part changeling. I do not know if you share the ability to shapeshift, but you may... no, you must feed as we do.”

The queen gently used her link with the human once more to take control of his left arm, and for once he allowed her to do so. She raised his left hand for him to inspect, rotating the gauntlet slowly for the teen to inspect every inch of his chitinous appendage. She returned control of the hand before she continued speaking.

“It would be easiest for you to use your hand to feed. Simply draw the love in through there, and you will be fine.”

Jack nodded and stood up, wiping away the last bit of unwanted water on his face. He held out his hand, and Chrysalis graciously allowed him to assist her to her feet. He cleared his throat before speaking. “I think we can continue with your tour...”

Chrysalis grinned, taking a step back and gesturing all around them. “Then for your first true stop, let me show you one of the birthing chambers.” She walked over to the same dome Jack had observed earlier, gently rested a hoof on it.

“Inside each of these is a single larva. Each cocoon is filled with love-saturated fluid to feed its occupant. The shells have a very durable exterior, but a larva can easily puncture it from the inside.”

Jack looked around expectantly at each of the dome-cocoons. “You know, this is usually the part when a larva randomly hatches so I get to see the birthing process.”

The changeling queen rolled her eyes. “You don’t want to be here for that. It’s messy, and cleanup is always a pain.”

The human looked at her quizzically. “Messy?”

“Very much. The fluid spills everywhere when the larva hatches, and since mature changelings can’t absorb it, it just sits there. And obviously, a new cocoon has to be made for each larva.”

Jack frowned. “Seems kind of wasteful.”

Chrysalis shrugged. “Such has been tradition for as long as we can recall. It has never been a problem, so I do not see any need to change it.”

“Fair enough, I suppose...”

The queen turned and gestured with a flick of her head. “Come. You have more to see.”

***

Jack followed Chrysalis through the hive, relying on his mental image of Kruziik-Ahrol to try and determine where they were headed. From what he could tell, they were currently circling upwards around a massive open portion of the hive, one of the few areas exposed to the outside.

With a blink, the human refocused on the passage before him. He and Chrysalis proceeded down a long, darkened hallway, the light of daytime shining in from the far side. Jack could hear a rough symphony of hisses, buzzes, and a variety of scraping noises filling the hallway, unconsciously flexing his chitin gauntlet, his spines twitching as his perception of the world gradually but noticeably sharpened.

“Where are we?” the teen asked, confused by his body’s involuntary actions. His changeling companion glanced over her shoulder, grinning savagely before responding.

“Someplace I think you will become very well-acquainted with,” she answered, saying no more until they emerged from the tunnel.

Jack was momentarily blinded by the brightness of the sun, having become somewhat used to the dimness of the changeling hives. When he was able once more to see clearly, his eyes widened at the marvel before him.

The gigantic open-air chamber Chrysalis had brought him to was set up like an arena. A circular pit below was filled with brawling changelings, a dozen tunnels carved for those who wished to enter or leave the pit. Several rows of seats sat well above the pit, high enough so that bystanders could watch in safety yet still low enough to observe the fighting clearly. Jack and Chrysalis stood on an ornately carved ledge that extended roughly halfway over the rows below, a position made especially desirable by the last feature of the chamber.

The air.

Changelings filled the air, fighting with one another just the same as their brethren below. In contrast, however, the fact that these changelings remained airborne meant that their duels were far more space-consuming, made possible by the sheer amount of open space above the seats as the chamber reached towards the sky, a gaping hole in the ceiling allowing sunlight to flood in.

Jack stood and marveled at the chamber, watching one fight after another from his perch. His eyes flicked from the sky, to the ground, and back again. He noticed that, for once, neither he nor Chrysalis were being shown any sign of recognition or notice at their arrival. He grinned and walked to the end of the ledge, his old fear of heights suddenly absent, replaced with a strange eagerness to join the massive scene of combat.

“A coliseum...” Jack said, more to himself than anything. “Much better than the one in Rome, I’d say.” He turned his head to look at the changeling queen.

“Do you...?” he began, words drifting off in favor of feeling. A feeling of eagerness, of excitement, and of bloodthirst. A feeling that his companion felt acutely.

Chrysalis took a deep breath and closed her eyes, wings fluttering as she comprehended what he was trying to express. “Twice as much, yes. But I refuse to. Our numbers are thin, and we cannot replenish as we once could.”

The human ground his teeth together and hissed. “I’m going to regret this, but... will you allow me to?”

The changeling looked him over, her gaze stoic and evaluatory. After a brief pause, she nodded, her horn lighting up as a green glow surrounded Jack’s body. The changeling levitated him off of the ledge and down into the pit, her expression unreadable as she became ever farther away. Jack heard her voice in his head, communicating a single thought.

“Do not kill anyling.”

Jack grinned as he touched down, his body quickly released from Chrysalis’ magical grasp. He scanned around himself for an opponent, an energized feeling coursing through him. His left hand clenched and unclenched in anticipation.

Eventually, a changeling came forward. Jack locked eyes with the insectoid, both of them settling into their respective fighting stances as they waited to see who would make the first move.

Abruptly, all the fighting around the pair ceased, every changeling in the room abandoning their own fights in order to observe what would be the first true human-changeling fight. A wide circle was formed around the two opponents, room being given on the ground and in the air.

Jack’s eyes flicked once to the crowd, observing their movements for but a moment. The changeling in front of him did the same, hissing lowly in anticipation. The two competitors began circling one another, tension slowly mounting. The crowd watched unblinkingly, watching for the entirety of the changeling race.

Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, Jack charged.

Two long strides were all that was necessary to bring the human into melee range. Left claw bared, Jack brought his chitinous talons down in an arc, performing as much a slash as a grab. His insectoid opponent easily ducked under the swipe, following up with a counter-jab with its horn, pushing off of the ground to give itself more upward force.

The teen twisted, narrowly avoiding the rising horn that caught on his shirt and tore away a chunk of fabric. Ignoring the damage to one of his last earthly possessions, Jack used the momentum of his spin to send his right arm in another arc, this time successfully grabbing onto the changeling’s veritable spear. The hold only lasted for a moment however, as the beast quickly took flight, buzzing wings sending it skyward and freeing it from the human’s grasp.

Jack’s lips raised in a snarl as his adversary took a moment to observe him from the safety of the air. His eyes flicked to the ledge that Chrysalis was observing him from, feeling a faint sense of amusement from the queen that irritated him to no end.

In his moment of inattentiveness, the human’s foe took the opportunity to dive down at him, four hooves poised and ready to deliver a painful blow. The attack was easily evaded by a sidestep, the changeling smashing down to the floor of the pit, what would have been a crippling blow turning into a massive opening.

Not missing his chance, Jack leaped on top of the insect-like creature, mounting it like the very things it preyed on. He dug his heels as harshly as he could into the changeling’s sides as he leaned forwards to put the insectoid off-balance. His left arm wrapped around the throat of the drone while his right hand grabbed hold of the horn once more, this time immediately pushing left in order to force the changeling to the ground.

The combination of sudden weight, abruptly lessened air supply, and dual attempts to disrupt its balance worked almost instantly on the changeling, the beast toppling over with an indignant hiss. Ever a creature of the fight, the changeling struggled and thrashed in an attempt to free itself, succeeding through a lucky toss of its head that impacted its would-be conqueror. Both combatants briefly disoriented, the changeling scrambled away from Jack, intent on renewing its assault once its vision had completely refocused.

The teen shook his head and stood up, growling lowly. Anger bubbled inside him, amplified by the heat of battle, however non-lethal it was supposed to be. As the emotional predator across from him once again settled low to the ground and hissed defiantly, Jack clenched his chitin gauntlet tightly, the gifted appendage slowly being encompassed by a green aura.

The changeling charged, wings buzzing into motion once more as it flew towards the human, horn lowered with lethal intent. Jack brought his hand up swiftly, fingers uncurling to resemble a set of talons once more.

The effect was instantaneous.

The charging insectoid was immediately caught in a green aura, halting its forward motion immediately. Jack allowed himself a savage smirk before pulling his arm back and thrusting it back forwards, the ensnared creature suddenly flying back the way it came, and into the wall of the pit.

Jack’s sudden use of magic stole the breath from his lungs, making him hunch over as a wave of weariness washed over him, then faded as quickly as it had come. He stood back up and turned his gaze upwards, looking past the wall of hovering changelings and at their queen. She stood impassive for a moment, then nodded and levitated him back up to her ledge.

The pair stood and gazed at one another for some time, not so much as blinking to disrupt their gazes. Words were unneeded to express themselves, simple feelings of intermingling pride, contentment, relief, and the like cycling between changeling and human.

A curt nod came from Chrysalis as she turned and started back through the entry tunnel, her human compatriot in tow.

***

The two companions walked back down into the depths of the hive, the light of the sun slowly being replaced with the ambient bioluminescence Chrysalis had spent almost her entire life in. She ignored the mumblings of her human follower, keeping her eyes forward as she led them to their next destination.

“Oh crap...” Jack groaned, immediately stopping and hunching over, clutching his stomach.

Chrysalis halted and turned around, surprise written across her features. “Well that was rather fast,” she commented as Jack began coughing and hacking.

The human continued coughing, staggering and eventually falling to his knees. He began wheezing as his face turned red, then suddenly lurched forward once, twice, three times.

On the third lurch, he vomited.

The changeling queen watched as bright green goo was forcibly ejected from the teen’s mouth, falling to the ground in front of him and forming a dimly glowing, highly viscous puddle. Jack spat out another stream of goo, causing the puddle to expand until it slowly flowed around his knees.

He hacked a few more times, the last drops of green goop falling out of his mouth. Chrysalis watched as he stood up, breathing heavily and looking at her exasperatedly.

“So what, emotional distress catches your attention, but me puking glowing green stuff is completely okay?” he asked, hands on his knees to support himself.

“Of course not!” she replied, looking even more surprised. “I’m just slightly surprised you digested your meal so quickly! It usually takes a whole day for a changeling, but I guess humans can do it faster.”

Jack opened his mouth to respond, finger raised pointedly in the air. He then froze, looking at the puddle, then at Chrysalis, then back again.

“Does this mean I never have to use the restroom again?” he asked.

The changeling queen chuckled. “Yes, yes it does.” She then levitated the green goo into the air as Jack stood up fully and shook his head. The goo was held in front of him, the queen looking at the teen expectantly.

“What?” he asked, looking at the goo. “Am I supposed to carry it or something?”

“I would think you would know full well by now what I expect.”

The human paused, then nodded once. He raised his left hand, slowly grabbing hold of the goo, his magic gradually replacing the queen’s. He received a nod of approval, then continued following Chrysalis as she set off once more.

“Since you’ve already processed your meal, we’re taking a detour,” she said, moving more slowly than before as Jack visibly struggled to multitask walking and using his magic.

“Where...to?” he asked, eyes pinned to his not-vomit. He momentarily stumbled over his own two feet, disrupting his concentration for an instant and nearly letting the goo fall to the ground before he caught both it and himself.

The changeling queen noticed his slip-up but did not comment on it.

“We are going to the Depot.”

Author's Note

Hey everyling, what's up? Sorry I took so long to get this chapter out, school and all.

As you can see, this is only part 1 of the chapter. The reason for this is that I felt I was taking an overly long time to write, and my brain was kind of frying towards the end. That said, I hope you enjoy what I've graced you with. Think of it as your christmas present.

I'm taking a break from this fic to work on "Revenant", because I haven't touched that in a while. So be on the lookout for an update, but don't be hopeful that you'll get one before New Year's.

That said, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year.

Nalune, out.

Questions

Jack stood in front of the massive, dome-like structure that was Kruziik-Ahrol, clenching and unclenching his hand, shifting hesitantly from one foot to the other. He took a deep breath, held it in for several seconds, then exhaled calmly, closing his eyes and allowing his mind to draw the layout of the structure in front of him once more.

The human pinpointed Chrysalis’ throne room, focusing on that location to the exclusion of all else. He held up his left hand, tentatively putting his thumb and middle finger together. He licked his lips, feeling the odd, almost frictionless sensation of his chitinous fingers sliding over one another.

Opening his eyes, Jack snapped his fingers, letting his magic flow into a teleportation spell. He felt the world snap away, a brief sensation of weightlessness, then the world snapped back, and he found himself inside the throne room.

Chrysalis rested on her throne, a lone changeling in front of her. Jack could feel the love energy radiating off the drone, but refrained from partaking any himself. His emotions were conflicted, and he was not sure whether to hate the changelings or pity them.

The changeling queen looked up from her servant, a tired expression on her face as she met Jack’s gaze. With a mental wave, she sent the drone away. The changeling walked around Jack and out of the throne room, the faint tinkling of broken obsidian audible as it treaded over the remains of the once great doors.

Chrysalis buzzed off of her throne, landing in front of Jack, allowing the two to be face-to-face. Neither spoke at first, various feelings passing between them through the Hive Mind and some deeper, intrinsic connection that neither could fathom.

“Explain,” Jack said, breaking the silence. Chrysalis closed her eyes and bowed her head.

“As you know,” she began, “two months ago, there was a grand wedding in Canterlot. It was between the Captain of the Guard and the Crystal Princess, also known as the Goddess of Love. I personally led the infiltration of Canterlot, planning to gain control over Shining Armor and render the city defenseless by imitating Princess Cadence.”

The queen sighed and sat down on the floor, the recounting of the invasion seeming to rob her of any of her former vigor and life.

“However, Shining Armor’s sister managed to expose me, ironically by taking advantage of her imprisonment and bringing back the real Cadence. I was forced to reveal myself, but by then it was too late. The strike force, which accounted for almost three-quarters of our race, arrived and began their siege in earnest. The shield fell, I personally defeated Celestia, and it seemed like our victory was assured.”

Jack kept a blank, if slightly disappointed, expression, looking up from Chrysalis and around the throne room. His eyes settled on the obsidian throne, the black stone calling out to him. He stepped around the seemingly broken changeling queen and walked up to the throne. Chrysalis, in her misery, failed to notice.

The teen placed a hand on the arm of the throne as Chrysalis continued to speak.

“The Elements of Harmony, the greatest threat our invasion faced, were quickly captured and rendered useless. I had them brought to me, to keep an eye on them while my minions seized Canterlot from what little of the Royal Guard could mount any real resistance.”

Jack glanced back at the changeling, smirking for a brief moment. He then slowly sat down in the throne, the cold stone harsh and rigid against his back, yet completely yielding to him. He leaned forward, steepling his fingers as Chrysalis proceeded with her tale.

“Somehow... that stupid princess got through my hold on Shining Armor, and gave him enough magic to propel... some... of us back to the Badlands. The rest died, for various reasons.”

Chrysalis looked up, visibly surprised that Jack was no longer in front of her. The human chuckled loudly, causing her to whirl around, mixed sadness, rage, and fear radiating off her. Jack grinned and waved his chitin hand dismissively.

“Go on,” he said, almost mockingly. The changeling hesitated, but continued.

“One month ago, we found a creature of legend being attacked by Royal Guardsponies. The creature, a human as you might recall, was near death. A few drones that had survived Canterlot were sent out to recover the human, and kill the ponies. With that done, I came to the decision to save the human’s life. And just two days ago, it, he, woke up.”

Chrysalis began stepping slowly towards Jack, who leaned back in her throne, placing his arms on those of the throne, looking like the royalty Chrysalis should have been.

“Tell me about him,” the human asked.

Chrysalis looked him straight in the eyes. “In the time since he woke, he has rejected his gifts, rejected his saviors, then accepted them. He has nearly been the death of me, boasted of his own superiority, stolen one of my children from me, stolen love from the hive to feed himself, left us, let my child under his care die, then returned to demand answers.”

She stopped walking, now standing directly in front of Jack. “And to top it all off, he has destroyed what little records of our history we have, then proceeded to take my very throne.”

Jack looked down at the arm of the throne, running his hand over the rough yet smoothly carved material. He looked back up at Chrysalis.

“I took nothing that wasn’t mine to take.”

Chrysalis hissed, her horn lighting up with a deadly green glow. “You have taken far more than was yours! You have taken our race into your hands, where you play with it like a foal with a rattle!”

Jack stood up. “If those Night Guards weren’t lying, and I’m pretty sure they weren’t since they obviously didn’t see me or Cain, then all I’ve done is strip away the lies and deceit you’ve fed me.”

“You haven’t stripped away lies, you’ve stripped away our pride! We were feared, once! That I remember! That, we will always remember!”

“Memories long gone, I’m sure. And why do you say that’s what you remember? What, do you have amnesia, like some overused cliche garbage fictional character?”

Chrysalis howled with rage, baring her fangs and lunging towards Jack, who was suddenly immobilized by a stabbing feeling in his chest.

“SEE!” she screamed. “SEE MY PAIN! SEE WHAT WE HAVE LOST!”

Before he could retort, Jack felt Chrysalis’ horn brush up against his forehead, and the world exploded into a sea of colors, then faded to greyscale, and vanished.

***

Jack flashed back to consciousness, finding himself in what he guessed was Chrysalis’ bedroom in Kruziik-Ahrol. It was even more spacious than the one at the outpost, yet the furnishings were mostly the same.

On the bed laid a changeling queen with long, purple hair, amethyst eyes wide open. Her legs and hair had gaping holes, looking ready to snap at any second under their own weight. The queen babbled incoherently, her limbs twitching every so often. Her horn sparked with magic, yet the characteristic green glow never fully appeared.

Eventually, the queen spasmed to her hooves, moving jerkily around to the far side of the bed, giggling madly as she went. She leaned down out of sight, and several small squelching noises reverberated around the bedroom. When she pulled back up, an egg was suspended from her mouth by a sling of green slime, and was quickly placed on the bed.

With that done, the queen threw her head back, cackling madly. Her horn sparked again, this time fully surrounded by a bright green aura. At this, the changeling stopped laughing, went rigid, then shivered. She closed her eyes and let out ear-splitting cry of pain, sadness, anger, and everything in between. Her horn flashed again, lighting up the entire room with a glow only matched by the sun itself.

Her cry still continuing, the changeling’s eyes became indistinct, the same light from her horn spilling forth from them as well. A single, blinding, all-consuming flash of purple shone out from the queen.

When it faded, a stone statue of a screaming changeling stood in the queen’s place. The statue slowly crumbled like ash, disintegrating into a purple dust that sparkled briefly, then disappeared.

Jack was hit with a sudden feeling of loss, a stabbing feeling in his chest and head. It was as if someone had torn out his heart and brain at the same time, leaving him a husk of his former self that wasn’t worth letting live.

The egg trembled on the bed, a muffled cry from within.

The world vanished.

***

Jack awoke with a gasp, his head and chest still aching with the memory. He made a move to clutch his chest, but found that he instead grabbed hold of a limp, shaking Chrysalis. Her lunge at him had landed them back in her obsidian throne, the changeling queen clutching the human like he was the only one in the world who’s shoulder she could cry on.

She was doing exactly that, trembling with an overwhelming sadness that Jack could barely comprehend. Her hooves were hugged around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. She made no noises other than staggered breathing, but the wet tears that poured forth betrayed everything.

The pair stayed as they were for some time, Jack too dumbfounded by the memory, Chrysalis too saddened by it. The human found himself rubbing the changeling’s back softly, trying to offer some form of comfort while she released a lifetime’s worth of grief.

Eventually, Chrysalis pulled herself together and off of Jack, who slowly helped her up. The queen took a few wobbly steps before she collapsed to the floor, utterly broken. Jack moved off the throne and sat beside her, regarding her before speaking.

“How long ago was that?” he asked softly.

“Almost one thousand years...” Chrysalis responded. “What you saw... that was one of the few ways for a changeling to die.”

“What, insanity?”

Chrysalis looked up at him and nodded gravely. “When you live for thousands of years, what is there to hold you together? The queen’s duty only holds her for so long, and then... well...”

Jack looked at her quizzically. “You said that’s one of the few ways you can die. Can’t changelings be killed like any other race?”

“Not as you think of it. The body can die, yes, but if the mind is still there, noling can ever truly be dead.”

Jack’s eyes lit up. “If that’s true, then can Cain...?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “His mind... disappeared. Was his neck snapped, or his head injured?”

Receiving a nod, the queen shook her head. “Then he is gone forever. I do not know how, nor why that works the way it does. When a queen dies, they take all the knowledge of the Hive Mind with them.”

“No plans, no prototype, no backup?”

“N... no. Death is the end, and for us one death can destroy our entire race.”

Jack was taken aback. “So every few thousand years, you have to start from scratch?”

The queen nodded sadly. “The first two hundred years I ruled, I spent recovering what lost knowledge I could. Nothing I did really helped, all that we know today is either stolen from ponies, translated from what few records we can find, or so ingrained in the Hive Mind it’s instinctive.”

“Do you age at all? Or are you just forever young until you die?”

“No. Each queen’s body lays one egg. That one egg is either their reincarnation, or their replacement.” Chrysalis scratched at the ground with her hoof, looking dejected. “This my twelfth body, and it’s still young. I won’t be reborn for some time, unless I am killed by someling else.”

Jack was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

“You seem tired,” he said simply.

“I am.” Chrysalis stood up slowly. “With you here, I had hoped our fortunes would take a turn for the better, but...” She sighed deeply. “I understand if you want to leave us now. I have misled and lied to you.”

Jack stood up as well. “You admit it?”

“I do. And I regret it.” Chrysalis turned towards the doorway. “What you heard is the truth. We wither away each day, more and more of our number must be put into cocoons, to die slowly rather than quickly. I suppose I’m only delaying the inevitable at this point.”

The queen began to leave the throne room, walking with her head held high. She looked over her shoulder at Jack, who remained where he was.

“I will not hold you to your claim,” she said. “Do as you please. We will continue our lives until we fade from Equestria forever. Take our gifts, and whatever you do, I ask that you remember Queen Chrysalis, and her people, the Changelings.”

With that, Chrysalis’ horn lit up, and she vanished with a flash of green light.

***

Chrysalis appeared in her bedroom, relieved that her teleport had not drained her like it had when she brought herself and her race’s would-be savior to Kruziik-Ahrol.

“Note,” she said aloud, to noling in particular. “Teleportation for two is much more difficult than it is for one.”

She smiled to herself. One more bit of lost knowledge, recovered. It was really all she had left now. Knowledge for the sake having it. From here, it was simply a waiting game. A wait until all of her children were encased in the cocoons they made for themselves, with no love to sustain them, and from there they would rot away, and their queen would wither until either she went mad from loss or simply could not reincarnate herself.

Chrysalis let out a harsh laugh. Now that all her race’s secrets had been revealed, now that they were revealed for what they were, they would die. The queen could see nothing but death and despair on the horizon.

At least she could die on her own terms, rather than at the hooves of another filthy race.

The changeling buzzed onto her bed, one that had been her mother’s before her, probably her mother’s before her, and back however far it was. The queen pressed a hoof down into the mattress, feeling its softness seemingly for the first time. She had never really stopped to consider how wonderful this bed really was. She had never before stopped to think how luxurious her quarters were.

Chrysalis leaped off the bed, moving over to her dresser. The mirror that rested on top reflected her image back at her. A proud, broken, powerful, helpless, beautiful, hideous, queen. She put a hoof up to the mirror.

“Who says a girl can’t really have it all?” she asked, a small smile touching her lips.

She bowed her head and moved away from the mirror, shifting to a large bookcase in the corner. There were so many tomes, so many scrolls, all of them written in the ancient, savage, powerful tongue of the changelings. Harsh lines, seemingly carved by claw rather than hoof.

She could read none of them.

Despite her best efforts, the best efforts of her drones, noling had been able to get ahold of any kind of translation index for her people’s script. Standard Equestrian, they could do just fine, but a dead language? Nothing. The queen scoffed. It was sad, really. Every race with a language of their own, except hers.

