Love Lost

Chapters

2 - Miasma
3 - Myxine
4 - Ambrosia
5 - Homecoming Queen
6 - Queen's Gambit
7 - Meeting With the Queen
7.5 - The Most Wonderful Curse
8 - The Queen and The Centurion
9 - Last Child to the Queen
10 - My Mother, The Queen
12 - A Pair Of Queens
13 - When the Queen is Away
14 - The Other Queen Comes Over to Play
1 - Chrysalis
11 - The Lone Queen

2 - Miasma

Minutes...hours...days...weeks...

No matter the size of the unit, time always passes every creature at the same rate, whether they perceive it or not. It passes many at the same time, caring not for the happenings of any.

The failed attack on Canterlot was something that took many days to plan and few to execute; the Chrysalis hive operates on very militaristic principles. Scouts were sent in before any others to identify the most ideal targets for replacement, both for love collection and those that would aid in overall mission success. When sufficient information had been gathered, the second stage could begin. With frightening efficiency, a small group of Canterlot guards were unknowingly assumed to facilitate the planting of the queen. When the switch had been made, all members of the insertion team withdrew to the hive to "milk" the assumed ponies in preparation for the final assault.

The efficacy of the Chrysalis hive is legendary among changelings and the assumptions, planting, and withdrawals were completed within a mere two weeks, leaving the queen plenty of time to farm food for her children.

Whilst this endeavor was underway, time marched on. Time in which other plans for conquest sought paths to fruition. Each plan operated on the same passing time, paid no heed to the other, and marched closer to victory.

But, for all its swiftness, the Canterlot attack could not have been planned at a worse time.

The most important lessons are the ones learned the hardest. Timing is everything. This is that story...

"All right, night crowd; the bar's closed! Y've got five minutes t'finish yer drinks or dump 'em down the sink!"

Of the five ponies seated at the bar, all but one did as was bidden. Instead, he did quite the opposite. "'Ay! Bartenner! How shabout shoo pour meh 'nother one!"

The unicorn bartender looked up from gathering the discarded mugs, leveling a tired eye at his stubborn patron. "Y've got two choices, Jack. Ya can pay yer tab, or ya can leave."

Even with as drunk as this "Jack" was, he still understood the monetary threat. Drunken, sloppy hiccups interrupted his slurred speech at regular intervals. "C'mon! Yoo knowsh assswell as I do that-hic!-I don ge'paid 'til t'morrow!"

"Then y've got two more choices. You can walk out that door yerself or I can put a hoof t'yer flank t'help out. What's it gonna be?"

No violence between the ponies was necessary. Jack stumbled from the bar onto the Manehattan sidewalk. He stared blankly at the neon sign until it was turned off. Finally, he hiccupped and unsteadily started down the street. Every washed-out puddle of streetlight, every wobbly step, every sidewalk slab; he had walked this path home many times, often inebriated beyond what would be considered socially acceptable.

However, society was asleep for the night, so nopony was present to bear witness to his drunken stumbling.

Or so he thought.

Another funny thing about timing is that when it is bad for one pony, it is usually good for another. For a lone changeling back from an important mission, this was one of those times. His low flight carried him across the tops of the many Manehattan buildings, nearly invisible against the black sky. It was by chance that he glanced down just as Jack was passing through the wan glow of a streetlight, obviously drunk. The opportunity was too great. The changeling quickly landed in a long-dried spillway which ran under a bridge directly in his prey's path.

The space under the bridge was dark, littered with all sorts of discarded papers, bottles, and general garbage. Not a shining example of the Manehattan environment, but it was perfect for what he was about to do.

"Help! Somepony! Help me!"

"Wha..." After coming to a wobbly stop, nearly tripping over himself in the process, Jack looked around inconfusion. "Who-hic!-whoshe there?" Fog from the ocean had started rolling inland, bathing the bridge he was standing on in an eerie blanket.

"Who was that!? Is somepony there? You have to help me! Please!"

The stallion remained silent. What part of his mind that hadn't been completely soaked in liquor was having a hard time deciding whether or not this female voice was real. It...wasn't working very fast.

"Please! If you're still there, you have to help me!"

With that, the tiny and overworked sober part of his Jack's brain finally went ahead and made a guess. It sent him wobbling to the stone-crafted railing of the old bridge. Hiccups still pockmarked his speech, but he managed to cooperate with his tongue long enough to babble out a response. "H-hic!-hullo?"

"Down here! Help me!"

Between the fog and his drunken stupor, it was a chore for the bridge-bound pony to spot his addressor. Through a brilliant stroke of dumb luck, he was at last able to find the owner of the distressed voice. Below him, in the disused spillway, a pegasus mare stood just under the edge of the bridge. "Hol'on!" Jack called down. Exhibiting a display of eye-hoof coordination not often seen in your average intoxicated pony, he successfully, if slowly, traversed the slope down into the spillway.

"Oh, thank goddess! I didn't think anypony would hear me! Can you help?"

Jack was about to ask with what when he took one step too close. His hoof landed in something warm and sticky. Closer inspection revealed it to be magenta in color and...glowing softly. A much larger amount of the same gooey substance was piled about the captive mare's hooves. He looked back up at the white pegasus in wonder, as if questioning where it had come from.

"So, do you think you could help me out?" Despite the apparent gravity of her situation, the mare coyly fluttered her blue eyes.

Jack nodded vigorously, a motion exaggerated by the copious amounts of alcohol swimming through his veins. "Oyah! I'd love to!" After all, how could he refuse that blonde mane and blue eyes?

Love... At this, the pegasi's eyes flashed a bright purple for the smallest of instants, dosing the drunken stallion with a quick hypnosis spell. She took a deep breath and smiled as a thin purple mist floated from the stallion's mouth and disappeared into her own.

The process had begun... Another had fallen to the Miasma hive...

The sight of this odd pair ambling down the street would have indeed been one that would turn heads. That is, it would have been, had they been traveling in such a manner. The disguised changeling led his prey through the seemingly endless spillway. Their path was littered with just about every manner of refuse, one particular piece of which looked quite familiar.

Reclined in a pile of rusted tin cans and greasy rags, a gaunt white pegasus mare breathed no more. Much of her blonde mane had been removed by malnutrition and her coat was forever stained a dull brown. As he passed, the changeling borrowing her body couldn't help but let a smirk cross her stolen mouth.

She had escaped, but fate had stilled her body mere steps from the entrance to her hellish place of confinement. Like the maw of some great beast, a moldy sewer tunnel was the last journey before the Miasma hive presented itself.

With no eyes to bear witness, the changeling removed his assumed appearance upon entering the tunnel, revealing the changeling centurion's typical carapace armor. His hypnosis spell would be more than enough to fool his drunken follower anyway.

Were it even possible, the descending passage became filthier with every step down, before finally opening to a wide ledge overlooking the hive's cavernous heart. Activity bustled on every level of the multi-tiered chamber; changelings flitted about, some making repairs to the hive walls and others supervising one of the many processions of mindless ponies trudging along.

One such procession plodded past the centurion, unthinking minds focused upon their given task. Their hooves were cracked and bloodied from endless walking and their collective stench would instantly and forcibly empty any pony's stomach with a single whiff. The arriving changeling paid them absolutely no heed, not even at the unmistakable crack of a leg snapping itself in two. But then, it was not his job to worry about that. He continued along toward his queen's chambers; he bore important information. Someone else would take care of the little things.

The changeling observing the sluggish parade let out an exasperated sigh. "For Miasma's sake... Not again..." If the nature of his sigh was any indication, one could assume that the collapsing of these husks was very commonplace and be entirely correct. He took the now three-legged pony by the scruff of the neck and began dragging him away, against his weak struggles. His struggles were not from fear of his destination; there was not room enough in his hypnotized mind for such thinkings. His struggle was a pathetic attempt to return to the menial task assigned to him by the hypnosis spells of his changeling masters. Three barely usable legs and very little muscle mass gave him little traction and he was lugged away into the darkness.

At the end of the line of ponies, another changeling followed, urging them on. Without breaking step, the centurion gave him an order. "Here's a fresh replacement for you. Put him to work."

"Yes sir, Arnyx, sir." He grabbed Jack's head and flashed another dose of hypnosis into his eyes before shoving him into the moving line.

Arnyx spread his wings and took flight, now free from his land-locked follower. His flight to his queen's chambers took but minutes. The chamber held the usual in stolen accouterments: a once-exquisite wooden vanity, complete with mirror, now warped from the disgusting moisture of its sewer home, the same tattered, grimy silks that hung from every inch of the stone walls, everything was there. Even the oppressingly perfumed atmosphere courtesy of the two changelings wielding incense burners that flanked the entrance.

What little ambient light from the hive there was quickly faded away, leaving the far side of the chamber painted in shadow. Arnyx respectfully took a bow, for he knew what lived within that darkness. His ears heard the rustling of movement from the depths of the chamber, but he dared not look up. Not until he was bidden.

"You may rise, Arnyx..."

The centurion rose from his knee to face Queen Miasma as she melted from the darkness. The last few steps she took to reach him were slowed by an air of regality, perhaps a little too much for an audience of one. Though her movements were calm and deliberate, her magenta eyes held a wild flame within them.

"You have not been away two weeks and already you have returned, Arnyx. Has Chrysalis become so desperate as to move with such haste?"

"Indeed, your Majesty. The switch has been made, which means her hive is without a head. If we are to make an attack, it is in our best interests to move now."

"Canterlot has finally been taken... And this attack was launched from a new hive, yes?"

"It would appear so; established within the last ten days."

"Very good. Chrysalis' haste shall be her downfall! You have done well, my child. You shall march with us upon the hive. Begin readying the ranks; we shall march before the dawn. You are dismissed, Arnyx. There are two tasks I must see to before our departure." The queen waved off her centurion with a dismissive hoof.

These two tasks the queen spoke of were simple enough, but vital to hive operation. Her first stop was a visit to the hive's hatching chamber to survey the health of the most recent clutch. By changeling standards the Miasma hive is remarkably healthy and well-fed. As such, the hatching chamber was filled with upwards of two hundred eggs. Despite the sheer number of eggs within the room, Miasma paid the time and attention to cast an attentive maternal eye over every single one. These were her children; if anything at all was wrong with these eggs, she would see it immediately. Each egg passed inspection, though, and Miasma was quickly on her way.

As Miasma drew near her second destination, the two changelings behind her wordlessly obeyed, entering the chamber before her, waving their mouth-held incense burners about to spread their fragrant vapors so that any inside would know of her approach.

"Much better..." When she felt that those inside were sufficiently aware of her presence, the female changeling followed her incense bearers inside, finding herself standing amidst piles upon piles of just about every decaying foodstuff one could think of. One of the piles shifted as Miasma strode past it, inserting its slimy, unidentifiable sludge under the queen's hoof. On the far side of the chamber, a single changeling supervised a line of husks as they moved through the room, depositing the rotting contents of their crude cloth sacks into another pile to begin the process of fermantation. "Rutoan! Present yourself!"

A quick glance over his shoulder and the changeling took to the air, landing before his queen seconds later. "To what do I owe this visit, your Majesty?"

"Our move on the Chrysalis hive has come sooner than anticipated. I want to make sure that our reserves are of adequate supply to last in my absence."

"There is nothing here that you should let trouble you, your Majesty." the smaller changeling assured. "New materials come in every day."

As if that very proclamation had summoned it, an agitated voice from without the chamber drew Miasma's attention from her conversation.

"Damn you! Stupid sack of flesh! Quit squirming like that!" Little by little, a changeling appeared around the corner, dragging a severely emaciated stallion along with him. The stupefied pony was little more than an animate skeleton, yet still he struggled to escape the changeling's hold and return to his suggested duties. With one final heave, the changeling tossed the stallion onto a pile of decomposing carcasses. "Finally!" he snorted, turning to leave the chamber. An address from his queen stopped him seconds later.

"Alin! Has Arnyx spoken with you yet?"

"Not as of yet, your Majesty. I was aware that he was still observing the actions of Chrysalis and her hive. Has he returned already?"

"Indeed he has. Find him and he shall brief you of your duties for the assault."

"At once, my queen."

Miasma watched as her child departed from the room with a bow. She was about to take her leave as well, when a light bump against her leg met with her senses. "Oh? What's this then?" A look to the source of the sensation showed the queen the remains of a rotten apple core lying next to her hoof. The sorry excuse for food had been accidentally kicked loose by the useless squirmings of the newest addition to the pile of spent husks. Miasma's magenta eyes watched the stallion with a dark interest. Every time his usable foreleg found some sort of purchase in the grisly mound, the instant he tried to put pressure to it, something would crack or squish and it would be gone, placing him face-down in the pile of cadavers. Finally, one of the shifts moved the pile enough to allow the stallion an unmerciful tumble to Miasma's hooves. Through his hypnosis-fueled will, his body shakily attempted to return to a standing position, but could not move itself past an awkward bow. There he remained, pathetically looking up toward his surrogate ruler.

That dark interest in Miasma's eyes had given way to equally dark amusement. "Your unwavering desire to my majesty and my hive is something most appreciated. As a reward, you shall see your hypnosis removed." The magic that accompanied Miasma's words lifted the glaze from the stallion's eyes.

These same eyes wasted no time in rolling back into the pony's head as he collapsed. When his own mind at long last stepped back into its rightful place, the stallion finally came to. "Wh-where...am I?" His senses were slower in returning than his consciousness, but they still came. Pain was the first to arrive. "What... Agghh! My leg! It...feels like it's broken! What's going on!?" Proper sight had not yet returned to the stallion; everything was still an undiscernable blur. He quickly wished it had stayed that way. "I...I remember...another pony... I remember following her somewhere... That white pegasus... Where is she? Where am I-" The instant his sight righted itself, his mouth froze.

"Good morning." Miasma taunted, the mere act of which set the stallion cringing in fear. She bent over to place her face mere inches from his own.

Naturally, he recoiled from the dark smile. There was only so much space for him to back away and this flinch caused him to fall backwards onto a pony of the heavily decomposed variety. Another scream escaped his mouth, this one born of fear rather than pain. He still was not sure where he was, but he was starting to form ideas. "Celestia help me... I've woken up in Tartarus, haven't I?"

Miasma laughed, a sound like air escaping a leak. "Tartarus? I'm flattered... But no, you're not in Tartarus." she corrected, stretching her mouth wide, giving the terrified stallion a full display of the holes in place of her cheeks and the orange worm-like tongue twitching within. "Tartarus would be a much nicer place..."

"Wh-what in Celestia's name are you..." As revolting as Miasma's three-holed smile was, the stallion could not bring himself to avert his eyes.

The changeling queen took the stallion's chin upon her hoof and raised his face. "What am I? I am the last thing you'll ever see in your pathetic existence."

"Wh-what..." It had definitely taken its sweet time in arriving, but the stallion's sense of smell had finally returned to him. The stomach-turning fetor from the heaps of decaying bodies, rotting fruit, and Miasma's overpowering perfume hit him with all the force of a brick wall. Pure disgust grabbed his stomach and squeezed relentlessly, forcing the bile therein from his mouth.

Right onto Miasma's hoof.

The retching of the stallion slowly transitioned to weak gagging before finally fading to silence. The silence was short-lived though. Miasma's wings began twitching irregularly, sending an angry rasp throughout the chamber. Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and her cheekbones crept upward in a snarl of rage. In the pauses between the rasps of the queen's wings, an attentive ear could hear her fangs grinding against one another. "You...dare... To defile my being!?" Miasma's horn flared bright as her temper and the stallion's head spun around one hundred eighty degrees, flinging a small spittle of vomit into the darkness of the chamber. "Filthy whelp!" Her hoof lashed out in fury, kicking the now-dead stallion into the slime covered wall with a sickening crunch. "You would dirty my flawless presence with your vile excrements!? The flames of Tartarus shall enjoy your flesh, damned wretch!"

Behind Miasma, her two incense bearers hardly flinched at the livid display. Outbursts like this were to be expected. In fact, one of them had set his burner upon the ground and was in the middle of a disinterested yawn. He was lightly nudged by his accomplice before too long. Bright flares too often put themselves out just as quickly as they alight and so it was with Miasma's rage. Her wings calmed themselves and her heavy breaths followed the example. The space of time between these mood swings was almost as startling as the outburst itself. "Come, my children. I have spent too much of my time amidst this filth. There are preparations to be made."

The slacking changeling scrambled to retrieve his burner before Miasma could put eye to his laziness. In his hurry to start swinging it about, he succeeded only in whipping the ceramic vessel into the head of his companion, shattering its fragile construction and bathing him in a fragrant mess in one fell swoop.

"Owww! Watch where you're swinging that, dammit!"

"Why don't you watch where you put your fat head instead!?"

"I'll give you a fat head, you useless-"

"Silence!" Miasma rounded on her children, the volume of her voice inadvertently spraying the two changelings with a round of stringy saliva. "Your fat heads will meet each other unless you both still your useless tongues!"

Out of instinct, the pair of changelings remained at perfect attention, enduring the barbed words flying from their queen's mouth like so much projectile spittle. When Miasma had finally given them their earful, or had just run out of insults, she twirled dramatically, mane swishing along behind her and marched from the chamber.

In the meantime, Arnyx had done well his assigned task. He had assembled an impressive mass of changelings, numbering twenty in rank and ten in file. Each and every one of them let out an uproarious cheer when their queen, accompanied with freshly equipped incense bearers, stepped forth onto the ledge outside her chambers. "My children! Tonight is a magnificent night indeed! I stand before you, alongside your centurion to tell you one thing! Arnyx has returned from Canterlot to inform me that the foul hive of the elitist bile that is Chrysalis is without a head! It is a new hive and if we move now, it will fall!!"

In a display surpassing their first mass cheer, the changeling phalanx let out a magnificent thunder that shook the hive's piped ceiling.

"Spread your wings, soldiers!" Arnyx cried. "We fly!"

Thus it was that the horde took to the sky, streaming from the hive entrance.

All save one. A changeling occupying a spot in the last row slunk away to a long disused tunnel. The raucous cheering and beating of wings did an excellent job of masking his flight. No one was witness to his escape. The end of this abandoned passage ran up against a channel of running water. It was a murky greenish-brown and none too appealing, but the changeling knew it ran straight to the ocean. After all, how did this changeling get into the hive in the first place? His purple eyes and iridescent purple elytra of the Miasma hive faded away, each becoming a deep blue hue.

Without a second thought, the changeling dove into the cloudy murk and swam away.

Queen Myxine must hear of this...

Author's Note

New author's comments, because this might as well be an entirely new chapter. This latest set of revisions came to me straight from Miasma's creator himself. That's right! Carnifex (Siansaar) has graciously accepted the position of "character pre-reader," to make sure that I'm writing the queens correctly.

(Also thanks to Spiritofthwwolf for pre-reading this for the THIRD bloody time.)

Stay classy and enjoy, readers.

3 - Myxine

"Lie and decieve; make them believe."

From the instant a changeling is hatched, this motto is bred into them. When a changeling assumes the facade of another, it is of the utmost importance that they make their prey believe it.

Regardless of age, all changelings are capable of assuming form. Many do this perfectly, as the eyes are the easiest to fool. For a simple trick, this is all well and good, but if that changeling does not back up this illusion with convincing behavior, they might as well be standing there undisguised. For the simpler beasts of the world, it is usually one behavior to be mimicked. With a more sentient being, such as a pony or even another changeling, a flawless assumption becomes much harder. Any slips in personality can spell disaster. It was one of these slips that ultimately undid the Canterlot assault. For the most part, Chrysalis' assumption of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza went very well. This was largely due to the distance she maintained from her subjects. The plan only began to deteriorate with the appearance of one lavender unicorn. The completely unexpected sister of the groom and close friend of the bride. No intelligence had been gathered on this mare; Chrysalis had had no idea how to act. Suspicions had been planted and the illusion had been shattered. What happened next needs no recounting.

However, when a skilled enough changeling assumes the place of another, much less prominent figure and acts it well, there is hardly a soul alive that can tell the difference, except for one of the queens and only then if they are aware.

The very nature of the changeling's existence is deceitful and espionage against one hive from another is far from unheard of. For a changeling to infiltrate an enemy hive is a dangerous task; queens may love their own children without condition, but to ask them to bestow the same affection to an outsider is pure folly. Even the most skilled changeling must tread in caution. The slightest of mistakes often results in death. Changeling queens are not well known for their mercy.

Break your step once and that's it... You're done. This is that story.

In many parts of Equestria, cities have established weather teams to control the clouds and what comes out of them. Storms do not build until they are ordered to. However, there are two places where nature retains control of her creations. One of them is the Everfree Forest. The other is the mighty ocean. Equestria's coastal cities do indeed have their own weather teams. However, the purpose of these teams is different from most; instead of them controlling and producing the weather, their job is to prevent rogue storms from drifting too far inland. It is a full-time job, as the storms from the ocean are remarkably violent, almost as if nature is attempting to make up for its lack of control elsewhere.

Today was a rare day indeed; the sun shone brightly, there was nary a cloud in the sky and a cool breeze rolled across the waves. For those ponies that live in these seaside towns, days like this were taken full advantage of.

Now, there is not a very large market for seafood within Equestria, given the vegetarian nature of its residents. Perhaps it is for this reason that seaweed is inversely as popular. It is considered a delicacy, passed around in the highest circles. Ice cream also tends to be rather popular with the young ones and those with less refined tastes.

"Hey, Coral! Help me out with this net here!"

"Sure! Hold on!" A female voice drifted back across the open deck of the vessel. Moments later, a white-furred pegasus mare with a bouncy blue mane came trotting up to the brown earth pony stallion. "S'matter there, Breaker?" she ribbed. "Net too heavy for ya?"

"Stow it, Coral." he shot back with a smirk. "Net must be caught on somethin'. Lend me a hoof, yeah?"

"Sure, sure." The mare took hold of one corner of the net in her mouth, tasting the salty brine that leaked from its woven fibers. It turns out that the net wasn't caught on anything; the two ponies combined were able to put the net back in motion, even though Coral had to use her wings for additional force. The net began moving faster and faster the closer it got to the surface. What came up with it shocked the two ponies.

"Ugh... What is that?"

"Cut the engines, helm!" Coral shouted into the cabin.

One great tremor ran through the deck as the steady drone of the ship's engines disappeared.

"This had better be good, Coral. Y'know as well as I that we've got a quota to make. Gotta keep the engines running on a day like t'day. What is it?" the helmspony asked, stepping from the cabin.

"We, uh...pulled something up..."

"Which would be...what?"

"That's just it..." the pegasus muttered. "We...don't know..."

"Step aside." The helmspony glanced down at the haul spread upon the deck. Amidst the tangled mess of brown-green seaweed was the black body of a deceased changeling. The iridescent shell upon its back was as blue as the ocean waters it had been hauled from. "S'a shifter..." the pony snorted before turning away.

"What should we do with it?" Coral asked.

"Throw it back in. Th' only good shifter's a dead one..."

Froth churned the ocean behind the boat as the engines spun up. Breaker heaved the dead changeling over the stern into the wake. Coral joined him in watching the black spot bobbing up and down in the foam. "What d'you think happened to 'im?"

"I'll tell ya when I care, Coral. I've heard tales of these shifters. Right nasty things they are; they'll kill their own faster'n you can blink. Creature ain't worth the thought spent on it... C'mon, let's get back to work."

"Yeah...sure." Coral lingered at the rail for a moment more. Try as she might, she couldn't help but think about the late changeling. Poor thing...

While the day was fair, the night before had been anything but. It was regular for storms to brew out at sea, before ominously moving inland. The high winds whipped the surface into frothy whitecaps, but the deeper waters remained untouched by the disturbance.

The calm waters were much appreciated by their changeling occupant. His path through the water was swift and unimpeded. Quick flicks of his fin-like wings allowed for rapid changes of direction and altitude. This changeling was a child of the Hagfish hive and Queen Myxine. The water was his second home.

He was no stranger to land though and the shoreline was coming up fast. Wave-tossed sand squelched under his hooves as he emerged onto a rocky beach. Rocks of all sizes littered the sand, some mere pebbles, others boulders large enough to hide all manner of surprises, both familiar and deadly.

Lurking within the moon-cast shadows of one of the massive chunks of stone were five of these surprises. As soon at they appeared from the darkness, the Hagfish changeling knew that this would be his last night. With impressive speed, he turned and fled from the murderous intent in those purple eyes.

Fangs of the Miasma changelings glinted in the moonlight, revealing their dark smiles. Their wingbeats filled the cool night air. The hunt was on.

Without missing a beat, the blue-eyed changeling took a flying leap into the ocean. Bubbles streamed from his wings and holed legs, a testament to the speed of his flight. Even so, he knew it was in vain. The best he could do was alert the rest of his hive to the trespassers.