Chrysalis levitated out several scrolls, bringing them with her over to her bed. She unrolled a random scroll, looking over the various pictures. She smiled. For now, she was content to sit and look. She was living on borrowed time, and she planned to make use of it however she liked.

It didn’t matter anymore.

Nothing did.

***

Jack stood in place for a long time, staring at the ground as if it had all the answers he needed. He could feel Chrysalis’ reassignment to her fate rolling off her in waves, and disgusted him. She was just going to lay down and die. She had no desire to change her situation.

“She’s acting like me...” he thought.

Jack felt something click in his mind. Chrysalis had handed him her race’s future, then gone and given up. He couldn’t just stand where he was and let the changeling race die off because they saw no point in fighting anymore. Every part of him rebelled against it.

The human raised his left hand. The black appendage responded as well as his old hand had, even better, in fact. He watched as his clawed fingers curled, straightened, came together, separated. He watched as he focused his magic, causing his hand to become enveloped in a green aura, the same as any changeling. He released his focus, and the glow faded.

A glint out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. The teen turned, looking at the changeling’s seat of power once more. It sat there, a magnificent, brutishly carved throne, blacker than those it held authority over.

Jack felt his spines shiver.

Slowly, he turned, walking up to the throne. He sat down for a second time.

He closed his eyes, picturing the massive network of the Hive Mind. He felt around, testing the responses of each and every mind. A simple touch, nothing more. It was all he needed to get a response.

Only a few hundred chittered back to him.

The human sighed. It was worse than he’d thought. So many were trapped in stasis, so many minds dimmed to the point of being almost invisible. And of all the minds active, only a few dozen or so were still hidden in pony society. There just weren’t enough changelings to sustain their siblings.

It just wasn’t enough.

Putting that issue aside, Jack called on as much knowledge of spells and their workings as he could. The Hive Mind responded instantly, flooding his mind with the information he wanted. Ideas of spells, their arcane formulas, how to focus them, all of it came to him in an instant. The teen’s mind reeled in shock, and it was all Jack could do to try and sort the information he had just been given.

Taking a breath to relax himself, Jack turned his attention to Chrysalis. The queen was in her bedroom, observing various objects in her room and being thankful for them. She then moved on to trying to decipher several scrolls by pictures alone. The human laughed a bit at this.

“Chrysalis,” he said, receiving a mental grunt in return. “What are you doing?”

“Reading, what does it look like? she replied, sounding annoyed. “What do you want? I’m trying to enjoy myself here.”

“I’m going to do something, and you’re not going to like it.”

“The first time, is it?”

“Chrysalis, let me ask you a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you love your people? Do you want the best for them?”

“Of course I do. What are you getting at?”

“It’s clear that you’re not going to do anything to stop your children from falling into the grasp of death and becoming extinct. So, with that in mind, are you willing to give your children’s future to someone else?”

“...I...”

“Yes or no. I need you to answer me, or else I don’t think this can be done.”

“... What... wait... I know what you’re trying to do! You’re trying to replace me!”

“Chrysalis, every second that passes you... no, the changelings... no. No, that’s not it.”

“What?”

“... Chrysalis, this isn’t about you, and it isn’t about me. This is about our entire race. Every second that passes, we, and I mean WE, become closer to extinction. We’ve let the ponies drive us into a corner, with no way out. But what they were too stupid to see is that a cornered animal is a dangerous animal.

Let’s face it, and be brutally honest. We’re out of options. You’re at your limit. You can’t take it anymore. So you need to be replaced, if only for a month or two until we can get our shit straightened out.

I’m a changeling as much as you are. And I will NOT let us go out like this.

So let me ask again.

Do I have your blessing?

Or is this really the end?"

***

Chrysalis had thrown her scrolls aside in her initial fury, but now she was sitting in a stunned silence. Jack had taken so much from them, and now he was asking her for the lives of her children?

Still, all he had said made sense. Her species, whether she wanted it to be so or not, and she really didn’t, could be doomed. She had thought she had the brightest idea ever, but it had horribly backfired and now Equestria was on high alert for any changelings, which meant that unless she got help from somewhere, her children would all die.

Truth be told, she had hoped that Jack’s aid would be mystical, god-like. He wasn’t what she had expected, but she hadn’t thrown him away or refused his help when he gave it before. What reason did she have to now?

Still, there was one thing that he had said that troubled her.

“You say you are just as much a changeling as any of us. How can that be? I have given you pieces of myself, but that does not make you a changeling yourself.”

“... Chrysalis, I once wrote a poem. Would you like to hear it?”

“I... I don’t see why not...”

“This picture of me,

This picture that you see,

Is truer than you might believe.

What is real, and what is farce,

Can I be greater than the sum of my parts?

Change once, change twice,

Can you figure out the price?

So many masks, so many faces,

All of these foolish races.

Challenges without a goal,

Each one has taken their toll.

Time has come, I must rise above,

My one source of strength is that of love.

This picture of me,

This picture that you see,

Is truer than you might believe.

Of my strength, there can be no reigning,

Within and without, I am not fainting,

My resolve, I must keep maintaining,

Pursuits of which there can be no elating,

The flow of love, there must be no constraining,

For in my heart, I am a Changeling."

“... How will you do it? How is it you will save us?”

“I don’t know. But not doing anything will get us nowhere.”

Chrysalis sighed, fear wracking her mind. She knew what she would have to do, and she desperately didn’t want to do it.

She would have to give him control of the Hive Mind.

The queen was afraid of what would happen. Jack could interface with it, yes, but could he control it? Her greatest fear was that he would simply let the network collapse, and her children would be lost and confused forever.

But he was right. The future was uncertain, but doing nothing was the worst thing they could do.

Chrysalis sighed, and with a green flash, she teleported into her throne room. Unsurprisingly, Jack rested on her throne, as if he was already king. She approached him, making sure he not only felt her fear, but saw it as well. His expression hardened, betraying no sympathy or pity.

“I don’t know how to do this,” she admitted.

“Neither do I. But I have a theory.”

Chrysalis raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“I think of it like computers back on Earth,” Jack explained. “The way I see it, the Hive Mind is a network, and those who access it all have a set of permissions. The idea is that all the drones and I only have standard user privileges. We can access the network, but we can’t direct or modify it to any real extent. But you’re the administrator. You can do whatever you want.”

“And that includes making you an ‘administrator’?” she guessed.

“Bingo.”

Chrysalis took a deep breath. “If you think it will work, then we’ll try it.”

Both Jack and Chrysalis closed their eyes, trying to feel each other through the Hive Mind as best they could. Chrysalis felt the entirety of the Hive Mind, how everything ran through her, obeyed her will. She felt Jack’s mind, how he was preparing himself for the mental load she had been carrying all her life.

The way he explained it made it seem so much simpler than it felt. She kept trying to push the collective consciousness away from herself and onto Jack, but she just couldn’t do it. She could feel the Hive Mind resisting her, the weight of her children’s minds staying the collective.

She projected her wishes out, forcing every changeling to bend to her will. They panicked, but slowly bent until she was at last able move the center, the heart of the Hive Mind off of herself, and onto the human who was waiting for it.

And she felt free.

Chrysalis laughed. It felt absolutely wonderful to finally not have to hear every thought of her children! At last, she could have her mind go blank! It was the greatest thing she had felt since she had consumed Shining Armor’s love for Cadence.

Then, she felt a tug on her mind, and dread washed over her.

***

Jack had felt the gradual shift of the Hive Mind from Chrysalis onto him. She had difficulty getting it off her mental shoulders, but he didn’t blame her. There was a reason she was queen, and her duties would not leave her so easily.

The human prepared for the shift as best he could. He didn’t have much experience with the Hive Mind, but judging from the way it had nearly sent him sprawling earlier, he anticipated difficulty. He steeled his nerves, and let his mind go blank, ready to concentrate on bringing the massive collection of changeling minds under his control.

“Aperture, my name is Wheatley,” he thought with a grim smile. He hoped he would have better results.

Then it came.

A massive mental tidal wave of information crashed against Jack’s mind,literally knocking him out of his throne and onto his hands and knees. He felt his body temperature skyrocket, a layer of sweat forming nearly instantly over his entire body. The sheer amount of thoughts, sensory input, and random bits of information passed from changeling to changeling was too much for him. He felt the network collapsing, falling apart under its own weight.

“NO!” Jack yelled, slamming his fist down on the floor hard enough to crack it. He immediately concentrated on sorting, categorizing, making so that the flood was not so unmanageable. At first, it seemed like nothing he did had any effect, but as he worked more and more, pushed more and more, everything began to flow in a more orderly fashion. Smells one way, conversation topics another, the weather forecast yet another.

Eventually, he was able to spare enough thinking of his own to push himself up, a brightly smiling Chrysalis greeting him. She laughed and threw her hooves around him, bringing him in for a hug.

“‘You did it!” she cried happily. “I didn’t think it was possible! Now my mind is all my own! Thank you!”

Jack chuckled weakly, still trying to push information in line. He managed to place his arm around Chrysalis weakly and allowed himself to share in her merriment.

Canterlot Castle

Celestia smiled as the last pony for the Day Court left. It had been a relaxing final conversation, with the simple farm pony needing a bit of extra money to expand his crop. She made a mental note to check on the rising seed prices herself. It wouldn’t do if prices were going up and the amount of produce went down. The Sun Princess preferred not to meddle in Equestrian affairs, not since the old days, but every now and then she stepped in to right the scales of her land.

A slight dimming in the hall immediately caught the princess’ attention. She cast her gaze around, trying to determine which of her stained glass windows had gotten dirty. Again.

There!

Even though she had an entire cleaning staff at her disposal, Celestia decided she could take it upon herself to clean the window. The alicorn gently stepped down from her throne, walking over to the pink window that depicted her niece and nephew-in-law performing the greatest barrier spell she had ever witnessed.

With a small cleaning spell she had learned when she was just a foal, the princess zapped the black smear on the window. A small cloud of smoke appeared around the site of the spell’s impact, then dissipated...

...revealing the smudge to still be there.

Celestia blinked in surprise. That spell had never failed her, not even when she found five-day-old frosting stuck to her bedsheets. The princess creased her brow, inspecting the smudge more closely. She then pulled back in shock.

It was spreading.

As Celestia watched, the black smudge quickly overtook the window. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, formerly encircled in a heart shape and using their love to save Canterlot, were turned into a cowering, roughed up unicorn and alicorn, surrounded by a swarm of changelings, all below the eyes of the one enemy she had not been able to best.

Queen Chrysalis.

The princess’ temper flared, but she closed her eyes and relieved her anger with the Royal Canterlot Sigh. After her anger faded, it was replaced with panic. She had enchanted these windows herself. Nothing in Equestria, save the Elements of Harmony or Discord, was powerful enough to alter them.

Unless... what changed them wasn’t from Equestria.

Fearing the worst, Celestia ran through her mental checklist of enemies. None of them seemed capable or currently able of changing those windows. With a quick teleportation spell, the alicorn teleported to the castle basement, more specifically her personal enchantment room.

Celestia immediately levitated a clean, large window, already with the proper enchantments, and placed against the far wall. She cast a spell to activate the pigmentation enchantments, then spoke her wishes.

“Show me the force capable of challenging harmony in Equestria.”

Celestia waited.

And waited.

Slowly, color began to bleed into the window.

The Sun Princess watched as, here and there, colors filled in. The flowed mostly from right to left, slowly appearing to take on a familiar shape.

Fingers became distinct. Celestia blinked in surprise, her heart rushing with excitement. Could it be?

A furless arm, a leg, and a foot, all covered by some exotic clothing she had never seen before. The princess smiled, unable to contain herself. It was true! The time had come, at last!

Half of a face confirmed it. A human! The human! The one she had waited so long for! Perhaps he could help find out whatever had happened to all the Royal and Night Guards near the border!

Celestia smiled widely at the window, her entire being brimming with happiness. True harmony was almost upon Equestria!

The window continued to fill in.

A splotch of black appeared and the window passed over to the left side.

Celestia’s heart sank faster than she brought the sun up.

The Sun Princess watched in horror as the window filled in even more. What was once a human in clothing quickly became a twisted, evil monstrosity. Black, chitin plates protected its body, and a monstrous, twisted right arm stood in stark contrast to the gentle flesh of the left. Bits of chitin were attached to the not-human’s face, and two insectoid wings stuck out from the thing’s back.

But the worst part?

The eyes.

The eye on the right side was a pleasant, steel-blue. But the one on the left side was an evil, poisonous green. They stood out from one another, clashing yet irrevocably intertwined.

As the window finished filling in, Celestia dropped to her knees. This was not the human she had hoped for.

This was a monster.

“No...” she whispered. She was too late, and she knew it.

And as the tears fell down her face, Celestia could only hear the mocking laughter of the Changeling Queen.

Control

One week later...

Appaloosa

Chrysalis strolled through the sandy streets of Appaloosa in disguise, still feeling excessively giddy about having her mind to herself for the first time in her entire life. She was part of the Hive Mind, but she no longer felt the burden of running and maintaining it.

On the other hoof, after Jack had taken her life-long burden from her, he sat down in her throne and hadn’t gotten up since. He was simply overburdened, trying to do something he was never meant to, but was doing anyway.

That led to Chrysalis’ current presence in Appaloosa, more specifically ‘The Salt Block’. She wanted to show her gratitude, and despite Jack’s insistence that he didn’t want her to, or that he was too busy, she had pestered him until he gave her something.

The changeling queen walked into the saloon, going right up to the bar and sitting on an empty stool. The bartender glanced at her and grunted, finishing the glass he was cleaning before coming over to her.

“Whaddya want?” he asked gruffly.

“Got any shookmilks?” she asked, pulling out a few bits from her saddlebags.

“Think ya mean ‘milkshakes’,” he chuckled. “From the city are ya? Ah hear them sayin’ strange things like that all the time.”

Chrysalis wide smiled flickered for an instant, but she pushed the irritation away. She was about to respond when a shiver passed through her.

“Want...it...” Jack’s voice hissed, fluctuating in pitch and volume.

Chrysalis sighed, her smile fading completely. Her temporary replacement had been communicating in short bursts, whenever the need proved great enough. At first he had sounded himself, but as the days passed by it seemed like he was degrading. She ignored it most of the time, but she couldn’t deny that there was a tenderness to the Hive Mind she hadn’t felt since her first moments. It was delicate, fragile. Ready to strengthen or shatter at a moment’s notice.

She could only hope this ‘milkshake’ would restore some of Jack’s stability.

“Yes, that’s what I meant,” Chrysalis said, forcing her former cheer back into her voice.

Everything would be fine.

Even if it killed her.

As the bartender set about fulfilling her order, a loud banging came from behind Chrysalis. The queen in disguise turned her head, catching sight of a pair of ponies, dressed in the black leather vests and stetsons of the local gang, brazenly walking into the saloon. Recognizing them from a myriad of shared memories, she scoffed in disgust and rolled her eyes.

Much to her displeasure, the pair came up behind her and took seats on either side of her. The one to her left gave her a wide smile, fixing his vest and being disgustingly friendly.

“Afternoon, little miss,” he greeted, tapping a hoof on the bar to order a drink. “Can I getcha anything?”

“I’m fine,” Chrysalis said tersely, glancing at the bartender who was shaking a small container back and forth.

“Aw hey, now,” the other said. “No need to be like that. We’re just your friendly neighborhood Blackcoats, out for a good time. Ain’t that right, Dust Shimmer?”

The left pony, ‘Dust Shimmer’, nodded and widened his smile.

“Sure as sure can be.” He leaned over to Chrysalis. “Say, you look like a mare who wants to have a good time.”

Chrysalis felt an irritated snarl from the Hive Mind. Jack was getting extremely irritated by the two ponies who wanted nothing more than a good lay, and Chrysalis could feel him itching to do something about them.

“Buzz off,” the queen grumbled, swiping the milkshake the bartender set down in front of her.

“Now now, no need for-”

Chrysalis disappeared in a flash.

***

Jack sat immobile on the obsidian throne, staring ahead with a dark, yet blank expression. Information whirled in his head as it had been doing since he replaced Chrysalis as head of the Hive Mind. Sights, smells, sounds, tastes, textures, all of them created a roughly orchestrated storm in the human’s head.

The teen briefly registered a sharp pain in his shoulder, but the lone sensation was drowned out by the hundreds of others that occupied Jack’s mind. The only reaction he could muster was a twitch of his fingers, the chitin screeching as it dragged against the throne.

A sudden flash of light signaled the arrival of Queen Chrysalis. A torrent of green flames washed over her disguise, removing the pony mask and returning the queen to her proper glory.

Chrysalis’ lips twitched in a smile as she levitated the milkshake she had acquired over to Jack.

“One milkshake, just for you,” she said. “I hope it’s what you wanted.”

Jack blinked, then slowly raised his left hand, which lit up with a green aura as he snatched the milkshake from Chrysalis’ magical hold. He licked his lips, a dozen disjointed memories of milkshakes flashing through his mind, and subsequently, the Hive Mind.

The human brought the glass to his lips and tilted it, letting the white drink flow into his mouth. For the first time in too long, he allowed himself to savor the sweetness of his favorite drink. The perfect mixture of milk, ice cream, vanilla and-

SALT.

Jack immediately choked on the drink, turning his head to the side and spitting out the desecrated milkshake. He looked down at the glass, still full, then looked at Chrysalis.

“I hate them,” he whispered. “I hate them with the burning passion of a thousand George Foreman grills.”

“I take it you’re out of your little phase, then?” Chrysalis asked, a small grin on her face.

“I’m going to use all of their colons as one giant jump rope...” the human muttered, throwing the glass to the side.

The glass shattered, sending shards flying towards Jack and Chrysalis. With a dismissive wave of his hand, the human momentarily erected a green shield that vaporized any fragments headed their way.

“I’ll take my leave,” the changeling queen said, turning to go.

“Wait,” Jack called after her.

Chrysalis turned back, an eyebrow raised. The human flinched, grabbing at his left shoulder.

“One question,” he began, rubbing his shoulder. “How were you able to focus with the constant pain?”

“Pain?” the queen asked, utterly confused. “Save from the deaths of my children, or of myself, there was no pain.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, knowing she was telling the truth and all the more confused for it. He sighed and leaned back in the throne, tapping his chitin fingers against the obsidian.

“I find myself wondering why you need my help,” Jack said. “The Hive Mind requires most of my attention, yes, but other than that there’s really nothing to be said for micro or macro. This whole operation basically runs itself.”

Chrysalis let out a harsh laugh, which quickly wound down to a chuckle. She shook her head and closed her eyes, feeling the mixture of confusion and irritation coming from Jack.

“You have no vision,” she said simply. “For now, that is acceptable. But when we regain our strength, or so you have promised, it is clear that I must take my place as Queen once more.”

“What do you mean, ‘vision’?”

Chrysalis looked up at Jack, her eyes meeting his.

“It is simple. You will restore us, give us what we have lost. You are the herald of our return.”

“I see.”

Chrysalis shook her head once more.

“I do not think you do.”

The changeling queen approached the teen, standing directly in front of him so as to stand over him. Jack’s claws clenched ever so slightly, and his spines twitched uncomfortably between his back and the throne.

“Then tell me.”

The changeling queen regarded him for a moment.

“No.”

With that, Chrysalis turned and began to leave once more.

Jack stared after her, dumbfounded. Chrysalis had never refused an answer to him. The human began to stand up, but a stabbing pain in his left shoulder forced him back down. He gripped it with a low hiss. Looking down, he saw a dark red stain spreading across the fabric of his shirt.

Blood.

The human twisted his left hand over his shoulder, a quick green flash and a burst of magic healing whatever injury he had. The pain subsided, and Jack let out a short sigh of relief.

A tugging sensation in his mind brought the human’s attention back to the Hive Mind. Jack quickly realized he had neglected it for too long, and it had begun to destabilize. He set about doing what he had done to the exclusion of all else for the past week.

He had a Hive Mind to run.

“...But first... it’s high time for a little frontier-cleaning.”

***

The Salt Lick was busy that night.

A dozen ponies in black leather vests were drinking, partying, and being generally loud and obnoxious. The bartender had long since left, leaving the saloon to the mercies of the Blackcoats, who were doing an excellent job of making a mess of the place. Cider bottles of all sizes were scattered about the tables and floor, along with blocks of pure salt that were the saloon’s namesake.

Dust Shimmer laughed loudly at the finish of a particularly racist joke by one of his comrades. Numerous mugs were slammed down on the table, spilling salted cider everywhere. The gang ponies continued their talks, getting drunker and rowdier with each passing hour.

The doors of the Salt Block swung inward as an earth pony mare slowly walked into the saloon. She was almost completely unnoticed, the one or two Blackcoats that saw her simply giving loud catcalls.

The mare made her way straight to Dust Shimmer’s table, leaping up onto it and violently kicking all of the cider bottles off. The gang of ponies looked at her in shock for a moment, almost too drunk to comprehend what was going on.

“H...hey...” one of the gangsters slurred. “Whazzit...Apple Fritter?”

The mare didn’t respond.

“Geddoff our table,” another said, swinging at the earth pony’s leg.

The punch landed, but Apple Fritter was unfazed. She looked directly at Dust Shimmer, scowling with every ounce of contempt possible.

“You filthy creatures,” she spat. “Wallowing in your own filth. I’m surprised your own species puts up with you.”

The Blackcoats looked at one another, utterly confused by the mare’s words. They all looked back to Apple Fritter, as if continuing to watch would solve their confusion.

“You’re all a waste of life,” Apple Fritter continued, her voice suddenly changing and becoming distinctly male.

“I’m here to fix that.”

One of the Blackcoats blinked and waved his hoof dismissively.

“Youra...wasta...somethin’...” he mumbled.

Apple Fritter closed her eyes and lifted her head. Wisps of green light swirled around her body, her hair waving in an invisible breeze. To the ponies’ amazed eyes, the mare rose up in the air.

The earth pony’s body began to catch fire, green flames spreading all over her. They started at her nose and worked all the way to her tail. Wherever the flames touched, Apple Fritter burned away, slowly being replaced by a creature of ponykind’s nightmares.

“Changelin’!” Dust Shimmer shouted, falling backward out of his chair and landing dazed on the ground.

The other gangsters were alerted by Dust Shimmer, turning their drunken, but quickly horrified attentions to the scene rapidly unfolding.

The changeling that had replaced Apple Fritter was now fully revealed, green wisps around its body multiplying and whirling faster and faster. The flames continued to burn, slowly being accompanied by green veins spreading rapidly across its body. Finally, it spoke in a deep, echoing voice.

“ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.”

The possessed changeling thrust its limbs outward, creating a rapidly expanding blast of magic that incinerated everything within ten feet of it. Wood, ponies, cider, even glass were vaporized in an instant. The sheer shock and awe of the blast knocked the remaining Blackcoats out of their stupors, and immediately they began to rush the changeling.

“Geddit!” one yelled.

“Motherbucker!” another cried.

“Gods-damned bug!” a third screamed.

The changeling gently touched down to the ground. The wisps around it quickly combined and solidified, forming a shield that the gang ponies threw themselves against, but to no avail.

“Taints to be purged, the lot of you.”

The changeling’s horn crackled with magic, several lightning bolts lashing out at the attacking crowd. The lighting curled around any pony unfortunate enough to be touched by it, picking them up and hurling them against the ground, ceiling, and walls. A number of crunches cut through the air, and more than one pony stopped breathing.

“Aw, Tartarus!” one of the few ponies left cried. “I’m outta here!”

The pony quickly turned around and tried to run away, but he didn’t get far before a chair flew into him, courtesy of another lighting whip.

“There is no escape.”

Only three Blackcoats were left standing. Dust Shimmer shifted uneasily from hoof to hoof, he and his remaining comrades trading uneasy looks. The glowing changeling stood impassive, waiting for them to make a move.

“Attack Pattern-” Dust Shimmer began, but froze when the changeling vanished into thin air with a small flash of light.

“Dust, behi-” one of the other ponies tried to call out, but was permanently interrupted by a large green bolt impacting his chest and exploding, sending the former gangster flying into the wall behind him.

Dust Shimmer turned to look behind himself, but only caught a small flash of light. A scream made him whirl back to his last remaining companion, who was in the middle of having his neck snapped with a quick twist of the changeling’s hooves.

The last Blackcoat became numb with fear as the changeling’s latest victim dropped to the ground with a dull thud. The glowing changeling then turned to him and approached him slowly, an aura of magic visibly pulsing around it in sync with its veins.

The changeling swung a hoof at a blurring speed, knocking Dust Shimmer to the ground before he even realized he had been hit. It loomed over him, eyes narrowing as it planted a hoof on his chest.

“This is for treating my queen like common trash,” the male voice spoke again.

“What?” Dust Shimmer wheezed, feeling the changeling press down on his ribs.

“We are the Harbinger of your destruction.”

The Blackcoat simply stared in stark terror at the glowing changeling, which leaned in close to him so that its mouth was right next to his ear.

“Your death means nothing to us. Nor to anyone.”

Dust Shimmer tried to open his mouth to speak, but a swift pain brought his world to nothingness.

The changeling left the body on the floor, walking to the middle of the saloon. It looked around slowly, regarding the once-noisy area with the faintest curiosity. Satisfied there were no survivors, the changeling looked up, as if it was trying to see straight through the roof.

“I am Harbinger,” the changeling said aloud, a female voice replacing the deeper, echoing tones.

Harbinger’s horn discharged a bolt of fire into the ceiling, the wood quickly becoming fuel for a growing blaze that spread rapidly over, into, and around the Salt Block.

Harbinger walked calmly out the doors of the burning saloon, the glowing veins fading from her body and her disguise flaking back into place.

“Releasing control.”

***

“I am Harbinger.”

Chrysalis heard the voice, loud and clear, even through the din of the Hive Mind. She froze in shock, allowing the changeling she had been sparring with to knock her magic blade-encased horn aside and touch the tip of its own to her throat. The two remained still until Chrysalis realized she had lost.

Mentally waving the drone away, the queen flew up to her perch overlooking the colosseum. She could feel the newly gifted changeling, a candle that burned just a bit brighter than those around it.

Jack had done it again.

“I hope this isn’t going to become a regular habit,” she thought, as much to Jack as to herself.

“...scum... even here... hate them...” the human’s voice echoed back to her.

“I thought you were angry about your milkshake?” Chrysalis chuckled.

“Mostly...”

Chrysalis felt Jack withdraw his attention from her, leaving her as just another part of the collective. The queen looked down at the dueling changelings below her, their silent fights coupled with the relative silence of her mind startlingly uncomfortable. While it was liberating to have her mind to herself for once, there was a primal and undeniable desire to be in control.

Control that she had handed off to Jack with a few lines of poetry.

With a sigh, Chrysalis decided to head to her chambers. She wasn’t feeling particularly sleepy, but she felt too troubled to put her focus into anything at the moment. Sleep was the best option right now. As she left the arena, a thought crossed her mind.

What, exactly. was Jack up to?

***

Appaloosa[

“Hey there, Apple Fritter.”

“Hi Fritter.”

“‘Sup cuz.”

“Hello there, Apple Fritter.”

Harbinger made her way through the crowd of ponies clustered around what remained of the Salt Block, receiving and occasionally returning a number of greetings from the various ponyfolk of Appaloosa. She remained disguised as Apple Fritter, completely inconspicuous to those around her.

Harbinger’s transition from just another drone to a fully sentient changeling was still fresh in her mind. She had been chosen out of all her brothers and sisters to receive the honor of the Savior’s total control. Her body had been his for a few precious minutes, and the way his mind had brushed against hers had left her scarred in the most wondrous way possible. She was, for the first time, possessed of her own will and essence.

It was odd, at first. The Hive Mind still existed in her, but no longer did it feel like it was the only thing there, like there was no distinction between it and her. A spirit of her own now dwelt inside her, turning her from drone to Harbinger.

“I... am... Harbinger...” the changeling whispered to herself, the thrill of being her own self sending excited tingles to every fiber of her being.

The rush of power when she had surrendered her body was far more enjoyable, and, because of the fact she had become Harbinger, she was able to wish she could feel that pleasure again.

It wasn’t until she made that wish that Harbinger had realized that she was truly her own changeling, no longer just an extension of the Hive Mind.

“... and I think we’ll need some unicorns to- oh, hello Apple Fritter,” the town sheriff greeted as Harbinger came up to him. “I reckon you’ve come to pay your respects?”

“Respects?” ‘Apple Fritter’ asked, tilting her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The sheriff’s eyes widened, and he placed a hoof on Harbinger’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry I’m the one to tell you this...” he said lowly. “But your sister’s dead.”

Harbinger looked at him for a moment, unsure of what to do. But as any changeling did whenever they needed help in the field, she simply sent out a plea to the Hive Mind. A split second later, her answer returned.

Harbinger forced tears to her eyes, then coupled them with a trembling of her lower lip. She looked down at the ground, completing the ruse and continuing with the role she had played all her life.

“Apple Leaves...” Harbinger whispered, putting on as dramatic of a show as she could.

“I’m sorry,” the sheriff repeated. “It looks like anypony and everypony in the Blackcoats got burned to a crisp. None of them made it out alive.”

“I made sure of that...” Harbinger muttered.

“What’s that?”

“I said I can’t believe it.” Harbinger rubbed her eyes, wiping away the false tears as the Hive Mind recommended she do. “Nopony made it out? Not one?”

“We’ll have to get Doctor Splint in there to be sure, but for now I don’t think so.” The sheriff took his hoof off of Harbinger’s shoulder. “What I want to know is how this happened. The Blackcoats were a rowdy bunch, for sure, but I don’t think they’d burn down their favorite hangout.”

“Please, sheriff,” Harbinger said. “Whoever it is, please find them.”

“Count on it.”

Harbinger sank back into the crowd, watching from a distance as events unfolded. The ponies around her carried on their own conversations, and a few offered their condolences. Harbinger accepted them all passingly, her attention focused on the remains of the Salt Block.

A sudden drop in noise brought Harbinger’s attention to the rear of the crowd. Ponies parted briefly before returning to their original spots, allowing an unseen arrival through the throng.

A white-coated coated mare exited the crowd beside Harbinger. A small white cap rested on her head, bearing a red cross. She approached the sheriff, tapping him in the shoulder to get his attention.

“Oh, are you Doctor Splint?” he asked, holding out a hoof. “Sheriff Silverstar. Pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine sheriff,” Splint smiled, giving a soft hoofshake. “What is it you need?”

“I was hoping you could work your magic,” Silverstar said, pointing at the remains of the Salt Block. “I’m told you’re a unicorn. Can you see if there’s anyone still alive in there?”

“Well, I don’t usually use detection magic, but I’ll give it a go.”

Splint’s cap lifted off her head with an orange glow, showing her horn underneath. The doctor took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the magical aura around her horn pulsing softly. The crowd watched intently and silently, almost nopony so much as blinking.

The silence hung in the air for some time as Splint’s magic worked itself through the charred wreck of a building, searching out any and all life. Splint’s expression remained serene as she searched, her brow only furrowing as time wore on and the strain of the spell increased.

Finally, a bright orange glow began to shine from the insides of the ruin.

“We got one!” Silverstar called, immediately rushing forward with two other stallions who began pushing aside the rubble in search of the survivor.

Harbinger cursed under her breath.

The crowd waited with baited breath as the three stallions dug through the rubble. Harbinger desperately hoped that it was just a fluke, and that none of the Blackcoats really had survived. Her cover could be in jeopardy.

“No... I am not pretending to be anyling,” Harbinger thought with a small smile. “I have always been Apple Fritter, ever since I was a larva. I have no cover to blow.”

With that reassuring thought in mind, Harbinger turned her full attention back to the rescue effort. The three stallions in the thick of the ruined saloon were clustered around a mound of rubble, from which the orange glow of Splint’s detection spell shone brightly, then faded as the doctor saw it was no longer needed.

The stallions began to clear away the rubble, slowly but surely making progress to rescue the pony trapped underneath. Veritable piles of soot and ash were kicked up in the process, but the ponies didn’t relent until they had finally rescued the victim underneath.

“We got ‘em!” the sheriff yelled, getting a few murmurs from the crowd in reply.

The other two stallions picked up the survivor, throwing them across their backs and leaving the wreckage as quickly as they could. The pony, whose features had been so blackened by fire and whitened by ash that they were unrecognizable save for two seared appendages which were likely wings at one point, was set down in front of Doctor Splint, who immediately set about with her magic trying to heal whatever she could.

Harbinger watched intently as the doctor’s healing magic worked silently. In contrast, the pony’s skin undulated, several parts of its spine clearly moving to their proper positions. Puffs of smoke exited its mouth and nostrils, followed quickly by the pony’s eyes snapping open and a series of violent coughs.

“Easy now, easy,” Splint said gently. “You have escaped death, but only just. You must rest until I can get you to my office, where I can give you full, proper treatment.”

“No!” the pony yelled, sitting upright. “No! We have to run! Hide!”

“Easy son,” Silverstar said, placing a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder. “Listen to the doctor.”

“NO!” The pegasus looked around itself, like a frightened animal. “They’re here! We have to run! This is Canterlot all over again!”

“What do you mean?” Silverstar asked. “What’s wrong?”

The pegasus looked directly at the sheriff, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“They’re here... changelings...”

Despite the pony’s lowered voice, those in the crowd still caught wind of what it had whispered. A collective gasp of shock rippled through their numbers, along with panicked screams and various ponies looking around themselves for any sign of the insectoid infiltrators.

Harbinger cursed under her breath.

The pegasus looked around some more, eventually catching sight of Harbinger. It pointed a hoof at her and retreated behind Silverstar.

“There it is!” the pony screamed. “That’s the one that killed the rest of my friends!”

The entire crowd looked at Harbinger...

... then burst out laughing.

Silverstar shook his head and chuckled, and even Splint had to suppress a snicker or two. An invisible pressure lifted from Harbinger’s shoulders, and she allowed herself to laugh along with the crowd.

“You’re nuts!” one of the crowdsponies called.

“Apple Fritter? Yeah right!” another yelled.

“Now son,” Silverstar said, trying and failing to stop his chuckling. “I know you’ve been through a lot recently, but there is no way Apple Fritter is a changeling.”

“I have to agree,” Doctor Splint said, finally stopping her own snickers. “Trauma is normal considering what you’ve been through. And I’m sure whatever hallucinations you’ve had or are having will go away as soon as I get whatever drugs are in you out.”

The sheriff immediately straightened up, becoming deadly serious.

“That’s another thing,” he began, lifting a hoof to poke the pegasus in the chest. “I didn’t want to believe it, but if you Blackcoat low-lives are holding on to any drugs, you’re going to tell me where they are, then serve a good twenty .”

“I’m not high, I swear!” the soot-covered pony yelled. “Prove it’s her! I was at Canterlot, I know how those things work!”

The crowd fell silent at the pegasus’ words. Silverstar sighed and turned to Harbinger, looking slightly annoyed.

“Look, Apple Fritter,” he sighed, shooting the survivor a glare. “I think it’s best if you just show him that it’s really you. Give the poor pony some peace of mind.”

Harbinger blinked.

“Why do I have to prove it’s me?” she asked. “You all know me. I’m not a changeling.”

“It’s trying to trick you!” the pegasus shouted. “It’s using you all!”

“Apple Fritter?” One of the crowdsponies, a tan stallion sporting a vest and cowpony hat, came forward, the others moving out of his way. “D... do you know who I am?”

“Of course I know you,” Harbinger said honestly. “You’re Braeburn.”

“And...?”

“My cousin,” Harbinger lied.

Braeburn smiled and nodded at the sheriff.

“Satisfied now?” Silverstar asked,the survivor vigorously shaking his head.

“No way!” he said. “They know everyone close to their cover! Ask it about something else!”

“Just say one thing,” Braeburn nudged Harbinger. “One thing only the real you would know.”

Harbinger looked around at all of the ponies around her. For the first time, she felt the pressure of their gazes. She never thought she would be at risk of exposure, but here she was. All because she had gotten sloppy and missed one pegasus.

Panicking, she sent out a plea to the Hive Mind. While she waited for a reply, she stared at the ground trying to appear as though she was deep in thought. The more time trickled by, the more the nervousness in her began to mount upon itself.

When a reply finally came, Harbinger wanted to sigh in relief, but suppressed the urge down to a slight twitch of her lips. However, her relief quickly reverted to all the panic it had replaced.

“I can’t help help you,” Jack’s voice echoed in her mind. “Only you can help yourself now. Do not fail us.”

“Cousin?” Braeburn asked. “You going to say something?”

“I told you!” the pegasus said. “She’s not who she says she is! She doesn’t know anything the real Apple Fritter should!”

Something inside Harbinger snapped at that accusation.

“Horseapples!” she yelled back, drawing her gaze up from the ground and glaring at the survivor. “I am Apple Fritter! Always have been, always will be!”

“Just prove it already!” a crowdspony shouted. “Unless you’re really a changeling!”

Harbinger flashed a glare back at the crowd, but spared them no other gesture. Instead, her mind raced frantically, trying to think of the one thing that would prove, in the minds of the ponies, at least, that she was exactly who she said she was.

Harbinger tried to block out the murmurs of the crowd as they began to spread, and it didn’t take any listening to figure out that they were seriously doubting Harbinger’s truthfulness. It only served to increase her panic, and that did nothing to help her figure out what to do.

“She’s not saying anything!” the survivor said hysterically. “I was right! How long have you been here, changeling!? A month!? Two!?”

“All my life!” Harbinger shot back, teeth gritted together. “I was here when we planted Leafington! I was here when the jailhouse fell down because nopony used nails! And I was here when my Grampy Appleseed died!”

Harbinger walked up to the pegasus, rage filling her to the point where the urge to transform and rip him to shreds was almost irresistible.

“His last words? ‘Don’t cry little bumpkin. I’ll always be with you. I’ll always love you.’”

Harbinger leaned in a little closer.

“So don’t you tell me that I’m not Apple Fritter.”

With that, Harbinger whirled around and marched back through the crowd, back to her home. A few of the ponies she passed had tears in their eyes, others looked ashamed, some both.

Harbinger paid them no attention, instead waiting until she was out of sight before letting out a huge sigh of relief. The anger inside her still smoldered, a sensation she found curious. Her anger had always passed after it had served its purpose, but again the fact that she was now her own changeling surprised her.

She shrugged to herself, feeling the anger in her well up again and direct her home, somehow preventing her from thinking about anything besides the pegasus that rightly accused her of being a changeling, but wrongly accused her of not being Apple Fritter.

***

Chrysalis’ eyes opened as she awoke, taking in a deep breath and stretching her limbs. The typical fatigue she felt upon awakening faded quickly, a sign that she had rested long and well.

A measure of confusion mixed with interest swirled in her. While her body and mind had been at rest, her dreams had been filled with the changeling now known as Harbinger. The queen had seen and heard everything the newly sentient changeling had.

It was interesting, to say the least. Chrysalis had to give the changeling credit, it had defended its cover virtually flawlessly, and Jack’s rebuffing of Harbinger’s plea for help had done far more good than ill. If the changeling ever faced that same situation again, she would know exactly what to do.

Chrysalis had her reservations about what Jack had done. Harbinger was that much farther outside his control, and having true emotions of her own was something that the queen could not decide was for good or for ill.

The changeling queen was snapped out of her thoughts by a sudden, acute pain in her left shoulder, as if someling was stabbing her. She flinched as the pain pulsed over and over, her shoulder feeling as though it was ripping itself apart.

As soon as the pain had come, however, it was gone.

Chrysalis blinked in confusion, sitting up and rubbing her shoulder. She looked down to find that she was completely unharmed. That simple fact unnerved her. Something like that had never happened before, not once in all her years. Before she could ponder the matter further, she felt a dread-inducing pulling on her mind.

“C... ch... rys... al... is...”

Without a second thought, Chrysalis to the throne room.

***

Jack convulsed on the floor, panting and hissing through his teeth as he tried to force the immense pain in his shoulder away. For once, the Hive Mind was not so much a burden as it had been but a few minutes ago. Instead, he seemed to have the undivided attention of every single changeling, and not a single other thing occupied his mind besides the feeling of his left shoulder being ripped apart.

The bright green flash that signaled Chrysalis’ arrival was little more than a speck of light on the edge of Jack’s bloody haze of vision. Her hoof made a miniscule splash as she stepped next to him, sending a few crimson droplets onto Jack’s face.

“What happened to you?” Chrysalis asked, obviously incredulous at the scene before her.

“Make it stop...” Jack whispered hoarsely. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry, just make it stop...”

***

The changeling queen blinked in shock. He thought she was to blame for his suffering? No matter, he needed proper medical attention.

“Let me see,” she said softly, kneeling down next to Jack.

The teen seized a few more times before he realized Chrysalis was in next to him. His arms darted out, wrapping around the queen’s foreleg and pulling himself closer to it. His entire body still shivered, but the fact that he had some form of anchor seemed to keep him from thrashing about.

With his left shoulder exposed, Chrysalis was free to inspect the injury. Several black pieces of chitin had pierced his skin and torn through his shirt, leaving his shoulder open to the air. All around the wound, two liquids, one viscous and green, the other watery and red, poured out across Jack’s body and onto the floor. Where they met, the two liquids bubbled and boiled, leaving nothing behind save for a puff of odorless smoke.

Chrysalis recognized both liquids immediately. The green she knew to be changeling blood, which appeared to be attempting to clot the wound already. The red she knew was human blood, having seen almost too much of it when Jack had first been retrieved.

“Always such a problem...” she whispered with a wry smile.

Chrysalis prepared a healing spell, one to stop the bleeding so she could get the human to the medical area for treatment. She touched her glowing horn to Jack’s shoulder, watching the dual blood flows cease immediately.

Wasting no time, Chrysalis gently levitated the teen onto her back. Using her magic to keep him there, she set off as fast as her legs would carry them, moving far faster than any pony could dream of.

With her magic keeping Jack in place, Chrysalis was free to go as fast as she could, making sharp turns through the tunnels of Kruziik-Ahrol that would have otherwise thrown him off. She made shortcuts wherever she could, but there was simply no direct path from the throne room to the medical wing.

Chrysalis’ eyes widened as she felt two distinct liquids running down her back. Hissing in displeasure, she pushed her legs to move ever faster, needing to get Jack help before he bled out.

Taking a sharp turn, Chrysalis ran through one of the many halls that led to the Depot. Once she had reached the end of the short ledge the hall connected to, she leapt into the air, wings buzzing as she flew through an access hole in the ceiling.

A thump, a yelp, and the distinct feeling of her magic no longer in effect made her stop dead.

The changeling queen looked down, not even having time to think before she saw Jack, freshly bruised, bloodied, and shouting only a few choice curses, plummet down to the massive pool of green changeling goo.

Chrysalis’ jaw dropped, her mind going completely blank as she mentally replayed what had just happened at a record slowness. The pool swallowed up Jack faster than a starved changeling did love, a momentary tremor running through the pool the only sign it had been disturbed at all.

Just like that, all her hopes had been snuffed out.

The worst part was, she could feel him withering away. She could feel the anger, confusion, and fear that radiated off him, dimming along with the light of his consciousness. Chrysalis felt all of it so acutely, she wondered if those emotions were his or hers. Her entire body felt fatigued, as though she had not slept at all, instead deciding she wanted to be awake for an entire week, possibly more.

Tentatively, she hovered closer to the pool, trying to make out if Jack was still inside, or if he had simply disappeared. Only the constant green of the goo met her eyes, bringing with it, for the first time, a feeling of sorrow.

A slight dark patch caught the queen’s attention, raising her hopes just enough to make her reach out towards it...

... only to snag a piece of cloth in her holed hoof.

Chrysalis’ hopes immediately plummeted again as she drew back the cloth, observing it with sadness. She would keep this as a memento, as a reminder of both her own foolishness, and the miserable misleadings of oracles and prophecies.

With a heavy heart and mind, the changeling queen turned back towards the roof of the Depot, flying slowly away from the place of Jack’s death. As she left, she noted how prettily the pool shone against the roof.

“Wait.”

Chrysalis halted, looking back down to the pool. She cautiously approached once more, ready to protect herself if something were to happen. The goo shone brightly, a bubble popping randomly here and there. Remembering how changeling blood had reacted with that of a human, Chrysalis simply sighed, a wave of depression flowing over her.

The changeling watched as a few more bubbles rose to the surface and popped, and the glow slowly faded. She waited for a moment to see if anything else would happen, still hoping naively that Jack would pop out and be absolutely fine. She felt his mind die down to an almost imperceptible flicker, a sure sign he was almost gone. The goo in front of her darkened, likely his body rising so that she could see what her haste had done to her race’s future. She could make out his left hand, the one she had given him...

...as it broke the surface, clawed digits rocketing towards her, followed immediately by a familiar human, hissing like a changeling.

“NOT! DEAD! YET!”

Jack slammed into Chrysalis, his hands scrambling to grab hold of her. The changeling queen flew upwards, dragging Jack with her. He quickly fell back down towards the pool, but was halted by his left hand finding purchase through her forehoof.

Jack growled as Chrysalis lifted the pair of them upwards, through the same hole she had tried to fly through moments earlier. The queen mad the soonest available exit, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground in a random side chamber.

Chrysalis quickly stood up, looking beside her at Jack, who looked at her with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

***

Jack glared at Chrysalis as she stood up, trying his best to convey what he felt at the moment. She bore an expression of shock and utter disbelief, obviously having thought he was dead.

For a moment, he had too.

“What happened to you?” she asked, her eyes trying to keep looking at his, but inexorably drifting to his left shoulder.

“I was thinking you could tell me,” he replied, rolling his shoulder and feeling the new weight roll with it strangely comfortably.

The ‘new weight’ was a spaulder, though calling it that was like calling an alicorn a pony. It was made of three large, thick, roughly diamond-shaped pieces of chitin layered on top of one another that stuck out nearly perpendicular from Jack’s shoulder. The fabric of Jack’s shirt had been torn away, revealing where chitin met flesh and wove together. The top piece reached almost as far as the human’s neck, and all three pieces stuck out a little less than a foot from his shoulder.

“All I can think to say is that corners are going to suck,” Jack said, getting a small snicker from Chrysalis.

“What I want to know is how this happened,” Chrysalis said, gesturing to Jack’s new armor.

“I don’t know,” Jack shrugged. “What I do know is that you dropped me into a lake of vomit-goop, I nearly drowned, my shoulder is now completely fine, and I feel... different.”

While Chrysalis processed what had happened, Jack felt the all too familiar pull of the Hive Mind. To his surprise, he found that it was much easier to run, almost as if he was simply telling it to function, and it did. Everything was more responsive to his mental touch. Everything seemed clearer.

Suddenly, he had a thought.

“Chrysalis?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you give armor to certain changelings?”

“I did, yes,” the queen answered, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “Obviously I couldn’t oversee every bit of Canterlot personally, so I had armor made for a few dozen drones. They commanded their brothers and sisters while I was otherwise occupied.”

“That’s it, then,” Jack said, smiling. “This armor? I don’t know how, but it’s making controlling the Hive Mind easier.”