His thoughts would have to wait; a high-velocity magenta-hued ball of magic came ripping into the waves, boiling the water on contact. One wing went up, the other down; this motion, along with his quick lean to the right, sent him into an evasive corkscrew. The shot had missed, but more were close behind.

Up, down, left, right. The changeling danced this deadly ballet with expertly timed wing flicks. Every shot he could avoid brought him that much closer to the underwater entrance to his home. Next to the dark crevasse which was this entrance was a methodically stacked pile of rocks. A quick kick sent the stones cascading into the tunnel's dark maw. When the school of stones finally hit bottom, they sent a cacophony up the tunnel to waiting ears.

"There. That should be enough."

The lone changeling withdrew his hoof, shaking loose the small bits of blue nectar that still clung to it. One final inspection of his work and he turned away. There were many more eggs to attend to. One of these opaque royal blue orbs greeted him as he turned. Were one to cast a look around, one would find at least five dozen more spheres, all identical in shape and color. From the holes covering his legs, the changeling secreted more of the same nectar upon the egg before him. He made sure to spread this evenly over the orb's surface to ensure its proper nutrition. He looked up at the sound of slow hoofsteps. "Queen Myxine, your Majesty."

The changeling queen gave a very slight nod to her attendant. When she spoke, her voice was that of one who is not given to heightened emotion. "I trust that there are no complications with this clutch?" Myxine tested the nectar applied to the nearest egg with slight hoof pressure.

"None to speak of, your Majesty. There is slightly less nectar upon this clutch than I would normally use, but it is not of dire concern."

"Well said. A storm is brewing even as we speak. It shall be an excellent night for hunting. Come, Cerin, let us organize tonight's hunt. I feel that tonight shall be busy and it would do us well to be on preparation's side."

The nursery was one of only two rooms in the hive that was not reached via subaquatic passage. The other was Myxine's own chambers. The nursery lay just off of the hive's main chamber, a very short walk. Short though it was, it provided plenty of time for Myxine to draw up a hunting plan. "Several have reported a storm coming in from the sea. If this is the case, any ships present will try to shelter within Horseshoe Bay. Your task should be clear enough."

Cerin nodded. "Crystal, your Majesty. Extinguish the lighthouse and guide any incoming ships onto the rocks."

"I need not remind you to be quick with your taking of the lighthouse. Any longer than is necessary and we risk drawing too much attention. Leave no passenger free to bear witness to our activities; if they are of no use to the hive, drown them."

"Your will be done, my queen." Cerin bowed deeply and excused himself to begin gathering those needed for his assignment.

Myxine's path was different. A pool of water lay in the center of the chamber, its cyan depths lit from within by the glowing nectar lining its walls. The Hagfish queen leaned forward and slipped into this pool with barely a ripple left behind her. She pushed herself from the rock wall and shot down the tunnel. Myxine had swam these tunnels many times and it showed. Her wings worked madly, providing both propulsion and steering. Rolls to the left and right kept the changeling queen centered within the passage. She was in the middle of one such maneuvers as the beginnings of a peculiar sound started to reach her ears. Myxine stilled her wings and righted herself, sinking to the tunnel floor.

There were no other changelings to speak of in this tunnel, but Myxine knew exactly what that was. Stones were falling; many stones. The signal... A cloud of silt jumped from the floor at Myxine's takeoff. The changeling queen hurtled back up the passage, speeding for the pool entrance. She slowed only to exit the pool, even then only emerging up to her neck. Her voice remained calm, but carried throughout the entire room. "Centurion Maryn, Infiltrator Blackfin, with me."

The summoned changelings were quick to respond and dove into the pool after their queen. Neither knew what the reason for their summons was, but neither were about to question an order directly from their mother. Blackfin fell in behind the armored centurion who in turn fell in behind Myxine. The trio snaked through the tunnels with impressive speed, each one knowing their exact destination.

It was not long before the stone incline beneath Myxine's hooves gave way to sand, silently announcing her arrival to the hive's main entrance. She stepped forth onto the sandy floor of the cave, turned and waited. Maryn and Blackfin appeared from the pool in short order.

"Centurion Maryn, at your service, your Majesty. What is the nature of our summons?"

"The alarm has been triggered."

"Further activity from Miasma?"

"There is no possible way to know without surveillance, but, given her newfound aggression as of late, logic would say 'yes.' The encroaching storm should force any invasion party to shelter upon the cliffs." Myxine pointed out of the cave, toward the rock wall across the bay. "If we go with haste, any chance of escape shall be small."

Changelings as a whole do not take much pleasure in hunting; survival comes first. Every species has its exceptions, though, and the Miasma hive holds that title amongst their fellow changelings.

The Hagfish changeling had put on an impressive chase, but his luck could only last so long. The five children of the Miasma hive had finally bested him.

"Pathetic waterlogged maggot..." A holed hoof kicked the dead Hagfish changeling from the cliffside into the surf far below. A satisfied grin crossed the lead changeling's mouth upon seeing the splash. "Infiltrator Varren has assumed his position and it is high time we make ourselves scarce."

Two of the three other changelings spread their wings along with their leader.

"Wait! What about that storm we saw on the flight in? We can't fly in that!"

"We don't have the luxury of choice. We are in Hagfish territory. Traveling any further by hoof with blood on our fangs is inviting death, especially should the Queen catch our scent. If you are foolish enough to choose suicide, you may walk."

Children of the Miasma hive take after their mother and are exceptionally stubborn. The naysayer chose to walk.

Following in his ill-chosen hoofsteps, irony and its close friend karma accompanied the Miasma changeling. Like the Hagfish changeling he had helped see out from this life, tonight would be his last night as well.

The brewing storm broke upon the Equestrian coastline with unbelievable fury. Rain lashed at the trees, knocking down leaves and battering the grass upon the forest floor. It takes a special sort of fool to even consider being out in weather like this. A special sort of fool...or a particularly stubborn Miasma changeling.

The changeling knew his decision hadn't been the smartest, but that aforementioned stubbornness wouldn't let him come to regret it. Even so, he was stubborn, not stupid; continuing in this storm would be a decision most foolish. He must find shelter soon. A flash of lightning revealed a low-hanging branch beside a wide forest stream. It would have to do. He hadn't the time to be overly picky.

The Miasma changeling ducked under the leafy protrusion and sat there, cold, wet, and in an all-around sour mood. The relentless drumming of the rain upon the trees above him quickly blurred together into one toneless drone that grated on his ears. After a while, he began silently wishing that something would break the monotony. As if in answer, a branch cracked in the darkness. Instinct opened his wings, readying him to flee. He chanced an investigative peek from his makeshift shelter and, as he did so, he came face-to-face with the helmeted head of Centurion Maryn. That would be reason enough for flight. He jumped from his shelter and took to the sky...

...almost instantly taking a blow to his back that threw him to the forest floor. At first, he thought it a fallen branch, fed up with the storm's battering. This thought quickly deserted him as he looked up into the deep blue eyes of Queen Myxine herself. Her expression did not falter in the slightest, but the Miasma changeling very clearly saw a flame of cold anger burning within her sapphire-like eyes.

"You may answer my next question in one of two ways. One will keep you breathing for a few moments more. The other shall forfeit your life on the spot. Now, what sort of idiocy has your queen come across to warrant such intrusion into my territory?"

"Choke on your bile, sea witch!" he barked defiantly.

"As you wish." Myxine's horn lit up for an instant, producing a focused ray of magic. The blast sliced through the center of the changeling's throat, severing his spine and windpipe with one clean strike.

The gurgling of his blood mixing with the air of his last breath as it bubbled out through the new hole in his throat was the only response Myxine recieved. "This is Miasma's fourth incursion into Hagfish territory in the past month; she is becoming increasingly aggressive..." she murmured, falling silent in thought. "Blackfin! What have you found?"

Another changeling stepped from the rain-soaked brush at Myxine's call. "Apologies, your Majesty, but the storm has erased much usable evidence. I know that this changeling was traveling alone, but past experience would suggest that the party that brought him here would be of the usual four or five. As to their intent, though, I cannot say."

"Miasma is planning something, this much is certain. To say what would require intelligence far removed from our possession. I trust that the next logical step is obvious to you, yes, Blackfin?"

"As always, your Majesty."

True affection from a Changeling Queen is something that is rarely, if ever, seen from outsiders. Myxine took the smaller changeling's chin upon a gentle hoof. "Then I trust that you know that what I am about to ask of you is only done out of necessity and I would not have you do otherwise, yes?"

"I do."

"Very well. In that case, Blackfin, you shall infiltrate the cesspool of the Miasma hive. Discover the reason behind her newfound aggression. Be as quick as you can; this may be a necessity, but I do not wish for you to endanger yourself unduly. Are we in understanding, my child?"

Even among changeling queens, Myxine is known to show little emotion, remaining almost impossible to read. Blackfin knew his queen, though, and knew how to read such a book. A long look into her sapphire-like eyes revealed nothing but love and concern dwelling within their corners. "We are, my queen."

"Then go."

With a nod, he dove into the river and swam for the ocean. Myxine watched until the bubbles from his departure had followed him downstream and out of sight. "There is nothing more we can do, Let us return to the hive."

The queen and her centurion also entered the river to return to the ocean and from there to return home. Their direct path was no more than several minutes in duration, quickly placing them before the underwater entrance to their home. Up the twisting tunnels they flew, back to the hive's main chamber.

Water streamed from Myxine's legs as she climbed from the pool. It was not thirty seconds later that she was approached by an injured changeling. He limped across the slippery rocks, favoring one of his hind legs. His wings hung uselessly at his side. "My queen! You have returned!" His bow was a little shaky, given the disability of one of his legs, but respect bade him do it nonetheless.

"Do not strain yourself, my child." Myxine proffered a hoof to help the unsteady changeling back to his hooves. "What is the origin of your injuries?"

"It was...the Miasma hive again. Another invasion into our territory! I barely escaped with my life!"

"So it was you who sent the signal down the tunnels then?"

The changeling nodded. "Indeed it was. I hope none of ours fell prey to the invaders."

"Not that I saw. The trespassers had long since made themselves scarce by the time I could respond. One of them was caught walking, though; a mistake most fatal." A queen as calculating as Myxine catches many things, even a breath taken a little too sharply. "But he has been dealt with. Tell me, with your wings as they are...how did you return to the hive?"

"The hidden entrance upon the top of the cliff, your Majesty."

Myxine paused briefly before answering, a pause during which she buzzed out a rapid signal with a click of her wings. The signal stopped all changeling activity within the chamber and turned the attention of each of those changelings toward their queen. One by one, they all began moving closer. The injured changeling slowly looked about, like the cornered beast he had become. "I hear that your queen has come into some newfound aggression recently. What say you to that, Miasma scum?"

Feigned ignorance is often a discovered changeling's first instinct. "W-what? Your Majesty, I am not from the-"

"Be silent; any further words would be a waste of breath on your part." The horn of the Hagfish queen came to life with a blue flame. In the light of this arcane fire, the illusion disguising the Miasma changeling burnt away, revealing the purple eyes and shell of his mother hive.

Fangs showed themselves through his angry snarl. He could not undo a queen's magic and even if he could, another disguise would be pointless. "What was my mistake?"

"You reacted when I spoke of killing your hivemate. You also spoke of the secret entrance to this hive. A child of my hive knows to never speak of this; they shall be told of it once and will never mention it again, not even to myself. Your answer sealed your fate. That and the stench of your mother clings to you like the filth to her disgusting hooves."

"Queen Miasma will have your head for this blasphemy!" the intruder snarled.

"That...is your second mistake..."

"What is?"

"Assuming that you are free to leave here alive. As much as I would enjoy to have such truths delivered to Miasma's face, that...will not happen." Myxine rapped a hoof against the rocky floor. At her signal, the five of her children closest to the intruder fell upon him, fangs bared. His death throes echoed from the hive walls, but it was not long before a sharp set of teeth met with his throat and he crumpled to the hive floor, riddled with bleeding horn and fang wounds. "Maryn, remove this filth from our hive. Meet me in my chambers when you have done so."

"At once, my queen."

"Permission to enter Her Majesty's chambers."

"Permission granted. You may enter, Blackfin." Myxine's eyes did not open until she heard the sound of hoofsteps upon her chamber floor. "Your return is remarkably quick. Have you already discerned the cause of Miasma's aggression?"

"I have. Chrysalis has removed herself from her hive, in order to mount an assault on Canterlot. Miasma is making her move on this hive as we speak. I do not expect the Chrysalis hive to resist this attack."

Myxine shook her head disapprovingly. "Canterlot... Chrysalis, your ambition has blinded your judgment... Your mission was most successful, Blackfin. What you have told me tonight has told me all of Miasma's plans. She is seeking total supremacy, and when she takes the Chrysalis hive, as you say, the taste of victory will push her forward. Miasma will not stop until she has all the hives underhoof. Chrysalis, mine...and Ambrosia's."

Author's Note

Behold! Queen's Myxine's first appearance, wholly character-approved by Carnifex and, as always, pre-read by the brilliant Spiritofthwwolf.

For those curious, the name of Myxine's centurion is pronounced the same as "marine," because, y'know, reasons.

Stay classy, and enjoy, readers.

4 - Ambrosia

Loyalty. The desire to support and watch over those close to you.

These are not words that the average pony would ever choose to associate with the changeling race. But, the average pony knows nothing of hive mechanics. A changeling queen is fiercely protective of her children; everything they do is for their benefit. While a changeling queen is unwaveringly loyal to her brood, there is no law, written or otherwise, that requires the same from her children. Changelings will follow a queen out of respect. Should that respect falter, just who that queen happens to be is subject to debate.

Not many ponies, not even Celestia herself, knows the reasoning behind the Canterlot attack. For all of the efficiency with which this operation had been carried out, Chrysalis had only prescribed the assault out of desperation. At the time, her hive within the Everfree Forest was extremely young, not even two weeks old. Times had fallen hard upon her and her children. They were in a time of famine; many changelings had died. A queen's love for her children is quite capable of sustaining a hive during times like this, but only just. An exceptionally large hive will wither when it loses an outside food source, down to a minimum. Hunger forced the queen of the Chrysalis hive to take action against Canterlot. The lofty ambition of this plan, along with the promise of plenty of love, spread a fervent loyalty through her children. They happily followed their queen into battle. All went well; their respect to their queen had been restored.

But all this had been before the plan's disastrous end. As Chrysalis and her children had been tossed over the horizon in a manner of seconds, so too had that sense of respect deserted them and just as quickly. The famine, the death, the moving to a new hive... Each of these happenings had driven a wedge ever deeper between Chrysalis and her children. She might not have known it at the time, but her expulsion from Canterlot had coincided perfectly with the expulsion from her own hive.

When all but one of your children has turned their back to you, it becomes all the more painful when that one finally chooses to take their leave. This is that story.

"P-please... Let me...go... I don't know...what you want from me... Just...let me go..."

"No... You're too much fun..."

There they were again. On the branch next to the emaciated, skin-covered skeleton that was the stallion were those eyes... Those terrible yellow-green eyes... They had been taunting him for weeks now, appearing every single day. Sometimes they chose a new spot, but they were always there. Always watching. They seemed to take pleasure in his captivity, glued as he was to the forest floor by a sticky golden slime. For all the days they had appeared, he had never once seen their owner. She always kept hidden in the shadows, just out of sight. It was only those eyes...

Today, he would finally get a look at the body behind those eyes, whether he wanted to or not.

"Look at you... You're so thin..." The voice that floated from the thick undergrowth was sweet in tone and seemed to be laughing as it spoke. "How long has it been?" she asked. "Three weeks?"

"I-I don't know... What do you...e-even want from me?"

"Ohh...nothing in particular."

"Then let me go... Please!"

"But that's no fun!"

"Then let me see who I'm talking to!"

The stallion’s request was met with a long silence. "Oh all right." Wings buzzed, foliage shifted and the branch creaked as its occupant removed herself from it. Ferns parted, letting the owner of those dark eyes step forth from the forest.

The stallion found his tongue useless at the appearance of the creature before him. She was not the hideous beast he had been expecting; she was strangely beautiful. At least, as much as a changeling queen could be. For a fleeting moment, his fear deserted him.

She lazily draped her forelegs over a low-hanging branch and leaned in close to the haggard stallion. "It's so disappointing... You never last longer than three weeks." The queen extended a holed hoof and poked the stallion in his pronounced ribs. There was nothing between the inquisitive hoof and the poor soul's bones but a paper-thin layer of skin. Each poke produced a satisfying clack as a result.

At every prod, the stallion flinched in agony. "Nagh! Stop that!"

The changeling queen found no end of amusement in the stallion's predicament. "So bony." she giggled. "I will say that you have lasted longer than most though. You're a lot of fun..." The queen had moved from poking her prey in the ribs to tapping a hoof against his thin legs, probably harder than she should have. The hollow noise it made delighted her greatly. Smiling ear to ear from the stallion's cries of pain, the female changeling got a little carried away. One over-enthusiastic tap later and crack!

"Aaaagh! You...broke my leg!"

Her expression took on an air of genuine surprise. "That was a loud scream..."

"You broke my leg!" the stallion repeated in answer.

"I wonder... Will you scream that loud if I do it on purpose?"

"W-what?" The stallion swallowed in terror. There had been no malice to speak of within the voice of the changeling queen. The twisted question had been asked with an innocent curiosity. The more he thought about it, the more he would have preferred at least some hint of darkness. Was she...enjoying this? Nausea rose in the stallion's stomach at the very thought.

"Ooh! Let's use magic this time!" A yellow light issued forth from the changeling's horn.

To feel one's own leg slowly breaking is not something oft felt and with very good reason. The stallion felt his leg, no longer under any control of his own, gradually buckle inwards. The feeling only served to worsen his nausea. Further and further it was pressed. Tendons snapped, muscles ripped, and still it was pushed farther. Finally...crack! Every part of his psyche wanted to resist crying out, if only to spite the wishes of his tormentor. And yet... "AAAAGH!" His scream was so loud, it was a wonder the stallion didn't deafen himself.

Left quite literally with no front legs to stand on, the stallion fell, open-mouthed, into the nectar which entrapped him. Even though this nectar was not intended for pony consumption, it was normally rather sweet. Normally. This particular nectar had been festering upon the forest floor for at least three weeks, collecting all sort of filth, leaves and whatever unfortunate insect that happened to come trundling by. Though nearly a month had passed, the stickiness of the ooze had not waned. The same could not be said for the stallion's strength, however, and he had little choice but to lay there, slowly suffocating on the gritty, disgusting mess.

"Now that was a loud scream." The changeling female's yellow-green eyes widened in a smile of disturbing amusement. "Let's do that again!" she giggled. Another spark of yellow magic jumped from the changeling's horn.

One more of the stallion's legs snapped in response. He tried to scream, but the nectar invading his mouth reduced it to nothing more than a muffled mmphmm!

The changeling snorted, her air of excitement falling away. "Hmph. That was terrible! Your first scream was so much better... Must be that nectar in your mouth." she mused. Her magic gripped the stallion by his ears and popped his head free from his entrapment. "Hold on..." Her face pursed itself into a comic look of concentration, complete with slightly visible tongue. She dug around, rather roughly, in the stallion's mouth, finally pulling a gob of nectar from his windpipe. "There! All better!"

A weak cough fell from the stallion's mouth. This creature before him was mad. There was no other explanation. He was on his last leg, in more ways than one, and here was this...monster, smiling and giggling like an innocent schoolfilly.

"'Kay, here's how we'll do it." The queen pulled the stallion, still held by the ears, up to her level. "You've got one leg left, so we have to get it right the first time. Listen good. I'll break your leg and all you have to do is give me a good scream, okay? Ready... Go!" Another burst of yellow magic popped from the changeling's horn and the last of the stallion's legs snapped outward at the knee. Her look of excitement slowly fell away when she was met with silence.

She released her hold on the stallion's ears, dropping him in a unceremonious pile. "Hmmm..." She began curiously poking his unmoving body. He uttered no more cries, not even when she prodded him hard enough to break one of his ribs. "Awww..."

Too many times, this was your fate if you happened into one of these traps. You became the plaything of the mother of the Honeycomb hive, Queen Ambrosia. The Honeycomb queen was a bit of a rarity among changelings; most queens are cruel by choice. Ambrosia was not. More than a few ponies met their end at her playful experiments. Perhaps even darker than these experiments was the way in which Ambrosia conducted them; never once did the changeling queen intend to kill these poor souls. They were nothing more than innocent games to her.

"Hmph." Ambrosia stared at the unmoving pony, her cheeks puffed out in a small pout. Sure, there were other trapped ponies within her territory, but they were still too healthy. Too much fat on their bones. Too much to produce that satisfying noise she liked so much. It was getting late in the day, though; perhaps it was time for her to head back to her hive to oversee some of the daily duties.

"Insolent brat!"

Or...perhaps not...

Ambrosia took to the trees and with skill born from years of practice, silently flitted from branch to branch, seeking the origin of that familiar voice. Visitors! Her hooves dropped onto a thick branch, barely making a creak under her weight. Below her, she at last found the owner of the enraged shouting. Now this is interesting... What are you two doing so far from home?

"You would so easily turn your back on your queen!? After you were the only one to willingly follow me from the hive!? After all I have done for you!? You unfaithful maggot!"

The smaller of the two creatures must have been blessed with an amazing amount of self-control to retain a level tone in the light of such heightened temper, let alone remain respectful in every word. "If I recall, it was your words that wished for me to not place my life in danger without due cause."

"What would you call the undertaking to reclaim my hive?"

"A lost cause, your Majesty. You left your right to ask for respect at the Canterlot gates.We should have parted ways at the hive. I have only followed you this far because I believed we had a chance. have been thinking; why should any other hives even consider pitying us? I see now it is nothing more than folly to expect otherwise."

"You would rather submit yourself to be trod upon by the swine that is Miasma!? Have you lost your mind!?"

"Quite the contrary, my queen. I have never been saner. Miasma is hardly anything more than a disgusting swine, this much is true. But even a swine is to be more respected than the filth in which he wallows."

The female of the pair flinched slightly at the barbed words of her companion. She stepped up to him, raising her hoof in anger. There she held it, her body shaking with rage.

Ambrosia could not see the creature's expression, but upon hearing the shaky tone that came from her mouth, she could draw a good conclusion.

"V-very well... If you would be so disloyal..." The creature's hoof dropped toward her smaller companion like lightning.

Not even the enraged hoof falling to earth mere inches from his face could shake the resolve of the smaller creature.

"I would never bring harm to a child of my own hive; that shall not change, but...if you would be so disloyal, then you are dead to me. I won't forget this act of treason, Sylph. If you walk away now, it shall be the last time you see me. I...will no longer come to your aid. Regardless of the danger you may be in...I...I will not stand to see you again. In choosing to turn your back on me...you have asked me to do the same to you. Be gone, Sylph… Y-you are on your own now."

"It...has been an honor to serve under you, your Majesty. Goodbye." Before he disappeared into the dense undergrowth, he hesitated, glancing back at his former companion.

Another smile crossed the face of the perched changeling queen as she watched Sylph plunge into the forest. Ooh! I was starting to get bored!

The Honeycomb queen put herself on the move again, pursuing the lone changeling. It appeared as though she would get to have a little bit more fun today.

These treetops belonged to her hive and if Ambrosia wanted to remain undetected within them, not a soul would find her. Quieter and swifter than a shadow, the Honeycomb queen darted through the foliage, quickly overtaking the changeling deserter. She returned to the ground, only long enough to trap his path. Now it was a waiting game.

It turned out to be a very short game; not five minutes later, the changeling appeared from the undergrowth. Ambrosia closed her eyes in anticipation and waited for his signal.

"Ah! What is this!?" He started slightly at the appearance of the Honeycomb mother from the trees above him. "Ambrosia!" he snarled. "Why have you detained me? I have shown no hostility within your territory."

Her captive's question was one of very low priority; Ambrosia took her time in stretching out upon a low-riding branch of substantial heft. "So... 'Sylph', is it?"

"My term of address is no business of yours, hag!"

Ambrosia dangled a hoof off her perch and amused herself by batting at a particularly springy fern. "Your queen...she seems really upset."

"The emotional well-being of my queen is no longer any of my concern." Sylph retorted sharply. "Her business is her own. None of mine, and certainly none of yours."

"I don't know... I mean really upset. So upset, she was shaking." Ambrosia paused abruptly and gave Sylph a quizzical look. "Wait! Is that something you do?"

"Is what something I do?"

"Shake!" The female changeling plucked the fern from its grassy home to wiggle its leaves in Sylph's face. "Do you all shake like that when you get angry?"