“Is that so?” Chrysalis regarded the human before her.

Jack stood still as Chrysalis ran her eyes over him, judging, evaluating. He felt his spines shiver slightly, unconsciously trying to release some of the tension he felt. A small part of him urged him to respond to Chrysalis’ judgement, to lash out, but Jack quickly quashed the small voice.

***

Chrysalis looked over Jack, drinking in his every feature. He was still clearly human, but it was becoming more and more apparent that he was more and more a changeling as well. His left hand, and now shoulder, were not his own to begin with, but she doubted they could belong to anyling or anypony else.

She noticed that his right eye glowed softly, something it had never done before. The queen smirked, thinking the term ‘human’ was getting less and less appropriate. ‘Hybrid’ was more like it. Neither fully human, nor fully changeling.

Abruptly, she felt a sudden and unbidden urge to attack him. The changeling blinked, not understanding where the urge came from, and not willing to give in to it. She subdued it effortlessly.

Finished with her judgement, she nodded at Jack.

“Very well then,” she said, holding herself high. “You will rule our species with me, then.”

“What?” Jack asked, shocked.

Chrysalis smirked. “If it has truly become easier for you to feel your brothers and sisters, then given your importance, I think it fit for you to rule. A savior cannot do much saving if he has no authority, can he?”

“I suppose he can’t,” Jack agreed, a smirk of his own forming. “But you’re forgetting who’s still in charge.”

The queen’s smirk faded.

“Yes, you are still in charge. But I imagine the burden of the Hive Mind has taken enough of your attention for a while. I wish to have it back.”

“Oh no, I’m fine.” Jack waved a hand dismissively. “After all, it is a lot easier all of a sudden. I think I can hang on for a bit longer.”

“I do insist-” Chrysalis began.

“And I insist as well,” Jack cut her off. “Why should the lady carry her own burden, if a gentleman is capable of carrying it for her? Take another week off. Or two, it matters little.”

The changeling queen was now glaring at the hybrid.

“Fine, I shall rest a little longer. But I will reclaim my rightful place before this week is over.”

“Of course, my queen.” Jack bowed dramatically. “Your wish is my command.”

Chrysalis felt and heard the mocking undertone in his voice, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. She would give him a little more time, now that he seemed alright. But she would not let him be in control forever.

“Then see that your ‘command’ does not grow too comfortable where it is.”

Chrysalis turned and flew back into the network of tunnels and halls that ran through the hive, intent on getting to a hub to feed. All the recent excitement had left her hungry.

***

Jack waited until Chrysalis was gone before he teleported back to the throne room.

He stood just inside the doorway, looking around at all the fragments of obsidian that remained on the floor since he had shattered them. He extended his left hand, surrounded in a green glow. The many pieces lifted off the floor and formed into a ball shape, spinning around midair as Jack grinned.

“Well, let’s see what qualifies as ‘too comfortable’, shall we?”

Author's Note

I'd like to apologize for taking so long to get this out. Ya'll can thank Cortex Repository for helping me get my flank in gear.

Stage

Appaloosa

Harbinger stood disguised among the crowds of Appaloosa. The entire town was clustered around a new, mysterious object that had appeared overnight and seemingly from nowhere. Murmurs traveled amongst the ponies about the object’s purpose, who had made it, and the like.

She, of course, had the answers to all of those questions. But she wouldn’t tell anypony, because Apple Fritter didn’t know. She smirked at the Savior’s game, more specifically how he toyed with the ponies of Appaloosa. They were easy to whip into a stir, and she admitted it was almost... funny.

Eventually, though, the sheriff called for everypony to disperse, and they did so. From that point on, they treated the object as just a random pillar in the middle of the town. Harbinger was the only one to return to it later, drawing her hoof across the segmented surface of the object.

“Why did you have me bring this here?” she whispered to herself, but also through the Hive Mind. “What purpose does it serve?”

***

“Explain this,” Chrysalis said, gesturing to the new addition to the throne room. “Please.”

Jack smirked as he circled the object in question. It was a segmented double helix, created from the remains of the throne room’s once great obsidian doors. It began with a wide bottom, spiraling up and around itself, topping off at two very sharp points. He was proud of the way he had crafted it, the final product perfectly coinciding with his memories.

“It’s just a little something I remember from my old life,” he said, stopping his pacing and placing his hand on the pillar’s surface. “Something I thought we could make a part of us.”

“But what is it, exactly?” Chrysalis asked, eyes roaming over the surface. “I hope you put the shattered remains of our history to good use.”

“It’s art, to be precise,” Jack replied, ignoring her addendum. “A very famous piece of art where I came from. I intend for it to become synonymous with changeling rule. And if you’ll look closely, you can see I’ve started recording history yet again.”

Jack waved his hand, levitating the black helix up and turning it so Chrysalis could better see the underside. The changeling queen squinted and ignited her horn, showering the glossy surface in a green light. Carved into the obsidian, in very fine and flowing lines, were several different figures. Among them were Royal Guards, changelings, Jack, and Chrysalis herself.

Several scenes were carved into the obsidian. The first, at the very base of the pillar, was of Jack, surrounded by guards and on the ground. The next was of him, this time surrounded by Chrysalis and her changelings. His left claw was the most prominent feature of the scene. Other sets were carved around the base, slowly spiraling around the pillar. There was a great deal of room left for more carvings, and by the time Chrysalis had finished scanning through what was already there, she had read through no more than a single ring around.

“This is... impressive,” Chrysalis said slowly. “Out of curiosity, is this the only one?”

“Actually, no,” Jack smiled, setting the pillar down gently. “I made two. One for Kruziik-Ahrol, another for Harbinger to deliver to Appaloosa.”

Chrysalis tilted her head.

“Why there?”

Jack turned to her and chuckled darkly.

“I’m marking it for conquest.”

Jack began to circle Chrysalis. The changeling kept her eyes on him whenever he crossed in front of her, the pair watching each other warily. Chrysalis’ wings fluttered every so often, and Jack’s spines shivered at the same rate. The human stopped behind the changeling and turned to face away from her.

“Marking something for conquest is easy...” Chrysalis said slowly. “Taking it... is much harder.”

Chrysalis funneled her magic into her horn and created a wicked, multi-curved blade around it. Jack did the same with his left hand, forming a scythe-like blade that began on top of his wrist and ended far past his fingers. Both human and changeling spun around, Chrysalis swinging her blade upwards as Jack brought his down. The blades connected in the crook of the queen’s horn, hissing loudly as the duo forced them against one another.

Jack and Chrysalis leaned further into the struggle, now adding their respective weights to their strengths.

“That, my queen...” Jack spoke coolly. “Is a lesson I have learned many times.”

The pair pushed off of one another, jumping back and watching their opponent for any further movement. A tense moment passed before Chrysalis leaped into the air, her wings giving her a quick boost forward. She brought her horn down in a cleaving motion, bearing down on top of Jack, who raised his blade to deflect the strike and slip out of the way.

“And yet,” Chrysalis began, quickly swiping her horn low and to the side and forcing the teen into a much more awkward blade lock. “I think it is a lesson that has yet to take root.”

Jack’s arm was twisted uncomfortably, and he had to keep it in position to keep Chrysalis’ attack from getting to him. However, the stress of keeping it that way was increasing by the moment. The teen gritted his teeth, then jumped and spun midair such that he landed on Chrysalis’ back. The changeling queen noticed this immediately, and swung her head back in order to get at the human on her back.

Jack couldn’t get his hand raised in time to block the swing, so he did the next best thing. He managed to tilt his body just enough so that it wouldn’t slice through his vulnerable flesh, but rather impact on his newly gotten armor. He let out a short cry as the queen’s blade made contact with the chitin armor, cutting into but not completely severing it.

Rather than capitalize on his new opening, Jack’s hand jerked to grasp his newly seared chitin. It was far more sensitive than he had anticipated, and now he was paying for it. Chrysalis finished her strike and brought her head forward, out of Jack’s immediate reach. With effort, she then threw her entire body back.

Before Jack was aware of what she had done, he found himself painfully impacting the floor, the full weight of the changeling queen crashing down on top of him in addition to his own. Jack reflexively threw his arm around Chrysalis, holding her in place and digging his claws into her side. The changeling thrashed and tried to free herself, but Jack’s held fast, gritting his teeth and squeezing her abdomen harshly.

“I know... what is beyond me...” Jack hissed, stopping for a moment as Chrysalis thrashed again, knocking her head into his and giving the both of them tremendous headaches. “My... queen...”

Chrysalis hissed back at him and threw her head back again, stunning Jack enough that his grip loosened and enabled her to leap away from him. She lit her horn again with magic, preparing to put Jack down again if he should try anything.

The human stumbled to his feet, clutching his throbbing skull in one hand, the other alight with magic and ready to strike out at any moment. He saw the queen ahead of him, and raised his glowing hand in defiance.

“You would do well to remember who it is you are dealing with,” Chrysalis reminded him, narrowing her eyes. “I am not some pony to be trifled with as you please.”

“And who else is supposed to save your entire race?” Jack asked sarcastically. “Face it, I’ve got you all by your collective throats.”

“And what is it you’re hoping to gain from threatening me?”

“I think that answer’s fairly obvious.”

Chrysalis let out a short laugh, preparing to attack Jack once more.

“And just why do you want my crown?”

Jack opened his mouth for a harsh response, but froze when no legitimate reason sprung to mind. His eyes wandered over Chrysalis, and he was suddenly aware of a faint tug in his mind. It was a subtle feeling, but it brought with it a want, an unmistakable greed.

Jack lowered his hand and straightened, tearing his eyes from the queen. He dispelled his magic with a flick of his wrist, and turned to leave the throne room.

“Never mind...” He growled.

Chrysalis allowed him to leave, only releasing her own magic once he was out of sight. She turned her attention back to the pillar the human had created, walking up to it and placing a hoof on the smooth surface. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Just what are you playing at, human?”

***

Appaloosa

It was a dark night in Appaloosa.

There was no moon out, leaving most of the land cloaked in utter darkness. Most of the town and the outlying farms were pitch black, save for the occasional night light that provided some comfort for the foals and fillies.

A bright green flash briefly illuminated the area around the Appaloosan Apple Family home. A few of the farm animals let out low cries, but otherwise nothing was disturbed.

Jack looked around, spotting the Apple house, a large red barn, a few pens filled with various livestock, and a nearby river. The area around the farm was covered in grass, but beyond that was nothing but loose sand.

The human cracked his knuckles and looked towards the animal pens. Even in the dark of night, his eyes were able to identify a few cattle out from the rest of the livestock. He approached the pens, scanning and picking out the fattest cow among its number.

With a flick of his arm, a bright green magical blade burst into existence. He walked up to one of the cows and stood in front of it. The cow cowered and took a step back from him, eyeing his blade nervously.

“I’m almost certain you can understand me,” Jack spoke lowly. “So if you can, tell me your name.”

The cow’s eyes widened.

“W... what?”

Jack grinned.

“Scratch that, I’ll just call you dinner!” He said cheerily.

***

Harbinger awoke to the sound of cattle crying out in distress.

The loud cry had shaken any drowsiness from her system. She threw her covers off and bolted from her room, down the stairs and out the front door. She scanned the area and found a familiar being standing next to a slaughtered bovine, his green blade glowing eerily in the darkness.

Harbinger changed back into her natural form with a flash of green fire. As she approached Jack, he turned to face her.

“Greetings, Savior,” Harbinger said. “You sent no word ahead, I would have greeted you if I had known.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Jack said, waving his blade dismissively. “I need to get away for a bit. Spur of the moment and all that.”

“If I may ask...” Harbinger tilted her head. “What are you trying to get away from?”

Jack gave her a flat look and turned away, kneeling down next to the cattle he had killed. He drew his blade along the belly of the cow, slicing it open effortlessly.

“Make me a fire, pronto,” he ordered.

Harbinger blinked in surprise, but nodded and left for the barn. She glanced once over her shoulder to see the teen slicing away at the cow, and wondered what it was he was doing. She shrugged internally and looked away, continuing towards the barn.

With habitual ease, the changeling opened the barn doors and slipped inside, heading to the rear where the dead and dry apple tree wood laid. She mindlessly loaded up a few large branches on her back, pondering all the while Jack’s words. He mentioned trying to escape something, but from his replies to her indicated that he likely wouldn’t go into any detail if she asked again.

Harbinger left the barn and brought the branches over to Jack, who by then had completely disemboweled the bovine and had thrown its insides into a pile next to him. He was currently in the middle of cutting wherever there was meat to be had, levitating those suitable pieces above his head.

Harbinger deposited the wood onto the ground and dug a hole, tossing the wood in and lighting it with a small gout of green fire from her horn. She turned back to Jack, who had stripped the cow of all useful meat and was holding it above him.

"Your fire is ready, my liege," Harbinger said with a bow. "Is there anything else you need?"

Jack levitated the chunks of meat he had gathered over the fire, sitting down with a sigh and patting the ground next to him.

"Actually, yes," he smiled. "Have a seat. I'd like to talk with you."

Again, Harbinger blinked in surprise, but took a seat next to the human anyway. She sat tentatively on her haunches, staring straight into the fire. A silence fell between them as the teen cooked his meat over the fire, slowly rotating the meat so as not to burn any portion of it. Harbinger remained still, watching the fire intently.

“So,” Jack began, giving Harbinger a light nudge. “How’s life in Appaloosa?”

“As usual,” she responded. “My memories are all the Hive’s, you are free to look through them.”

“Nah.” Jack shook his head. “I want to hear it from you."

Harbinger blinked again in surprise. She would have expected such a remark from someling not associated with the Hive Mind, but Jack was very well integrated, likely even more than she was. Nevertheless, she shook off her confusion and proceeded to begin a conversation with him.

"As the ponies say, it goes," she replied. "The apple trees are almost ready for the fall harvest. The sheriff and his compatriots are still sifting through the wreck of the Salt Block, looking for any traces of me. And the nurse who found the survivor is helping them track me down. They're still a long way off, but they'll figure it out eventually."

"Oh yeah?" Jack smiled. "Somehow I think you'll be fine. One way or another."

Harbinger bit her lip.

"Is that why you had me bring that marker into town last night?" she asked tentatively.

Jack frowned, his spines twitching.

"None of that right now," he said firmly. "I'm trying to get away, remember."

"Away from what?" the changeling asked again, and for a second time received no immediate response.

"Don't ask," Jack said after a long pause.

The human levitated one piece of brown meat over to him, checking it for any signs of spoilage or undercookedness. Finding none, he drew the rest of the meat off the fire, and presented half of the lot to Harbinger, who simply stared at the meat floating in front of her.

"If I may ask," she said slowly. "Why are you presenting me with cooked meat? I am not a carnivore, and neither do I savor the thought of eating Annie's remains."

"Aw, come on," the teen grinned as he took a bite out of the juicy rib meat. "It'll be fine. Worst case scenario, you have a fatal allergic reaction and die. Otherwise, you'll love the taste, I guarantee.”

“...I mean no disrespect, but...” Harbinger began, but stopped when she noticed the glare she was being given.

“Don’t make me,” he said lowly, the ultimatum more than clear enough.

With closed eyes and a slight grimace, Harbinger bowed her head and exchanged the meat with Jack, bringing it to her mouth and sniffing it cautiously. The aroma was pleasant enough, and the piece itself sent a small trail of steam into the air, indicating it was still hot. The changeling blew on the piece to cool it off some, then tentatively brought it into her mouth.

A few jaw movements passed before the taste hit her, forcing her eyes wide in shock.

“Oh yes...” she trailed off, her eyes drooping as she chewed happily. “This is wonderful...”

“I knew you’d like it,” Jack smiled.

“Honestly?” Harbinger swallowed her morsel. “This is the first hint of real taste I’ve ever gotten from tangible food. All the ponies love to eat plants and fruits, and us changelings never got any enjoyment from eating. It was just something we did to keep up our disguise. We could hardly even reuse the food.”

“Interesting,” Jack said, thoughtfully chewing on another piece of meat. “But for some reason you can taste this.”

Harbinger nodded rapidly.

“Can I have some more?” she said, inching closer to the human.

Jack snickered and levitated the other pieces of meat away from her.

“No. No. Sit. Stay.” Jack said jokingly, bursting out in laughter when Harbinger did exactly as he said. “Roll over.”

Harbinger grimaced, but laid on her belly and rolled over once before standing up again.

“Play dead,” Jack grinned.

Harbinger went limp and fell onto her side.

“Do a loop-de-loop.”

Harbinger got up and buzzed into the air, doing a small loop before landing again.

“Turn into Celestia.”

“I can’t do that,” Harbinger said flatly. “She’s too big.”

“Okay then, Cadence.”

Harbinger nodded, and with a flash, turned into the spitting image of Princess Cadence.

“Now do an ostrich.”

“I’m sorry?” Harbinger spoke in Cadence’s voice. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

Jack rolled his eyes and searched through his memories. With an image in his mind, he willed Harbinger to see the same image, sending it to her through the Hive Mind. The changeling’s disguised face gained a look of horror as she realized what he wanted her to do. Jack simply snickered as she stared at him.

“Yes sir,” Harbinger said dejectedly.

“I’ll give you two pieces.”

Harbinger looked up at him, smiling widely, all traces of reluctance gone. She then looked at the ground, then leveled her horn at it.

In one swift jab, she stuck her entire head into the ground.

Jack collapsed to the ground, holding his stomach as his laughter echoed through the night.

Harbinger gave her head a few tugs, eventually popping her head out of the ground and shaking it vigorously. With a flash, she turned back into her changeling form and sat next to Jack, looking at him expectantly. The teen didn’t notice her, too occupied with attempting to cease his laughter, failing dismally.

Eventually, Harbinger tired of waiting. She stood back up and leaped over Jack, snatching a sizable piece of rib out of the air and landing on the other side of him. The changeling let out a pleased moan as she tasted the meat in her mouth. She ran her tongue over its surface, savoring the exquisite taste and the alien texture. She had never had such a wondrous thing in her mouth, and when she swallowed it, she let out a contented sigh, wishing for more.

By this point, the human’s laughter had died down, and now he simply chuckled constantly. Pushing himself to his feet, Jack dusted himself off, grabbing another bit of meat and eating it. He looked down at Harbinger with a wide smile, reaching down and rubbing the top of her head somewhat roughly, but affectionately. The changeling flinched at first, but eventually pushed her chitin plated head up against his hand.

“Alright, Harbinger,” He chuckled. “I never considered thinking of you as cute, but here we are. Want to help me finish off the rest of this cow?”

Harbinger nodded again. The pair sat down, splitting what was left of the meal between themselves, quietly enjoying the other’s company.

***

Harbinger balanced her last piece of meat on the tip of her nose, delicately swaying to keep it there. Jack watched intently as she did so, fingers steepled together. Neither of them breathed a word to the other, too busy watching gravity try to foil Harbinger’s efforts.

“Apple Fritter!”

The voice of a concerned mother was instantly recognized, sending a shock of alarm through both changeling and human. Harbinger quickly let the singular piece of meat fall into her mouth and swallowed. With a bright green flash, she turned back into Apple Fritter, hoping and praying that her mother would not notice her shapeshifting.

“Run!” She hissed at Jack. “Hide!”

Jack simply stood up and dusted himself off once more.

“Hello!” he called out. “She’s over here!”

Both Harbinger and Jack saw a single mare exit the Apple household, a lit candleholder clutched in her teeth. She looked around the Apple farm, looking this way and that, finally making her way towards the pair once she caught sight of their fire.

Jack waited patiently as the mare hurried along, hands folded behind his back. With a smirk, he glanced at Harbinger, who was sweating visibly, and certainly not from the heat of the fire. He extended a hand and patted her on the head, feeling her soft coat as opposed to hard chitin.

“Relax,” he said softly. “It’ll be alright.”

“Yes sir,” she replied weakly.

The mare hurried along, her rapid pace quickly slowing down when she saw exactly who, and what, her daughter was accompanying. As she came into the light of the fire her features became more apparent. A vibrant, yet dark blue coat, offset by fiery orange eyes, and finally an earthen brown mane and tail comprised the mare’s coloration, and after a moment Jack concluded that she was an earth pony, lacking any additions to the contrary. A cutie mark comprised of a pair of golden coins was faintly visible in the light of the fire.

The mare looked at Jack with fear in her eyes, her jaw dropping and allowing the candleholder to fall to the ground and extinguish. She remained still for a while, unable to tear her sight from the human in front of her. Jack simply smiled and held out his right hand.

“You must be Apple Fritter’s mother,” he said gently. “Pleased to meet you, missus...?”

It took a moment for the mare to respond, her jaw drifting ever so slightly from side to side, eventually closing and allowing a shocked voice to come out.

“Two Bit,” she finished, shaking Jack’s hand awkwardly with a hoof. “Who are you?”

“My name is Jack,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Missus Bit. Your daughter has told me quite a lot about you. Her entire family, as a matter of fact.”

Two Bit nodded dumbly, prompting Jack to turn to Harbinger.

“I think we’d better go inside,” he said aloud, then nodded toward the cow carcass. “I don’t think it’s quite safe out here.”

“Do you think your so-called family will react well to me?”

“Of course,” Harbinger nodded. “Thanks for driving that... thing away from the farm. Come on, mother, we’d better get inside.”

“I think they will, if we keep up this facade. If my family accepts you, then the whole of Appaloosa should fall in line.”

Two Bit slowly raised her hoof, pointing at the corpse of the bovine Jack had stripped of ribs. Her lip trembled, fear visible in her eyes. Jack and Harbinger looked at her, then one another, then at the corpse, then at each other once more.

“Inside,” they said in unison.

Jack gently lifted Two Bit up onto his shoulders, carrying her fireman style as Harbinger guided them back to the Apple house. No conversation passed between any of them, Two Bit in far too much shock, Harbinger and Jack keeping a pretense of alertness, occasionally stopping to check around themselves and listen intently to the night air.

A slow pace kept them from reaching the homestead anytime soon, but eventually the trio reached the door to the Apple house. Harbinger quietly opened it and ushered Jack and Two Bit into the kitchen, closing and locking the door behind them.

Jack had to crouch slightly in order to enter the house, the roof being just a tad short for him. He gently set Two Bit down in a chair Harbinger pulled out, allowing Harbinger to sit down next to Two Bit and hold on to her hoof comfortingly. Jack backed up a few steps, allowing the them to have some space.

“I... I just don’t know what’s happening anymore...” Two Bit eventually said, tears in her eyes. “First your sister and the saloon burning down, now cattle being eaten and strange creatures showing up...”

Harbinger simply leaned in and hugged her, allowing Two Bit to hug her back and let her tears fall. It was clear the mare was in some kind of shock, and as such Harbinger attempted to calm her with soothing whispers and words that Jack pointedly ignored. He remained silent, standing away from the pony and changeling in disguise.

When Two Bit had regained her composure, she gently pushed her daughter away and turned to the human. She looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his left hand and shoulder, flinching at the sight of the vicious armor.

“What are you?” she asked softly. “I’ve never seen your kind before.”

“He’s a human, mother,” Harbinger supplied. “They’re wonderful creatures. Very friendly, very strong.”

“How would you know?” Two Bit asked, a hint of motherly scolding in her voice.

“I met him one night, out in the desert,” she replied sheepishly. “I know I’m not supposed to be out late at night, but there was the strangest noise, and I just couldn’t go to sleep. I stumbled across a pair of Fire Snakes, and, well, I don't want to think about what could have happened."

“Apple Fritter! You should know better than to go sneaking out at night! I’m grounding you until further notice!”

Harbinger hung her head in mock shame as Two Bit turned to Jack, who had a small smirk on his face.

“Thank you for making sure she was safe,” she said, giving him a respectful nod.

"No problem," he waved his hand dismissively. "I wouldn't let anything happen to little Fritter over there."

Harbinger straightened up, genuine confusion radiating from her over the Hive Mind. She gave Jack a strange look, to which he responded with an almost unnoticeable wink.

"'Little Fritter', you say?" Two Bit asked slowly turning back to Harbinger. "Exactly how well do you know this human, little filly?"

Harbinger, by this point, was utterly befuddled. She kept trying to connect with Jack over the Hive Mind, but he simply refused to either communicate with her or allow her to read his intents.

“I’m... that is to say...” Harbinger sputtered, trying to figure things out before they got out of hoof for her.

Jack walked over to Harbinger and placed his hand on her head, smiling down at her even as she looked up at him, silently pleading with him. Two Bit visibly edged forward in her seat, causing Jack to chuckle to himself.

“Oh, I’d say she knows me fairly well,” he said, smirking at Harbinger before looking at Two Bit. “It’s been a while, a few months I think. We’ve had some time to chat, you know?”

“I... see,” Two Bit breathed out, relaxing slightly. “Well that’s... nice to hear.”

“Isn’t it?” Harbinger offered weakly.

Jack’s grin widened as he knelt down next to the confused changeling, giving her a slight nudge with his elbow.

“Aw, come on, Fritter,” he said teasingly. “Got nothing else to say? You sure were the loudmouth two nights ago.”

“Excuse me!?” Two Bit all but screamed, jumping out of her chair to stare at Jack and Harbinger with a parental rage.

“Oh, pardon me, ma’am,” Jack stood up and held his hands up in front of him. “I think perhaps I misspoke. My mistake.”

“You think?” Harbinger said, clearly exasperated.

“No, what I meant to say was...” Jack pursed his lips and folded his hands. “You never really understand somepony until you’ve been inside them.”

Two Bit’s eyes practically bulged out of her head. Her entire face reddened, making her look as if she had undergone a complete color change. Just as it seemed she would explode, she exhaled deeply, pointed at Harbinger, then pointed out of the room.

“Upstairs, young lady,” she said softly. “I’d like to have a talk with you.”

Jack tried to keep a straight face as Harbinger and Two Bit left the room. It wasn’t until he heard their hoofsteps up above that he allowed himself to chuckle and snicker, making sure Harbinger was well aware of the humor he had found at her expense.

She made sure he knew she was absolutely livid.

Jack’s chuckles turned into full on hysteria as he heard a scream from Two Bit upstairs.

“YOU HAD SEX WHILE YOUR SISTER WAS BURNING!?” The matron’s voice carried surprisingly well throughout the entire house. “WITH SOME CELESTIA-KNOWS-WHAT FILTHY ANIMAL!?”

Jack froze as a flash of pain echoed out from Harbinger’s mind, followed immediately by a loud crash from above him.

“Okay, no.”

***

Harbinger fell to the floor of her bedroom, clutching the cheek her mother struck. She let out a very unponylike hiss in pain, as tears streamed from her eye. The side of her face stung harshly, the feeling of the blow lingering far longer than it should have. However, the shock she was feeling was far worse than the slap.

“How could you?” Two Bit sobbed. “Why couldn’t you be there?”

Harbinger laid still on the floor, staring mutely across the room. Her mother’s words rained down ineffectually on her ears, as she was far too busy processing the one, burning thought in her mind.

Two Bit had never, not ever, hit her.

Harbinger heard a hiss in her mind, followed by a familiar sensation. She could feel her body going numb, her vision sharpening, all sound suddenly silenced. Shortly after, her veins caught fire, as the feeling of raw, complete, unadulterated power coursed through her body.

And from her throat, in a voice not quite her own, came three deafening words.

“ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.”

Harbinger pulled herself to her hooves, feeling her disguise burn off her, revealing her true changeling body. Two Bit screamed in terror as Harbinger seized her in a magical grip, bringing her close to her face.

“You have made a grave mistake.”

Harbinger threw Two Bit through the roof, sending the mare far into the night sky as she screamed in absolute fear. To the changeling’s sharpened vision, Two Bit was clearly visible, even in the darkness.

When Two Bit had flown far enough into the air that she was only a speck in Harbinger’s vision, she reversed her magic, bringing the mare back towards the earth at a dizzying speed. The screams of the pony were silenced as soon as she fell back through the roof, once again being levitated in front of Harbinger.

The changeling felt the presence in her body recede slightly, allowing her muddled mind to think once more. She was now acutely aware of her mother in front of her, broken, bloodied, and quite near death. The mare’s head lolled around in a circle as she tried to look at the glowing changeling in front of her.

“Where... where...” she whispered sluggishly. “Where... is my... daughter?”

Harbinger blinked once, very slowly. She took a deep breath and brought her hooves together, standing tall and proud over Two Bit. A single tear fell down her face as she looked at her mother and caretaker.

“I’m right here, ma.”

And then she felt Jack’s mind encompass her own, hardening her heart and steeling her nerves. Her magic flared brightly, the air around her body saturated with raw power.

“Face your annihilation.”

***

Chrysalis laid on her bed, breathing even and steady, her mind somewhere in between awake and the void of slumber. Her limbs felt like lead, sprawled out as they were across the mattress. Her horn felt heavy and overexerted, throbbing dully every few moments.

Sleep, it seemed, would not come to her.

But then, she could easily place her inability to drift off to the concerns that ran through her mind. For as she was queen, she was very in tune with the needs of her hive, and her the needs of her children. As such, several things were becoming apparent, and none of them were in any way comforting.

One, for starters, was the dwindling amount of love her hive had to run on.

It wasn't that Equestria was lacking in love to feed on and exploit, no. In fact, ponies seemed to be clinging to each other more than ever, allowing her drones countless opportunities to feed. It was a matter of being able to escape the ponies' lands and return to the hive that was the issue. Formerly, drones came and went with impunity. However, it seemed that the Royal Guard was finally coming to realize that the changlings were in fact a threat, and thus were tightening security across Equestria. There was also the matter of their border patrols. While they were by no means any real concern, being too few in number to truly impede any movements her drones made, the fact remained that they were there, and the diarchs had finally realized that perhaps they were not as secure as they once thought.

Second, and perhaps just as important, was the matter of Jack.

For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Chrysalis found the human unbelievably confusing. On one hoof, she felt a desire to understand him, to know him as well as she knew the rest of her children. But on the other, since he had taken to carrying the Hive Mind, she was repulsed by him. She could feel her blood burning at the thought of him, a desire to wipe his smirk off his face and grind him into the floor beneath her hooves.

Perhaps, she reasoned, it was his attitude. The human had come into her hive, taken what he wanted, when he wanted. She had glimpsed into his mind well enough when he was first brought to her to understand that he was no longer bound by many societal chains, and was on some level only reveling in his freedom. However, she could not ignore the fact that he had, twice now, taken her children from her.

First there had been Cain. An accident, perhaps. Chrysalis had seen the thoughts churning in the young changeling's mind, and had simply dismissed them as a normal territorial instinct. She had not anticipated the drone to outright challenge Jack, after which he had brutally put the changeling in his place. And, quite unexpectedly, forced the changeling to become sentient. Chrysalis had thought that she was the only one who could give such a spirit, but she had been proven wrong.

She was beginning to wonder how much her hive would pay for it.

After Cain had died, and truly was he dead, Jack had gone one step further. The drone known as Harbinger was quite the debacle. When she was a simple drone, Chrysalis had disregarded the changeling's feeling of attachment to her surrogate family, thinking them simply a means to further an end. More than once, she had been proven correct.

Then, quite simply, Jack happened.

The human had come in force after seeing the way Chrysalis had been ogled by the stallions in Appaloosa. In his disgusted fury, he had practically forced his mind into the body of the drone, not only amplifying its power but also carving out space for the drone to become sentient. And as she could see now, the pair of them worked almost scarily well in tandem. Together, they truly were a sort of Harbinger.

And yet, the queen could not suppress a smirk as she observed their consciousnesses blurring together, distinct but eerily similar. She felt the conflict and hurt roiling off of Harbinger, tempered by possessiveness and a cold anger. The overall message was quite clear. Harbinger was in pain, and Jack would not allow such a thing.

Chrysalis’ smirk faded as she felt a felt a tug in her mind.

Something was very, very wrong.

The changeling queen listened intently with her mind. The Hive Mind had suddenly tensed up, like a string being pulled far further than it was meant to. Something was ready to snap. All of the lights of the changeling’s minds were flickering, agitated on some base level that even Chrysalis could feel.

Among the vast ocean of candles, a light flickered.

Then it died.

Only one thing could be felt by anyling.

Panic.

***

“Was that truly necessary, my lord?”

“On some level? No, it probably wasn’t.”

Harbinger and Jack marched through the late night, one of their minds weighed down heavily by the act they had just committed. The other felt regret, but had quite justified itself so as not to feel anything.

“I feel... hollow...” Harbinger said, keeping her eyes trained on the ground.

“I expect as much,” Jack nodded in acknowledgement. “A brilliant and happy, or at least content, chapter of your life has just ended.”

Harbinger was silent for a moment.

“Do you mean you knew that this would happen?”

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then reached down and placed his hand on Harbinger’s head.

“My little changeling, this turned out no better for you than it did for me.” He paused. “Though I think we both learned something tonight.”

“What!?” Harbinger yelled, stopping and looking up at Jack, all respect forgotten. “What could we have possibly learned!? What could be worth throwing away my entire life!?”

Jack drew back his hand as Harbinger snapped at it, slowly clenching his fingers into a fist. He did no more than scowl at the changeling, bring his left hand up, and allow his magic to bathe the both of them in a vibrant green glow.

“You should know as well as I, little changeling,” he said to her. “Our lives are worth being what we are, no matter how much it hurts. However much I hated it, I had a life before I came to Equestria. I had a mother and a sister, much like you. Different though they were, they were still the ones I grew up with.”

Jack’s glowing hand snapped down and caught Harbinger by the throat, lifting her up to his eye level. He drew her close enough so their noses were touching and their eyes could see nought but their opposites. He then spoke to her in a low whisper.

“I was running from what we are. But now I know, and I think you do too.”

A silence settled between them as Harbinger let all Jack had said sink in. Eventually, she whispered back to him.

“There’s no running from the monster inside.”

Jack nodded slowly, then set her down extremely gently, patting her head softly as he drew his hand away.

Then they resumed their trek back to Kruziik-Ahrol.

And without warning, a tug was felt.

A light died.

Panic.

Author's Note

Ding! Have a chapter.

I blame Borderlands.

Stratos (Pt 1)

All was still in Kruziik-Ahrol.

The hallways were empty. The colosseum was devoid of activity. The only thing settling in any of the feeding hubs was dust. Even the throne room, usually the source of some world-changing event, was vacant.

The silence that lingered throughout the Hive was frozen in place, horrible to hear. No scuffling of chitin echoed through the passageways. No hisses of aggression or competition came from anywhere. No biting comments from a queen or a savior were heard, the same for any scathing replies.

But perhaps, most unnerving of all, was the silence of the Hive Mind itself.

The sea of lights that was the collection of changelings was, one day earlier, of a brightness to challenge the Sun. At its core rested two lights, two minds that were blazes among embers. The Queen and Monah Lun, Chrysalis. The Commander and Savior, Jack. And beside them, a smaller flame, but intense nonetheless, was the Herald and Possessed, Harbinger.

And at the current time, they were among ten lights not dimmed to near nothingness.

***

Jack was doing his best not to hyperventilate.

Chrysalis had her head bowed in shame.

Harbinger had a look of dumb disbelief.

The seven armored changelings that accompanied them shifted uncomfortably.

The dead husk of a changeling that had the other ten circled around it did nothing.

Deep within Kruziik-Ahrol, in the very foundations of the hive, Chrysalis, Jack, Harbinger, and their escort of seven armored changelings stood around the first true victim of their failures. The insectoid being had simply collapsed on the spot, body exhausted of all energy, mind completely burnt out of any semblance of will to keep going on.

“So…” Chrysalis whispered. “How the mighty have fallen.”

“This is bad,” Jack said loudly. “This is really, really bad.”

Harbinger said nothing, instead drawing her gaze upward. In front of her laid the dead drone’s destination. A veritable mountain of cocoons, softly glowing green as they kept their precious contents, the bulk of the changeling race, alive. But only just. The drone on the floor had been moments away from being placed in a cocoon of its own, but had fallen short of its goal by only a few steps.

She wondered how much longer her species had to live, before the few drones still living in Equestria could no longer gather enough love to sustain anyling but themselves. In a way, being fed over the Hive Mind was almost as bad as starving, for the hunger that needed to be sated was not dispersed by such a method of feeding. It was only through the sleep in their cocoons that the hibernating changelings did not consume all available reserves, for their minds were too sluggish to comprehend much of anything, even their own bodily needs.

Chrysalis looked over to Harbinger, her frown deepening as she heard the changeling worry about things that were the queen’s domain alone. She reached out with her mind, trying to project some measure of comfort to her daughter. It worked to some extent, as Harbinger’s worry receded and she offered a weak smile to the queen, letting her know her thoughts and care were appreciated.

Chrysalis wished she could provide the same comfort for Jack.

The human was very obviously jittery, his fingers seeming to practically vibrate in place. He was breathing loudly and somewhat rapidly, a far cry from his earlier calm, collected, and self confident demeanor. In fact, his panic seemed to be much more uncontrolled than her own or even Harbinger’s. It dawned on her that he seemed to be acting similar to how he did upon first waking up.

“We’re dead in the water,” he said suddenly. “A sinking ship. We’re going to drown in a sea of resentment.”

“No, we will not,” Chrysalis said firmly. “We may be the only ones not in hibernation, but that in no way means that we are going to fade away.”

Chrysalis’ horn lit up, and a green glow surrounded the body of the dead changeling. The empty shell was thrown up into the air, and was promptly met with a gout of emerald flame from the queen’s horn. The carcass burned away in seconds under the intense heat and energy, reduced to mere ashes which fell back to the ground unceremoniously. Chrysalis then took a step forward, placing her hoof firmly in the middle of the ashes.

“You gave us hope,” she said to Jack, whose eyes remained staring at the ground. “For all your pretentiousness, all your hubris, you gave me hope when I needed it most. For you to back out now would be to turn your back on all of us.”

Jack flinched at her words. The verbal jab was as harsh as any physical one. Still, the only effect it had on him was to cause his shoulders to slump, and his hands to stop jittering. His spines were limp, nearly flat against his back. Chrysalis approached him and placed her hoof under his chin, lifting his head up to meet his eyes with hers.

“Giving up now means that the ponies have already won,” Chrysalis said softly. “I am not going to give up, and neither will Harbinger, I imagine. It is not in the changeling nature to simply bow our heads and submit. Instead, we will be, as you once said, beasts backed into a corner. And as you said, we should be all the more dangerous for it.”

Jack gazed into Chrysalis’ eyes, blinking slowly and rarely. He remained still for some time, not moving until the changeling queen let go of his chin. He kept staring at her, finally closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and nodding.

“As you wish, my queen.”

Chrysalis nodded in return. She then looked at Harbinger and the other seven changelings. While Harbinger was now her own entity, the several armored changelings still remained mostly mindless. Chrysalis was thankful for that, for she did not think she had the ability to comfort everyling present.

“My queen?” Harbinger asked nervously. “What shall we do now?”

“I admit, I have little idea,” Chrysalis sighed, looking up to the ceiling far above. “The best plan seems to be to divide ourselves in half. Five will stay in Kruziik-Ahrol, and five will go to Appaloosa, to blend in with the ponies and hopefully garner enough love to keep the ten of us from starving.”

“By your command, my queen,” Harbinger bowed. “Who shall go, and who shall stay?”

“I should stay here,” Jack blurted, tapping his index fingers together. “Every time I leave the hive, something bad happens. Besides, I can’t shapeshift.”

“True and true,” Chrysalis said with a smirk. “Very well then. I shall lead the team to Appaloosa, and you will keep our home safe.”

“Agreed,” Jack replied. “Harbinger should go too, she’s been under cover since she was young. I’ll keep four captains, and you take three.”

Chrysalis cocked her head slightly in confusion.

“I figure,” the human explained. “If I’m your Commander, these armored changelings will be my Captains. You said it yourself, you appointed them to handle other changelings during the invasion.”

The queen nodded curtly.

“Very well.”

“I also think we should name them,” he added. “You know, make them easier to distinguish from one another. And it’ll help if we need to send them anywhere, we can just specify who we want instead of them sorting it out themselves.”

“That seems ridiculous,” Chrysalis said flatly. “We have never had to do such a thing in the past. I see no reason to do so now.”

“How about recording history?” he offered. “If we manage to pull ourselves out of this mess, we should know the changelings that made it possible.”

“Again, I see no reason,” Chrysalis argued. “Their only qualities I might deem unique are their armor sets. As the ponies have shown, armor is little reason to be deemed unique.”

“Fine, you don’t have to name yours if you want,” he said, shrugging. “But I’m naming mine.”

Without waiting for Chrysalis to respond, Jack touched the minds of four of the newly christened Captains.

“Right…” he began. “Two males, two females. This should be easy enough.”

Jack folded his arms and stared his chosen four, ordering them to stand in a line in front of him. First were the two females, next the males. It was then that Jack noticed a very subtle dimorphism, that being the females were ever so slightly thinner than the males. This minutely more lithe form resulted in a more obvious, but still easily missed, way that their dark blue armor wrapped around their bodies.

“Alright, I’ve got it,” he announced, lifting his chitinous hand to point at each changeling as he spoke. “In order, your names are as follows. Mistral, Tiamat, Rayleonard, and… Nebula.”

Chrysalis bristled at Jack’s defiance. She had the three remaining changelings, a trio of males, form a line of their own. Without taking her eyes off of Jack, she spat out their names.

“Nidhiki, Wilfre, Kraid. Serve me well.”

“Thought you didn’t have a reason to name yours?” Jack asked cheekily, receiving a harsh glare in return.

“I do now,” Chrysalis responded. “If only to keep your head from getting too large.”

Jack smirked at her, then straightened up and snapped his arm up into a salute to his queen. His Captains turned around and did the same.

“Good luck, my queen,” he said. “May they always see you, yet never know you.”

Chrysalis nodded in reply, then turned to leave, her own Captains and Harbinger in tow.

“Don’t worry,” she called back to him. “The pony folk will rue the day they decided to strike back against us.”

***

Canterlot Castle

It was nighttime in Equestria once more.

All throughout the land, ponies of all types, young and old, big and small, laid down their heads to rest for the next day’s activities. Not just ponies, but a great deal of creatures and critters slumbered as well, save for a few savage, stealthy predators. But those demons of the dark would not harm a single pony, for one reason.

Princess Luna, Regent of the Night, would keep them at bay.

In the months following the invasion, the princess had been quite distraught, feeling she had failed her subjects once more. As such, she had taken to flying over the city every night, making sure no such thing would happen again. Her pride, or rather, her shame, would not allow much else.

After making several flights over the entirety of Canterlot, the alicorn soared up into the sky, rising far above the cloud layer. There, she basked in the rays of the moon, closing her eyes and letting out a gentle sigh. The moon was her one companion, present when all others, ponies, family, the stars themselves had long faded.

Her conscience did not allow her much respite, quickly demanding she resume her duties. Luna released another sigh, this one more resigned. She would keep her subjects safe, even if she only remained a fleeting thought in their minds.

Luna drew her wings close to her body, losing all momentum and aerodynamic qualities. She began to fall, rapidly gaining speed as she approached the ground. She angled herself just so, diving towards a patch of shadows that were utterly devoid of all light, whether from her moon or from the lights of the ponies.

She did not fall into the shadows, but instead, through them. However much she appeared to be a radiant beacon for the ponies of Equestria, Luna was a creature of the dark, through and through. Beasts became servants, dreams became playgrounds, stars became art, and shadows became doorways. For any being of the day, a fall from the sky would mean death. For Luna, it was simply a step through one patch of darkness, and out of another.

She exited into her quarters, slipping silently out of the darkness that covered the roof, and dropping silently to the floor. She could have easily arrived at her true destination, the Night Court, but her sister advised against showing such aptitude with what she referred to as ‘dark magic’. Luna had ignored Celestia’s instruction for a time, but the sheer fright her subjects had been caused was, in her mind, not worth the public display.

Luna exited her quarters, acknowledging her two trusted Night Guards with a curt nod at each of them. They saluted their princess as she passed by, and resumed their vigil once she had gone.

Luna allowed herself a small smile. Her Night Guards were far more competent than Celestia’s Day Guard, or the Royal Guard as they had become known. Such was the advantage of sealing away her most trusted troops during her time as Nightmare Moon. Time had left them unscathed, and their senses and training undulled.

But for all their skill, for all their toughness, they were still mortal.

The blue princess’ smile dropped into a frown as she pondered recent events. The trio she had sent into the Badlands, Lezard, Jeice, and Alster, had not returned. Luna kept three letters to three families unsealed on her desk, but as time drew on, she grew more and more resigned they would be sealed before long.

With the doors to the court in sight, Luna pushed her worries to the back of her mind. Now was not the time for troubling thoughts, but for a calm, collected, and regal demeanor. She could brood later.

Again a pair of Night Guards stood watch outside the grand doors, saluting their princess as she entered the court. Another pair of guards waited next to the throne at the far end of the room, silent and still.

Luna held herself high, striding towards the throne with regal poise and purpose. There was, as always, nopony awaiting her arrival. Even the Night Guards simply followed their duties’ calling, as they were trained to, never truly waiting of anticipating anything. In that way, Luna mused, perhaps she had deprived them of their base qualities, but she did not regret it for one moment, and more than once her forces had informed her they did not, either.

For a split second, the Regent of the Night closed her eyes. No longer than one might blink, she had already in the back of her mind resigned herself to another session of futile attempts to communicate with her alienated subjects. Nevertheless, hope shone in her, and with the confidence of her, currently slumbering, dear sister, Luna seated herself upon the throne.

Ancient magics, wrought well before the modern day, responded immediately to Luna’s presence. Like water, arcane influences flowed across the throne, turning it from a seat of gold to one of silver. The princess’ thoughts wandered back to the ancient days, where she had once demanded the enchantments form her throne out of platinum, to better match up to her elder sibling’s golden glamour.

And yet, even with her return, the request had been struck down. Gently, but struck it was, and such it would likely always be.

“We hereby declare the Royal Court, open!”

Luna had long stopped using the Royal Canterlot Voice to announce the court’s beginning, thanks to the intervention of the Elements of Harmony. But she was still far from the soft-spoken nature of her sister.

As expected, there were no immediate petitioners or even simple visitors. Yet the princess of the night sat rigid upon her shared seat of power, waiting dutifully for any that might come. Such was expected, and such would be given, for royalty, in Luna’s mind, was to be admired, feared, and respected, but never too haughty to ignore even the lowliest of subjects in the kingdom.

Luna found she sympathized with the lowly the most.

And so, with her physical entity seated upon the silver throne, the princess allowed her mind to wander off to happier times. Times when she was still young and naive. Times when everypony in Equestria was not frightened of her very name.

And so, the moon passed over, bit by bit, hour by hour. And still the night court remained empty, save for the princess and her guards. Luna mentally noted such, and with certain thoughts heavy on her mind, she prepared to sound and end to the court. Untraditional, to be sure, but she reminded herself wryly that traditions seemed to matter little in recent times.

However, before the words left her lips, three ponies in cloaks and hoods rounded the corner beyond the great doors. They spoke with one of the Night Guards, Strum, Luna believed, who announced them.