Sylph took a moment to search the queen's eyes, looking for any indication that this might be a joke. He found none; this was an honest question. "You've got to be kidding me..."

"So are you saying you don't shake like that?"

"I refuse to answer such an inane question!"

A look of determination crossed Ambrosia's face. She snapped a twig from the branch she was reclined upon, which she floated over to Sylph. This was repeatedly jabbed into his side at regular intervals.

"What in Tartarus are you doing?" he snapped.

"Pfft. I want to see if you shake like that if I can get you angry enough." she replied, focused on her poking.

This only carried on for so long before Ambrosia grew tired of it; the constant prodding did little more than irritate the captive changeling. "Ugh... You're good at this..." she commented, staring at the upside-down Sylph.

"Are you quite finished yet?" Sylph glared daggers at the changeling queen perched upon the branch and sprawled out on her back, all the while still poking away at him.

"I suppose..." Ambrosia puffed her cheeks out and sighed, at last tossing the stick away. "You're a lot more boring than I thought you'd be..."

"So sorry to disappoint..." Sylph muttered sarcastically. "Am I free to go then?"

"I gu...ess..." The female changeling trailed off in the manner of one who has just had an epiphany. Something had caught her eye. That something had been the irritated twitch of Sylph's wings moving under his elytra. Intrigued, she quickly rolled over and sat up. Magic of a hue identical to her eyes lit her horn. The same light took hold of the protective carapace upon the smaller changeling's back, wrenching their halves apart in a manner that was probably more painful than not.

"Nngh! Release me, hag! You've had your fu-"

"Not yet!" Ambrosia interrupted, only half-paying attention to Sylph's protest. "There's one more thing I wanna try." The queen's invasive magic continued its search, taking hold of one of Sylph's wings. This she pulled out to full draw. Like an organ separated from a body that still needed it, the tattered wing twitched as its owner tried in vain to retract it. "I really want to see if you shake when you get angry."

"What are you going to do? Poke my wing with that damn stick?"

"Of course not! That would be silly. I'm going to pull it out!" she giggled. "That oughta make you really angry!" A wing at full extension obviously has no more length to give, but Ambrosia had important questions to answer. Slowly, her magic pulled at Sylph's wing, stretching it well beyond physical limits. During this process, she fixated intently upon his face and the increasingly pained grimace creeping across it, searching for any hint of rage-induced trembling.

Anger was the last thing on Sylph's mind; pain consumed every available synapse. It had reached the point where he could no longer speak, even if he had wanted to. Instinct took over, forcing a guttural snarl from his lungs. Agony screwed his eyes shut as he felt the muscles of his wing finally give in to the inquisitive tug of the queen's magic. One by one, each structure that held his wing in place tore away, leaving behind the most intense pain the changeling had ever felt. It reduced his mind to a primal state; he could feel nothing else than the liquid fire coursing through his body, burning him up. If nothing else, the searing pain gave him something to focus on. Something to hold on to; to force his rage back down. He was not about to satisfy this queen's idiotic curiosity.

Ambrosia dangled the translucent wing before her eyes, inspecting its bloody stump. She tossed this away after a few moments, turning her gaze back towards Sylph. "Still not shaking... Wow, you're really good at this! This is a lot more fun now!" The changeling queen happily clapped her hooves together, enjoying this immensely.

Sylph's eyes narrowed to furious slits and his fangs ground against one another as he felt Ambrosia's magic begin tugging at his remaining wing. The queen wasted no time in pulling this appendage out to its full extension. The Honeycomb queen went at this wing with a renewed curiosity. She pulled just enough to feel something begin to tear, then abruptly stopped, letting the near-useless wing fall to Sylph's side and tear itself out further. She removed her gaze from the awkwardly hanging wing to peer at its owner. "No...pe... Not shaking yet... Looks like I get to pull this one out too!"

The aura clutching his wing went back at it with one massive yank. The snap the wing made as it parted ways with its home resembled a bone cracking itself in two. The second wave of fire that shot through Sylph's body finally broke him. “GAAAAAH!”

"Look at that! You do shake like that when you're angry! I was right!" she squealed happily.

Ambrosia's celebration would have to be cut short. Sylph's cry of agony had summoned the entire fury of Tartarus from within the undergrowth. A dark blur came tearing from the trees and less than an instant later, Ambrosia felt something hook itself around her horn. The momentum from her assailant ripped her from her hooves. She was more than prepared, though, and twisted in midair to land upright once again. The Honeycomb queen whirled about to lock horns with the new arrival.

"Simple-minded bitch! I will flay you with your own entrails!"

Ambrosia giggled, still giddy from her recent discovery. "I'm happy to see you too, Chrysalis! Guess what I found out?"

Author's Note

Here you have it, readers! The last (and my personal favorite) of the queens' introductory chapters. Next chapter we'll get to start into the meat of the things with all of the story we have. Hype. You should get some.

As always, pre-read by the brilliant Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

*Random Fact: The current death toll as of this chapter stands at 12 timberwolves, 4 changelings, and 3 ponies.*

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

5 - Homecoming Queen

All centurions, regardless of their hive of origin, are trained to ignore any fear, no matter what the situation. To feel fear is to show weakness to the enemy and ensure your own defeat. Yet, there is no amount of training that can surpass raw instinct. Sylph was afraid. The moon had chosen tonight to renew itself and the forest floor was completely black. Sylph spun in place, following every glowing green eye or wooden growl that passed his senses. The number of these creatures remained unknown to him. He only knew what they were hunting and that they were growing agitated. He knew the eyes would be coming for him soon and still he cried out in fear when they leapt for him.

The centurion awoke with a start, flying upright as if a spring had been placed under his head. He felt his chest rising and falling with frightened breaths. Discipline was quick to remove the instinct-planted fear from his mind, allowing the return of rational thinking. Sylph looked down to where he knew his hooves to be, only to see them replaced with the blocky paws of his timberwolf predator. Her Majesty must have placed this spell upon me. Only extreme circumstances would have called for him to be disguised in such a manner. It would be foolish for him to break the spell now.

He sat in a small divot pressed into the springy forest floor that had been coated with a layer of cushioning nectar. "Your Majesty?" Her pheromones lay thick upon the sticky green substance; she was nearby. Sylph took a step forward to begin searching, but before his disguised hoof even met the ground, a set of razor-sharp claws dug into his stomach. His legs buckled, pulling him back to the ground. When the claws had loosened enough to allow him to open his eyes once more, he found himself staring directly at the nectar surrounding him. In the back of his mind, he heard his queen's words. Replenish your strength... The voice within his head needn't have instructed him to feed. His hunger was the only order he required. Sylph began lapping at the delicious nectar, feeling his strength return little by little.

The taste was maddeningly sweet to the starving changeling. It took a great amount of self-control to not devour every last drop of the provided nectar. As much as his mind wanted him to devour every single bit, his queen's location remained unknown to him; loyalty bade him find her.

The grunts and creaks of the Everfree forest disconcerted the lone changeling. To fly would have made his search far easier, but his meal had not yet returned enough of his strength to allow that as an option, nor did he want to break his disguise at the moment. To be resigned to the forest floor was not without its benefits, though. The warm, comforting scent of his mother's pheromones wafted strong against his senses. She had not moved far, nor with any great speed. When her pheromones could not get any stronger, the foliage parted ways to reveal his sought after queen. Only now did he choose to dispel his provided illusion.

Chrysalis sat at the base of a tree, head bowed. The arrival of her centurion spurred no response.

"Forgive my unannounced approach, your Majesty, but...is there something the matter?"

At the sound of her centurion, the queen's head came up to glance at the smaller changeling. "Greetings, Sylph... I trust that you were wise enough to feed on what I had provided for you, yes?"

Sylph hesitated in answering. There was something off in the way his queen spoke. "I did indeed. What troubles you, my queen?"

Sylph could not see it from his angle, but his queen returned her gaze to the mound of freshly disturbed earth before her. "I-it is nothing. I...had merely forgotten how it felt to be able to properly mourn the passing of one of my children. It is nothing you should concern yourself with, my child."

"Passing?" the centurion repeated. "Your Majesty, what-" Instead of answering, Chrysalis silently rose from the makeshift grave and swept past Sylph, leaving him confused. He took his queen's place at the small mound. A bitter scent burned the roof of his mouth. Fear pheromones... Vetan was being pursued at the time of his death... Below that, floating upon the edge of detection, another scent lingered. One that birthed many more questions. The changeling turned to follow his queen; he needed some answers, especially for what was about to happen. He nearly jumped out of his armor at the heavy explosion that shattered the still morning air.

"Damn you, Miasma! Damn you to Tartarus!"

Miasma!? The mention of that name combined with the sound of that blast lent a burst of energy to Sylph's wings. "Your Majesty!" Trees rushed past him as the centurion rushed to the aid of his queen. His imagination painted several different pictures of what would greet him upon arrival. The pheromones of his queen again reached his nose, but this time they were more sour, more volatile. Sylph arrived just in time to witness his queen's furious hoof break a tree in two with no more effort than was needed to snap a twig.

"Damn it!"

A wayward chunk of splintered lumber forced Sylph to dive for cover. He jumped back out from his shelter, expecting to see two changeling queens locked in mortal combat. What he found was his queen standing over a mutilated tree, rage forcing her breaths long and heavy. He could sense no other queens; none in sight, nor in pheromone. Sylph was even more bewildered than he had been. Questions dribbled from his mouth like water. "Your Majesty! What was that blast? Where is Miasma? Are you all right?"

"I am, my child." Chrysalis' wings twitched with the remnants of her subsiding anger. "My composure deserted me for a moment. Forgive me if I worried you."

"I am merely relieved to see you unharmed, my queen. I do not believe you are yet recovered enough for a battle with Miasma. You are st-"

"Do not assume my limits, Sylph." the queen hissed. "Miasma is a coward; she would not face me in solitary combat. She would be more content to sit within my hive, ordering my children about against their will."

"Was it Miasma that sent Vetan into the forest alone?"

"Absolutely. Her reek lay heavy upon his body. Even now, she defiles my hive with her filth."

"What would you have us do then, my queen?" The pangs of hunger pulsing from Sylph's shrunken stomach had him flinching at regular intervals, but he was more than prepared to follow his queen against the impurity that was Miasma..

"I would march to the hive, bury my horn into Miasma's throat and watch as her last putrid breath gurgled from her dying body."

"Very well. Let us march then!"

Chrysalis hardened her eyes. "I may be without my hive, Sylph, but that has not removed my authority. We march nowhere until I deem it. You do not decide when we move."

"O-of course..." Sylph turned back to his queen, his spirit for action thoroughly quashed. His head remained bowed, avoiding the piercing eyes of his queen.

Chrysalis gave a short bark, commanding her child's attention. "Sylph! Eyes up!" When he at last did so, she continued, her own eyes and tone softening slightly as she went. "Your desire to tear yet another hole into Miasma's already well-ventilated visage is much appreciated, but you are hardly of proper condition to engage in such behavior."

"Your Majesty, I-"

"Enough. I will not see you collapse dead from hunger if I can prevent it. I have already mourned Vetan's passing and my heart is heavy. I do not wish to mourn your passing so soon after."

Sylph cocked his head to the side, hoping this would let him better see this new side of his queen. "Forgive my ignorance, your Majesty, but why would you take the time to mourn Vetan's passing? He was a good soldier, to be sure, but why do you feel the need to do so?"

Chrysalis locked eyes with her child, but her gaze was not one of anger. Rather, her emerald eyes were almost contemplative. "It...is not something I'd ever ask you to understand, Sylph..."

"Indulge my curiosity, your Majesty." he insisted.

A long sigh slipped through the fangs of the changeling queen. "If you insist... No doubt you remember the famine that befell the hive last year?"

"All too well... We lost many fine soldiers during that time."

"And that, my dear Sylph, is what I could never expect you to understand. The changelings that we lost during that time were fine soldiers indeed, but you viewed them in no other way. You did not see them as I did. Each and every one of them was one of my children. Let me pause to ask you this. You know that I love you dearly, correct?"

"Yes, you do. Very much so."

"Those soldiers we lost... I loved them in the same way. And...I could do nothing but watch them die!" Hundreds of deaths worth of suppressed anger and sadness burned a furious green flame in the eyes of the changeling queen. "Do you know what it feels like to helplessly watch hundreds of your own children die!? How much it hurts!? What kind of pain it leaves you with!?"

Sylph shook off his newfound shock and stared at his queen uncomfortably. There was no possible way he could answer her question truthfully, though he was beginning to understand the pain she was feeling. "I-I do not. I...apologize for bringing it up."

Hot tears leaked from under Chrysalis' tightly closed eyes. "Do not harbor regret in asking, Sylph. It is not your fault, nor is it your burden to carry. It is something that I have held inside for much too long."

The proverbial ice upon which Sylph had set his hooves was dangerously thin, but such danger invites its own testing. "For what reason, your Majesty?"

It was some time before the changeling queen answered. "For selfish reasons, I suppose. How many of the hive would call the time given to mourn passings as weakness? How many would see it as a reason to question my rule? To disrespect me?"

"I cannot rightly say that I am familiar with the practice of 'mourning', or the reasons why you would see fit to do so, but for what it's worth, I would hardly see that as an adequate reason to invalidate your position. You are my queen and you shall always have my respect."

"And that, my dear Sylph, is why you were chosen above all else to act as my centurion. Your loyalty is admirable. I would not want any other at my side when we return to the hive to confront the scum that is Miasma."

Sylph rose from his bow into a proud salute. "I am at your beck and call, my queen."

"Excellent. As satisfying as it would be to rip Miasma's throat from her body at this moment, I will not endanger you in such a manner. We move to the hive with tomorrow's sunrise. Take the time before you to rest and recuperate your strength." Chrysalis saw Sylph's loyalty take hold of his tongue to voice another protest. "You will not sway me on this, Sylph. Rest. That is an order and I suggest you follow it. You may start by feeding upon the nectar I laid down for you."

"As you wish, your Majesty."

"After you have consumed your fill, I want you to sleep. Do not trouble yourself with my well-being. Focus on your own health. It would do you well to think of your own needs from time to time. Should you find yourself in danger, you may signal for me with two barks from a timberwolf's mouth."

No other words were spoken between Sylph and his queen. A nod was all he gave before moving off to carry out his orders.

Silent as a summer breeze, Queen Chrysalis glided back to the crude mound that was Vetan's grave. She stared at the disturbed earth in silent contemplation. At length, the changeling touched a hoof to the pile. "I am sorry, my child..." she murmured. "I am sorry that Miasma chose you to deliver such a message to me. That swine has sealed her fate with such a decision. I will see your death paid for in full."

Sylph's intense hunger had easily consumed his earlier meal and he fell upon the nectar with a ravenous zeal. With every mouthful he swallowed, the centurion became more and more disgusted with himself. To eat in a manner so messy as to even be compared to the filthy Miasma changelings infuriated him. Yet, he could not help himself. Instinct from hunger continued to force his manners aside and the nectar down his throat.

Sylph was so consumed with the delicious scent of his meal that he failed to notice the hostile pheromones aproaching him.

"Enjoying your slop, Sylph?"

The familiar voice set light to a reaction long steeped in instinct. Sylph's mouth curled itself into a snarl. "Arnyx..." He rose from his meal and turned to meet the smug purple eyes of Miasma's centurion. "You get one reason to justify your trespassing before I tear more holes in your face than your harlot of a mother..."

"One reason?" Arnyx parroted. "Generous as always, I see. But, I'll do you one better. How about three reasons?"

An unspoken stalemate had arisen between the two centurions; they paced in a slow circle, neither one daring to break eye contact. "Be prudent with your words, Arnyx. My temper is short and my fangs thirsty."

"Save it." he hissed. "You know, Sylph, there was a point at which I respected you."

"Respected me?"

"Of course. Centurion to the most powerful hive in Equestria? What changeling in their right mind wouldn't want that? And yet... Here you are, mewling over your mother's nectar like the pathetic nymph you truly are. How the mighty have fallen... Your threats are nothing more than the fumes from a decaying husk."

"There would be none better suited to know of their stenches than the lowly spawn from Miasma's poor excuse of a hive."

Children enjoy taking after their mother and Arnyx's inherited temper played right into Sylph's clever words. The Miasma changeling broke the standoff with a lunge faster than an uncoiling viper. "Choke on your insolent tongue, pretentious worm!"

There is a reason that the title of centurion is not something freely given out. It must be earned and Sylph most definitely had. He was tired and hungry, but the changeling's instinct for battle was still sharp as a midwinter's gale. He had seen the flaw in Arnyx's charge the instant he left the ground. A quick step to the right removed Sylph from his opponent's path. In one blink of an eye, he shot a paralysis spell into Arnyx's extended wing.

Flight with only a single wing produces but one result. Arnyx leapt back to his hooves, a clod of topsoil dangling from his furious snarl. "Choke on that mud. I imagine it's far cleaner than the scum you suck from your mother's revolting hooves." Sylph shot back.

"Well played, Sylph. Using my temper to provoke me into the first move. I see you have not lost your cunning. I am impressed."

"And I see you have not lost your simple mind. That was but a mere trick. Even the most inexperienced changeling from my hive could have seen through my tactic."

"Is that so? I think we ought to get some second opinions on that." Arnyx's one usable wing thrummed out an angry signal. A signal that summoned six pairs of eyes in the dark forest behind him; eyes identical to Sylph's.

The Chrysalis centurion froze at the sight. "My soldiers! Explain yourself, Arnyx!"

"I would love to take the time to rub your nose in your defeat, but Queen Miasma has made our orders very clear."

There are subtle differences in given signals between changeling hives, but the half dozen changelings advancing upon Sylph gave him a good idea of what Arnyx's had meant. Instinct forced the centurion's hooves into a slow retreat. He could not bring himself to inflict harm upon his brothers. "Stand down, soldiers!" Sylph snapped. Their unwavering advance and dark intent in their pupilless eyes suggested this same restraint was the last thing on their minds.

"We no longer affiliate ourselves with Chrysalis or her loyalists..."

Sylph had but one option and it had just disappeared. Born from magic, two short barks ripped from his throat.

"Your signals are pointless, Sylph. There are no changelings that would choose to protect you. You are alone."

"And you have grown far more arrogant since last you trespassed in my territory, Arnyx..." An arcane explosion lit itself under the hooves of the Miasma centurion, throwing him sidelong into a tree trunk. As he dropped back to the ground, the half-dozen changelings antagonizing Sylph turned their snarls upon the newly arrived changeling queen. "Silence! I will not have my children squabble amongst themselves like so many parasprites!"

"Begone, hag! The hive no longer takes orders from you!"

"Madness! What charm has Miasma placed you under?"

Arnyx's sibilant laugh rose to the queen's ears. "Charm? The only charm in place is the charm of respect. You have chosen to forfeit-"

A bolt of pure concussive force lashed from the magic glow behind Chrysalis' eyes, blasting Arnyx into the air a second time. "The only thing that shall be forfeit here is your life, should you continue with your prattling, Arnyx." The queen's piercing glare returned to her children. "You surround the wrong centurion, my children. Sylph has done nothing to garner your distrust. Not when Arnyx so boldly trespasses within our territory!"

"It is not what he has done or not done. Rather, it is your actions that have condemned him to death."

Arnyx was just as stubborn as his mother and through much struggling, he had found his way back to his hooves. "Stand down, soldier. As much as I would relish to see Sylph's head roll before me, you forget our orders should we happen upon Chrysalis. We return to the hive."

"And as much as I would desire to see your head liberated from your neck, Arnyx, I shall suppress my urge until I have the opportunity to place it before your mother."

Chrysalis made a point to stride before Arnyx during the journey. She would have sooner resigned herself to permanently sheltering in a timberwolf den than have an enemy centurion lead her back to her hive. Sylph walked before her, as a precaution against the animosity from his hivemates. Under no circumstances would she be the one to bring harm to her own children. It would be...difficult to dissolve an altercation between them.

Gradually, the already scarce light seeping through the thick canopy of the forest grew even darker. What light did make it through carried a strong green tinge from the identically-colored nectar strung between the branches. The same nectar coated much of the ground and many of the tree trunks, creating a makeshift tunnel. The scents of hundreds of different pheromones fell upon the queen's nostrils. One in particular fought doggedly to break the restraints keeping her rage in check. Her steps grew faster and angrier with each stride.

The slightly descending tunnel opened into a dim hollow devoid of any green plant life. A gritty mix of rocks and dead plants, glued together with sticky nectar hung from bare branches to create serviceable, if sloppily constructed chambers. The center of this hollow was dominated by the shell of what was once a great tree. A crude balcony hewn halfway up the trunk served as a position of power and surveillance for the acting queen. All in the hive was as it should have been, except that the queen upon this balcony was not Chrysalis.

"Well, well, well... Look what the timberwolf has dragged in..."

Author's Note

Between Borderlands, overnight shifts, Assassin's Creed, and more Borderlands, I managed to find the time to pull this chapter out. Hope you all enjoy it, Apologies to those who were expecting to see some big scrap between Chryssy and Miasma, because I know there were a few of you.

You'll get it next chapter, no worries.

As always, pre-readings provided by Spiritofthwwolf.

6 - Queen's Gambit

"I must say, Chrysalis, I have never been happier to see that repugnant face of yours. But then, there are first times for everything, aren't there?"

Miasma's condescending pleasantries fell pathetically short of Chrysalis' good graces. "Remove your filth from my throne, otherwise I shall see that the next breath you take gurgles from your headless carcass!"

"This is what you call a throne? A pathetic hole carved into a even worse excuse for a tree? I shouldn't be surprised by these standards; this was your hive, after all..."

"Conceited whore!" Chrysalis' wings threw her from the ground like an arrow from a bow. "I'll break your horn off and force it into your insolent throat!"

The rival changeling queen remained largely disinterested. The only movement she made was to sharply raise a single hoof in command. At this, a small group of twelve changelings inserted themselves between the two queens. Twelve of Chrysalis' changelings; the only thing in Equestria that could have possibly halted her charge. A wave of shock immediately quelled the green flame of rage burning in the queen's eyes. "M-my children! Miasma! Release them at once!"

Miasma shook her head, clicking disapprovingly. "Chrysalis, Chrysalis, Chrysalis... So deluded. Do you really think that I would expend any sort of energy to usurp your hive? You do flatter yourself! No, what you see before you is none of my own doing. It is nothing but the choice of your own children. The only blame present here is that which is upon your own shoulders." Miasma's wings buzzed to life, lifting the changeling from her perch to carry her gracefully to the hive floor.

Chrysalis made to fly for the intruder once more, only to have the dozen changelings move to intercept her. Arnyx had said it, Miasma had said it and still her mind refused to believe their words. Yet, as her very own children hovered before her, nothing but malicious intent within their eyes, she could finally see it for herself. "My children... Y-you would so willingly turn your backs to me and follow Miasma's orders?" Nothing that the changeling queen could have done could have stopped her voice from cracking.

"The recent years of your rule have brought no end of hardships upon us. You had our support for the Canterlot assault because you and Sylph promised an effortless victory and for no other reason. What we instead received was a death sentence. Too many from our already thin ranks were lost that day. You no longer hold any right to ask for our respect or loyalty."

To hear these same words from the mouths of her own children plunged a white-hot horn into the heart of the changeling queen. Defeated, she sank to the stony hive floor.

Miasma's face stretched itself into a smug, tooth revealing smile. Her tongue twitched with barely contained glee. To say that she was reveling in the sight of Chrysalis broken and in silent tears would have been an insult to every individual use of the word. "Both you and I know that the truth is best kept hidden. Tell me. To hear the truth from your children. Tell me how it hurts. Your own children have lost all respect for you. What does it feel like?"

Chrysalis turned a furious, tear-filled glare to the second queen. Rage dripped from her bared fangs as she spoke. "My children may have abandoned all respect for me, but I have not lost so much dignity that I would ever admit weakness to a coward who would willingly send a lone, innocent changeling to his death at the fangs of wild beasts."

"Innocent changeling?" Miasma stared off into space, pondering her adversary's words. "Oh! You must be referring to that miserable sapsucker, Vetan."

Chrysalis knew exactly what Miasma's words were intended for and she was well aware that they were working. Her iridescent green elytra twitched angrily, clicking out a increasingly agitated rasp. "Do not...speak of my children in such a manner."

"Come now, Chrysalis. Do you really take me for that much of a monster? Vetan was no more innocent than it was my decision to turn him from the hive. No, he chose loyalty to you. I merely gave him a choice. He could either leave to seek the failure he remained loyal to or he could choose to remain here and face death by my horn like the others. There was one other that chose to leave...but I'm sure the timberwolves enjoyed that meal too!" Miasma cackled.

The wrath coursing through the veins of the green-eyed changeling queen had reached the point where it could no longer be properly vented by her wings alone. Her fangs ground against one another, a constant enraged hiss slipping through wherever possible. "Continue to speak ill of my children and I swear by Tartarus that it shall be my horn to take the next life."

"Enough!" Miasma barked. "I've no desire to listen to your lies. You wouldn't dare to strike me down."

"What makes you so sure?" she snarled.

"I saw you shielding your centurion as you entered. The last of your hopeless children to respect you. You wouldn't dare to risk defeat by my hoof and throw away the only loyalty you have left. Not when you know you have no reinforcements. No chance. Your hooves are tied, Chrysalis! Helpless in your own hive!"

Chrysalis may have been as angry as an Ursa Major, but not even that had served to blind her from Miasma's lack of awareness. As she spoke, she had been slowly circling around the other queen, making sure to hold her attention. "You would be right in saying my hooves are tied... If I had indeed been talking about you."

It took a moment for the words to penetrate the veil of mirth that had draped itself over Miasma's perception. "What?" She was well aware of the unspoken rule that a queen will not harm her own children. If she was not the target, then process of elimination left one other option. "No!"

The very instant Miasma so much as flinched, Chrysalis spun away from her, horn burning with magic. "Halt! Take so much as one step and I shall spill Arnyx’s blood upon the stones before you!" She turned to face Miasma again, the rival queen's centurion suspended mere inches from the lethal tip of her horn. She held the hapless changeling by his neck, letting his limbs flail wildly, if only to show his mother the edge his life balanced upon. Chrysalis gave a dark smile as she saw any amusement Miasma had been enjoying immediately fall away. A delightful mix of worry and pure fear replaced the laughter in her magenta eyes. This delight was destined to be short-lived; it is well known among changelings that Miasma's mood swings are remarkably violent and often without reason. What happens when one gives her a reason is significantly less well known and only because most know better than to do such a thing.

"Release him, hag!" Spittle flew from each of the three holes that were Miasma's mouth. "Arnyx has no place in this dispute!" The entirety of the changeling queen's body was shaking from her lividity. With one swift maneuver, Chrysalis had successfully reversed her role in this standoff.

"Touching." Chrysalis spat. "Is that what my children said to you before you callously slew them in cold blood?"

"Arrogant bitch! Let him go!"

"And should I refuse?"

"I shall behead every last one of your worthless children as you are forced to watch!"

The eyes of the hive's actual queen narrowed to mere slits. "Do so and you only expidite your future demise. You would lose the only protection you have against me tearing a new hole into your throat. And after you would force me to observe each of their deaths, I cannot say that I would stop at one new hole. For every one of my children you take from me, I shall tear another hole into your writhing body. Murder my children before me and not even the deadliest beasts of Tartarus shall stop me from keeping this promise. Those with nothing left to lose fight with everything they have. It does not matter what position of power you may hold over me. One thing is certain; you are a coward, Miasma. Nothing more. Even now, as I stand before you, with none other than my centurion for support, you fear me."

"Lies! I do not fear you! You are nothing more than a pathetic worm!" Any move for Miasma to break this standoff would have to be taken in surprise. Like a lunging timberwolf, the furious queen leapt for her adversary.

Chrysalis knew the exact method to halt the charge and only because it would have worked on her had she been on the other end. She sharply pulled Arnyx's body back so that her horn broke through his carapace right between the base of his wings. She only made the wound deep enough to elicit a single cry of pain from the centurion's mouth.

"Aaggghhh!"

The shout of pain froze Miasma in her tracks. Fear flashed through her eyes once more, taking just a little bit longer in its departure.

"Try that again and his life shall be forfeit!" she hissed.

"Nothing but a bluff!"

"That is an assumption you can only afford to make once, Miasma. Do you want to pay that price?"

It took a greal deal of effort to speak against the magical aura clutching his windpipe, but Arnyx managed to choke out a desperate plea. "Do not...fear for me...my queen. Slay her...where she stands."

"What was that, Arnyx? I must not be holding you tight enough. Let's fix that." Chrysalis smirked, exposing gleaming fangs.

"Nggghnk!" The centurion kicked feebly, pawing at the green magic surrounding his throat. His eyes grew heavier the closer he edged to unconsciousness.

"Uh, uh, uh..." Chrysalis turned the half-conscious centurion to face her. Instinct forced a miserable excuse for a snarl from his constricted throat. "Stay with me, Arnyx." The queen's magic shook him with force enough to dislodge his helmet. "I don't want you passing out on me. This is something you should see." Arnyx was spun back to see his mother. Angry tears welled in her eyes, glinting from the murderous intent shining from behind. "Look at this. Your whore of a mother, broken and helpless like the coward she is."

"Damn you, Chrysalis! DAMN YOU! What do you hope to accomplish with this!? Tormenting an innocent changeling!?"

"You are right in one thing, Miasma. It would be foolish for me to stand against you as I am now. Arnyx is merely an insurance policy to ensure my safety within my own hive. As long as I am within the capacity to end his life, no matter what you might say, I know you will not dare to challenge me."

Chrysalis’ words were spot on and that knowledge infuriated Miasma to the point where she could only issue a furious hiss in response.

"Here is my ultimatum, Miasma. Sylph and I shall walk from the hive, undisturbed by both you and my children. Only then will Arnyx be released. Do you agree to these terms?"

The words seared Miasma's tongue as they fell from her mouth. "I do..."

"Very well. But know this, Miasma. My retreat today is not a sign of weakness nor should you take it as a sign of your victory. The instant you decided to place your filthy hooves within my hive, you marked the day of your death and it shall be by my horn that you breathe your last." Chrysalis nodded curtly to her centurion. "Sylph, to me. We are taking our leave."

"Your Majesty, what of the hiv-"

"Sylph. One does not win battles while harboring ignorance to the odds before them. To me." The queen waited until the armored changeling stood at her hooves once more. "Give the command." she hissed to the other queen.

Given the circumstances before her, Miasma had no choice but to comply. "Let them pass..." she growled.

To see her children obey an order given to them from a queen that was not herself sent another wave of rage throbbing through Chrysalis' body. Even so, she recognized when she was on the losing end of a one-sided situation. A tactical retreat such as this, while uncharacteristic, was necessary. She walked backwards, to keep an eye on both Sylph and her livid adversary. Miasma was naturally unpredictable; her current mental state would do little to help. Chrysalis would be taking no chances. "Stay where you are, Miasma!" she called out upon seeing the other queen begin to follow her. “You are not to move from where you stand until Sylph and I have removed ourselves from the hive!"

"Those are not the terms I agreed to! If I wish to follow you, I shall! There is little you can do to stop-"

The ring of magic tightened around Arnyx's neck and he let out a gravelly cough that instantly silenced his mother. "You are in no position to question me, Miasma. You will remain where you are." The queen's eyes darted backward for a split-second. The entrance tunnel was no more than a few tail lengths away. "Continue up the tunnel, Sylph." she whispered. "Once you exit the hive, assume the guise of a timberwolf and seek shelter."

"Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?"

"I plan on keeping my word."

Sylph sensed there was meaning to that beyond what he first inferred, yet he did not give it pause. With one swift glance back toward his soldiers, he turned and sprinted up the slope.

The ear of the barely conscious Arnyx hovered right next to the mouth of the green-eyed queen. "I think there's something that your mother would like to see, don't you?" she whispered.

"Bitch..." A weak snarl passed his fangs, doubling as his last words.

"For once, I agree with you. She certainly is." The steadily burning aura that had surrounded Chrysalis' horn for the past few minutes burst in one brilliant flash. Like a branch snapped from its home, Arnyx's head found itself spun one hundred eighty degrees and relieved of his body. A pair of soft thuds! were the last sounds the centurion's body would ever make. Even as droplets of his green blood had spattered her face, the emerald eyes of the changeling queen remained hard and unblinking, issuing a silent challenge to the horrified Miasma.

"CHRYSALIS! I SHALL WATCH YOU CHOKE ON YOUR OWN BLOOD!"

She took the time to give the oncoming queen one final stare, then turned and followed her centurion. As she ran, a bright green flame burnt its way across the changeling queen's body, veiling her under the illusion of a fully grown timberwolf. The transformation lengthened her stride and disguised her pheromone trail. None too soon either. The furious wingbeats of Miasma were fast coming up the tunnel. The vitriolic pheromones pressing themselves against Chrysalis' nostrils suggested Miasma had nothing but revenge upon her mind.

The instant Chrysalis broke free from the hive tunnel, she veered hard to the left and dove into the thick undergrowth. She had not spent much time within the Everfree Forest, but it was still more time than Miasma had. The advantage, though small, was hers. Her winding path through the forest looked no different than the tracks of a genuine timberwolf. Even so, Chrysalis was not taking any chances. Her path ran circuitous, doubling back on itself multiple times. More than once, she actually crossed behind Miasma, if only to infuriate her even more.

"Damn it, Chrysalis! Show yourself, murderer!" she howled in desperation. "None behead a child of my hive before my eyes and live to walk free!" Miasma's horn flashed several times, hurling angry blasts of magic into the trees opposite where the disguised Chrysalis sat and watched. "Reveal yourself!"

Before too long, Chrysalis grew tired of playing witness to Miasma's tantrum. With all the silence of the beast she was assuming, the queen turned and slid away into the forest, letting the maddened wails fade into the distance behind her. Sylph had been smart enough to disguise his pheromone trail to evade any tracking parties, yet at the same time, had also been smart enough to leave a subtle trail of claw marks in every few trees. The trail ended upon a long-dead tree collapsed upon a small hill. As Chrysalis skirted the knoll, she found it eroded away into a dark alcove. Curled against the back wall of this shelter was a timberwolf pup. His glowing green eyes blinked once at the arrival of the female.

The two immediately came to an unspoken agreement. The small timberwolf stood and followed the larger into the dense trees. Silence kept their trip uneventful; at the moment, it was more important to put as much distance between them and the hive. Chrysalis was the first to break the silence, along with her illusion. "I suspect that you are still rather weak, Sylph. You may dispel your transformation if you wish to conserve your strength. We are far enough from the hive."

Sylph did as he was allowed, but that was all. He stopped and stared at his queen.

"Sylph, keep up. You may rest when night has fallen. We have much distance to cover."

"No. Not until you answer some questions."

"At a later time, Sylph."

"Then I shall remain here until such a time." he replied adamantly.

"Very well." Chrysalis faced her child resignedly. "What is it?"

"Why call for a retreat, your Majesty? You have never done so before. There were none of Miasma’s soldiers within the hive."

"That was something I noticed as well. Their pheromones were there, though rather stale. I should think that Miasma has sent them to other hives.”

“Would Miasma really be so careless to send her soldiers into battle against another queen without a proper leader?”

“A daft method to be sure, but no doubt the easy taking of my hive has Miasma thinking herself overly powerful and falsely full of herself. I called for the retreat because, unlike that fool, I can see that when such an action is the most beneficial option. Pride in such a situation is foolhardy."

"You... You turned your back on the hive so easily."

"Such an action was not taken without pain in my heart, Sylph. I have but one task before me. Miasma shall die and the hive shall be mine again."

"Then why desert those still within the hive?"

A dark light lit itself within Chrysalis' emerald eyes. "I have deserted nothing. We will march west until we come across the hive of the half-witted Ambrosia. She will serve to help me dethrone and behead Miasma. Have you any further questions?"

"No..."

"Then let us proceed once more."

There was a slight hesitation that slowed Sylph's hooves. Calling for retreats, enlisting help? His queen seemed different. He wasn't sure if he was entirely okay with that.

Author's Note

I know that quite a few of you really wanted this chapter. That said, some might be a wee bit disappointed in who walks away from this encounter, but I can assure you that we WILL get there.

In the meantime, enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Pre-readings served up by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

7 - Meeting With the Queen

"Permission to enter her Majesty's chambers."

"Permissions granted, Maryn. You may approach my throne." Myxine looked up at the sound of hoofsteps falling upon stone. "What news do you bring me from your patrols? Are there any further intrustions from Miasma's brood?"

"Negative, my queen. The last known incursion was the one that attempted and failed to insert one of their own into our hive. That was one week ago. Things have been remarkably quiet."

The Hagfish queen nodded slowly. "It would seem that the drones of the Miasma hive do not share as many of their mother's delusions of power as I had previously thought. Even so, a week allows much time for Miasma to take Chrysalis' hive. No doubt it has fallen by now, as Blackfin told me. Word of this victory will travel with haste. Should this return to her hive, I expect it to incite her children to their usual stupidity..." Myxine stood to silently glide across her chamber and out onto the ledge that overlooked her hive. "The absence of Miasma's antics is appreciated, but I fear this minor reprieve is coming to an end." The queen's calm, sapphire-like eyes surveyed the milling of activity within this main chamber.

Maryn soon joined his matriarch upon the balcony. One look at her sapphire-like eyes told him of the thoughts passing behind them. It was no accident that his own words were the same that dwelt within his queen's mind. "The hive is not strong enough to withstand an assault from the strength that Miasma still possesses."

"Your words carry much truth. Blackfin's infiltration, while short, informed me that Miasma's attacking force was ten score in number. Such news is rather disconcerting. To devote such a force to efforts halfway across Equestria speaks greatly of the remaining soldiers within her hive. A conservative estimate would place the remaining strength of Miasma's hive at eight hundred. Roughly twice our own. A troubling thought indeed."

"Are there any preparations you would ask of me, my queen?"

"Truthfully, there is little we can do, short of delaying the inevitable. Double your usual reconiassance and report any and all suspicious findings to me with haste."

"As you wish, your Majesty." The centurion nodded curtly and turned to leave.

Myxine's eyes followed Maryn down the stony path and watched him as he selected a small group of soldiers to accompany him. Be wary, my children...

As Maryn and his half-dozen carefully chosen soldiers emerged from the hive's main tunnel, the armored changeling turned to his party. "Acta, Mari, I want you two combing the beach. Vilnis, Havet, take to the waves. I do not think that Miasma scum would be so smart as to try such a method, but Queen Myxine is taking no chances. We cannot risk news of Miasma's victory reaching her hive. Kallas, Blackfin, with me; we shall patrol the forests atop the cliffside. Move slowly and maintain a low profile. If any intruders are in our territory, the element of surprise will prove most useful. Dismissed!"

At the centurion's command, the seven changelings trotted from the cave, splitting into their designated groups. The trio headed by Maryn selected a makeshift path up the cliffside, forgoing the usual flight in order to retain any sense of stealth. A flick of his royal blue elytra sent each of his soldiers off on their own.

Maryn's eyes moved back and forth across his path. Every step he took, he inspected the ground and foliage around him. Flattened grasses, broken branches, disturbed leaves; nothing escaped his scrutinous eye. The centurion was on the lookout for anything strange and everything unusual. The sounds that reached his ears were nothing out of the ordinary; the calls of one bird to another to warn of the changeling walking amongst the floor of their leafy home.

A cacophony of excited calls, a far cry from the usual, sounded from the forest to Maryn's left, drawing his attention. He paused to better listen. The birds were reacting to something. Something that was moving quickly, breaking twigs in its wake. Whatever it was, its movements were not made with any sort of discretion in mind.

When the crashing couldn't get any closer, the bushes before the Hagfish centurion exploded. From the scattered leaves and twigs, a changeling marked with the blue of the Chrysalis hive galloped toward him. Maryn reacted just as quickly as the enemy had appeared. He ducked to the side and hooked a foreleg around that of his adversary. Before the Chrysalis changeling could react to this maneuver, Maryn hip checked him into a spin that placed him on his back in the dirt.

Further rustling behind the centurion produced another of his mother's hive, who made straight for the prone trespasser. "Miasma maggot! How dare you trespass in Queen Myxine's territory!"

Maryn moved to place himself within his soldier's path. "Stand down, Kallas. This intruder is not of the Miasma hive."

"Damned idiot!" the Chrysalis changeling hissed. "That's what I've been telling you!"

Without any warning, Maryn whirled and cracked a hard hoof against the side of the enemy changeling's head, buffeting him to the ground. "Be mindful of your mother's inherited tongue, whelp. You are in Hagfish territory, disrespecting my soldiers. That is not a safe place to stand." A quick sniff of the air pressed the telltale pheromones of the Chrysalis hive against the centurion's nostrils. "Your scents indeed affiliate you with the same hive as your coloring. Yet...I sense a faint stench of Miasma upon you... Mayhaps you are of the Miasma hive and simply cannot mask your mother's filth."

The slap from Maryn's hoof had set alight a furious light in the eyes of the Chrysalis changeling. "All centurions are trained in illusion-breaking dispel magics. Test me." After a brief pause, Maryn's horn flashed, bathing the Chrysalis changeling in a cone of blue light. Not surprisingly, no changes occurred. "There. I'm not part of the Miasma filth. Let me g-" The meeting of another hoof with his jaw effortlessly rendered him both silent and unconscious.

Maryn turned from the comatose changeling. "Kallas, I'm placing you in charge of this scouting party. Locate Blackfin and inform him of what happened."

"Very well. What of you, sir?"

"I shall escort our 'guest' back to the hive. No doubt Her Majesty would want to know of this development."

"An interesting happening, to be sure. How did you say you came across him?"

"It was actually Kallas that discovered him, your Majesty. This one crossed my path in fleeing from him."

"For what reason did you bring this outsider to my chambers?"

"Your Majesty, if there are any that could possibly aid us in the struggle against Miasma it would be one from the hive she has conquered."

"Your logic is sound, my child. Answer something for me then. Was this trespasser unconscious when you entered the hive with him?"

"Of course, your Majesty. Why would you ask?"

"Because now...his unconsciousness is nothing but a mere ruse." Myxine's crooked horn set itself alight with a deep blue flame that cast the same aura about the throat of the Chrysalis changeling. She lifted him up to her eye level where she watched him squirm with a detached interest. "If you wish to keep breathing, I suggest you put some thought into your answer. I want your name, hive of origin, and your reason for this intrusion into my territory."

"Ngck! My...name is Kytin. I belong to the Chrysalis hive and I...am searching for my queen after the failed Canterlot assault." The reply seemed to placate the changeling queen. Kytin coughed as the azure magic returned him to the floor before dissipating.

"So, your queen did move upon Canterlot. Tell me, what is the reason for such a foolish move?"

Kytin's lips parted just enough to allow an angry hiss from his lungs. "Take back your disrespectful words... My queen is not foolish..."

"Still your ignorant tongue before I have my centurion rip it from your mouth. I did not call your queen as such. That is a title I hold for Miasma alone. I hold much respect for your queen and I know she would not mount an attack on Canterlot without adequate reason. She did it for you, didn't she? For her children?" Silence speaks volumes and Myxine read Kytin's like the book it was. "Choose not to answer me, I do not care. I already know the answer. A queen's love for her children can drive her to poor decisions. Your queen moved on Canterlot for you. I cannot rightly say that I would not have done something of similar manner were I in the same position. I still hold the same respect for Chrysalis, even now. What transpired there that would cause you to become so far removed from your queen?"

"An explosion scattered the attacking force across the Everfree Forest. Many of them managed to find their way back to the hive. Our queen never returned. Those of them who did returned to find Miasma seated upon her Majesty Chrysalis' throne."

"What of Miasma's attacking force? I have intelligence that places her strength at roughly two hundred. Were any defeated by those still within the hive at the time of her arrival?"

Kytin shook his head. "I was acting centurion for the hive in Sylph's absence. Those that had already returned from Canterlot let Miasma freely walk into the hive and assign herself to the throne. Not a drop of blood was spilled, not until the witch Miasma began to remove the loyalists from the hive."

"Those still loyal to Chrysalis, yes?"

"Yes. Miasma offered them a choice. They could choose to stay and be slain at her horn or choose to search for their queen and risk being hunted and killed by the timberwolves."

"And yet...either luck or fate has led you to stand before me today."

"Perhaps it is the same that keeps me breathing within your hive."

Myxine's eyes darkened just enough for her guest to take notice. "Make no mistake, Kytin. It is by my decision that you continue to draw breath. Nothing else. Do not mistake this decision as hospitality. I am not fond of outsiders within my territory, much less my hive. You offer a chance to stifle Miasma's spread across Equestria. The instant I decide you provide nothing more to offer toward this goal will be the last instant you draw breath."

"In that case, I suppose I should be thankful." Kytin's sarcasm fell thick from his mouth.

"If you wish to stay in what good graces I have left, you may start by using that breath of yours to help me determine exactly what Miasma is conducting in your hive. I know that Miasma left with a force of two hundred strong. How many of them still remain within your queen's hive?"

"At the time I left, they all remained. Though with the ease that she usurped Her Majesty's throne, I would not put it past Miasma to deploy her invading force elsewhere."

"Indeed." the Hagfish queen murmured distantly. Instead of responding directly to Kytin's answer, Myxine turned her eyes toward her centurion. "Maryn. Your patrols during this past week. You have not seen any Miasma activity to speak of, yes?"

"That is correct, your Majesty. The only notable occurrence is the Chrysalis intruder that stands before your throne."

"Then Miasma thinks her luck enough for her soldiers to topple a hive with an acting queen. How insipid. Ambrosia will slaughter every last one."

"Ambrosia? That simple-minded cretin? What could she do?"

"Tell me, Kytin. Where did your ignorance come from? Because it is not inherited from your mother, that much is certain. Underestimating a queen when her hive is in danger will be the last choice you will ever make. Still, if Miasma forces are advancing upon Ambrosia with no leader, this proves beneficial. Her soldiers are divided and weak. Miasma has spread herself too thin to resist a concerted attack. Ambrosia will repel Miasma's soldiers with ease." Silence fell upon the throne room, broken only by the occasional rasp of shifting elytra.

Maryn was the first to speak again. "Your Majesty, you estimated the current strength of Miasma's hive at roughly twice our own. Even at the least, that would still number eight hundred. Were Ambrosia to fell every last one of Miasma's invading party, such a loss would hardly be felt with her remaining forces. As long as Miasma's hive holds strength, our own is in danger."

"Which is why a terminal strike against Miasma is of the utmost importance. It must be swift and thorough. All of her soldiers must fall."

"No disrespect, my queen, but conducting an endeavor of such magnitude with our current number of soldiers would require no less than a miracle."

"Or..." Myxine's sapphire eyes closed in thought. "Careful planning." Maryn's eyes followed the female as she stood from her throne. "Kytin, remain here. I must seek a private audience with my centurion. Maryn, with me."

Even the thread his life hung on could not pull the smirk from Kytin's face. "What bids me to take orders from a rival queen in a hive other than my own?"

"Absolutely nothing." Myxine threw the barbed retort back over her shoulder. "But if you want to walk free from my hive, you will obey them regardless. The choice is yours."

Maryn was nothing short of stunned at these orders, but he held his tongue until alone with his queen. "Your Majesty, how can you allow such arrogance free passage from our hive? And after he was so boldly caught trespassing?"

The changeling queen calmly turned to face her centurion. "I am well aware of Kytin's arrogance; he is most certainly a child of Chrysalis. It is for that reason that he will be allowed to walk free. He may return to his mother to relay information of the plans to exterminate Miasma's hive."

"'Return to his mother?'" Maryn echoed in disbelief. "What is to stop him from relaying information such as the strength of our forces to his mother?"

"Chrysalis' hive is mere weeks old. For her to capitalize on such information would be more foolish than both her attack on Canterlot and Miasma's lust for power combined. Chrysalis may be headstrong and arrogant, but she is not greedy. But, like his mother, Kytin is not the threat here, nor are they the reason for this meeting. Miasma is far closer to our territory and should thus be treated with more urgency."

"Of course, your Majesty. Forgive me."

"Now, when Blackfin returned from his mission, I know he reported to you first with the finer details. Details such as entrance points and possible weaknesses that may be exploited. Relay them to me at once."

"Blackfin reported that he entered Miasma's hive via a waterway that flowed straight to the ocean. Easily accessible. Aside from that, the hive appears to be solidly constructed alongside the existing Manehattan sewer system. It would stand to reason that the hive possesses an extensive network of tunnels as well."

"Manehattan is a large city... No doubt its sewer systems are still in active use." Myxine murmured. "That will be Miasma's downfall. The most efficient way to eliminate a hive near the ocean is to flood it. Every last tunnel. The Miasma scum have spent far too long living in their own filth. Now they will drown in it."

Drip!

Enemy changelings are rarely, if ever, allowed in a hive that is not their own. There usually aren't accommodations in place for their amusement. Kytin had located a small puddle against the wall in the meantime. He swirled the algae growing upon its surface into a lazy spiral before letting the water that had collected in his leg holes drip back into the pool.