“Silent Arrow, Coal Blaze, and Jetstream to see Her Highness, Princess Luna!”

“I shall see them, then!”

Luna suppressed her excitement as the three ponies approached her. Halfway to the throne, they collectively threw back the hoods that concealed themselves, revealing at least one to be a unicorn, and one to be an earth pony, if not two. However, her eyes caught the subtle characteristic shuffling of wings underneath the rightmost pony’s cloak, declaring the pony to be a pegasus. All three were mares, though they had a sort of roughened look more befitting of stallions.

The trio stopped at the foot of the throne, bowing deeply and reverantly. Luna detected equal parts fear, admiration, and respect in their stances, and began to wonder when she had last seen such a thing.

"Glory to the Night, Queen Nightmare," the center pony, the unicorn, spoke. "Your glory is as radiant as ever."

Luna gasped.

"Dispense with thine garments!" she commanded. "Let me see thee clear in the moonlight!"

Without rising from their bows, the three ponies unclasped their cloaks and threw them away. The light of Luna's moon shone through the windows, seemingly focusing on the subjects before their supposed queen.

For all her composure and regality, Luna's lips let forth a horrified gasp.

On the right was the earth pony. Her coat was a charred black, while her mane and tail, cut short and jagged, were a mixture of gray and orange. Her emerald green eyes were the only brightness about her. A flaming coal superimposed upon a stream of molten metal rested on her flanks. Overall, Coal Blaze seemed a bit buff, especially for a mare. No doubt, she was a committed blacksmith.

Silent Arrow was dainty, even fragile in comparison. A slim physique, lithe and likely swift on her hooves. She stood between her companions, almost seeming like nobility flanked by bodyguards. Her silver body glinted in the moonlight, with abnormally brown mane and tail elegantly flowing around her body. A simple bow composed of bone rested on her flanks, but perhaps the oddest feature of the made was how her horn was sharpened into a point, which tradition observed to be in preparedness for war. War that her stormy gray eyes told she would be ready for.

And finally, the pegasus Jetstream. Her tan body rippled with muscle, and she could have easily been mistaken for a Wonderbolt. The two things that most obviously gave her away were the way her violet hair was pulled back in an impromptu ponytail, and the fact her left eye had been replaced with an orb of steel and ruby, severely offsetting its brown counterpart. Three long scars next to the socket left little to the imagination.

But none of their various quirks and oddities compared, even slightly, to the horror that rested on all three of their chests. The horror that Luna prayed was some trick of the night, and was not truly there.

“Rise,” she commanded, hoping that her eyes had deceived her.

Coal Blaze, Silent Arrow, and Jetstream rose, perfectly in sync.

And Luna’s hope fell.

For upon all three of the mare’s chests rested the same symbol, slowly rippling and twisting as if it were alive. For all purposes, in fact, it was. It could see, hear, feel, and think as much as any creature of the night.

The crescent moon upon a blotch of purple. The sign of night eternal. The bane of daylight, and the banisher of the sun.

The mark of Nightmare Moon.

“What are you!?” Luna demanded, her voice rising.

“We are yours, Our Queen,” the trio replied, bowing their heads.

Coal Blaze stepped forwards.

“But to keep your return a secret, we shall know you as Princess Luna,” the blacksmith said. “But whatever we must call you, we are overjoyed to see your glorious moon light our way once again.”

Before Luna could speak, Coal Blaze stepped back and allowed Silent Arrow to come forth.

“We know, Princess, that our lives are too little to compare to your duties. We are not bothered that you neither know nor care for the tales of our lives, but know that we will serve you without question.”

Silent Arrow withdrew, and Jetstream approached the throne. Unlike her companions, however, she walked up the steps, and did not react to the Night Guards as they flared their wings and prepared for her to move against their princess. Instead, she collapsed at Luna’s hooves, looking up at the princess with a terrible sadness in her one eye. Yet, her smile was one of joy, and tears came forth from the pegasus as she spoke, her voice no weaker for her sorrow.

“I lost my eye to a Timberwolf,” Jetstream told Luna. “But you, my Queen, you drove the beast away. It saw your moonlight and knew itself unworthy. So it fled to avoid your wrath. But I… I followed your light, and it guided me to place, I know not where. I remember nothing of my pilgrimage, only that I awoke to find myself in the care of the blessed guardians of the night, and I could again see properly.”

Jetstream bowed her head, allowing her tears to stain the red carpet. Luna put a hoof to her mouth, off put by this tale. Arrow had been wrong, she did indeed care for her subjects.

“I owe you everything, my Queen,” Jetstream continued. “My life for you, my eyes for you, my wings for you. If I ever bear foals, I would give them to you, if you so desired. I and my friends have already pledged our souls to your night, but ask anything of me, and I will give it to you.”

Jetstream looked up into Luna’s eyes, fear and reverence present in equal measures.

"We come before you, my Queen, not to ask anything of you, but to let you know we are here. We, your children of the night."

Jetstream backed away.

And Luna wept.

***

Kruziik-Ahrol

Northern front, all clear.

Western front, all clear.

Southeast front, all clear.

Southwest front, all clear.

Jack steepled his fingers for a moment, then relayed his orders back to his captains.

Mistral, Rayleonard, check the eastern front and RTB. Tiamat and Nebula, circle around and come back home.

A chorus of affirmatives, and the changelings proceeded to carry out their orders.

“Figures the only time someling listens to me, it’s already almost too late,” Jack muttered.

The human was resting on the throne, directing his changelings and monitoring the progress of Chrysalis and her entourage. Both of their groups were doing fairly well, all things considered.

The changeling queen was in the midst of finding suitable ponies to replace. Thus far, the absence of Two Bit had gone unnoticed, but Jack reminded Chrysalis that in small towns such as Appaloosa, such an absence would not go unnoticed for long. As such, it had been determined that Chrysalis’ group would alternate filling in Two Bit’s position. The queen was concerned over the dwindling love reserves, but according to Harbinger, her father would return home soon to satisfy their needs, if not their wants.

Jack had taken to ordering his captains on patrols, ready to act upon any pony incursion at a moment’s notice. What with his first experience with the Royal Guard, coupled with the more recent infiltration by the Night Guard, the human was not taking any chances. In both instances, changelings had been lost, and Jack would do his damndest to ensure that no more suffered the same fate.

The human shifted his weight on the throne, trying to get more comfortable. From the minds of Mistral and Rayleonard, he was able to view the expansive sands of the Badlands, with naught but a few rock formation to be seen in any direction. There was little wind to be had, which meant that Jack could also feel the heat beating on the two changelings even as they flew through the air to cool off.

It never struck him that Kruziik-Ahrol was built in such a way that provided the time tested method of climate control, that being very thick walls. The interior of the hive remained the same temperature, no matter how hot or cold it became outside. Only now did Jack realize how fortunate he was to be on the inside, sheltered and protected from the elements and more.

He made a silent promise to change that soon.

By the time Tiamat and Nebula dove through the coliseum's skylight, Mistral and Rayleonard were nearly to the eastern edge of the Badlands. The day was well and worn, as shown by the sun approaching the western horizon. The desert was beginning to cool, and little time was left before the temperatures became truly freezing.

Jack watched through the two changeling’s eyes as they neared the end of the Badlands. He had seen from the memories of the Hive Mind what laid on the eastern fringe, but memories were not the same as seeing it in the flesh, or even through the eyes of another.

A great sea, crystal clear blue waters, nary a wave in sight. Though given all those factors put together, Jack assumed it was a completely enclosed freshwater body, but in Equestria, anything was possible.

Tiamat and Nebula touched down a fair distance away from the ocean, looking around themselves slowly and cautiously. They then took off and headed back to Kruziik-Ahrol.

“Eastern front, all clear.”

Jack was almost disappointed to hear the news. If nothing else, he wished to have the chance to extract some much deserved revenge from ponykind. An attack from the sea would have been thrillingly unexpected. But silence was good. Silence meant that noling would be in danger, and that they might last just a little longer.

And perhaps, he mused to his Captains, they would have their revenge the next day.

***

Appaloosa

Once again, Chrysalis found herself doing the grunt work.

Not that she minded.

There was a certain amount of satisfaction she got out of getting her hooves dirty, of doing the dirty work herself and seeing it through to the finish. It was almost funny to her.

But standing in the middle of Appaloosa’s hardware store, waiting on an asinine pony to show up to get her the materials she needed, was almost not worth it.

Almost.

The changeling queen was disguised as Two Bit, taking the place of the deceased pony before any Appaloosans noted her disappearance. Despite Harbinger’s personal advice and memories, however, her imitation of the mother was not perfect. A simple cover story of an odd creature damaging the Apple family house the night before served a dual purpose, for nopony would suspect a clearly rattled mother of being a changeling.

As it was, Chrysalis was awaiting the return of the pony who ran the hardware store. All of the goods were placed behind the counter, and as such there was no effective way to get what she needed to patch up the homestead until the owner returned. As such, the changeling in disguise was pacing back and forth, wondering what could possibly be taking so long.

“Mother?” a familiar voice spoke.

Chrysalis turned to see a disguised Harbinger in the doorway of the store, Smiles crossed both their faces, but did not reach their eyes. Both changelings knew the speech and family loving were a ruse, and nothing more.

“Hello, dear,” she responded. “Where did you run off to?”

‘Apple Fritter’ entered the shop and sat down next to the counter.

“Nowhere, mother. I just went to the sheriff’s office to check when Father would be home again.”

The queen’s eyes flashed for a moment.

“Ah yes, I should have known,” she smiled again. “And what did the sheriff have to say?”

“Same as always,” Harbinger shrugged. “The caravans are under a slowly lightening guard, and the train system is still mostly out of commission, barring a more thorough investigation. If only there hadn’t been an attack about a month ago, the trains might be up and running again.”

“Bah, it’s the fault of those drones. I had ordered them to capture the train, and a few guardsponies should have been easy pickings for them.”

“It’s so awful… I still can’t believe those changelings are still out and about.”

Harbinger’s eye twitched.

“Jack told you himself, my queen. It doesn’t look like Royal Guards are Equestria’s only defenders now. And if the Night Guard have truly returned…”

“Well, Mother, I just hope Celestia will keep us safe and sound. She hasn’t failed us yet.”

‘Two Bit’ coughed.

“You aren’t making this easy, Harbinger.”

The sound of hooves running down stairs interrupted the conversation between the pair. Harbinger and Chrysalis paid no attention to the pony as they entered the store’s front, huffing and puffing.

“Can I help you, ladies?” the voice, a stallion’s, piped up.

Harbinger grinned at Chrysalis, who nodded. Harbinger laughed for an instant as the queen shut the front door of the store.

“Now, Wilfre.”

***

With two of her three underlings in place, Chrysalis was once again out and about among the ponies. She pondered to herself where she would be able to find suitable places for Nihiki and Kraid to stand in. Although Harbinger had lived among the ponies for years, she hadn’t seen into most of their personal lives, and as such the changeling queen needed to find two ponies who wouldn’t be noticed. Ponies who could act strangely and be thought no less for it.

The problem was, in a backwater settlement such as Appaloosa, nearly everypony knew everypony. There was little chance Chrysalis could replace two more ponies and keep suspicions low.

Then, inspiration struck.

The queen searched through Harbinger’s memories, looking back a few minutes prior. The changeling had indeed been to the sheriff’s office, and had gotten a good look at the caravan schedule before she had left. Chrysalis picked up a bit of longing through the haze of remembrance, but ignored it in favor of what was seen. According to the schedule, Two Bit’s husband would be returning in a little under a week. It would prove an excellent chance to replace yet another pony, possibly even two if the caravan had picked up some travellers unknown to the populace of Appaloosa.

Chrysalis tucked the memory into her own, allowing a smirk to come across her face. Soon, she would have a husband to feed off of, and one more pony subverted and replaced. She decided she would have Nidhiki fill the space left by Two Bit's husband.

"Husband..." she murmured, allowing the word to roll off her tongue.

Chrysalis had experienced many things, but the supposed joy or misery of married life was not something she planned on experiencing, ever. The queen understood the ideas behind marriage, and in truth she commended the ponies for coming up with such an idea. No other race in Equestria practiced marriage, or at least not to her knowledge.

Chrysalis abstained from any kind of marital commitment. Not because of any lack of creatures to marry, but because she found none worthy. In her eyes, all marriage would ever be to her was a way of forming alliances, for she had no way of loving anyling else. She would gladly take another's love, but she grimaced at the notion of love coming from her heart. The only form of love she ever felt was the parental kind, for she was Monah-lun, and all changelings were her children.

The changeling queen shook her head free of thoughts of spouses and marriage. Now was not the time to ponder such things. She would have time to rest and think about frivolous things when her race had been saved.

***

Kruziik-Ahrol

"Now that's something I never thought I'd see..." Jack chuckled to himself. "Queen Chrysalis, devourer of love, pondering marriage."

Jack returned his attention to the book he was holding. Against his better judgment, he had entered Chrysalis' personal quarters, and had begun sifting through her modest collection of old tomes. So far, all he had discovered was that the queen liked picture books, perhaps to further of a degree than was healthy.

He chuckled to himself as be flipped another page, eyes passing over the illustrations of what seemed to be a vaguely pony shaped individual performing a teleportation spell. He wondered if Chrysalis' books had been the things to guide whatever discoveries she had made.

"My queen, how exactly does our race know so much if our collective memories are wiped every time a queen dies?"

The response was quick.

"As I have said, there are some things so essential to our existence that we will never forget what they are. Most knowledge is learned through our infiltration of pony society, and sometimes educated guesses are made."

"How did you learn to teleport?"

Jack could feel a bit of inquisitiveness from Chrysalis, but her tone remained unchanged.

"Simple. One of our drones infiltrated a library in Canterlot, specifically the Library of Arcane Arts. It found a rather small book out in the open. Disguised as it was, the drone was able to find out that the small book was actually a very powerful spell book, requiring a complicated ritual to learn from. It was virtually blank until the ritual was performed, and once the book was read it destroyed itself. However, whoever read it, in this case the changeling that was under cover, would perfectly memorize the contents and recount them at will. Once that drone knew the arcane formula, we all knew it. And we could remake that one spell book any time we please."

Jack nodded to himself, still looking at the picture book in front of him. He suddenly felt a little odd, forgetting he could have simply pulled the memories from the Hive Mind instead of asking. He wouldn't admit it, but being so integrated into Changeling society and their Hive Mind was a little off-putting, a Or at least, having it happen so quickly.

“Wait. So you’re telling me that, in order to learn a spell, you have to memorize some crazy formula, have a self destructive book, and a ritual to boot? How does anyling learn anything?”

“Not necessarily. Magic is complex, and it only follows a very loose set of rules. I suppose a glass of water would be an appropriate analogy. Magic cannot escape certain confines, but it is free to shift and change in any way inside those confines. To answer your question, it seems that ponies spend their time studying magic, how it reacts with them, with objects, and with the world. Their studies bring them… visions, ideas that we do not understand. The ponies created a system to understand these ideas, and even then true comprehension takes years of contemplation. What we do know is that they transcribe all their studies into books, then perform their rituals to perfectly memorize them. After that, they usually write simpler books that describe the flow of magic, or very simply, how to guide magic to perform a spell. From there, trial and error allow anyling to learn.”

“Okay… Thanks for the info dump. I’ll be taking the rest of the information I want by mind, now.”

What could only be described as a snicker came from the queen, before she turned her attention back to whatever had been holding it before Jack’s interruption.

The human shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. A quick mental probe through the Hive Mind revealed the entirety of the ritual used by the ponies on their arcane tomes. Jack’s mouth curled into a malicious grin as he reviewed the procedure.

“Good…” he chuckled to himself, mentally giving commands to Mistral and Tiamat. “Even in death, you will serve…”

***

It was mid-afternoon as the two female captains left the safety of Kruziik-Ahrol, exposing themselves to the brutal sun and hot desert temperatures. As always, they traveled by wing, taking flight over the still sands of the Badlands in search of their targets.

Having only a general direction in which to work forwards with, the captains kept their eyes peeled, trading speed for meticulousness. Their targets were supposedly very noticeable, especially in broad daylight, but that was assuming they weren’t buried underneath the sand.

“We should find some sort of locator spell for future use.” Tiamat noted.

Mistral remained silent. Nothing needed to be said, just a simple affirmative over the Hive Mind.

The captains flew for many hours, until the sun had begun to set. They did not complain, nor did they stop to rest. Orders were orders. Their reserves were plentiful, and their energy remained steady. They did not stop until a bright gleam shone up from the ground, nearly blinding them with its intensity.

The captains dove down towards the gleam, which was soon found to be a dark blue metal. That alone was enough to confirm that the captains had accomplished their mission.

Immediate digging commenced, and as the sand was swiped away, the changelings beheld their catch. Mistral turned to Tiamat.

“We’d better turn these things in before they start to stink.”

A laugh of approval was heard in both their minds.

***

In the middle of the colosseum stood a newly erected altar of bone, bloody and fresh. The smell of burning meat filled the air, a smell Jack wasn't sure he enjoyed or was repulsed by. The stench of fused bone accompanied the smell of the meat, and ultimately proved to be a burden that had to be shouldered.

Jack stood in front of the bone altar, arms folded. The perversion in front of him was repulsive, but he believed it to be a necessary evil.

"Little wonder they kept to themselves..." he muttered.

The teen turned to the four captains behind him, each holding in their teeth a random book from Chrysalis' collection. He had done his best to keep her from noticing, but he had to move quickly. The queen would likely not take well to having her mementos of previous rulers incinerated. He pointed to Nebula, then jerked his thumb back at the altar.

"Nebula, get that book loaded up quickly. Random page, I don't care."

Captain Nebula did as instructed, opening up the small tome and securing it in between two sets of jaws that rested atop the altar. He then took his place back behind Jack, waiting for his next order.

"Alright, Mon Capitans," Jack rubbed his hands together. "Let's light this puppy."

Arranged around the altar were four bone poles, each of which had a portion of hide wrapped around them. The ritual called for the bone poles, but the hide was present in stead of any other flammable materials. That meant whoever was going to read the book would have to be quick.

"Take your positions," Jack ordered. "On my mark."

The human approached the altar, looking down at the open book. It was opened to a picture of a plant, followed by a pony, and then a pony with vaguely butterfly shaped wings.

Nebula, Rayleonard, Tiamat and Mistral each approached a makeshift torch, their horns lighting up and illuminating the area with green light. Each mentally signaled their readiness, preparing to receive the order to light their torches.

"Light 'em!" Jack ordered.

The changelings each lit their respective torch. The hides caught instantly, burning with emerald fire, the smell of burning leftover hair filling the air.. But they were already showing signs of charring, spurring Jack on to the next step of the ritual.

He immediately snapped his fingers, an ember appearing over his left index finger. He touched the ember to the open book, causing it to catch as well.

Jack waited, clenching and unclenching his hands, waiting for the ritual to take effect. If his guess was correct, then the book before him would soon reveal its magical contents, and hopefully bring one more spell into the swarm. Time was short, however, the hides were burning quickly.

He waited.

And waited.

And slowly...

...the torches went out.

Jack's shoulders slumped slightly.

"Oh...this isn't good."

***

Chrysalis was doing her best not to fly into a rage.

It wasn't going so well.

The Hive Mind was filled with minute tremors as Queen Chrysalis' anger radiated out from her like a barely contained volcano. Every changeling shrunk back from her, even Jack, as none wanted to be the target of her wrath. Most of their fears were unfounded, however, for the changeling queen already had her target.

Jack, would you care to explain why you just desecrated our hive, wasted as much energy as you did time, and create a particularly foul odor?

... I... was... conducting R&D.

Chrysalis took a deep breath.

I see. Oh, and one other thing, quite small really, you might want to think on this one WHY IN ANCESTOR'S NAME DID YOU JUST CONDUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON MY PERSONAL LITERATURE!

I was checking for spellbooks! You mean to tell me you had those books this entire time, and never once considered that they might actually be spellbooks in plain sight, even after you saw how the ponies created and used theirs?

Of course not! Why would our predecessors hide anything from us, let alone a spellbook? What possible reasons could exist?

... While that is pretty sound logic, I'll give you one very good reason why.

And what, pray tell, is that?

Jack took a moment to respond.

Some things should stay buried.

Chrysalis scoffed out loud, then collected herself when she realized she was still in the company of ponies.

I don't suggest we abandon all caution, but I think we have little to fear from whatever you're afraid of. Dead is dead, and buried is buried.

... Chrysalis, you live in a world where the Sun and Moon are raised and lowered on the whim of two creatures, one of whom I'm relatively sure controls the entire cosmos. In my world, those three celestial bodies obeyed nobody. If anything I would say a group of pastel ponies are far more dangerous than anything I have ever seen before. Six of them felled gods, so who's to say a thousand dead are nothing to fear?

Chrysalis froze, allowing the thought to sink into her. She nearly lost her composure, but was able to maintain her false visage through will alone.

Let us cross that bridge when we come to it.

The shakiness if her response did not go unnoticed, but noling chose to comment on it.

The changeling queen took in a breath through her nose, closing her eyes. She was, yet again, experiencing anxiety. It was never something she enjoyed.

Jack, you will refrain from unnecessarily increasing my worry. Is that clear?

... Of… course… my queen…

***

The next day…

“Left… and down.”

Jack tentatively let go of Mistral a she set him down on top of Kruziik-Ahrol. The captain settled down next to him silently, ready to act if the domed surface of the hive proved less than grippable. A moment passed as Jack evaluated whether his perch was sound, followed by a nod and folding of his arms.

“I’m worried, Mistral,” Jack said aloud. “If the ponies were to attack now, we would stand no chance. One princess is all it would take. So I wonder, why don’t they just do it?”

“Savior, the answer is obvious,” the changeling said flatly.

“I know…” Jack narrowed his eyes. “But even a prey species can fight back. It’s no different from bees and wasps. While we recuperate, they might strike at any time. And that’s what worries me.”

“The queen has forbidden any escalating of her anxiety,” Mistral reminded him.

“Bah,” the human waved her off. “She’s proving to be less and less the wonderful majesty I thought I knew, and more and more a lamenting old granny. She needs to snap out of this, or we truly are doomed.”

“Not as long as we have you.”

Jack sighed and lowered his head.

“And who am I to doubt a prophecy, I suppose…”

“Anomaly on the Eastern front!”

Interest was sparked in the Hive Mind. Rayleonard's report was followed by several images of a large, red disc sticking out of the ocean. Smaller, saucer-like discs glowing blue were in the air around the large disc, spinning and hovering without any visible means of flight.

Jack's breath caught in his chest.

"No. No no no." He breathed. "Not here. Not now."

"What? What is it?"

"Rayleonard, do not engage those saucers. Chrysalis... I think everyone's now living on borrowed time, not just us."

"Jack, explain yourself."

Images flashed through the minds of everyling. Images of more of the flying saucers, whole swarms throwing orbs of fire at pristine white buildings. Massive four-legged behemoths spat poison and fire at little metal humans, and bathed the land in red clouds of poison when they died. Bestial monstrosities crushed spinning pillars with their fists alone. Skinny, gray imps ran about and placed small devices everywhere, devices that exploded and turned the pristine buildings dark and lifeless. Metal demons that also spat death, but shimmered and ran through mountains unimpeded.

Finally, one great red beast stood tall, blotting out the sun of another land. Its head flew off, and through a bird's eye entire continents were reduced to flames and ash. The warped laughing of an unknown alien filled the air, and as the Hive Mind watched a strange planet was stripped bare by the red discs and left barren, nothing but rock and dust to cover the dead world.

"Horrors exist out there, Chrysalis. What you see before you is a race that has brought ruin to countless worlds like ours. Their leaders can unmake swathes of lands, or turn even steadfast brothers against one another in an instant.