"Kytin, I have spoken with my centurion and we have constructed a plan. While Miasma is consumed with her efforts on the other side of Equestria, my children and I shall proceed to remove her hive from existence. You may return to your mother with this information. If things have transpired as I have been told, I strongly doubt she need motivation, but she is to eliminate any Miasma soldiers she may come across. Miasma must pay the price for her foolish power lust. Nothing less than the total eradication of her children will suffice."

Kytin snarled in approval. "That is something I can agree with."

Myxine nodded. "I suspected as much. I also suspect you wish to return to your mother, yes?"

"If it would please her great and esteemed Majesty."

"I've had enough of your arrogant tongue, maggot!" Maryn barked, starting for the Chrysalis changeling.

"Enough, Maryn." Myxine blocked her centurion with an extended hoof. "Kytin's arrogance wears on my nerves as well, but to slay him now does little to further our efforts. I have other plans for him. Fetch Vesci."

"All right, grub. Eyes closed."

"I barely took orders from your mother." Kytin sniffed disdainfully. "What makes you think I'll take them from you?"

"Listen here, ass." Vesci prodded the Chrysalis changeling hard in his chest. "I was ordered to escort you back to your mother alive. I was not required to do so with your sight intact. Now shut your eyes before I shut them permanently."

The one thing more powerful than Kytin's sarcasm was the desire to preserve his own well-being. "Fine..." he snorted.

"Eyes shut, nose forward, and follow my pheromone trail."

Kytin did as he was told, albeit reluctantly. The trip before him was short, though he did stub his hoof on more stones than he could be bothered to remember. "Agh! How many more damned rocks are you going to lead me across!?"

"Keep your mouth shut, whelp."

It wasn't until Kytin felt the sun's warmth falling upon his carapace that he was finally told to open his eyes once more. He was greeted by long, swaying grasses painted upon hills rolling off to meet the thick Everfree Forest.

The beauty of the cliffside was lost upon the two changelings. Vesci sniffed airily. "Come on then. There's a long trip between us and your queen. I don't want to take any longer with this than I have to."

"This is it? This is why I had to close my eyes? Pathetic..."

"Save it. I could care less about your opinion of the surroundings. Your territory doesn't ride up against Miasma's. You don't have to maintain secrets to ensure the survival of your hive. Whether or not you want to relay what information of our hive that you already know back to your queen is beyond my capacity to care. However, the less you take back with you, the better I'll feel. Now put some motion to those useless hooves of yours."

Author's Note

Good news, folks! At the time of this posting, chapter 8 is over halfway done. And, to slake your thirst until then, I've commissioned Carnifex for a Myxine piece to be completed in the near future. Also, 10 points to anyone who can figure out the two criteria I use for naming centurions.

Fun fact of the day: Myxine is the youngest of Carni's three queens.

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

7.5 - The Most Wonderful Curse

Changeling queens are somewhat of an oddity in Equestria. They subsist entirely off of the love taken from others and they will take it from anyone and anywhere they can find it. Anypony whom has heard of changelings at all is quite familiar with their method of feeding. In fact, this is all that is really known of the changeling species as a whole. Every other bit of knowledge about them is just speculation based on frightened mutterings.

One thought that is hardly given the time of day is exactly what it is to be a changeling queen, beyond the obvious title. Yes, they are just that; queens, but they are far more than only that. They are mothers to each and every one of the soldiers within their hive. Like all other mothers, they love their children greatly and without condition. While this motherly love is of the strongest known to ponykind, it is also the changeling queens' greatest weakness and greatest curse. Queens freely give this love to their children, knowing full well that it will never be reciprocated by them. Perhaps that is why they so eagerly feed off of the love of others?

Contrary to popular belief, changeling soldiers are not mindless drones. They are quite capable of emotion; loyalty, anger, fear, and vengeance. There are, however, emotions they were just not meant to understand. Concepts such as love or the mourning of passing carry as much meaning to the average soldier as they would to a rock.

Such is the curse of the changeling queens. To feel all of that which her children cannot.

Just as the cities of Equestria had been given boundaries at the time of their creation, so too have the territories of those changelings queens that dwell within the region. With the inception of these territories comes the necessity to preserve their borders against those who would contest them. Given the extremely competitve nature of changeling queens, these contests are almost constant. Casualties are nothing, if not inevitable.

The upkeep of these borders is a demanding task. Thus, it is relegated to those members of the hive that Queen Chrysalis deems most capable. Today's group was small, consisting of four soldiers: Sylph, Kytin, Vetan, and Reiten. Accompanying them as the head of the party was the hive's second in command, Centurion Calyn. The group was chosen as a compromise between traveling speed and combat ability.

At the time, Queen Chrysalis' territory was the largest in Equestria, running up against that of each of the other queens. Of these, the most serious threat came from Queen Miasma's territory to the east. It was for this reason that Calyn and his party were sent to tend to this border.

"Stay low to the ground." Calyn ordered. "Move quickly. Move quietly. Her Majesty has ordered us to the eastern border. Miasma's activity has been increasing as of late. Their filth is undoubtedly nearby. To carry the element of surprise with us is to assure our victory."

"Is that permission to slaughter any intruders we may come across?" Kytin asked, fangs bared in a snarl of anticipation.

"Easy, Kytin. This is a scouting mission. Preserving the security of Her Majesty's borders is our priority above all else." the centurion corrected. "But, yes, it is." he added quickly.

Kytin's snarl grew into an equally dark smile as his elytra twitched excitedly.

"Maintain a tight formation. The smaller our trail is, the better. Sylph, stay at the back. You have the sharpest ears among us. Alert us to any attacks from behind."

The changeling nodded. "Affirmative."

"Then let us move."

The border of Queen Chrysalis' territory was not marked by any sort of physical landmark. Rather, the territory was designated by pheromone trails and maintained through the efforts of scouting parties assigned to them. The soldiers on duty were well aware of the path they needed to follow. In the reinforcement of these borders, the group lays down not only the scent of their mother hive, but their own unique pheromones as well. When changeling hives can reach upwards of two thousand members, these unique scents are a necessity for the queen to identify her children. When engaging in a stealth mission however, to be so easily distinguished is extremely counter-productive. All changelings are therefore trained in magics to disguise these pheromones.

As per his superior's orders, Sylph remained at the rear of his party. His head was mounted on a swivel, moving constantly. Every one of his senses was on high alert, but of particular focus was listening for any sounds not part of the usual forest ambiance. Any intruders within the area would most likely be hiding their scents for the same reason Sylph's party was hiding theirs.

Even with Sylph's vigilance, fate had chosen today to completely trump him. With no signal at all, six changelings dropped from the trees onto the four passing beneath. Changelings marked with deep purple eyes and elytra. Miasma changelings.

From within the maelstrom writhing before him, Sylph made out one voice. "Sylph! Quickly! Return to the hive!"

Soldiers disobeying orders from a centurion is extremely unheard of, but Sylph had made up his mind. He flared his wings and dove into the melee. He fell onto the Miasma changeling currently besetting Calyn. His fangs went straight into the enemy's neck, their sharp points instantly breaking his jet-black exoskeleton. A quick toss of the soldier's head ripped the assailant from his centurion. Sylph's hold on the enemy was broken only after he was sure the killing bite had done its job.

Before he could turn from his defeated adversary, the scalding blaze of magic gone offensive exploded against the back of the Chrysalis soldier. Facing the source of the attack presented Sylph with the deceased body of his hivemate and the Miasma soldier standing over the fresh corpse, a wisp of magenta smoke rising from his horn and Reiten's blood dripping from his fangs.

A red mist rose behind Sylph's eyes. His wings whipped themselves into a mad frenzy, launching him towards the guilty soldier with all the speed of a charging Ursa Major. "I'll tear your damned head off!"

A queen is not referred to as such without inheriting the duties that go along with the title. Of these, the most important duty of a changeling matriarch is the care of all of her children. Even those that still have yet to be born.

"Talinh, are there any complications with the newest clutch?"

"None, your Majesty. All that is required is whatever nectar you wish to supply."

"Excellent news." Chrysalis began her trip around the hatching chamber, her emerald eyes carefully scrutinizing each translucent green orb. Each new life. Those eggs that she deemed undernourished were supplied with a fresh dose of nectar secreted from the holes in her legs.

The changeling queen was hardly halfway through tending to her clutch before being interrupted by a commotion arising from without the hatching chamber.

"Your Majesty! Please!"

"You must hurry!"

The urgency within the voices of her children immediately devoted Chrysalis' full attention to them whereupon she could very plainly see the results of the ambush upon their tired bodies. "Kytin? Vetan? What is the reason for your return? You were assigned to the eastern borders as part of Calyn's party."

"It is Miasma's soldiers, your Majesty! They set up an ambush and we stepped right into it!"

Anger wasted no time in rising before the queen's eyes, but was just as quickly replaced with a look of fear. "What of Calyn, Sylph and Reiten?"

"Reiten was the first to fall. Calyn called for Sylph to retreat but he disobeyed and threw himself at the enemy. It was the only reason that Vetan and I escaped as we did."

There were no further questions. Chrysalis broke into a full gallop and had left her hive in a matter of seconds. Instinct guided her hooves along the path laid down by the two returning soldiers. The terror that drove her charge was not for what might have happened to her borders but rather of what she would find, or not find, when she arrived. Damn you, Miasma! If you have taken my centurion from me, I swear, I will not rest until I take the same from you!

The changeling queen ground to a halt as a bitter stench burned the roof of her mouth. Calyn's fear pheromones... Centurions were conditioned to resist fear to maintain a sharp mind on the field of combat. Even so, training or not, every creature has at least one moment in their life where fear will take hold. "No..." Slowly, as if in a trance, the queen's hooves began moving once more, her pace growing faster with each thought that passed. "No, no, NO!"

Stronger and stronger the pheromones became, mixing with scents alien to her territory. There was no mistaking it, Miasma soldiers had been here. When her eyes finally fell upon the site of the ambush, Chrysalis discovered that some of these soldiers were still here. Three of the enemy changelings lay dead upon the forest floor, surrounded by arcane scorch marks and riddled with wounds of both fang and horn.

Not surprisingly, Chrysalis was hardly interested in the Miasma changelings but rather the two of her own laying still amidst the ruin. "Calyn! Sylph!" In less than an instant, the queen was crouched at their side. The sight before her made her sick, yet she possessed no will to look away. Green blood oozed from the countless gashes and stabs upon them to collect in a small puddle beneath their unmoving bodies. Sylph had collapsed in a heap upon the lifeless body of his centurion. Even in Calyn's defeat, his soldier had remained loyal, defending him to the end, waiting for help that he could not possibly have predicted was coming.

Hot tears welled within the queen's eyes and she bowed her head. "M-my children... I should have been swifter..." A furious snarl slid across Chrysalis' mouth. "Damn you, Miasma! You would be so cruel to take my centurion from me!? No matter how long it takes, I will see that you know the same pain!" Spouting vitriolic promises to the sky accomplishes little and Chrysalis' teary gaze soon returned to her two children before her. "Calyn... Sylph..." Through a great deal of willpower, she forced her eyes shut, spilling the tears within onto the blood-stained ground. "Forgive me..."

A sound no greater than air escaping from the tiniest possible crack reached the queen's ears. "Hehhhhhh..."

Her eyes flew open to stare intently at the bodies of her two children, praying that she could catch some sort of movement that would explain the noise she had just heard. Before she could spot any movement of the sort, a ragged cough passed her ears.

Sylph's damaged body convulsed with his cough, projecting a coarse spray of blood from his mouth. His eyelids fluttered once before opening to look up at his queen. A weak smile crossed his lips at the sight of her.

A wave of relief crashed heavily upon the changeling queen, leaving in its wake the warmth of pure happiness. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes without a thought given to those who might see. She lightly touched her forehead to that of her child. "Don't you ever disobey your orders again..."

"N-no promises..." he gasped.

Author's Note

For those of you that keep up with Equestria Daily's postings, you already have a good idea as to what this is. If not, then permit me to explain.

The most recent flash fiction event over on EqD was one of particular interest to me. You could write about anything you want, as long as it involved Chrysalis being happy. The catch? No victory at the wedding and no conquering of any of Equestria.

What you have just read is my entry for said event. For those of you that have been keeping up with Love Lost as well, this is also a bit of backstory to an event you will see mentioned in chapter 8.

Enjoy, y'all.

Pre-reading services provided by Spiritofthwwolf, who also did a wonderful piece for this same event.

8 - The Queen and The Centurion

The morning sun fell strong upon Chrysalis' closed eyes. Before she could even awake, instinct peeled her lips back in a snarl. This was the tenth morning in an equal number of days that she had not awoken within her hive. It had long grown tiresome. As if she were not mad enough already, the memories that had been filed away to allow for a restful sleep came rushing back.

This was the morning of day two in the flight from Miasma. In the flight from her own hive. So many times during yesterday's retreat did Chrysalis want to spin on her hoof, march straight back into her rightful hive, bury her horn deep into Miasma's throat and watch as the life oozed from her convulsing body. Yet every time she looked back over her shoulder, she was reminded of why she had called for the retreat to begin with; Sylph.

Had Chrysalis been alone at the time of her return, death would have swiftly presented itself to their confrontation. However, with things as they were, there was no way that she could have possibly held her own against the rival queen and prevented Miasma from holding Sylph's life before her as a weapon. Chrysalis' pride may have been sorely damaged, but with Sylph at her side, she could rest easier knowing he was safe.

Without moving her head, the changeling queen gazed down at the branch below her. Curled upon the wooden protrusion, armor gleaming in the morning light, the queen's centurion snored softly. The longer she watched the slight rise and fall of his chest, the more she felt her fury dissolve away. The tears welling in the corners of her emerald eyes softened her normally hard expression. I'm sorry it has come to this. You deserve better than what Miasma has put us through. She may be able to take my hive from me, but she cannot take you, Sylph.

Changeling queens are a strange species in Equestria. Every child born to their hive is loved equally and without condition. With that said, there is a reason that any changeling bearing the title of "centurion" commands a great amount of respect, even amongst those from outside the hive.

Such a title does indeed command respect, but it is much more than a mere title. The connection a queen shares with her centurion is something that cannot be recreated under any other circumstances. For a changeling to be selected from amidst all other soldiers within the hive by the queen herself is an immense honor. A queen will make her choice based on the ideals of the one child she believes will best lead the hive. A centurion answers to none but his queen nor do any others have the authority to overturn his orders. It is knowledge of this trust that creates a mutual, if tentative, respect between all centurions, regardless of hive.

There had not been many opportunities within the last few months for Chrysalis to do any reminiscing. As she watched Sylph, her mind began to drift. Vivid memories from the day of his inauguration returned to the changeling queen.

"At attention, my children! I need not ask if you remember the service of your esteemed centurion, Calyn! I also need not ask if you remember the border dispute with Miasma that took him from us!"

At the mention of the mother of their hated enemies, each and every one of the two thousand changelings upon the hive floor exploded into hisses and shouts of derision.

Chrysalis waited for the jeering to subside before speaking once more. "I stand before you to announce that Calyn's armor has been restored to its former glory and is ready for a worthy successor!" Suspended aloft by the hold of the queen's green magic, a chitinous blue helmet and matching chestpiece followed Chrysalis as her wings carried her to the hive floor. Her eyes made one trip over the mass of changelings before her, though the decision of who would stand at her side had long been made clear. "Sylph, present yourself."

Sylph didn't have an opportunity to present himself. At his queen's command, the group of changelings surrounding him parted, leaving him standing alone. "Wh-what!?" The changeling spun frantically, a confused look plastered upon his face. "M-me!?"

"Yes."

The calm reply nearly caused Sylph to leap from his exoskeleton. He had been so disoriented by the news that he had not seen the approach of his queen. He whirled to face her. "Y-your Majesty!" His bow was quick and rather improper for the occassion.

"Rise, Sylph. With the title I have chosen to bestow upon you, never again will you bow before another."

Sylph shakily broke his bow to return to his hooves at the behest of his matriarch. "As you wish, your Majesty."

"As a child of mine and a member of my hive, I trust that you are well aware of the burden this armor I hold before you carries, both physically and in responsibility, yes?"

"I-I am."

"Then, before your brethren and before me, your queen and your mother, do you accept both this armor and the decision to name you as my centurion? Know that in doing so, you will stand at my side and without equal."

Sylph knew full well the words he wanted to say yet could not stop them catching fast in his throat. "W-why me, your Majesty? Surely there must be others within the hive that are far worthier than myself."

"My decision stands, Sylph. You were with the scouting party upon the day of Calyn's death. You threw yourself into battle without a thought spared for your own safety. It was thanks to your selfless actions that the others within your party returned alive. One who acts upon the needs of others as you do can only bring strength to the hive. Do you accept the helm of Centurion Calyn as it is presented to you?"

Even now, the words still caught in Sylph's throat, leaving his hesitant nod to affirm his decision. "I do, your Majesty. I accept it with all the honor and experience that Calyn wore it with during his life. May it serve me as it did him."

"Then, before the rest of my hive, I name you as my centurion." Chrysalis' magic was replaced with that of the changeling before her as he took hold of the helmet.

Slowly, almost reverently, Sylph's magic lowered the helmet into its new resting place upon his head. "I swear that in your name and in the name of Calyn before me, I will wear this helm in a way that brings glory to the both of you. As long as I breathe, my breath shall profess my loyalty to the hive and to you, your Majesty!" He then turned to face the mass of changelings behind him to make his first delcaration as centurion. "Death to Miasma!"

The voices of two thousand changelings raised in raucous approval of the proclamation shook the very air with their volume. The Chrysalis hive was whole again.

"Death to Miasma..." Chrysalis murmured. Sylph's first official declaration as her centurion. Every day for the past thirty years he had made it a point to live for that order. Now more than ever did Chrysalis agree with those three words.

Sylph shifted lazily, causing the branch serving as his perch to creak under his weight. Now that he was awake to feel it, the sunlight falling upon his black body felt wonderful. So much so that it nearly kept him from remembering the intense hunger wracking his stomach. The instant it hit him, his feeling of peace was gone. "Nngh..." He sat up wearily and shifted his elytra back into place.

"I know you must still be hungry, Sylph, and for that I apologize. When you awake, join me upon the forest floor."

The centurion looked about groggily, spotting his queen as she descended past him to the ground. "Of course, your Majesty."

By the time Sylph's wings carried him to the ground, he found a deposit of nectar spread upon one of the the tree's protruding roots. His eyes hovered over it for but a moment. "Are you ready to continue, my queen?"

"I am, Sylph. But we are not continuing until I am sure that you are of adequate strength."

"Then let us continue! My fangs are thirsty and my mind sharp!"

"Feed." The look thrown over the queen's shoulder with her order would have split solid rock. "I know it is in your nature to sacrifice yourself for others, but I do not require that of you, Sylph. Most certainly not now. I merely wish for you to be prepared. Every step brings us closer to Ambrosia's territory. Feed. Our journey will resume in ten minutes."

"If those are your wishes, your Majesty."

Ten minutes time is rather short, but to a hungry changeling presented with a meal it is more than enough. Half of the alloted time saw Sylph finishing the last bit of his provided meal. "I am ready when you are, my queen. Let us be on our way."

"Let's. And Sylph?"

"Yes, your Majesty?"

Chrysalis nodded quickly, beckoning her centurion closer. "Walk at my side, where you belong." For an instant, her voice lost all tones of authority. This was not an order, it was a request.

The friendliness of the request was not something Sylph expected. "O-of course, your Majesty. It would be my pleasure."

Chrysalis let an hour of travel pass before chose to speak once more. "Sylph, for what reason did you choose to accompany me?"

"I swore allegiance to the hive, your Majesty."

"If your allegiance lies there, why not remain within the hive where you would be safe?"

"When I took this helm, I swore allegiance not only to the hive, but to you as well. As long as I wear it, loyalty bids me walk the same path as you. I hold no fear for whatever lies along that path."

"Your insistence is appreciated, Sylph. But do not risk yourself without due cause; do not be overly reckless. I may have bestowed the title of centurion upon you, but you are my child first and as long as I may lift a hoof, I will not bear witness to the death of another of my children. I want you standing at my side when I confront Miasma for the last time."

"I will be there, your Majesty. You have my word. We shall see the death of Miasma together!"

As the day wore on, so too did the journey upon Sylph's strength. His eyes were beginning to glaze over and he could not help his breaths coming heavy and irregular.

With a sigh, his concerned mother returned her gaze to the path before her. The nectar she bestowed upon her children was enough to keep them alive but only just. Journeys as trying as this were of no particular aid either.

Sylph stumbled along on legs made unsteady from hunger. He was fast approaching the point of collapse. Approaching even faster was an unseen tree root, which promptly turned the centurion's tired march into a struggle to stay upright. He would have fallen flat on the ground were it not for the gentle hoof of his mother that moved to support him.

"Halt your march, Sylph." Chrysalis ordered.

"But what of reaching Ambrosia's hive, your Majesty? I thought it was of the utmost importance."

"It is. But I will not see you run into the ground for my gain. You must have a proper feeding before we continue any further. We will take the time to hunt and find you an adequate meal. Have you strength enough to still walk, Sylph?"

The morning sunlight glinted brightly off of the centurion's helmet as he nodded. "I do."

"Then come with me. We are within a day's travel of Ambrosia's hive. As your mother and queen, I will see you fed and returned to full strength in preparation."

"For?"

"Ambrosia may present herself as flighty and senseless, but if she percieves us as threats to her hive, she will not hesitate to engage us in self-defense."

With that, Sylph understood perfectly. He was well aware that a queen acting in defense of her hive and her children was not something to be taken lightly. "Understood. Where will we hunt then?"

Chrysalis rose from her child's side and quickly scanned the territory. These woods were still familiar; she knew what lived within them. "We are just about to enter the White Tail Woods. There is a cabin not far from here. Two ponies that love each other very much. We have fed from them when the old hive was in use. The cabin is roughly..." One further survey of the territory was taken for clarity, "An hour's travel in this direction. With me, Sylph."

What should have been an hour's travel was made longer so as to accomodate Sylph remaining strength. The queen called a halt at the edge of a small clearing before signaling the centurion to her side. "You never traveled to this region when we were in the old hive so I want you to pay attention, Sylph."

"Of course, your Majesty." His queen's voice continued behind him as the centurion watched the two ponies standing outside the cabin.

"The light green pegasus is named Mint. You will feed from her in the stallion's place. I will leave you to gather intelligence on him. I shall remain at the edge of this clearing. Do not become greedy with your feeding and do not place yourself in danger if you can avoid it. Return to me when you have had your fill.

"Understood." Sylph's wings opened to carry him to the treetops. He was tired, but the thought of food had given his jumps newfound agility. He quickly caught up to his stallion target. One of the first steps in a successful assumption is learning the target's body language and imitating it without mistake. Sylph had pulled off many assumptions and knew exactly what to look for. He was so focused on his target that the centurion nearly jumped from his perch when the stallion below him pulled a complete about-face.

"Timberwolves?"

With his attention broken, Sylph could now hear what the stallion was hearing. Those were indeed the hunting calls of a timberwolf pack. No more than three of them. Mixed in with their excited howls was another cry. One that was far too familiar to sit comfortably with the changeling. No! Not now! Branches creaked from the centurion's quick flight across them en route toward the commotion. He had a good idea of what he would find, but that was hardly preparation for what he did find.

Back against a tree and staring down three fully grown timberwolves, his queen stood, her lips parted in a defiant snarl. The occasional claw or fang wound stood out brightly against her black carapace, but she was still very able.

One of the three predators was just that much braver than his other counterparts and leapt for the queen. Her eyes flashed toward the lunging beast for a split second before she reacted. Her hoof lashed out to bury itself within the timberwolf's wooden chest. Chrysalis swung her attacker's momentum across her body to slam the beast into the ground. In the same instant, the changeling queen withdrew her hoof and plunged her horn deep into the crack she had just created. A burst of green flame ripped down her horn into the timberwolf's body, blowing it to shreds.

Though one lay vanquished, there were still two other timberwolves to contend with. Before Chrysalis could rise from her defeated opponent, another had already launched itself at her. "Aagh!" The wolf's sharpened claws found purchase in the queen's shoulders. Changeling queens are a proud sort. To be dragged to the ground by any opponent is a great blow to their pride. Then again, pride was not high on Chrysalis' list of possessions. She hardly had time to spit the clod of topsoil from her mouth before the timberwolf's fangs were seeking her throat. "Damned beast!" she hissed.

Not surprisingly, the feral animal gave no heed to the vulgarities spat into its face, continuing to struggle with the prone queen. What was significantly more surprising was what came to her aid. A blaze of light and heat, the sound of splintering wood and the weight pinning Chrysalis to the ground was gone. "Sylph!?"

"My apologies, your Majesty. I could not sit by and play witness to your struggle."

A more intelligent creature would have fled from solitary combat with a changeling queen and her centurion, but yet the timberwolf remained. Instinct presented with a distracted target had left the beast with a single course of action.

Eyes widened from horror let Chrysalis see every movement as the fangs of her last remaining enemy locked themselves around Sylph's armor, lifting him from the ground. Powerless, the centurion was shaken back and forth like a scrap of cloth. One final lash of the predator's neck heaved his prey straight into the trunk of a tree with a sickening crunch.

Fire rose within the eyes of the changeling queen. "You would dare to strike down one of my children before me... Damned filth!" Pure force flew from the matriarch's crooked horn to smash the guilty timberwolf into his own tree. The magic seeping into Chrysalis' voice reduced it to nothing more than a guttural growl. "Your kind has already taken so many of my children from me, just like that whore Miasma. I will reclaim my hive, but my children that you have taken... Nothing can return them to me." With each step closer Chrysalis drew to the trapped timberwolf, a small green flame climbed just a little higher upon the creature's thrashing leg. "Not that the life of a pathetic creature such as yourself could ever begin to repay their blood that was spilled at your fangs. But, it is a start." The trapped animal howled in pain as the arcane flame consuming its body spread to its chest. The look upon the face of the changeling queen was one of disgust. "Listen to you. Intelligent enough to know when your life is at an end, yet when death faces you, you scream in fright."

Chrysalis fell silent, enjoying the timberwolf's dying shrieks. The pleasure derived from them was short-lived and they soon grated on her ears. "ENOUGH!" she roared. The queen slammed her hoof into the tree trunk. Through the open mouth of the timberwolf.

When she at last turned from the charred, broken timberwolf to face her child, the queen's expression had abandoned all traces of anger. Since sliding to the ground, her centurion had moved no further. "Please be all right, Sylph..." She knelt beside his armored body, praying that her emerald eyes would find some sort of movement that would allay her worst fears. "Please." It wasn't until she held her ear down to his mouth that she heard the slightest of breaths escape from his mouth. He was still alive.

Chrysalis was quick to retrieve her comatose centurion. There would be no further travel until she knew Sylph was capable of it once more. She would have to find shelter until then. The inside of the long-dead tree she chose was hardly adequate, but injured and exhausted as she was, Chrysalis could not afford to be picky. She lay down, sheltering Sylph within the curve of her body. Sleep tugged relentlessly at her eyelids, but she would not let it take hold. Not while one of her children still remained under her care.

She could not.

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait on this one, everyone. I was nearly finished with what SHOULD have been chapter 8 when I decided to add a chapter before it that further explains the choices made within it. The entry for EqD's flash fiction event was inspired from the flashback in this chapter and also written whilst working on this chapter, again owing to the time it took me to finish.

As I post this, the new chapter 9 is finished and awaiting the eyes of my regular pre-reader (Carnifex already went through once, and the chapter is far better for it). Expect 9 within the new few days, folks.

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Spiritofthwwolf.

9 - Last Child to the Queen

Creeaaak...

"Anypony still awake in here?"

No sooner had the words been spoken than their speaker noticed the light at the end of the hallway. A voice came drifting out from the lit room. "In the kitchen, honey."

A pair of saddlebags thudded to the wooden floor. "They kept us late at the sawmill."

"Again? Really?"

"Unfortunately, yes." The clicking of hooves upon wood replaced the stallion's voice as he strode down the hallway. With each stride, an unmistakable aroma wafted stronger and stronger against his nostrils. In rounding the corner, a mint green pegasus mare was swift to greet him with a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'm just glad you're back." The mare turned away to move a kettle from the stove to the counter. "You know I don't like it when you have to walk home after dark. These aren't the friendliest of woods. Timberwolves like to hunt this time of night."

"I know, I know." the stallion laughed. "They must've been hunting earlier today. Heard them howling something fierce. They must've got something. Poor creature..." He watched as the pegasus worked about the kitchen: opening doors, fetching mugs and pouring drinks.

"I assume you'd like some tea, hun'?"

"You know I'd love some."

In response, the mare presented a softly steaming mug to the stallion. "Here, two sugars. Just the way you like it." She lightly touched her muzzle to the unicorn's cheek. "Love you, hun'."

"Love you too." The stallion returned the gesture with a kiss upon the mare's lips. When he withdrew his mouth a thin wisp of bright green mist followed, leaking from that of the female pegasus. "What's say we get ready for bed so we can enjoy this chamomile properly?"

"Sounds great."

In the space of thirty minutes, the two ponies had finished their tea and were huddled close under a set of downy bedsheets. Chamomile is well-known among many to quickly and effectively place anypony that drinks it into a deep relaxing sleep. However, for a creature that subsists entirely off of love and affection, drinking tea is just as useless and unnecessary as drinking water. The disguised Chrysalis centurion slowly slid from the bed and trotted around to face its other occupant.

A soft green glow emanated from the stallion's horn to light up the dark bedroom. His magic called forth another cloud of identically-colored mist from the sleeping mare's mouth. The changeling guided this haze between his teeth and down his throat. With every wisp of this cloud that he consumed, Sylph felt that much more of his strength return. It had been far too long since the centurion had had a proper meal. The taste of this affection was ecstasy-inducing and Sylph drank it up with no signs of stopping.

"Get away from my wife, demon!"

Sylph spun from his meal to find the four needle-sharp points of the house owner's pitchfork leveled directly at his head. A hiss spilled from the changeling's borrowed throat. He didn't doubt for a minute that the pony at the other end would be skewering him upon its tines at the first opportunity he had. Still, Sylph noted the way his adversary held the weapon. The tool trembled and shook from the fear of the pony wielding it. The centurion could get out of this, but he would need some sort of distraction.

Roused by the unicorn's shout, the sleeping pegasus slowly came to, her vision swimming before her tired eyes. Even so, she knew that the two identical unicorns standing at her bedside were not an illusion of her sleepy mind. "Honey? What's going on?"

The pony wielding the tool-turned-weapon looked away from his doppelganger for a split second.

That was the distraction Sylph needed. In less time than it took the pegasus mare to scream, Sylph ducked under the business end of the pitchfork and slammed his shoulder into his adversary's chest, wresting the weapon away in the same motion..

Crack!

One solid blow from the tool's solid wooden handle dropped the unicorn into a heap. Victorious, the centurion turned to face his prey once again. For an instant, his eyes flashed their true appearance to the confused pegasus.

She cowered up against the headboard, her frantic kicking working the linens into a knot. "D-don't hurt me... P-please! Take w-whatever you w-want! Wh-whatever you are, just leave!"

Sylph kept his eyes fixated upon the frightened pony. He said nothing, nor did his gaze falter in the slightest. Not even the impact from the pitchfork handle that reduced the mare to an unconscious heap could break his stoic expression. "Your fear makes you useless to me now." The illusion masking his insect-like body burnt away in a brilliant green flash as his queen's words marched through his mind.

Be intelligent with your hunt, Sylph. Should you be discovered, I want you to return to me at once.

"Dammit..." He jammed the tines of the pitchfork into the wooden floor and turned to storm from the room, but not before spying a second structure outside through the window. His sight floated back to the pegasus, ideas rapidly beginning to form.

"Honey! Honey, wake up! Please!"

"Unnnh..." It was more the frantic shaking than the pleading cries that brought the stallion back to the realm of the conscious. It took all of two seconds for the pain from his headache to catch up with his senses. He clapped a hoof to the side of his head. "Ah! What...what happened?"

A hoof made unsteady from the terrifying ordeal pressed a damp cloth to the stallion's forehead. "I-I still don't know... Just tell me you're all right.Please."

"I'm fine." the stallion breathed. "Just tell me you are too."

"I-I am. Here, sit up."

"What was that thing? What in Equestria was it doing to you?"

"I-I don't know. I don't feel sick, so I don't know what it was doing either. I'm just relieved you're okay!" The mare flung her forelegs around her husband's neck and hung there, sobbing.

A gentle hoof smoothed out the mare's ruffled brown mane. "Shhhhh... It'll be all right, Mint. Don't worry. Whatever that...thing was it looks like it's gone now. Just try and get some more sleep. I'll stay awake and keep watch."

The mare's brown eyes went as wide as the full moon outside the window. "No, no, no! Please! Come to bed with me!"

Not one to argue with his wife, the stallion agreed and followed the pale green pony back to the disheveled bed. A satisfied gleam lit her eyes as he kissed her forehead.

When one is suffering from an impact induced headache, even the smallest of sensory stimuli can be incredibly painful. The light from a full moon certainly would qualify as such. To the half-conscious mare, awaking to find your eyes bathed in this pale light might as well have been the equivalent of looking straight into the sun.

The improvised gag tied tightly across her mouth turned the mare's instinctual gasp of pain into a pathetic whimper. She went to stand up, only to find her legs and wings bound with even more bedsheets. It was already difficult to breathe and her fruitless squirming only served to dampen her brow and set her hyperventilating. .

The creak of hinges long overdue for an oiling turned the mare's head to the one door in and out of the dirty shed. Within the moonlit portal stood a silhouette. It took one step into the shed and then remained still.

"Mmmmmphmmmh!" The captive mare began writhing furiously in an attempt to put even the slightest additional amount of space between her and the newly arrived changeling.

"Hush." The centurion's voice was frighteningly calm. "Never once have I killed my food. But then, my food has always been quiet."

The ever so slight change in tone instantly silenced the mare. That was no threat; that had been a promise. The only sounds heard within the shed were those of the ragged breaths taken around her gag..

"I'd ask if you understood me, but that would be pointless. The look in your eyes tells me everything. Now keep it that way."

Silence reigned over the dusty toolshed for some time before a laugh broke the awkward tension.

"Your kind never ceases to amuse me. Look at you, tied, gagged and lying on the filthy ground, completely at my mercy, yet you have a single desire upon your simple mind. Your undying loyalty drives you to return to your beloved. You would follow any order I could give you and all I would have to do is promise you passage back to your husband, just to see him safe."

The mare swallowed loudly, tasting the cotton sheets tied across her mouth. Every word from this strange creature's mouth had been unnervingly accurate. Her wide eyes followed the changeling as he slowly paced circles about her, words falling from his mouth with the same coolness.

"I know what you're thinking. You're wondering how I know exactly what's going through your tiny mind. Simple. I am the same way, driven by my loyalty to another. You are loyal because it is your love that makes you so. I do not have that as an option. I cannot love. I am loyal through respect. But where has that respect gotten me? I have no home, I have seen my brothers dead before me for orders given out of this loyalty. And still I follow these orders because I desire to see the return to our home a reality." Sylph's lengthy exposition drew to a close as his pacing came to a halt in front of the pegasus. He gave her one disgusted glance and sniffed disdainfully. "I could never expect a pathetic creature such as yourself to understand my plight. Enjoy the rest of your worthless life." The centurion finally turned and strode from the shed. His eyes met those of the bound and frightened pegasus as he shut the door. In that brief instant, a realization within the centurion's mind clicked.

"To continue down this path as you have will earn me nothing but pain and death." he murmured.

When Sylph next opened his wings, the cool night air filled their translucent membranes. The night's feeding had restored much of his strength. Certainly more than enough to allow for a low flight above the treetops. Walking amongst the trees was out of the question. In light of the morning's timberwolf attack, his queen had given him explicit orders to travel by wing. They were also nearing the area of Ambrosia's territory she suspected Miasma's soldiers to be occupying and she would be taking no chances.

It was for this reason that Her Majesty had disguised all of her pheromone trails, leaving her centurion to navigate by landmarks. The barren branches of the long-dead tree chosen as their shelter were easily identifiable, especially from flight. Sylph's alighting upon the old branches caused them to creak slightly. A pair of glowing green eyes greeted him as he entered the dark tree trunk.

"You are later than I would have expected for such a small hunt. There were...complications with your feeding, weren't there?

A barely distinguishable sigh slipped from between Sylph's fangs. "I...was discovered before I had my fill."

"So you stayed and risked your life further? Sylph, I gave you direct orders to stay no longer than-"

"I thought I had properly detained my target!" he snapped in a largely uncharacteristic response.

"Sylph! Be mindful of your tone!"

"My...apologies, your Majesty. My hunger betrayed me."

"I understand. These are times I would not wish upon any child of mine. It is not the same, but if you still hunger..." A soft green glow lit the close space as Chrysalis lay out a small spread of nectar before her centurion. "Then eat to your fill." The intonation of her every word was that of a mother, soft, yet unwavering in its authority.

Sylph nodded in thanks and set his tongue to the sweet nectar.

Chrysalis remained silent, watching her child consume the proffered meal. Sylph, it is I who should be apologizing to you. There was no acceptable reason for you to have followed me from the hive. And yet...you still chose to accompany me. That is why I chose you as my centurion.

The eight hours of the moon's reign is a strange thing, When one is not awake to bear witness to it, it progresses by with all manner of speed. For Chrysalis, it was significantly less so. Upon the threshold of another queen's territory, seeking refuge in the shell of what was once a great tree. Every creak of every branch, every grunt, squeak, or chirp brought her back to full awareness. The changeling resting within the curve of her body kept her mother's instinct constantly on edge. She was too far from home. She could not let her guard down. The orange light of the early morning sun seeping into the makeshift shelter was a silent relief to the tired queen.

Taking the utmost care not to wake her slumbering child, Chrysalis stood to depart from the tree trunk. The forest floor was not well-stocked with vantage points and thus it was that the hum of Her Majesty's wings carried her to the highest branches of last night's shelter. A crook in the tree provided a perfect location from which to survey the surrounding territory.

There it was, standing out like a massive blemish upon the landscape. The tower of solid stone that stretched from the earth as if trying to claw the sky. Stuck to its side by a magnificent feat of architecture was the royal city of Canterlot, gleaming in the bright morning sunlight. All her pent-up fury at the sight of its marbled towers and the memory of the failure within its walls that had led to exile from her own hive slid from her mouth in a livid hiss.

"Rouse yourself, Sylph." Chrysalis issued a few knocks upon the hollow trunk to ensure her message was recieved.

The scraping of chitinous armor plates sliding over one another filled the inside of the tree trunk. The centurion exited soon after. Sunlight falling against his tired eyes shut them tightly. "Nngh."

"Do you feel able enough to resume traveling?"

Wings vibrated as Sylph stretched out his stiff legs. "I do indeed."

"Excellent news. Have you strength enough to sustain a pheromone mask? We are mere hours from the easternmost part of Honeycomb territory. We are dangerously close to Ambrosia's hive. She no doubt knows these forests well. If we do not enter with our guard up, we are immediately at a disadvantage. Ambrosia is not one to be taken lightly."

A good night's sleep does wonders for one's decision-making. Sylph nodded. "I feel better than I have in weeks. A masking spell will be a simple feat."

"Let us be on our way then. Keep your wings still. Flight would draw too much attention. We must capitalize upon every possible advantage before us, no matter how small."

Discarded needles crunched under the pair's carefully chosen hoofsteps - the only sign that marked the passing of the matriarch and her centurion. Chrysalis' head remained on a swivel, senses alert. While reluctantly agreed upon, territories are hotly contested between the more aggressive of the changeling queens. Every hive deals with trespassers according to their own methods. Most of these methods end in with the violator's death. The only thing that differs is how long it takes to get there. Being caught while trespassing in Honeycomb territory leaves you all the more vulnerable to the "games" of its queen. Chrysalis was not about to willingly subject one of her children to such a fate.

Past dealings with the queen of the Honeycomb hive told the exiled queen that Ambrosia preferred traveling from branch to branch. The slightest creak from the surrounding timber immediately drew Chrysalis' attention.

Sylph was nowhere near as focused on surveillance as his queen. He was sure that his choice would be met negatively, but his mind had long been made up. All that remained was the finding of the appropriate time to inform his queen of his ultimate decision.

All senses of the changeling queen were tuned for any change within the immediate environment and thus instantly noticed the absence of noise behind her. "Sylph, keep up. I do not wish for you to fall victim to Ambrosia's insipid curiosity." Without waiting for an answer, Chrysalis' march continued onward. Until the lack of following hoofsteps got her to turn around. "Sylph! I told you to keep up!"

Blue eyes met green for an instant before the centurion blinked and looked away. "No..." he finally responded at length.

"'No?'" The awkward moment became even moreso with the arrival of the expected silence. In the pit of her stomach, Chrysalis knew where this conversation was headed. She knew exactly where and it terrified her. "Sylph! Eye contact!" she barked, forgetting her earlier vow of stealth. "Explain yourself at once!"

"I...no longer wish to accompany you."

Even the smallest of words can leave gaping wounds and Sylph's had torn straight into Chrysalis' heart. She knew she must remain quiet, yet she could not fight the sickened feeling rising in her chest. "Explain this treason!"

"There is nothing to explain, your Majesty. I told you that my allegiance is to the interests of the hive."

"'To the hive!?' Sylph, Miasma still holds power over the hive! You would give that vain bitch the respect you hold for me!?"

"Miasma commands none of my respect. Nor do you. A queen whose orders destroy her hive and starve her soldiers before throwing them onto the blade in an attempt to right her wrongs deserves no respect. The decision made to stay within the hive was most intelligent. While under Miasma, they are safe."

Though there had been no malice in his words, Chrysalis flinched as if she had been struck. She could not admit it to herself, but she knew it was true. Horribly, horribly true.

Her children were safer under another queen.

The very thought set tears burning within the queen's emerald eyes. "Damn it, Sylph!"

Somewhere off in the distance, a scream of pain shattered the morning stillness.

"AAAAGH!"

Ambrosia had found her first plaything of the day.

Author's Note

Fun fact: the pre-reading notes Spiritofthwwolf gave me for this chapter were almost 1,500 words longer than the chapter itself.

Another fun fact: There are some feels coming your way in the next two chapters. Be prepared.

Stay classy and enjoy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

10 - My Mother, The Queen

It doesn't matter if they are walking amongst other ponies or amongst the trees in the forest; if there is one thing that changelings are very good at, it is blending in with their environment and covering their tracks. A changeling queen is highly practiced in such skills, making it nigh impossible to follow her.

"Have you found any evidence of a trail yet?"

"Negative. But did you honestly expect to find anything? Miasma sent us out tracking Chrysalis. This is her territory. If she doesn't want to be followed, there won't be anything to follow. We're looking for a trail that doesn't exist. If Miasma wants revenge upon Chrysalis, then she can waste her time looking."

"No chance of that. She hasn't left the throne room in almost two days."

"Let's just return to the hive. I'm tired of walking around in damned circles." The changelings reached a silent consensus here, opening their wings and were off in a low flight through the trees.

While the two trackers had failed to find any sort of trail amidst the wood, two others of their own kind had found them. Rustling shook the branches above where the trackers had stood moments before as another pair of changelings dropped to the ground. "A changeling sneaking around in his queen's own territory. Never thought I would see the day." The sapphire-backed changeling's tone was as dry as the dead needles his hooves trod upon.

The second of the two soldiers shot a glare back over his shoulder, wishing that looks could kill. "Shut up. Your brethren haven't defected to follow another queen's wishes."

"You're right, they haven't. But then, my queen is still competent enough to hold my loyalty."

Kytin's wings twitched madly at the sight of the expressionless changeling before him. "Our travels have placed us within my territory now, Vesci. What is to stop me from sinking my horn into your throat here and now?"

"Nothing." Vesci retorted, with the typical Hagfish coolness. "But, before you decide to taste my blood, let me remind you that you know nothing of my queen's plans for dealing with Miasma. Slay me now and those plans die with me. That is the reason I agreed to Her Majesty's orders to act as your escort; I know that you will not touch me."

To argue with the logic of a Hagfish changeling is next to futile. Kytin hissed in frustration and shoved his way past Vesci. "This way, damn it..."

Behind the angry Chrysalis changeling, the slightest of smiles crossed Vesci's mouth. "You certainly do take after your mother."

"Keep up, maggot. While you're right that I won't kill you in cold blood, I have no problem with letting you wander in my territory until you're captured. I'm sure Miasma would love to hear of these plans to deal with her. I wonder how long your tiny little hive would last once she gets word of your schemes."

With that, Vesci's smirk fell away, replaced with his own hiss of anger. Thoroughly cowed, he trudged after the changeling already off through the trees.

Satisfied with their jabs at one another, the pair remained silent until Kytin's wings signaled for a halt. A group of five soldiers galloped past the pair's hiding spot, unaware of their observers. Pale blue eyes met dark blue as Kytin turned to his Hagfish accompaniment. "You. Make yourself scarce. There is a brief errand I must see to within my hive."

Vesci nodded reluctantly. "If you insist. Bear in mind that you will receive no aid from me should your hivemates detain you. My orders were to act as your escort, not your savior. If you are fortunate enough to freely step from your hive, seek me out. I shall shelter within the branches above this location and wait for your return."

"Just make sure you're well hidden. I'll have no problem lying to explain my presence but you'd have a much harder time of it. I'm not the trespasser here." the Chrysalis soldier retorted. He waited until he spotted another group, this one returning to the hive. Five seconds passed and he stepped casually from his concealment, trotting along after them. With his pheromones masked, Kytin went completely unnoticed until his hooves started falling within the hive proper.

"You there! Halt, traitor!"

Before the order had finished vibrating against his ears, Kytin found himself encircled by half a dozen changelings of color scheme identical to his own. "I see you wasted no time in rolling out a warm welcome for me, Coxa." he quipped.

"Spare me your sarcasm, Kytin! You chose to defy Miasma's arrival, yet you deign to show your face within the hive again? And with the reek of Hagfish brine upon you, no less! Explain yourself!"

The pale eyes of the returning soldier narrowed to pupilless slits. "Save the leadership act for those who don't know you, Coxa. I didn't see you stepping forward to act as centurion in Sylph's absence. I don't need to explain myself to you."

"Who better to fill the traitor's role than another traitor?"

Kytin knew well the game he had stepped into. His allegiances were being tested; one slip and he was as good as dead. He swallowed his angry words and forced a lie from his mouth in their place. "Yes, I left the hive. Do you know what I found in that decision to follow Chrysalis? Death. She sows nothing but ruin in her wake! I wouldn't be surprised if the deserter Sylph lies dead by the fangs of a timberwolf by now!"

"Such a development would be fitting. No, Sylph still foolishly chooses to follow his incompetent mother. But who is to say what has happened to him in the past two days?"

"Who is to care?" Kytin shot back.

"Well said." Coxa nodded to the six changelings, signaling them to step back. "What of the Hagfish stench upon you, then?"

"One mistakenly crossed my path. His end was swift. Have you any more questions for me? Or does his 'high and mighty' Coxa allow me permission to pose one?"

"One more drop of sarcasm from your mouth and you won't have a tongue to ask it with. Make it quick."

"I know Arnyx remained here in the hive with Miasma, yet I don't see him parading around lording himself over you. What of him?"

"He broke a stalemate between Chrysalis and Miasma. His role was...short-lived."

About damned time the ass got his own... Kytin snarled inwardly. "And Miasma?"

Coxa visibly hesitated in answering this question. "She is within the throne room. Chrysalis' taking of Arnyx from her has pushed her into a severe depression. Any who approach the throne room are turned away by the two guards posted outside."

"Interesting. How long has she dwelled within?"

"Two days. When Chrysalis fled with Sylph, Miasma did pursue them, only for the pair to elude her. Since Miasma returned that day, she has resigned herself to the royal chambers, her presence only making itself known with the orders barked from inside the royal chambers."

"I'll make sure to keep clear of her then. Aside from that, am I free to move about the hive?" Kytin could see the question rolling itself around behind the eyes of his hivemate.

"Proceed." The last obstacle standing between Kytin and the rest of his home stepped to the side, allowing him free passage. "If I were you, I would lay low. I've no doubt that Karrin would enjoy driving his fangs into your throat. I can hardly guess what Miasma would do with you." Coxa added, to which the other changeling experimentally flicked a tongue through the two gaps left by his lack of fangs.

The soldier nodded in silent thanks before continuing into the hive's main chamber. When he was finally out of earshot of his welcoming party, Kytin gagged, complete with a face of pure disgust. The lies he had forced from his mouth had left an unbelievably bitter taste behind them. Kytin knew exactly why his hivemates had defected, but was far from doing so himself. His respect for his queen and mother had not yet wavered. There was also no possible way that he could bow before the queen that had so joyfully slaughtered his hivemates before his eyes.

Six days of travel had passed and yet the atmosphere of the hive that Kytin now struggled to call his home remained as alien as when he had left. Ever since Miasma had chosen to "deal" with the Chrysalis loyalists, an oppressive air had cast its heavy pall over the hive. What Miasma had earned through the actions that brought such a feeling upon the hive was more fear than respect. Still, the number of these deaths paled in comparison to the number that had led to the exile of the hive's former head.