I don't know what unholy name they were born to... But I know them as The Hierarchy."

Jack waited while Chrysalis reeled in shock. He understood, and he did not blame her. If what he feared came true, the situation could become far more dire than it already was.

When he felt Chrysalis reign in her terror, he listened intently for her instructions.

"Jack, take charge of all your Captains. I want that... Command Ship secured. Destroy the saucers and take their ship for ourselves."

Jack nearly fell off the Hive.

“M-my Queen, I respect your wishes and I will never disobey you. But I highly doubt any of us receiving various forms of directed plasma to the face would benefit us. And besides, that ship is probably soaked in radiation, poison you can’t begin to fathom. We’d die in seconds.”

“You don’t know that. Now go, I don’t want to hear from you until your task is complete.”

Jack sighed and turned to Mistral. The changeling acknowledged him with a curt nod, and they waited as Nebula found his way up to them. Jack allowed the Captains to lift him up by his arms, lifting him off Kruziik-Ahrol. Tiamat soon joined them, and the group set off for the eastern sea.

***

As the sea came into view at last, Jack took a deep breath and prepared to survey the situation. Rayleonard, who had kept watch over the ship and its floating sentinels, retreated to join his siblings in preparation.

Mistral and Nebula set their Commander down on the sand, well enough away to observe the saucers, but not provoke them.

"Alright, this is how we're going to do this," Jack said aloud. "These Saucers are powerful, but they're not very fast. Stay alert, and try to kite them whenever possible. Our plan is this. You three fly in, fast and high. Get their attention, and lure them away from the ship. Once that's done, I'll provide AA fire from the ground. If all else fails, dive into the sea. The Foo Fighters, the little orbs they spit out, will likely follow us and be extinguished, then we can attack from up close. The eye things on bottom are their guidance systems, knock those out and the Saucers are useless. Oh, and if you get stuck with a fighter, get away as fast as you can, they can't go too far from the Saucer."

Jack turned back to the sea, both arms glowing green with magic.

"It's do or die, my little changelings," he said firmly. "On my mark."

One hand was raised, three fingers held.aloft. The four changelings readied themselves for takeoff, wings buzzing like hornets before an attack. One finger dropped, then another.

Abruptly, one of the Saucers left the main group, whirring towards the assembled forces of Kruziik-Ahrol. Jack cursed to himself and pointed his finger at the approaching aircraft.

"Mark! Waste this bitch!"

With a flurry of hisses and snarls, the changeling captains launched themselves into the air, horns ablaze with magic. The Saucer spun faster as they approached, seemingly agitated by their bravado. A trio of bright orange globes detached from the Saucer, hissing towards the changelings with all possible haste.

Rayleonard sped ahead and buzzed past the Foo Fighters, drawing one away from the group. Mistral, Tiamat and Nebula made a beeline for the Saucer, narrowly letting the other Fighters pass between them. The Saucer, evidently sensing their approach, drew back and tried to distance itself.

The Saucer was, in fact, fast enough to maintain the gap between itself and the changelings, but not expand it. The trio opted to slow down, trying to get the Saucer to approach them instead.

Then Tiamat screamed as the two Foo Fighters caught up to them.

Jack swore violently, charging up and unleashing twin beams of magic from his hands without hesitation. Tiamat's screams continued, even intensified, and the Fighters burst into clouds of gas, dissipating in seconds.

Apparently, however, the Fighters had been the only thing keeping the Captain in the air.

Tiamat's burned body silently dropped to the ground. Her wings had been almost completely incinerated in the brief time she had been under attack. That, coupled with the stench of burned chitin, almost firmly established her as deceased, were it not for the mental screams that she gave off, her body wheezing faintly.

“Dammit!” Jack rushed over to Tiamat, standing guard over her and blasting away at the Saucer. “Everyling, stay away from the Fighters! Situational awareness, dammit!”

Mistral and Nebula silently acknowledged the order. From the ground, Jack guided the duo, instructing them to strike with magical blades at the hovering machine’s underside.With two Foo Fighters extinguished and the third chasing Rayleonard every which way he decided to move, they had a clear shot.

The Saucer, seemingly realizing it was in trouble, called back its Fighter. But a single burst of magic from Rayleonard rendered that command null and void, as the third Foo Fighter met its end. With no immediate support, the Saucer tried to fly back towards its brethren above the Command Ship, but Rayleonard had it locked in his sights.

The Saucer veered to the side, but was far too unwieldy to do so effectively. As such, Rayleonard took the chance to dive under the Saucer, and with a single jerk of his head, drove his magic-encased horn into one of three guidance systems.

The effect was immediate.

The Saucer’s spinning faltered, and the entire machine listed and lost both altitude and speed. Lights flickered and sparked across the entire construct, showing no irrelevant signs of damage. Mistral and Nebula easily caught up to it, and followed their brother’s lead by spearing the remaining systems with their own blades. From below, Jack gave them a proud smile, then started as he realized what was to follow.

That alarm was all the trio of Captains needed to realize they had to put some distance between themselves and the Saucer, which was now covered in arcs of electricity. As the changelings buzzed away, plasma burst out from one, three, seven spots all over the Saucer. The spinning machine dropped like a rock to the sand below, failing in all possible regards, sparking and hissing and dying.

Jack cocked his head as he watched the spectacle.

“Huh…” he muttered. “I was expecting a little more-”

The Saucer suddenly erupted in an orange gout of plasmic fire, blackened metal bits flying everywhere. The sand was turned to glass in an instant, and even from his far away view the human could almost feel the heat from the blast.

“Holy!” he jumped. “That was not supposed to happen!”

Jack recalled his Captains, who touched down in front of him in a perfect line. Nebula and Rayleonard’s eyes glanced down at Tiamat for a brief instant before refocusing on their Commander.

“Yes, I know,” Jack acknowledged them. “She’s in bad shape. But that’s why it’s all the more important that we get inside that ship. Worse comes to worse, she dies and is reborn later. Best case scenario is that we find her some medical aid, which I seriously doubt is lacking in a ship like that. Now let’s take out the other two Saucers before-”

Jack was cut off yet again as he noticed the remaining Saucers breaking away from the Command Ship, whirring towards their fallen comrade. From his current position, Jack could faintly see the Saucers glowing an odd bluish color, as opposed to the previous Saucer’s orange.

“Change of plans!” he yelled. “Mistral, grab Tiamat! Rayleonard, Nebula, carry me! Quickly!”

Author's Note

There's no kill like overkill.

UAW belongs to Petroglyph, Sega, 'prolly somebody else too. Not mine!

Displaced

A teenager walked along the shore, alone. His eyes were glued to the ground as he walked, face bearing an expression of misery and disgust. His attitude went completely unnoticed by his mother and sister, who walked directly away from him, as was usual for their fall beach excursions.

He hated the beach, he really did. The sand got everywhere, including inside his brand new sneakers. The water was never to his liking, always too cold except for where that one child decided to relieve themselves. And during this time of the year, it was only his jeans, shirt, and trusty North Face windbreaker that kept him from freezing his rear off.

The teen zipped up said article of clothing, the winds having performed a sudden change in direction. He briefly wondered what would have caused such a thing, as the wind was usually some degree of consistent, but shook his head and put it down to the distaste the and the cold shared for one another.

The teen briefly glanced out to sea, watching as few boats milled back and forth at a sluggish pace. He smiled briefly before falling to the sand which he hated so much, his foot having gone straight into a hole that someone had dug but not bothered to fill back in. He cursed as he fell, landing on the hard fall sand with a solid THMP that sent his vision spinning and generously bestowing a piercing headache.

Blinking a few times until his vision refocused, the teen slowly climbed to his feet, noticing how the air had warmed up immensely. So much so, that he began shielding himself from the sun and its warming rays. The teen blinked once his head had settled, looking around himself in confusion.

Where did the sun go?

The cool beach and ocean that he had been on/next to just a few seconds ago had vanished, replaced with what could only be described as a bleak and endless desert. The only noticeable feature in any direction was the waist-high barbed wire fence that ran as far as he could see, intermittent signs displaying “KEEP OUT” for anyone who cared.

“Well… shit,” the teen said aloud. He glanced around once more, then shrugged and began walking, quickly beginning a conversation with himself.

“I suppose this ruins my plans for the weekend… What with being in a desert and all.”

“Though I suppose it’s interesting to find out that I can in fact disregard time and space, and those shots at the range weren’t miscountings or horrible accuracy.”

“I wonder if there are any towns near here. It would really suck if I died out here…”

The male raised his hands to his mouth and yelled. “HELLO!” He paused, waiting for a response. With no call in return, he yelled again. “ANY INTELLIGENT LIFE OUT THERE!?”

With a disappointed sigh, he turned to the barbed wire fence. Natural human curiosity overcame him as he inspected the metal wires, having never really seen barbed wire up close and personal. He looked over the wire, pulling on it occasionally, testing it for a way over or through as he slowly traveled along the fence.

He eventually found a section that was rather loose. Grabbing the upper and lower wires of the fence, the teen spread them apart as far as they would allow. With a frown, he released the wires and took off his windbreaker, tossing it over ahead of him. Nodding, he spread the wires once more and, moving slowly, managed to pass through without injury.

Once on the other side, he grinned and nodded. “Good work, me,” he said, patting himself on the back before bending down to pick up his discarded clothing. A bright blue flash at the edge of his vision immediately gained his attention, and he quickly rose to be greeted by the sight of four small, white ponies covered in golden armor as if to mimic the cartoon creations he enjoyed so much. The human couldn’t suppress a chuckle as he looked at the animals, the light mirth quickly turning to full-blown, stomach-aching laughter as he noticed that the owner of the ponies had somehow attached very realistic horns to the quartet, further enhancing the mimicry.

“Oh I get it, I’m dreaming!” the teen laughed. “I hit my head on something, and now I’m dreaming!”

His laughter immediately ceased when they began talking.

“Sarge?” the pseudo-unicorn to the rear piped, its animal lips and vocal chords miraculously creating human-esque sounds. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of these before.”

The lead pony grunted before responding. “Don’t matter. You know the rules. It crossed the border, it dies. We don’t need another invasion.”

The previously-amused human gaped at the ponies, his eyes confirming that they were in fact unicorns as their horns lit up with gold or blue auras. He sputtered for a moment, holding up his hands and backing away slowly.

“Whoa, easy there! Uh, love and tolerance? Friendship is magic? Twenty perce—“

The teen was cut off by several magical bolts flying at him, which he quickly dove to the ground to avoid. Spitting out sand, he quickly rose to his feet and reached into his pocket, pulling out his trusty switchblade and snapping it open with the click of a button. He held it reverse in his hand, quickly getting into a more fight-worthy pose.

“Never thought I’d actually fight somebody,” He commented. “Guess I’d better learn.”

The unicorns reassessed the situation, surrounding the human as they kept their magic ready and on a hair trigger. The sergeant was the first to attack, launching another bolt at the human while rushing forward to try and pummel him. The teen twisted to avoid the bolt, but only just managed to sidestep and avoid the pony’s front hooves as they kicked out at him. He quickly jumped onto the unicorn, hanging on for dear life as the sergeant began to buck in an attempt to knock him off. But even as the human lost his grip, he managed to bring his knife across the neck of the pony, sending the both of them to the ground.

The human coughed and stood up, coming face-to face with the other three unicorns.

“Fu—“

***

A ten-strong squad of changelings rapidly closed on the Equestrian boarder, ready to deal with any threat they found on their turf. As they neared the source of the disturbance, they observed three Royal Guards mercilessly beating a strange creature. They felt their queen peer through their eyes, sharing their sight, observing the situation as they did. A flicker of surprise, of recognition, of some long lost knowledge ran through the Hive Mind, and soon their goal was clear by the voice of the queen herself.

Save that human!

***

The human’s cries of pain continued as the ponies went from inflicting grievous injuries on his body to simply kicking and battering him. His entire body throbbed in agony as ever more abuse was inflicted on him. Several cuts and stabs from a spectral spear one had conjured, burns from magical attacks he had quickly lost his ability to avoid, and the feeling of several bones throughout his body in a state of brokenness, and now the constant demeaning kicks assaulted his rapidly failing consciousness.

Beyond his tormentors, the human saw almost a dozen bug-like things descend from the sky, green fire erupting around their bodies as they fell with deadly intent. The unicorns noticed the newcomers almost as quickly, but amidst several shouts and a chorus of buzzes and hisses, their attacks and efforts of resistance were snuffed out in a swarm of blackness.

Once the last pony had fallen, the teen looked at his saviors. Their black, twisted forms appeared nothing short of majestic, eyes hiding a bestial intelligence that he could respect. He felt himself becoming weightless as a green tinge filled his vision, and the wondrous buzzing of insectoid wings filled his ears once more.

And finally, his body’s painful throbs faded with the world.

Dissatisfaction (Pt 2)

It was difficult for Jack to multi-task, resulting in a very slow pace as he and Chrysalis made their way to the Depot. However, it was only a matter of time before they arrived at their destination, the changeling queen quickening her hoofsteps down the hall leading to the Depot and leaving her human companion to continue his extremely slow walk by himself. A flicker of annoyance resonated across both of their minds, Chrysalis irritated that Jack was taking so long, and Jack himself for the same reason.

Finally, the human exited the hallway, finding himself on a short ledge suspended over a large basin, filled with green liquid, carved into the ground, domed ceiling above him. Other ledges were scattered around the edge of the basin, a few even coming down from the ceiling.

Jack observed as a changeling came into the cavern from another entry and stood at the edge of the ledge. The drone retched briefly, then vomited a glob of the same green goo that Jack had magically suspended into the basin. The changeling then left as if nothing had happened. Another drone came in from a different entry, and repeated the process every so often.

With only a moment’s hesitation, Jack thrusted his arm forward, sending his own regurgitated goo over the ledge and down into the green pond. He looked back at Chrysalis, who bore an impassive expression.

“So this is the Depot?” he asked, a disappointed tone in his voice.

“Don’t sound so unimpressed,” the changeling queen said coolly, walking up to the edge of the ledge and peering down. “What you see is more than just a collection of vomited up slime. Everything you have seen, everything we have built, all of it, comes from a reservoir just like this one.”

“But what is it, exactly?”

“...Disgusting as it may seem, for any other species, there would be urine and feces down there. But we,” Chrysalis’ voice became more prideful,” are not so wasteful. We can reuse our wastes, building our hives instead of throwing it into the ground.”

Jack was amazed, looking around himself with a renewed sense of awe. “I don’t know whether I should be shocked, envious, or disgusted.”

The queen turned to look at him. “Tell me, Jack, how do humans build things?”

The teen’s expression became perplexed. “Why do you want to know? I can tell you, it’s nowhere near as efficient as, well, this.” He gestured around the Depot.

Chrysalis simply chuckled, fully turning around before laying down slowly on the ledge, holding herself in a regal manner. “Humor me. I know little of your race, yet you can or do know everything about mine.”

Jack sighed and nodded affirmatively. “Fair enough. Where to start...” He promptly sat down across from Chrysalis.

The queen smiled lightly. “Start with the basics. What makes a human?”

“Not much to it really,” the teen shrugged. “Just your average carbon-based lifeforms. Only real advantages we have are walking on two legs, opposable thumbs, and our brains.”

“There must be more to it than that,” Chrysalis said. “Humans are creatures of olden legends. Is that really all there is to tell?”

Jack began to shrug, a ‘no’ forming in his throat, but his body suddenly froze, a tingling feeling passing over him. He slowly grinned, a new answer coming in the blink of an eye.

“Actually, there is.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, a slight tingling at the base of her skull. The feeling faded as quickly as it came, leaving her slightly confused. Her attention snapped back to her human companion as he stood up and began pacing, talking as he did so.

“You said we’re creatures of legend?” he asked, receiving a slow nod in return. “Then let me prove to you how legendary we are.

“Humans are sort of like you and those ponies. We don’t trust each other, and we can’t coexist peacefully. On a large scale, at least. So what do we do? We kill each other. First with our bare hands, then with sticks and rocks, then with swords, then with bows and arrows, then with bullets...” He stopped pacing and turned his head to Chrysalis, a wicked gleam in his green eye.

“Can’t you see? We progress, we evolve. What we can’t do ourselves, we make tools to do. At first, we used sticks and stones. Now? Now we use computers- like brains, but made of silicon, and able to do so much more... and so much less. We don’t have magic like you do, but we don’t need it.” Jack began pacing again.

“We don’t need magic to move places, we made cars and trains. We don’t need magic to move things, we have robots and forklifts. We don’t need magic to control weather, we just laugh and carry on. We don’t need magic to manipulate matter, we have an endless amount of machines to do anything we want.

“But we have a few crowning achievements. We took a man and put him on the moon. And then we brought him back. We can’t fly, but we made vehicles that can put anything in Equestria to shame. We can’t create real worlds, so we make fake ones. We don’t have a hive mind, but we made something that’s almost as good.

“But the one thing we did, that dwarfs every other achievement? That one thing that places us on top of nature itself?”

He stopped again, turning to fully look at the changeling queen who laid on the floor, expression unreadable.

“The very foundation of the universe: the atom. We took the base of all existence, and we broke it.

“We took the atom, and we unleashed nuclear fire on our own planet! We burned away cities in the blink of an eye! We poisoned the earth itself! And with each passing year, we only find better ways to do it!

“Do you understand now? Do you understand the legends? Humans create, humans destroy, all on a whim. We can bend nature to our will, and even the sun has become nothing more than a utility."

“We aren’t perfect, not by a long shot. I’m not claiming that. But we are masters of almost anything we want to be. To accept humanity would be to prosper until the end of time. To challenge us is to throw oneself into Death’s arms.

“That is what it means to be human.”

Finished with his speech, Jack turned around and left the Depot.

***

With the human’s departure, Chrysalis was left alone to her thoughts. While her features betrayed no emotion, in her mind the queen was experiencing a mixture of awe, amazement, respect, fear, and the slightest bit of greed.

With a slowly growing savage grin, the changeling queen realized what the human was. He wasn’t simply some end result of an ancient prophecy, he was a key. A key to unlocking the knowledge and power her race would need to enact its revenge on ponykind. If she could play her cards right, she could not only have him uplift the changelings when the time came, she could have him make them gods of their own world. Beyond, even.

With a short laugh, Chrysalis stood up and left the Depot. She could sense Jack’s intended destination, a place of great importance, and in fact the last stop on their brief tour of Kruziik-Ahrol.

The throne room.

A smile broke out across her face. The queen immediately switched from walking to flying, intent on getting there before the human. He had a head start, but seemed to be in no hurry to get there.

And when he did arrive, she would be waiting for him.

***

Jack kept a stoic expression as he walked through the changeling hive, trying his best to ignore the various pieces of white noise that bled into his head from the Hive Mind. It didn’t help that the odd tingling he had felt before delivering his impromptu speech had returned, lingering as a bizarre combination of energy and fatigue.

The corner of the teen’s lip curled into a snarl for a split second as he checked his heading on his mental map. Self-assured that he was still on course, the human continued onward, focusing on the steady rhythm of his steps to block out the persistent noise in his mind.

A sudden hissing from behind him caught Jack’s attention. He stopped and turned slightly, catching sight of a changeling, which walked up to him slowly, mouth open and fangs bared. The human frowned as the insectoid approached, stopping a single step away. Jack turned around fully, looking down at the beast with the same stoic face.

“Youuuu...” the changeling hissed. “You do not deserve what you have.”

“As far as I remember, that’s not your call,” Jack snapped back.

“The queen gave herself to... fix you,” it continued. “You’re just a shadow. You tell nothing but lies.”

At that, Jack felt his temper flare, but refused to let it show. “Cliché as it may seem, I am many things. But I am not a liar.”

The changeling hissed again. “You mock our queen’s image! Only she may give a spirit, but you... you forced this on me! You are a mocking shadow!”

“‘Spirit’?” the human asked. “So what, you’re all mindless unless Chrysalis says so?” He then blinked as he processed what the changeling had said. “But you said I forced you to become sentient?”

For a moment, the insectoid beast lowered its head, apparently in shame. “I lost to you... I was labelled as the first changeling to be beaten by the legendary human...” It then looked up, anger reignited. “I do not know who did it! You are the queen’s shadow, and only she may give a spirit! I blame you! Monah-lun would never be so cruel to give a spirit as a reminder of failure! So it must have been you!”

With that, the changeling lunged.

The corridors of the hive were too cramped to allow Jack to effectively dodge, but he had no intention of doing so. An electric sensation shot through his body, brushing away any thoughts of defense or evasion. Instead, the human brought his left arm up and, in the blink of an eye, grabbed the changeling by the throat and slammed it into the wall.

“Listen closely,” Jack growled, letting his words echo through the Hive Mind, finally shushing all other voices as they turned their attention to him. “I am no shadow. The queen herself gave the greatest gift she could to me. Life. But it is just that: a gift. It is mine to do with as I please.” The human leaned in closely.

“From this day forward, you will be known as Cain. You will serve me, and me alone. Your life is mine, and you. Will. OBEY.” Jack felt a sudden jolt run through him, a single, almost silent voice sounding off in his head.

The changeling, newly christened Cain, went wide-eyed for a split second before bowing its head. “Yes... my lord.”

Jack held Cain against the wall for a moment more, then nodded and released it. The changeling fell to the ground, kneeling at Jack’s feet in submission. Jack raised an eyebrow in surprise, expecting to be obeyed, but not to this degree.

“Why are you kneeling?” he asked. “I would think that you would be resentful.”

“Never,” Cain answered. “I was wrong. You are not a shadow. I am yours to command.”

Jack paused for a moment. “Then get up.”

The changeling immediately did as it was told. Jack observed his unwitting creation for a moment. Narrowing his eyes, he felt for the voice in his head that was closest, getting the desired reaction in the form of a slight ear twitch from Cain. With a nod, Jack turned around and continued on his way, his new changeling servant in tow.

***

Before long, the teen and his changeling arrived at the entrance to the throne room. An impressive set of obsidian doors greeted them, symbols, pictures, and what could only be the changeling language all carved into the glass-like material, arranged in no particular order, flowing across, over, under, and adjacent to each other in such a fashion that everything flowed from one part to the next, and eventually looped on itself almost unnoticeably.

To Jack’s surprise, there were no guards of which to speak, allowing his to simply raise his gauntlet and, with some amount of effort, use his magic to open the doors. He walked inside, Cain closing the doors behind them.

The inside of the throne room was sparse. Several pillars that appeared to have simply been avoided when the room was constructed were placed haphazardly. Numerous bioluminescent orbs were scattered about, the only organization to be found was the placement of a dozen or so that created a definable approach to the queen’s throne. The throne in question was carved from obsidian, though whereas the doors were artistically created, the throne was a jagged, harsh construct, more akin to a broken stone than a seat of power.

Chrysalis the Changeling Queen sat regally in her throne, looking every bit the royalty she was. Approaching the throne, both Jack and Cain kneeled before her. Chrysalis regarded them as the kneeled, her expression unreadable.

“Rise,” she commanded. Jack stood up, but Cain remained still. At this, the queen raised an eyebrow.

“I order you to rise, child,” she said, irritation creeping into her voice. Cain remained as it was.

Jack felt the corner of his lip twitch. Smirking at Chrysalis, he looked over his shoulder and issued one command. “Stand at, ease.”

Cain stood up.

The queen nearly leaped out of her throne, eyes wide in angered shock, forehooves slamming on the arms of her throne as she leaned forward, a snarl coming from her mouth.

“WHAT IS THIS!?” she bellowed, with both her physical and mental voices. Cain shrank away from his enraged queen, but Jack simply stood where he was.