The soldier's hooves carried him straight for the great dead tree that dominated the hive floor. There is no telling what state of mind Miasma is in, but to force my way in will surely see me slain. Kytin mused, stopping at the base of the tree.

The throne room of every hive is always equipped with a secret exit to ensure the queen's safety in the event that things turn sour. Normally, it is only the queen and her centurion that possess knowledge of their hive's particular escape route. However, given the size of the hive at the time of its creation, a select additional few were granted knowledge of this information. Kytin was one of those few.

Once behind the tree and removed from the sight of his hivemates, the low hum of vibrating wings lifted the soldier into the air, placing him upon one particular branch approximately halfway up its imposing trunk. To any eyes unaware of the escape route, this branch was no different than any of the others upon the wooden carcass. Magic bubbled from Kytin's short horn in a green aura, breaking the illusory spell in place upon the trunk. No longer disguised by the arcane, an entrance melted into view upon the bark.

Furtive glances were cast about before the changeling ducked into the new opening. Once inside, Kytin re-set the illusion. He kept the magic about his horn to illuminate the tree's pitch-black interior. Clinging to the inside of the trunk and winding its way upward, a path of rough platforms were hewn into the wood. One step at a time, with his magic keeping those steps silent, the soldier began climbing. He didn't dare use his wings. The escape route was designed to amplify any sound made within. If Miasma was still in the throne room as Coxa had said, any wingbeats would carry straight up to her waiting ears. Provoking her while she was in such an emotionally unstable state would be foolish at best. At worst? Kytin had plans and being impaled upon Miasma's horn as punishment for sneaking around wasn't one of them.

The higher the soldier climbed up the trunk, the better his ears caught a sound most unfamiliar. Crying? Who would be crying?

Kytin's hoofsteps fell slower the closer he drew to the top of the staircase. He broke one more spell, letting him peer down upon the main chamber of the throne room and the queen sitting within. Miasma! A snarl crawled across Kytin's mouth at just the sight of her magenta-hued mane. His snarl was almost instantly replaced with a look of confusion as he finally saw the source of the crying. The shoulders of the changeling queen trembled with each ragged breath she took. Kytin was now close enough that he could hear the expected sniffling.

What is this?

The helmet of a centurion is of great importance to the hive which he serves. A centurion will wear the helmet until death ends his service. At such a time, his helm and accompanying armor will be passed down to the one chosen as his successor, with repairs made if necessary. Under normal circumstances such a process is done quickly, so that the station is never left vacant for too long.

The circumstances upon Miasma at the moment were far from normal. She was in a hive that was not her own and only two of her children were here with her. There had been three, but that was before Chrysalis' brief visit.

"Damn you, Chrysalis..." The reflection within Arnyx's helmet let Miasma watch the tears falling from her own eyes. The magic floating from her horn turned the helmet so that the queen stared into the void where her centurion's face had been mere days before. Miasma rarely voiced her affection to her children and her temper berated them more often than not, but she was still their mother and loved them all the same.

To watch a rival queen claim the life of not only one of her children, but her centurion, in cold blood... "Damn you, Chrysalis!" The helm cradled within Miasma's magic shook with the queen's fury. "You know full well the bond a queen has with her centurion! You h-heartless bitch!" she sobbed.

For a creature that is surrounded by thousands nearly every waking moment to feel completely and utterly alone is unheard of. And yet...Miasma felt it. The cold flame of loneliness burning itself into her chest. It was a strange and alien feeling. Halfway across Equestria, separated from her hive and her children. A changeling queen would not be caught dead caring about the well-being of one of her rivals, but Miasma unwittingly knew the pain upon Chrysalis' heart.

"Y-your Majesty? A-are you all right?"

"I-It's been two days..."

The pair of shaky voices snapped Miasma's attention to the nearby entrance of the stolen throne room. From the other side of the arched doorway, two small black heads peered inside at their queen. Before either party could decide upon any further words, Miasma's temper took over and made the decision for her. "Idiots! Do not look upon me!" Following the furious order across the chamber, Arnyx's helm went spinning towards the two incense bearers. They instantly disappeared at the sight of the armor turned projectile, letting it clatter harmlessly to the throne room floor.

Rage burned within Miasma's eyes for a moment more before what she had committed dawned upon her. Anger was quick to return to the queen; not towards her children or even toward Chrysalis, but toward herself. "Damn it!"

The loudly delivered expletive was followed by a bout of hastily muffled sniffling. The two changelings exchanged uncomfortable glances from each side of the arched entryway. The verbal abuse and harsh commands they had long grown accustomed to. However, the same could not be said of these sounds of mourning. To hear such things coming from their mother was strange to the point of being physically unnerving. Their confusion only heightened at the tone of the voice that came floating from within the throne room.

"Kaditi, Rykas? Come to my side. I wish to speak with you."

Another awkward look passed between the pair of incense bearers. "Should we enter?"

"I-I don't know..."

"That was an order."

Such a tone would brook no nonsense. At the insistence of their ruler, the two changelings slowly entered the chamber. As he did so, Rykas' eye fell upon the discarded helm of his centurion. This he pulled toward himself with the aura cast from his horn. Right across the path of his hivemate.

With his tentative gaze fixed upon his queen, Kaditi failed to see the helmet floating along under his hooves. The helm slipped under his hoof as he stepped forward, pulling his footing right out from under him, dropping him rather unceremoniously to the floor. "Hey, idiot! Watch what you're doing with that helmet! That's important!" In an act most contradictory, Kaditi magically yanked the helmet from his hivemate's grasp and rapped its solid construction against the side of Rykas' head.

"Oww! Now who's the idiot! Don't hit me with Arnyx's helmet, you disrespectful twit!"

"Says you; dragging it under my hooves like that!"

The smallest of smiles found its way onto Miasma's lips at the two squabbling changelings before her. A rare sight this was; there was no malice or ill will within her expression. "Hmmhmmhmm... You're both idiots... And that's just the way it should be."

The quiet utterance from their mother instantly silenced the two quarreling incense bearers. Their pupilless eyes were wide and scared, no doubt having seen the uncharacteristic smile upon Miasma's face. This time, the two of them didn't even trade glances. The lack of any sort of outburst at their antics had shocked them into complete stillness.

Shock or not, Miasma had given her children an order and they had not yet obeyed. "Damned fools! Have you bile dwelling within your ears!? Make haste! I ordered you to my side!" the changeling queen barked.

Like ice melting after being introduced to flame, the pair of changelings began moving once more. That was the queen they were used to. The incense bearers both stopped before their queen and took a knee. "For what reason did you wish to see us, your Majesty?" Rykas voiced the question both he and his hivemate held as to their summoning.

"I have dealt with Chrysalis enough to know that she will be returning. I cannot speak as to her plans, but it is of the utmost importance to establish precautions. When she returns, the two of you are to seek shelter as far away as you can find it. I left my children too close to the enemy without knowledge of what it would cost me. That was a cost I will not pay again. I alone shall deal with Chrysalis. Interfere and there will be consequences. Understood?"

Rykas nodded. "Understood, your Majesty. If you desire to excuse us, we shall return to our posts outside."

Miasma shook her head curtly. "I desire no such action from you. The two of you shall accompany me within this chamber until such a time as I say otherwise. Come. Sit at my side. Both of you."

"Of course."

Each of the two changelings took up their own spot on either side of their matriarch. In their doing so, Miasma felt the steady burn of the loneliness inside her grow less so, before it flickered its last and disappeared. She may not have been within her own hive, but her children were at her side once again.

Author's Note

The idea for this chapter came to me from completely out of the blue.

Yes, the events of Love Lost do indeed paint Queen Miasma as the antagonist, but one must remember that Miasma is still a changeling queen. By extension she is also a mother and loves her children just as much as we already know Chrysalis to. Keep that fact in mind as future chapters come down the road.

In light of chapter 11, which is within Carni's inbox for pre-reading, I have returned to Ambrosia's introductory chapter to adjust the dialogue she overhears between Chrysalis and Sylph so that it better reflects the events we have seen pass between the queen of the Chrysalis hive and her centurion.

Also pertaining to the next chapter, there is one among you who correctly named one of my two criteria for naming centurions, as well as drawing my attention to a pattern I had not actually noticed myself using. You know who you are and to you I would like to extend a "Congratulations." You helped me name Queen Ambrosia's centurion. Good on ya.

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

12 - A Pair Of Queens

Ambrosia and her centurion blazed through the trees like lightning. Forced to follow in their wake of rustling branches, Chrysalis was hard-pressed to keep up. So fixated was she on their path, that she nearly stumbled over a changeling bearing the colors of her hated enemy

Fate had the soldier presenting his back to the charging queen. He would never see her coming and she intended to keep it that way.

The instant before Chrysalis was upon the unsuspecting changeling, a ring of yellow magic locked itself around his neck and pulled him into the foliage above. With eyes alight with fury at being denied her quarry, the queen glared into the branches.

A startled cry fell from the spot where the soldier had been abducted. "A-Ambrosia!? Wait! No! Those are my wings! What are you do-AAAAGGG-" His scream of agony was cut short with one final gurgle.

Moments later, the soldier dropped back to the ground, his body devoid of both his life and his wings, with a fresh hole through his neck, roughly the diameter of Ambrosia's horn.

"Damn you, Ambrosia! His death should have been at my horn!"

The other queen swung down from her perch, hanging upside-down like some sort of strange bat. Several drops of green blood, supplied from the changeling upon the forest floor, fell from her guilty horn. "Sorry, Chryssi! You'll have to be faster than that! We'll see if you can get the next one, 'kay?"

In one fluid motion, the Honeycomb mother flipped herself up to the top of her branch and pushed herself off, nimbly dancing away through the treetops. Chrysalis bared her fangs in frustration and gave chase once more. The flight of the two changeling queens made no further stops until coming across a grove of trees, every single one hollowed out and stripped of any leaf, dead or otherwise.

Both yellow-backed and purple-backed changelings dashed among the trees, with the odd burst of magic thrown from a horn to explode against its hapless target. Cries of death rang out as changelings on both sides fell.

Ambrosia's quick eyes darted over her hive, taking in the entire scene in mere seconds. One of her children galloped by, an airborne Miasma soldier in close pursuit. A very uncharacteristic snarl appeared on the matriarch's lips. She jumped into the chase above the Miasma changeling.

Her flips and leaps from branch to branch did not affect the accuracy of the Honeycomb queen in the slightest. Mid-leap, she cast a single spark of magic to violently and effectively remove the beating wings from the back of her child's pursuer. Before he had time to fall to the ground, the matriarch altered her course ninety degrees and dropped her entire weight onto the newly wingless changeling. Her horn found its mark with deadly precision right at the base of the soldier's neck. His death was instant. A toss of her head flung the dead body away.

She turned from her child to meet the three other enemy soldiers that had been following their hivemate. Each one froze at the sight of the murderous gleam within the queen's eyes. They knew all too well the fate of those subjected to her curiosity. What they did not know of was the wrath of the Honeycomb mother acting to protect the children she loved. Unwittingly, they would now be the first to find out . The aura shimmering around Ambrosia's horn took on a volatile dance, becoming angrier and more flame-like in its movements.

"Scatter!"

No amount of warning given could have provided the trio of changelings time enough to escape the magic of the queen before them. The one who had shouted the order to flee felt his elytra wrenched open before snapping off completely, each one issuing a sickening crunch. He fell to the ground with a howl of agony that was most satisfying to the queen's ears. The elytra of both of his hivemates followed in short succession. The matriarch's magic shaped each one of the pieces of the chitinous shells into a savage point and an unnervingly playful smile crossed her face. "I've never tried this before, but it can't hurt, right?"

With the speed of striking lightning, the lethal projectiles darted straight for the Miasma soldiers. The velocity and shape of the elytra let them effortlessly crack through the legs of their former owners. Each of the pinned changelings screamed with pain, prompting a giggle from Ambrosia. "Well, it didn't hurt me at least!"

Above the Honeycomb queen, another streak of yellow flashed through the leafless branches, also in pursuit of a group of enemy soldiers. This is useless! Seayr hissed to himself. Miasma's soldiers are keeping us locked on the ground. If we can't get into the trees, our losses will be massive!

The soldiers of every hive have their own distinct combat style, developed from a combination of their environment and instruction from their mother. The Honeycomb hive made excellent use of the trees in their forest home. A child of Ambrosia on the move among the treetops was near impossible to track, let alone mount an attack against. The Miasma soldiers were well aware of this tactic and refused to see it employed.

Through a gap in the branches, Seayr's pupiless eyes spotted his own opening. Using his forelegs, he swung himself under a branch to plant his hind legs against the one just above it, kicking himself downward at an impressive velocity. A golden sphere of magic sped from his horn before him to burst against the back of his target and draw its attention. The Miasma soldier looked up an instant before the horn of the Honeycomb centurion pierced him between the eyes.

The sound of the impact drew the eyes of the other two soldiers, who immediately disengaged their previous target in favor of the more valuable one.

Seayr removed himself from the body of the defeated changeling just in time for him to duck the oncoming charge of his first adversary. Before the second had time to strike, the centurion's wings were open and he was gone into the trees.

"Come back, coward!" the Miasma soldier shouted after him.

No sooner had the challenge been made than the armor-bearing changeling appeared from the trees again, course as straight and true as an arrow. The back of the second soldier cracked under the needle-sharp horn leading the charge.

A single soldier from any hive was no match for a centurion. In less time than it took for the last Miasma soldier to make a move, Seayr was upon him, horn in and out of his throat in one swift motion. With the gurgle of the dying soldier, there were three less enemies within the centurion's hive. The sounds of battle still rang out all around him; his work was far from done.

Not all of Ambrosia's soldiers had yet been freed to take the battle to the trees. A pair of them stood back to back, forced to remain on the ground. As alien as this fighting style was, they still possessed their mother's uncanny reflexes which had let them claim the lives of four of their opponents. They were growing tired, however, and the attacks from the Miasma changelings came at a relentless pace.

A focused charge succeeded in breaking through the pair's weakened defenses. The fangs of the enemy met within the throat of one of the cornered soldiers. With the death of his hivemate, the priority of the surviving soldier went from defending his brethren to self-preservation. In a single blink of an eye, his wings were open and he was off into the air.

As quick as he was, the Miasma soldiers were faster. A barrage of magenta bolts bombarded him, one of them succeeding in striking his wings and removing all control he had over them. He plummeted back to the ground, crash-landing in a bush. Surprisingly, he had time enough to remove himself from the bush before he was beset by the enemy. For whatever reason, the four Miasma changelings were frozen in fear, staring at something. Something behind him. When the Honeycomb changeling turned to share in their sight, fear overcame him as well. "C-Chrysalis!?"

The Chrysalis matriarch stepped over the golden-backed changeling, paying absolutely no heed to his fright at her presence. Her burning gaze was fixated upon the four of the Miasma hive before her. It would be some time more until she could bathe her horn in Miasma's blood, but for now, her children would have to suffice. This would be enjoyable. An angry flame danced to life around the queen's horn.

Unlike their hivemate's encounter with Ambrosia, the four soldiers wasted no time in readying their wings for escape. As soon as they did so, Chrysalis knew her target. Her child had lost his wings; she could not get them back, but her enemy's children would know the same pain. A lone burst of magic leapt from her gnarled horn. At her will, the eight wings of the soldiers lit themselves with an arcane flame. The transparent membranes burned readily, forcing their owners to their knees. Chrysalis could have slain them instantly, but her hate for Miasma kept them alive. Kept them suffering. Death would not come to them until she let it.

While her magic was at work consuming the soldiers' wings it was also busy burning four of the surrounding branches down to lethal points in preparation for target practice. With time, the screams of the soldiers waned. They had outlived what little usefulness the changeling queen had placed upon them. A magic ring that was far more constricting than it should have been appeared around each of their throats, lifting them into the air, where she bestowed them some parting words. "When you get to Tartarus, do give Arnyx my regards." she hissed. The magic choking the enemy changelings flung them backwards onto the branches.

When Chrysalis turned to leave her defeated prey, she froze. Never did she expect to have those pheromones cross her senses. Not here. Not now. The queen's shock was short-lived. She flew after the familiar scents, fearing she would be too late. What she came across nearly proved her fears true. No!

A changeling lay, unmoving and bloodied, on the forest floor before her. It was not a question of whether or not he was still alive; Chrysalis knew he was. It was his coloring. This was her child. Her eyes moved swiftly to take in the rest of the scene. Five more of her children stared down a trio of Honeycomb soldiers. Any anger she might have had toward the yellow-backed changelings was overshadowed by the desire to protect her own. She had to draw their attention. "Quickly! Flee!"

In the time that all eyes were fixed upon her, the Honeycomb changelings saw what she had done and fled into the trees.

"Damn it! You let them escape!"

Chrysalis flinched as five pairs of hate-filled eyes were trained upon her. The wound Sylph's departure had left upon her heart was still uncomfortably raw. Her instinctual reaction was the same. "Therax! Mind your tone! That was done for your own good!"

"Save it, you useless hag! Miasma gave us orders to follow her soldiers against the Honeycomb hive. You would dare to bar us from our task!?"

"Has Miasma succeeded in deluding you so much that you have forgotten the odds against you!? How do you expect to emerge victorious against Ambrosia within her own hive!? You would be slaughtered!"

"Why would you choose now to concern yourself with our lives when your previous actions so carelessly threw us aside?

"I am well aware of my mistakes and I know enough to tell you that if you choose to continue with this assault, your lives will be forfeit. If you wish to walk free from this hive, you will heed my words and stand down." she snarled.

After a bout of visual debate between the queen and her child, Therax nodded. "Very well. I will respect such a request, but only out of my desire to live." he replied coldly.

The matriarch sighed inwardly. "How many from the hive accompanied you?"

"Our group numbered twenty in total. We five, along with Infiltrator Polen, were selected from the group to lead the attack upon the hive."

"And what of the others?" Chrysalis did her best to keep the urgency from her voice.

"You no longer stand as my queen and I am under no obligation to address that question."

The female changeling could already hear her angry reply in her mind, even before Therax had finished speaking. However, to put voice to it would accomplish nothing. Chrysalis swallowed her words and knelt beside the injured Polen. While his injuries had inflicted enough pain to render him unconscious, they were far from life-threatening and could be mended easily. The changeling mother looked about once more. "Remain with me until all of Miasma's children have been slain. You may then return to the hive if you so choose."

"And Polen?"

"His wounds are too serious to allow him to travel. I will tend to them. When he is of able strength I...shall inform him of what has transpired. If he chooses, he may return to the hive at that time as well."

"No. The rest of our party will tend to him. He will not stay so you can poison his mind with your lies. He comes with us."

The furious, fang-bearing snarl that Chrysalis turned to her approaching child halted him in his tracks, causing him to flinch away. "He. Stays. Your words will not convince me otherwise."

"Understood." Therax muttered at length.

The queen gave no further words to her soldier. A gentle green light fell from her horn to bathe Polen's body with an identical glow. In response to this healing spell, the wounds leaking the changeling's blood out onto his carapace closed. That blood that had already escaped evaporated away in a small cloud of steam. His sealed wounds were then treated with precise applications of nectar from the queen's legs. That was all she could do. Any further healing would have to be done on his own time.

Each Honeycomb changeling that was able to return to the trees thanks to the efforts of Ambrosia and her centurion dulled the chaos and swung the conflict in their favor. As the minutes passed, the clamor of battle surrounding Chrysalis and her children gradually died away.

There was one final scream and then silence. Chrysalis waited several minutes to make sure the silence remained. "That was the last of Miasma's spawn. Follow me from the hive. Once we are without its boundaries, the five of you make haste to the rest of your party, before Ambrosia-"

Chrysalis nearly walked straight into the snout of the Honeycomb mother as she swung down from the branch reaching over the other queen's path. "Before I what, Chryssi?"

"Ah!" The startled matriarch's elytra twitched as she closed her wings from the alarm. "Air-headed idiot..." she hissed under her breath. "Miasma sent my children as part of the attack upon your hive. I kept-"

Ambrosia's yellow-green eyes lit up with excitement before Chrysalis could finish speaking. "Ooh! Can I pull their wings out too? I wanna see if they shake like Sylph-"

"Touch one more of my children and I will tear your wings out." the emerald-eyed changeling growled. "As I was saying, I prevented my children from taking the lives of any of yours. I merely wish safe passage for them back to the rest of their party."

The upside-down changeling shook her head, her mane bouncing around comically. "Can't do that."

"And why not?"

"Becauuuuse...they're right here." At Ambrosia's nod, a group of her children headed by Seayr stepped from the trees. In the center of this group were the other fourteen changelings Therax had spoken of. "We found them just outside the hive."

Chrysalis' motherly instincts rose to the top once more, peeling her lips back in a snarl. "Ambrosia, if you so much as laid a hoof upon any of them, I will choke you on your own blood."

Seayr stepped forward, fangs bared in defense of his queen. "Mind your tongue, witch! Remember which hive you stand in."

The glare Chrysalis had focused on Ambrosia was turned to the centurion. "And you mind yours, whelp. The day has not yet come when I shall let the hive I stand within decide my words."

"Today's just not your day for dealing with centurions, is it, Chryssi?" Ambrosia giggled, dropping from her branch.

"Leave Sylph out of this. Now answer me. Have you harmed my children?"

"No." she replied, puffing out her cheeks in a small pout. "They're fine. It's not like they were actually doing anything. They were just sort of sitting there, waiting."

"Then release them. They have committed no crimes against your hive."

Ambrosia nodded. "That's true. They haven't. But they have." She pointed past the rival queen to the group of five behind her. "You said that they were part of Miasma's attack force, right?"

"I did, yes. But I also stated that I prevented them from killing any of your own."

"They came with the intent though. I don't really think they would have stopped if you hadn't done it for them."

"What do you stand to gain from detaining them further?" Chrysalis shot back. "And before you even think about wasting any breath on 'pulling out their wings,' know this. I have nothing left to lose. You do not. If you detain my children and then proceed to harm them in front of me, I assure you that I will take as many of your children from you as I can before you finally kill me." The tension between the two queens was so taut that every changeling, even Seayr, had fallen silent for fear of setting it off. "Your choice."

Ambrosia coolly held the fiery eyes of the opposing matriarch. No words were shared between them, but they were communicating nonetheless. "Very well. Seayr, let them go. Escort them to the edge of our territory and make sure they leave. Don't harm them. Not unless they refuse to leave quietly."

Chrysalis nodded to her own children in turn. "Do as she says and do not give Seayr any trouble." Any sort of eye contact between the queen and her departing children was avoided. She didn't need any more of that pain today. Instead, she and Ambrosia continued with their ultimatums. "Polen will remain here, under my care, until he is fit to travel once more."

"On one condition." Ambrosia corrected. "You won't be taking shelter within my hive. Choose a tree just outside its boundaries."

It was nowhere near Chrysalis' nature to submit to the conditions of others, but with an injured child under her wing, she was willing to make a reluctant exception. "As you wish. We shall discuss the plans to deal with Miasma at a later time."

"Agreed."

It was no challenge for the exiled queen to locate a branch adequate enough to support both her and her patient. Rather, the challenge came with the arrival of the moon. This was the second night in a row that sleep had not come to her. Her need for rest fought doggedly with the need to watch Polen and ensure his recovery. The amnesty that Ambrosia had granted her gave her a slight peace of mind. With that knowledge, the queen drifted into a light doze.

She was almost immediately roused by a crashing through the foliage, followed by a "Get back here, intruder! We told you to stay out of Honeycomb territory!"

"Oof! Get off of me! I'm only looking for my queen! I don't care about your damned hive!"

Even drowsy and exhausted, Chrysalis instantly identified the voice. "Kytin?"

Author's Note

Howdy, howdy, howdy folks!

This time on Love Lost, a bit of a history lesson. As some of you may or may not know, my username hails from the four years I spent writing Pokemon fiction. Four years that brought me to this point. Four years that essentially shaped my queen headcanons. That is to say, the mother not afraid to kill for the safety of her children. It is my favorite character trope and that's why you see it in each of the queens, albeit in varying degrees.

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

*Speaking of Pokemon, if any of you in the audience have X/Y and are on the hunt for Friend Codes, hit me up via PM and I'd be happy to oblige.

13 - When the Queen is Away

As adept as changelings are at organizing and executing small, covert operations, there are those missions that call for far larger parties. In rare instances, both queen and centurion must exit the hive to devote their efforts to the movement. The Chrysalis hive's assault on Canterlot was one such instance.

When both a queen and centurion centurion are absent, it is customary for the queen to appoint a temporary second-in-command to act within this absence. To be entrusted with the resposibilities of such an important position by the very queen is an honor superceded only by recieving the title of centurion itself.