“This?” he asked. “This is where your authority ends, and mine begins.” He turned to his changeling servant. “Cain, come.”

Without hesitation, the insectoid walked in front of Jack, bowed, then turned to face Chrysalis, who seemed to be barely restraining herself.

“Explain yourself,” she hissed.

Cain remained silent.

Jack’s smirk became a smile. “Explain yourself.”

Cain turned and dipped his head. “As you wish, my lord.”

Chrysalis hissed and slammed a hoof down on her throne.

Cain turned around to face his queen. “My queen. I am sorry, but my lord has given me a spirit. When I acted against him for it, he made clear that he was the stronger, not I. He bears your mark of approval, and so I am forever bound to his service. I will not, cannot obey you-”

“-unless he orders it,” the changeling queen hissed. She turned her furious gaze from her former subject to the human who commanded it. “You dare to challenge my rule?”

“Never,” Jack said, waving his hand dismissively. “But I was hoping you could shed some light on this situation, and what this whole ‘spirit’ business is.”

Chrysalis sighed loudly and reclined back into her throne, placing a hoof on her forehead and closing her eyes. “This should be impossible.”

“What, exactly?” the teen asked, giving a mental order for Cain to stand next to him.

“This,” she said, gesturing to Cain. “Noling but the queen may give their subject a ‘spirit’… though I believe ponies refer to it as a ‘soul’.”

Jack was taken aback. He had been aware that changelings seemed to be drones at best, but to think that a soul was such a scarcity? Among such an incredible race?

“When Cain first approached me, he was angry. He said that I was just a shadow and a liar.” Jack’s eyes flicked to Cain, who winced. “It wasn’t until I pinned him against the wall that he thought otherwise.”

The changeling queen sighed. “I see where he would think that. Tell me, how did he obtain a spirit?”

Cain stepped forward, sparing Jack the trouble. “I was defeated by the human. I was labeled as the first to fall to him. When my siblings saw me as such, I was… blessed… with a spirit.”

“So what, changelings become sentient because others label them?” Jack asked. Chrysalis shook her head.

“Not quite,” she explained. “When one of our kind becomes something unique, when one changeling achieves a feat that is not easily replicated, they acquire a spirit, provided their queen allows it.”

“So you have to be unique to be an individual?”

“In a broad sense, yes. There is a fine line between independent thought, and independent being. We exist in the former, but can easily become the latter.”

Jack thought for a moment. “But that doesn’t explain how Cain became sentient. All he did was lose to me in a scrap.”

The queen regarded him for a moment. “You truly do not understand how important you are, do you?”

Chrysalis flew off of her throne, buzzing over to Jack and touching down gently in front of him. “You do not know. I will let you see.”

Before the human could ask what she meant, Chrysalis touched her horn to his head, and the world exploded into a sea of colors, before fading to grey and then disintegrating into nothingness.

***

Jack snapped back to awareness. He found himself in a whirl of constantly mixing colors, standing on nothing. He looked around the multicolored void, frowning in irritation of his situation.

“Oh, stop with that,” a familiar voice called out. Jack turned and, to his surprise, saw another human.

The human in question, a female, strode towards him with absolute grace and regality. Her form presented an attractive figure, young, healthy, and physically fit, and filled in at all the right places. Her pale skin contrasted against her black attire, robes fit for a queen, clawed gloves, and a pair of shoes that seemed to be as much for appearance as they were for actual use. Striking, poisonous green eyes stared out from underneath cerulean hair, which fell down to the middle of her back, folded against which were two large translucent wings. On her head rested not only a black crown, but also a twisted, wicked-looking horn.

Jack was stricken by this new human. She could only be described as beautiful, majestic. He couldn’t help but let his eyes trail over her form, summing her entire physical self as hot.

“Well,” he said. “I never knew you cut such an attractive figure, my queen.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Stop your flattery. It will get you nowhere.” She then snapped her fingers. “We are here for a reason.”

The prismatic void flickered, seeming like static. It then began flowing downwards, shapes suddenly appearing as their coloration sank into their forms. What was once a void quickly transformed into the top of a volcano, deadly sulphurous gasses drifting up from the strangely calm lava below.

An impossibly thin ledge, ending in a large spherical platform, stretched out over the volcano, looking as if it would crumble under its own weight at any second. At the end of the ledge, a small, glowing, golden orb held itself up with a number of small golden tendrils. The orb itself seemed to be covered in golden veins, the entirety of the orb giving off a creepily organic feel.

“What is this place?” Jack asked.

“This is a cursed place” Chrysalis answered. “This is a blessed place. This place represents everything right and wrong with the world. This place is where order and chaos meet on equal ground, where violence and peace begin and end.

“This place... is known as Entropy Summit.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Then why are we here?”

“We are not ‘here’, per se,” The queen explained. “We are reliving a memory, one so ingrained into the Hive Mind, even the deaths of a thousand queens could not erase it.”

Before Jack could question her further, a deep voice rang out through the air.

“Ah, here at last!”

Jack and Chrysalis turned and were greeted with a particularly odd sight: a multi-species group clambering up to the top of the volcano.

At the forefront of the group was a large, brown-furred and heavily muscled minotaur. A heavy pelt was tied around his shoulders, and several teeth were pierced through his skin. The minotaur placed his fists on his hips, grinding in pride for a moment before a weak gasping caught his attention.

The minotaur chuckled and turned back around, reaching down past the edge of the volcano. A white hoof grabbed onto his hand, and the minotaur pulled up a thoroughly exhausted Celestia.

Jack started, fist clenching and spines flaring. He was about to lunge for the pony princess when an arm shot out across his chest.

“This is just a memory,” Chrysalis reminded him. “It is not reality.”

With a low growl, Jack nodded and relaxed slightly, continuing to watch events play out before him.

Celestia panted, sweat visibly dropping off of her brow. Her once-flowing mane hung limp, for once seeming like actual hair. As soon as she regained her breath, she looked up at the minotaur and smiled gratefully.

“Thank you, Knossos,” Celestia said. “I am glad we are finally here, at this... infernal place.”

“Heh,” a third voice said as a yellow eagle’s claw grasped the crater’s edge. Its owner, a griffon with bronze armor, black beak and silver-tipped feathers pulled itself up without any assistance. “You always did need a little workout, Celestia.”

The white alicorn smiled good-naturedly. “Says the griffon who nearly ate Equestria’s pie companies out of house and home.”

The griffon grumbled, ruffling its wings and moving away from the edge.

“Aww, what’s the matter Buckbeak?” Knossos chuckled. “Sweet-beak proving to be your downfall?”

“Can it, maze-head,” Buckbeak said harshly.

Suddenly, a figure flipped up from beyond the edge, somersaulting through the air before landing gracefully with its compatriots. The hooded cloak that concealed the figure was flipped back, revealing a white-and-black-striped head of a zebra. The newcomer tossed its messy mane back, grinning.

“Now now, my friends,” the zebra spoke softly. “There’s no need for us to argue like this.”

“Ah, Anansi,” Buckbeak said. “Ever the frantic negotiator.”

“Ah Buckbeak,” Anansi smiled. “Ever the one with barbed words, but not with barbed wires.”

The griffon started, but Knossos placed a hand on his shoulder. “You know he’s right,” the minotaur said, clearly suppressing a smile. Buckbeak grumbled yet again, but dropped the issue.

The next to clamber to the top of the volcano gave its presence away with a holed hoof that grasped the ground. Wings fluttering, a changeling queen pulled herself up. She resembled Chrysalis almost exactly, the only difference between them being that this queen had yellow eyes and hair, as opposed to green.

“Come to join us at last, Mitosis?” Anansi asked, a small smile on his face. The queen smiled back, flicking a strand of hair out of her face.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Mitosis said. In response, everyone’s cheerful demeanor dropped.

“You know that isn’t funny,” Celestia said gravely. Mitosis simply shrugged.

A loud rumbling shook the entire volcano as an enormous red and black dragon head rose up. The beginnings of a long neck connected the head to a body that remained unseen, and if the head and neck were any indication as to how large the dragon was, it was likely the beast could have neatly fit its entire body inside the volcano.

“I, for one, thought it was hilarious,” the dragon chuckled. Celestia’s lips twitched at the dragon’s mirth.

“I’m glad YOU do, Geon,” she said. “Not all of us share an apocalyptic sense of humor as you two do.”

“Always so grim, Celestia… a seventh voice spoke.

As the entirety of the multi-species party, save Mitosis, turned every which way in confusion, Jack recognized the voice as not being spoken, but transmitted mentally, much the same as the Hive Mind.

Eventually, they seemed to catch on, as Celestia’s wings flared and her face bore an angered expression.

“Discord,” she spat. “We will not have any of your games today. Let us speak to your oracle and leave.”

With a flash, the chaotic draconequus appeared before the group, who all bore varying degrees of anger, mistrust, and even fear at the sight of him.

“And here you all are,” he said, extending his arms welcomingly. “The ‘great’ leaders of every nation, all together for the express purpose of seeing my oracle.” He chuckled. “I’m so honored.”

Anansi stepped forward. “Do not fool yourself, Discord,” he said, eyes narrowed. “We are here for the oracle, not for you or your so-called ‘honor’.”

“Bah.” Discord waved his paw dismissively. “You all are such a boring lot. No chaos at all.” He grinned. “I’ll just have to wait until after you’ve heard these little ramblings.”

With a flash, the draconequus disappeared. The seven leaders looked at each other in worry, but eventually shook off the nervous air Discord’s appearance had created. They could not dispel the tension, however, especially not that their true purpose for coming together was so close.

Celestia, Knossos, Buckbeak, Anansi, and Mitosis proceeded down the ledge one at a time, gathering around the golden orb. As for Geon, his incredibly long neck allowed him to simply stretch his head over the rest of his companions.

The group collectively closed their eyes. The air around them began simmering with multicolored lights, each light corresponding to a different species’ leader. Celestia, yellow; Knossos, brown; Buckbeak, silver; Anansi, purple; Mitosis, green; Geon, red.

The lights blended together, forming an odd rainbow of colors that stretched towards the sky, before coming down on the orb.

The effect was instantaneous.

A blood-red, gelatin-like substance began seeping out of the oracle, encapsulating it and the golden strands that held it up. The golden glow the orb had been giving off was quickly muted by the gel, making the oracle seem like a giant red eye, with the orb as its’ pupil.

“Oracle, we have answered the call,” Buckbeak said. “Show us what you have seen.”

The oracle’s entire form dimmed and brightened quickly, giving the twisted impression of blinking. Gel from its’ body began flowing like liquid, falling off the platform to the lava below. As soon as the first drops hit the molten rock, the entire volcano shuddered.

Abruptly, several streams of lava shot straight up into the air, not a drop escaping the molten columns. The lava coalesced into a ball that hung in the air, swirling with contained fury. The leaders watched as several images began to appear across the hovering lava.

“What is that?” Knossos asked aloud, pointing at an outline of a figure that slightly resembled his species.

“I believe they’re called ‘humans’,” Anansi answered, rubbing his chin. “They’re a common element in several of our darker folktales.”

“Look there.” Mitosis pointed to another image. “All the races of Equestria...”

Geon sneered. “Well well well, looks like that draconequus is feeling a little hot-blooded today.”

Everyone looked at the third, final image: that of the human leading an army of almost shapeless figures against a globe.

Various expressions broke out across those gathered. Celestia, of horror; Knossos, of grim realization; Buckbeak, of hope; Anansi, of mixed sadness and eagerness; Mitosis, of confidence; Geon, of humor.

“Can there be no end to this?” Celestia asked, a tear rolling down her cheek. “No end to this senseless violence?”

“Never,” Anansi whispered. “Whether by hate or by fate, war will always exist.”

“War...” Knossos rumbled. “War never changes.”

Mitosis cackled. “Then it’s settled. We’ve waited too long for this.”

The volcano shook as the ball of lava fell back to its birthplace. The gel that surrounded the oracle receded back into the golden orb. The leaders all bowed.

Then the memory vanished.

***

Jack’s vision slowly returned. The teen found himself still standing in the throne room, Cain looking up at him expectantly. Chrysalis drew away from him, her horn losing its green glow. The pair regarded each other, a feeling of understanding flowing between them.

“Now you know,” Chrysalis said quietly.

Jack’s gaze dropped to the floor, his eyes wandering the ground. “I suppose I do.”

The queen cocked her head to the side, feeling conflict from the human. “Something troubles you?”

“I...” Jack shifted once, twice, then looked up at Chrysalis. “I don’t really matter, do I?”

“Come again?” Chrysalis asked, becoming confused and somewhat concerned.

Jack’s lip lifted in a snarl. “I don’t matter to you. All you want is your damn prophecy fulfilled.”

The queen took a step back in shock. “No, not at all. That’s not-”

“Not what you tried to convince me of?” he snapped. “Oh, believe me, I’m fully aware of your little games. I’ve had enough.”

The teen turned on his heel and began walking out of the throne room. “I’m leaving. Cain, follow.”

Chrysalis began to panic. Everything had turned upside down. “Wait, Jack!”

The human paid her no heed as he left, his servant in tow. He only paused at the doors, laying his left hand on the glassy surface and turning his head to look over his shoulder.

“Don’t follow me.”

With a green glow of magic, Jack rapped his hand on the obsidian, sickly green cracks spreading through its entirety before the door shattered into innumerable fragments. With a snap of his fingers, the other door followed suit, leaving a pile of shards around his feet. Then he left.

Chrysalis could only stare in horror as he destroyed millennia of heritage, then left her sanctum with one of her children in his unbreakable thrall. She winced as he viciously rooted through the Hive Mind, seizing and forcing the knowledge of teleportation from it. A gasp escaped her as she felt him forcibly drain energy from the entire swarm, depleting precious reserves that she could not afford to lose. She bowed her head as she felt him teleport himself and Cain out of Kruziik-Ahrol, and into the wasteland beyond.

***

Jack collapsed into the sand, winded from the drain the teleport had effected on him. He was glad to have the energy he did, otherwise he would have been as crippled as Chrysalis had been when she teleported them.

Standing up, he scoffed at her idiocy. She was a fool to think she could control him. He saw through her ploy, and while she had had him in her hoof for a time, her biggest mistake was letting him see that memory. Now, armed with the knowledge that he had nowhere to turn that would honestly accept him, he would have to travel Equestria with naught but his loyal minion.

Jack forced the distressed voices of the Hive Mind to the back of his mind, forcibly ignored their cries and focussing solely on Cain’s mind. The human turned his gaze to the horizon, noticing the sun beginning to finish its descent. With an aggravated sigh, he began walking away from the changeling hive, intent on being anywhere but there.

***

The sun had finally vanished from sight, leaving Jack and Cain to travel in near-darkness, the only illumination coming from the crescent moon that hung in the sky.

The human felt drained from walking underneath the sun, even for the brief time it had been up. Now that night had fallen, the cold air sapped at his strength even more. Beside him, Cain still marched on resolutely, showing no signs of tiring.

Jack suppressed a shiver as the wind blew gently across the desert. His clothes offered little protection, and his shoes only seemed to sink farther into the sand with every step. It was sickeningly reminiscent of a beach. The only positive things so far were that he had escaped Chrysalis’ manipulative grasp, and that the Hive Mind had fallen silent.

Rubbing his eye, the teen cast his gaze towards the moon. The giant white orb hung resolutely in place, just barely providing enough light for him to see. It was nearly flawless in its crescent image, with hardly a dark spot in sight.

Jack froze, realizing that he was covering his left eye.

Slowly dropping his hand, Jack forced his eye open, making the moon immediately flash to a more realistic image. Where there was once a white crescent, there was now the view of a blemished and pockmarked satellite. Like it should be.

The human frowned at the sight...

… right before three black shapes zipped overhead.

Cain hissed loudly at the shapes before Jack clamped its mouth shut, shushing it. The pair watched as the shapes passed over them, the moonlight glinting off some fashion of metallic armor.

“They’re heading towards Kruziik-Ahrol, aren’t they?” Jack asked. Cain gave a short nod in confirmation.

“Are we to go back?” the changeling asked. Jack lowered his head in thought.

It would be awkward for him to go back after his less than pleasant departure, and Chrysalis would in all likelihood not be too pleased with him. But three ponies didn’t just fly out into changeling territory for a joyflight, and if they hadn’t been intercepted by now there was almost certainly something amiss.

“Come on.”

***

Jack and Cain traveled as quickly as they could back to the hive, but as only Cain could fly, and Jack didn’t have enough energy to teleport them back, the moon having already reached its apex and beginning to fall by the time the massive perforated dome of the hive came into view.

Jack squinted, trying to see if he could make out the same shapes from before. He was able to spot a single speck flying out of the hive, climbing high into the sky and touching down just beyond his sight. Silently motioning to Cain, the pair dropped into a crouch, sneaking closer to the mysterious shape.

As the two snuck up on the figure, its form was gradually revealed to be the familiar profile of a pony. Dark blue, almost black armor protected the majority of its body, and the moonlight shone down through a pair of bat-like wings. Luckily, the pony’s back was turned, allowing Jack and Cain to creep closer undetected.

“Bat pony, stallion,” Cain relayed. “Part of the Night Guard. They haven’t been seen in over a millennium.”

“Something we need to worry about?” Jack asked. Cain bit its lip.

“Maybe.”

The conversation was interrupted as Cain pointed a hoof towards the sky, two more specks flying out of the hive. The human and changeling dropped to the sand, trying to avoid being seen by the newcomers. The two new ponies touched down in front of the one that was already there, the trio exchanging a quick series of salutes, nods, hoof-bumps, and wing flares.

“Report,” the bat pony who had been waiting ordered.

“Nothing big,” the one to the left responded. “There doesn’t seem to be a set sleeping schedule with these things, so sneaking around was harder than I thought.” The pony received two affirming nods. “Other than that, I found some rooms filled with green eggs, but there was almost no activity.”

The guard on the right shivered. “I went pretty deep into the tunnels. In fact, I’m almost certain that the hive goes underground. There was a weird lake at the bottom...” He shivered again. “You can feel the magic in there. It’s... not something I would recommend being near.”

“Anything else?” the leader asked.

“On my way out, there was some kind of arena. There was fresh blood all over the place, but not a changeling in sight. That’s about it.”

The leader smiled. “Well, I suppose I had the most success. You won’t believe this, but I managed to sneak inside their queen’s throne room.” The other two guard’s jaws dropped as the leader continued.

“It was empty, surprisingly. The floor was littered with some kind of glass, probably obsidian. The throne had an arm cracked, recently by the looks of it. Probably the same thing that broke the obsidian. But that’s not the best part.” The leader’s companions leaned in closer.

“Almost their entire army is asleep. There must have been at least five battalions in cocoons, and enough room for another two. One and a half thousand changelings, just sitting there. and I can tell you, there are more crawling into those cocoons every day. I saw two get in myself.”

The other two guards gaped before grinning to each other.

“I think we’d better get back to Canterlot,” the left one said. “Now that we know why that patrol went missing a month ago.”

“The Royal Army’s going to love this,” the one on the right said. “A whole hive and a half of changelings, and almost all of them are asleep. Let’s see how they like being invaded.”

The leader spread his wings, his fellow guards falling into formation behind him. The trio leaped into the air, rapidly gaining altitude...

Jack gritted his teeth, his left hand lighting up in the night. The bat ponies barely had a moment to realize they were not alone before the human let loose with a magical bolt that flew into the sky. The bolt struck the leader’s wing, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air alongside the sound of screaming.

The lead bat pony fell ungracefully to the ground, his companions whirling around just in time to dodge another bolt that had been launched by Cain.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Jack asked loudly.

The Night Guards looked at each other, nodding once before separating. The guards flew at their opponents, one taking on Jack and the other taking Cain.

The guard that was attacking Jack landed nimbly in front of him, spinning around and lashing out with a buck that the human leaped back from. The pony quickly used its momentum to land solidly on its back hooves, then pushed off and took to the air once more.

Jack quickly gathered up the energy for another bolt, keeping track of the airborne bat pony as it circled him. After a few moments, the pony dived, aiming to crush the teen with all four hooves. Jack rolled out of the way, springing back up and keeping track of the guard as it ascended.

The human formed the bolt in his hand, but instead of throwing it, he passed it to his right hand, waiting until the bat pony was about to dive again. Catching the sudden banking that signalled such, he briefly held the bolt in both hands, winding up before throwing it like a pitcher.

The bolt rocketed towards the pony, who dove to the side the second before it struck him in the face. Oblivious, the guard turned his attention back to Jack, unaware of the bolt suddenly arcing high into the sky, then coming down like a fiery green comet. The guard took two more leaps before the bolt caught him in the back, flash-melting his armor into slag. The guard yelped in pain as the force of impact sent him forcibly to the ground.

The guard shakily pushed himself up with his front hooves, looking up to see Jack’s sneaker right before it connected with his face with a loud crack. Unconscious, the guard fell back to the sand, blood pouring out of the corner of his mouth.

Jack turned to see Cain and the other guard engaged in a brutal brawl. The two were rolling in the sand, punching, kicking, and in Cain’s case, biting at each other. The guard’s metal armor seemed to be giving him an edge, offering almost protection from Cain’s blows while the guard’s were backed by his armor’s sheer hardness.

The changeling managed to sink his fangs into the pony’s neck, making him yell out in pain. The guard gritted his teeth, slamming a metal-clad hoof against Cain’s head until it let go and fell to the ground, dazed, allowing the guard to stumble back.

Jack began running toward his servant, already seeing the outcome of its fight. Jack’s hand lit up as he prepared to blast the pony into oblivion, but the energy just wouldn’t come fast enough...

The guard hissed as he grabbed the spot where Cain had bitten him, then glared at the downed changeling with fury. He turned, lifted his front hooves into the air...

Jack’s perception slowed down to a crawl. The events in front of him played at an agonizingly slow pace, and he was powerless to stop them.

The guards hooves came down...

Jack was so close to gathering enough energy, just one more second...

…CRUNCH.

A searing pain erupted in Jack’s mind, utterly destroying his concentration and making him feel as though he had lost a limb. The magic he had gathered dissipated back into his body, his lack of concentration not allowing its use. A scream tore itself from his lips, and he collapsed into the sand, holding his head as it pulsed with agony.

The bat pony flinched at the scream, backing away slowly as the teen continued to writhe in pain. He hesitated for a brief moment, unsure of what was happening.

Then, suddenly, the screams stopped.

Jack stood up, pain replaced with an unquenchable rage. His entire body shook as he beheld the guard before him. The bat pony took one step back, then turned around and spread his wings, taking flight to try and get away. Jack snarled, lifting his left hand and snapping his fingers.

In an instant, he teleported directly above the Night Guard, falling on the pony while simultaneously mounting him. The human grabbed the pony by the snout and back of his head. He tugged to one side, the pony fumbling as it tried to compensate for the extra weight on its back. Jack put all of his strength into moving his arms apart...

SNAP.

With another snap of his fingers, Jack teleported back to the ground, watching in dark enjoyment as the guard’s lifeless body fell to the sand.

“Oh snap,” he said, turning around. “Ya bloody ponies.”

Jack kneeled down in front of Cain’s body His eyes lingered on the changeling’s broken neck, hoping that the instantly deadly injury would heal, and his servant would spring back as if nothing had happened.

Jack stayed where he was, motionless until the sun began to rise, casting warming rays over the desert. The human finally bowed his head, acknowledging Cain’s death with finality.

He stood up, opening his mind to the Hive Mind. Voices flooded into his head, varying in every manner imaginable. But he pushed them all to the side, save for one.

“Chrysalis...” he said. “We need to talk.

Author's Note

Alright, I want to apologize if the quality of this chapter seems low. That's... about it.

Thanks go out to Cortex Repository and Gremlin Grenade.