As such, Kytin wore this mantle with the utmost pride. Even with this heavy of a burden upon him, the soldier found himself completely engrossed with one task above all others. He sat upon the balcony just outside his mother's throne room. From there, he could see all that happened within the hive, yet his gaze remained fixed upon the entrance tunnel, waiting for any sort of news to step through it. It was only fitting that his pupilless eyes would be the first to see those entering, even before the two guards posted on either side of the passage.

His wings a blur, Kytin nimbly hopped from branch to branch down to the hive floor. He broke into a dead sprint toward the new arrivals, hailing them the instant he drew within earshot. "Karrin! What are you doing here!? You were part of the attacking party! Where is Her Majesty?"

There was a hesitation that slowed Karrin's response. "I...do not know."

"What kind of answer is that!? What happened in Canterlot!?"

The very words were bitter upon his tongue, but Karrin forced them from his mouth anyway. "Her Majesty...was discovered."

The solemnly delivered news slapped Kytin in the face. For a changeling queen to be discovered was...unheard of. It just didn't happen. For as long as he had been shocked into silence, only one word found its way from Kytin's mouth. "What?"

"The assumption, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, was freed."

"How!?" Kytin's disbelief had reduced his vocabulary to one-word sentences.

"It was this one damned purple unicorn." Karrin snarled "She pulled apart the entire invasion and freed our target. Every single changeling in Canterlot was thrown across the horizon by the retaliation."

"All of them?"

Karrin rounded on his shorter hivemate, fangs bared. "What in Tartarus didn't you understand? This attack on Canterlot was nothing more than an utter failure! How could I make any of this up!?"

"'A failure?'" Kytin echoed. "Impossible! Every last bit of intelligence you and Polen gathered was perfect! The planting! the switch! Everything was executed flawlessly!"

"I know. But what do we have to show for that work?" The soldier sighed dejectedly and began trudging away. "Nothing..."

Kytin made to start after the other changeling, but movement from farther down the tunnel caught the corner of his eye first. He immediately galloped to meet the new arrival. "Vetan! What happened?"

"Timberwolves happened..." he gasped, most of his energy spent in keeping himself upright with only three legs.

"Is that injury troubling you?" Kytin asked, eyeing the pair of fang wounds bright upon his hivemate's shoulder.

"Not really. I've made it this far... It should be fine with some proper attention."

"Very well. Rest up and regain your strength. We need as many available bodies as we can manage. I want you out in tommorow’s rescue party. "

After some quiet hesitation, Vetan nodded slowly. "Sure..." he agreed, exhaustion reducing his answer to a dull monotone.

"You want him to what!? Are you out of your damned mind!?"

Kytin turned to find the owner of the angered voice standing above him. "I beg your pardon, Karrin?"

"You want us to go back out there?" The taller changeling gestured down the tunnel to the forest beyond. "In case you haven't noticed, Vetan is down to three legs! If you send him back out, what do you think the odds of him coming back are? We were lucky to escape the timberwolves the first time!"

The other Chrysalis soldier said nothing, though Karrin could very clearly see the weight of his hivemate's decision within his eyes. "I...know. But what do you think our odds of survival without a queen are? We must find Her Majesty. Sylph too."

"Our odds couldn't possibly be any worse than when she was already on the throne. The only reason we have come to this point, just barely scraping by, is because of her decisions. A new hive, hundreds of our own slain, and now this failure? Forget it. I'm staying inside the hive."

"Hold it!" Kytin hooked a hoof over Karrin's shoulder and spun him back around. "Keep that tone out of your mouth! Those orders were for the hive's best interests and you know it! Dammit, Karrin! I don't want to pull rank on you but, so help me, you will be out searching for Her Majesty in tommorow’s party. I was the one that was made centurion in Sylph's absence and until he returns, it is my orders that you will be following! Have I made myself clear, soldier?"

Karrin held his officer's gaze for a moment before answering. "Crystal..." he finally muttered, turning away.

Kytin shook his head. "How have things fallen this far?" he mouthed. A long sigh escaped his lungs. Everything would be all right. He just needed to relax. The overly fragrant vapors tickling his senses were rather helpful; so much so that the soldier hardly gave pause to their origin.

The instant he stepped back into the hive proper, the gurgle of one's last breath taken through their bleeding throat hit Kytin's ears. He spun around to face the auxilary tunnel the noise had come from to see the only thing that could have possibly made such a day worse. A swarm of amethyst-backed changelings poured from the now unguarded tunnel entrance.

An order instantly flew from the soldier’s mouth. “Miasma soldiers have slain the guard at the auxiliary tunnel! Quickly! Garrison the entrance and secure the hive! Don't let any of them through…” Just as quickly as he had launched into the command, Kytin trailed off. Something wasn’t right here. What was odd was that the normally aggressive changelings, aside from offing the soldier standing guard at the tunnel's mouth, moved no further than the half-circle that they had created. Before he could even bare his fangs at the foreign soldiers, Kytin saw the reason for their tactic make herself known. The already overpowering incense fumes became even more so. Following the oppressive perfumes down the tunnel was a tall silhouette that slowly melted into the matriarch of the enemy hive, Queen Miasma.

She strode up to the line of her soldiers and paused, her voluminous mane swaying about slowly from the change in momentum. Her eyes sparkled with barely contained mirth as they moved across the mass of changelings beginning to gather opposite her soldiers. It was some time before she spoke, but when she did, her voice was one of a haughty champion. "I expected very little resistance from the hive of a failure such as Chrysalis, but to lay out such a welcome for your new queen... I suppose I should be flattered. Nevertheless, it is a start to my praises. Now then, my new subjects, make way for the queen you should have."

A furious snarl appeared on Kytin's mouth at the remark and he sprang for the enemy queen, his fangs out for blood.

Even faster than Kytin's lunge was the lunge of the armored changeling at the queen's side. Before he could even blink, Kytin found himself flat against the ground, a hoof painfully standing upon his throat and the gleaming fangs of Miasma's centurion mere inches from his eyes.

A condescending smile crossed the matriarch's lips. "Oh! I have spoken too quickly! It seems that there is still some resistance within this excuse of a hive. We shall see what can be done about that..." Without waiting for an answer, the queen opened her wings to soar across the mass of changelings, up to the balcony. "A crude excuse for a throne, but it will do." She twirled to address the gathering crowd of both her own children and of Chrysalis'. The mere sight of the success beneath her spurned an elated giggle. "Oh, Chrysalis, how you are missing out! You really should be here! Do any of those present know where your mother is? She should be here to share in this joy! Where is she?"

Understandably, none were too eager to provide an answer to such a question and silence reigned upon the hive floor for a good while. Finally, one voice, tiny against the extreme stillness, spoke up. "She isn't here."

"Just as I had thought! The failure of a queen is also a failure of a mother! Abandoning her own children to seek the conquest of Canterlot! What an absurd notion! And yet, I cannot say that it surprises me." As Miasma's speech fell to her onlookers, she kept her eyes moving across the crowd. One changeling in particular caught her attention. His slight nodding and that...look of serious contemplation suggested he shared the same views as she. Interesting... "Chrysalis has never been one for...intelligent decisions, shall we say. It was only a matter of time before one of her foolish endeavors finally destroyed all she had wrought!" Another giggle found its way from the queen's mouth. Everything had worked perfectly. "How fortunate for you that I should be here to pick up the pieces!" Not all changelings present were as jovial about this turn of events as Miasma. A good number of Chrysalis soldiers within her audience were beginning to voice their disapproval with the odd snarl or hiss of anger. "Enough about the failure that is Chrysalis; do those of you before me choose to willingly cast aside the shame your mother has brought upon you and your hive and accept the rule of a true changeling queen?"

There was no silence this time. A lone voice, this one far more adamant than the last, rose to Miasma on the balcony. "No. The soldiers of your hive have caused us no end of difficulty through the years. You arrive to our hive, uninvited and unwanted, and would ask us to so quickly cast aside our rightful queen and mother? I would never submit to you!"

A contented smile pulled itself over Miasma's features. She mouthed no words to form a reply. Instead, her iridescent elytra clicked once, twice, three times in rapid succession. As the third click rang out above the group, the three of her children closest to the loyalist fell upon him with a vehement enthusiasm.

The soldier's screams of agony as he was rent apart by the the Miasma changelings crashed against Kytin's eardrums. Though at a distance, he could all too clearly tell what was happening. The enemy attacks were not aimed to kill, but rather to damage and maim. The sight of his hivemate's blood so easily spilled was maddening. Kytin squirmed furiously under Arnyx's hoof, desperate to help. "Tennae! Quickly, free him!"

The centurion's hoof fell hard against the back of Kytin's head, cracking his chin upon the stony ground. "Silence, runt!"

No sooner had six soldiers begun moving to assist their hivemate than Miasma barked out an order to counter Kytin's. "Seize them at once!"

Each of the half dozen Chrysalis soldiers was immediately detained by a pair of Miasma's children. The queen nodded to her soldiers and they began shoving their prey into a rough line in front of the crowd. The buzz of Miasma's wings was heard as she drifted to the hive floor, landing before the crude lineup. She paced up and down the line of changelings several times, watching the fear in their eyes and savoring every moment of it. More than once, she would stop before a soldier and stare at him, just to see his eventual reaction.

Collective breaths were let out as the changeling queen finally turned away from the captives.

"Alin. Steran. Step forward." she murmured, her voice deathly calm.

"No! Let me go!"

Miasma whirled, cracking her hoof against the soldier's jaw. When he finally returned his eyes to those of the matriarch, his blood turned to ice.

"Loyalty to an officer of Chrysalis is just as unforgivable as loyalty to the failure herself. I will see that your punishment is befitting for your crime."

"W-what are you-"

There were no words to describe the cry of raw agony that tore from his comrade's throat, though Kytin had seen what had caused it.

Mid-sentence, Miasma's magic wrapped itself around the soldier's head. The flame about the queen's crooked horn sparked once, ripping both of his fangs from his jaw, root and all.

The two purple-backed changelings stepped away, letting the Chrysalis soldier struggle to remain upright against the blinding pain searing through him. Just as he collapsed, the queen's magic again reached out to him, this time encircling his throat.

He was carried up to the female's eye level, where she studied the two bleeding holes that had been his fangs moments before. A slight snarl crossed her lips, presumably at the sight of his bloody grimace. Her eyes hardened ever so slightly.

The soldier's body tensed with shock as a painfully audible snap removed half of his elytra. Instinct opened his mouth to scream, but the spell constricting his neck reduced it to a pathetic gurgle. Another convulsion wracked his body when Miasma pulled off the other half of his wing case. With his wings fully exposed, the matriarch took it upon herself to remove these too, as slowly and as painfully as possible.

As each appendage of his was torn from him, the helpless soldier protested less and less; his body was starting to give up. Miasma knew this too but was not finished with him. She had yet one more punishment planned. She retrieved the discarded four-inch fangs. These were carefully repositioned near the soldier's mouth, just under their former home. Queen Miasma's horn flashed but once and replaced the soldier's fangs - upside down.

He convulsed once more and went completely limp. The magic holding him aloft vanished leaving his horribly torn body to fall to the ground in a crumpled heap. The female changeling looked over her children one last time.

Kytin knew the exact words that were coming from Miasma's mouth, but still dreaded them all the same.

"Slaughter them."

"No!" The sight of the enemy queen literally taking apart his hivemate, not even allowing him to scream... Kytin could not bear to watch the same gruesome spectacle five times more.

Arnyx sensed his prey's understandable reluctance and a terrifying smile crossed his lips. He planted one hoof squarely against the back of Kytin's neck, allowing the soldier just enough air to breathe. One of the holes in his other leg was hooked around his victim's horn. The centurion uncomfortably pulled Kytin's head from the ground up to his mouth. "Pay attention, runt." he hissed.

Seeing as much of his breath was devoted to keeping himself alive and thus not available for a retort, Kytin defiantly squeezed his eyes shut. Arnyx didn't care for such an answer. The pinned soldier felt the centurion's hoof dig even harder into his neck. At the same time, the armored changeling heaved backwards upon his quarry's head until he heard a single ragged cough; the very point where Kytin could no longer breathe. The soldier’s eyes remained shut for a moment more. His imagination was already running wild. He hardly wanted to see what was actually happening. Yet, the hoof slowly choking the life from him didn’t afford too many options. Tentatively, he opened his eyes, only to have sickened awe open them wider.

Wings, horns, all manner of teeth and his hivemates' blood flew everywhere. Kytin saw everything in slowed, grisly detail. All the while, tears burned hot in the soldier's eyes. Tears of absolute rage born from his complete and utter helplessness. As the last of the soldiers' mutilated bodies collapsed upon the hive floor, Kytin finally snapped. He began thrashing like a fish caught on a hook. One of his wildly flailing limbs caught Arnyx a heavy blow upon his chin, swatting him away. The smaller changeling took advantage of the centurion's surprise and was away towards Miasma like a shot. "You bitch! I'll tear out your throat with my own fangs!"

Arnyx's surprise was short-lived and he was soon after the Chrysalis soldier, outpacing him for the second time today. His fangs found their mark in Kytin's back leg. A heave of the centurion's head swung the other changeling from his hooves and slammed him head-first into a particularly large rock on the hive floor. Arnyx was instantly back in his prey's face, fangs on full display. "That was the worst thing you could have possibly done..."

Despite the angry centurion's hot breath pressing itself into his face, Kytin's squirming continued unabated. "Wait until Her Majesty Chrysalis returns! She'll mount your throat on her-ghkk!" The crack of Arnyx' hoof against his jaw effectively silenced him, though Kytin's pale blue eyes remained hard. The newfound blood within his mouth was promptly spit back into the centurion's face, earning his shoulder a painful stab from the other changeling's horn.

"Petulant little brat!" Arnyx kicked the smaller creature in his chin, knocking his head back into the stony ground.

The sounds of the two battling changelings echoed throughout the hive, falling upon the ears of the visiting matriarch, interrupting her speech. She calmed her irritated wings long enough for them to carry her to the hive floor.

Kytin's stubbornness had finally broken Arnyx's temper and the centurion had resorted to brutally kicking the prone soldier in a fruitless attempt to dull the adamant gleam in his eyes. He stopped only when a bolt of concussive magic exploded against his flank and sent him to the ground.

"That's awfully big of a centurion, mindlessly beating a pinned soldier like that."

Kytin coughed. "V-Vetan?"

"Two soldiers standing against a centurion of the Miasma hive? Very well. I shall tear the two of you apart!" Before he had a chance to strike, Arnyx was eased aside by a gentle hoof.

"Do not trouble yourself, my child. The stubbornness these two have inherited from Chrysalis is broken by one thing only."

The same murderous magic that had taken their hivemates clenched the necks of the two Chrysalis soldiers. That would have been their end, were it not for a familiar voice.

"Queen Miasma, your Majesty? A moment, if I may?"

Kytin recognized the voice instantly. You traitorous swine! You wouldn't dare!

The matriarch paused, surprised at the civil, respectful voice. Curious, she glanced over her shoulder to find its owner. "Oh? And who might you be?"

"Karrin, your Majesty." he replied, taking a short bow.

"Well, Karrin, if you truly wish to place yourself within my good graces, know that I am not overly fond of interruptions. Make your point with haste."

"I do apologize for the interruption, your Majesty, but I can now see that yours is the leadership that this hive needs, quite unlike my two poor excuses for hivemates. They are...quite insistent upon their old loyalties. Why not let them test if such loyalty is enough to keep them alive?"

Another short pause. “You have my attention.” she replied, returning the pair to the ground.

"Nightfall is in a few hours. Timberwolves begin their hunting at nightfall."

"Hmmm... I do appreciate creative punishments. However...to let two changelings walk free is far too many."

"You go, Kytin." Vetan offered. "I am injured enough as it is."

"Oh no. Both of you will be going. After some 'adjustments.' Answer something for me, Karrin. These timberwolves, do they enjoy the scent of blood?"

"One would assume so."

"Then it is settled. We wouldn't want you to hide that wonderful scent, now would we?"

Forced by the queen's cruel magic, Vetan's horn snapped at its base, sending him to the ground in pain.

Kytin immediately jumped to his brother's side to help him stand. "How dare you!?"

"And as for you, I have had enough of your mouth."

"Please, your Majesty, allow me." Arnyx shoved Kytin away from his hivemate, pinning him with a hoof to his chest. His other hoof forced the changeling's mouth open. A magenta aura surrounded the centurion's horn, shortly doing the same to Kytin's fangs.

One sharp yank later and the soldier let out a guttural snarl as his fangs were savagely torn from his mouth by their roots.

"You have the use of your magic, but never again will your fangs taste blood. Your hivemate has use of his fangs, but no magic with which to hide himself. Each of you is one half of a whole changeling. Seeing as you are so intent on defending each other, go ahead!"

With Kytin supporting his crippled brother, the pair trudged from the hive, shown out by the jeers and laughter of Miasma and her children. Above all else they heard the victorious laughter of their hivemate Karrin.

"Get back here, intruder! We told you to stay out of Honeycomb territory!"

"Oof! Get off of me! I'm only looking for my queen! I don't care about your damned hive!"

A heavy creaking sounded from the branches above the two changelings. "Kytin?"

The prone soldier cracked a dark smile, the pale moonlight revealing his lack of fangs.

Tremors shook the ground underneath the two creatures, immediately followed by a deathly cold snarl. "Step away from him…”

Only a fool would invoke the wrath of Queen Chrysalis and face her alone. Ambrosia's child smartly backed away and left Kytin to return to his hooves.

"It is a relief to see you alive and well, your Majesty."

The first thing any mother notices upon her children is injury. "I would extend the same to you, Kytin, but it is evident that you are far from well. Where did you come by such wounds?"

"It...is a long story, your Majesty."

A caring hoof tilted Kytin's head back, to which he responded by opening his mouth. Chrysalis carefully inspected the two vacancies amidst the rest of his teeth. "I would very much desire to know why my child has been stripped of his fangs. I shall make the time."

"Very well." Kytin sighed.

His queen's reaction to his story was very much what Kytin expected. The tale of the mistreatment of her children had made her absolutely livid, but still she managed to hold her tongue.

"Vetan and I were able to protect each other for several days, but before long he grew too weak to continue. I remained with him until nightfall of that day. We heard the call of an injured timberwolf. The others that we had been eluding moved to respond to such a cry. That was when Vetan insisted I leave. He was sure he would only slow me down. I wanted to stay with him, your Majesty, I truly did."

"I would not have asked you to stay and risk your life too. That is not a responsibility you need shoulder, Kytin."

"But, your Majesty, who knows what could have happened to him?"

"He is no longer suffering." the queen answered simply, moving on from the subject. "I am merely relieved to see that there is still one of my children to carry faith in me."

"'One?' What of Sylph? Has he been...slain?" The words were slow from Kytin's mouth as if their very pronunciation was poisonous.

"I would hope upon hope that he is not, but I cannot rightfully say. We have gone our separate ways. He no longer wished to carry his helm."

"After all his service? How could he make such a decision?"

"Therein is the answer, Kytin. It was his decision. I cannot force respect from Sylph, no more than I could from you or Karrin."

"Speaking of Karrin, what do you plan to do concerning his treason?"

"There is nothing to do. He will always be my child, that shall not change. The decision to follow Miasma is his own. If nothing else, he is one more reason to strangle the life from that vain bitch."

"You really find that a fitting punishment for her greed, don't you?"

A new set of pheromones crossed the queen's senses at the same time the voice reached her ears. She instinctively placed herself between Kytin and the sapphire-backed changeling appearing from the bushes. "Though foolish, I do commend you for approaching a queen undetected."

"Nice of you to finally show, Vesci." Kytin quipped.

"In enemy territory and approaching not one, but two queens; I thought it best to cover my tracks, unlike your reckless charge."

A thin hiss leaked from the queen's throat. "Be mindful of how you speak of my child before me. I suggest you make good with the information you seem to be holding."

"Let me begin by asking you something. How highly do you regard your own life when held in comparison to those of your children?"

The changeling matriarch's emerald eyes moved to look upon both Kytin and the unconscious Polen. "Your point stands." she replied, returning her gaze to Vesci. "Continue."

"As I thought, your lust for revenge has blinded you to the triviality of your so-called plan. To take the queen from the children is a blow hardly felt. But, take the children from the queen and you ensure that her suffering knows no end. I do digress, though. I am sure you are already well aware of both sides of this, are you not?"

A long stare passed between the two changelings. She would never admit it, but Chrysalis knew that Vesci knew what was passing behind her eyes. Hagfish changelings were extremely good at that.

"Her Majesty Queen Myxine has devised a price that Miasma must pay for her excessive greed. Her hive will be flooded, utilizing the sewer system that run alongside its tunnels. Even as we speak, the operation is already well underway."

Chrysalis remained silent. These were not options she had considered. Kytin's recounting had infuriated her. Now, more than ever, did she want to see the enemy queen dead before her. And yet... To even imagine Miasma bearing the same searing pain she had been carrying for so long was indescribably satisfying.

"You have convinced me. Miasma will live to know the death of her entire hive." And as soon as she does, I will see that she lies dead before me.

Author's Note

Good evening, folks!

Tonight's installment is brought to you by an idea that Carni gave to me. We knew that Miasma had overtaken the hive but not what had happened when she did so. Needless to say, things got a little...bloody.

Fun Fact: My headcanon has always thought Kytin shorter than his hivemates, though I've never actually written it.

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

14 - The Other Queen Comes Over to Play

Metal ground against asphalt as one particular cover slowly tilted open, allowing just enough space for a set of glowing purple eyes to peer out from the darkness underneath. Their owner swung them to the left and to the right, both plotting out a path and making sure the coast was clear.

Fortunately, Manehattan had been swathed under night's starry blanket for a good few hours. The odd streetlamp flickered erratically, its glow tinged yellow from the glass long overdue for cleaning. Any walking under it would no doubt appreciate the little bit of light and yet there was not a soul to be found.

In a movement faster than the untrained eye could see, the sewer cover tilted back a few inches more and a shadow jumped from the pit below. Its rapid movement didn't cease until it had found another clump of darkness in the nearby alleyway. The lighter pieces of litter behind the trash can chosen as shelter shifted from the shadow's arrival. The dark creature waited but a moment to assure himself that his flight had gone unnoticed.

When sufficiently confident enough, the changeling stepped away from the metal cylinder and further into the dark alleyway. The Miasma soldier moved as silently as the shadow he resembled. The narrow brick corridors between the countless Manehattan buildings were his second home and he knew them just as well as his first.

Thus far, every stop the soldier made to glance out onto the sidewalk had only served to prove the streets completely empty. After the sixth pause, the changeling bared his fangs in a silent hiss of frustration. Six stops and not a damn thing! Most hunts usually weren't this monotonous. Fed up, he finally trudged back into the darkness.

"C'mon, Velvet, put that list down and hear me out."

"I don't want to hear it, Strap. I told you before we left that this trip was strictly business. Nothing more."

The new voices had not yet finished ringing against the changeling's ears before he was back at the alley's corner. He chanced one swift look around the wall to identify his prey.

Yellow earth pony, lavender unicorn. His quick eyes took in the entire scene, letting him slip back into hiding in mere seconds. The mare carrying the list... She's already distracted. I'll take the earth pony.

Fully engrossed in their respective interests, the two ponies continued down the sidewalk, unaware of the danger that each step brought them closer to.

The conversation passed his hiding spot...and the soldier struck like lightning. One hoof went around the yellow stallion's neck, the other his mouth, ripping him from his companion's side. Without missing a beat, the Miasma soldier spun his prey to face him. A hypnosis spell flashed from the changeling's pupilless eyes.

No control of his mind meant no control of his limbs. A pile of trash provided the earth pony's limp body with a cushioned, if rather unsanitary, landing. The changeling studied the unconscious heap to better assume his appearance. One more spell disguised the soldier's black carapace under this very same appearance. "Thanks for the face," he snickered, unable to resist a victorious jeer. "I'll bring it back shortly." The fake pony slipped from the shadowed corridor and trotted off in pursuit of his other victim. This time, subtlety was thrown to the wind. The instant he came within hoof's reach, the mare was twisted around to face the hypnosis spell emanating from his eyes. The changeling’s extremely forward assault would have been flawless, were it not for the unseen witness behind him.

Whump!

A blinding flash went off in the back of the Miasma's soldier's head and he hit the cement like a wet sack.

"Wh-what happened?" Freed from the hypnosis spell, the unicorn mare staggered backwards, shaking her head. "Who are you-" she added upon catching sight of the newly arrived unicorn stallion.

"Walk away." the gray pony ordered. "Find your friend." No qualms were given in the face of such a rigid command. The mare backed away slowly before finally turning and sprinting down the sidewalk.

So far, everything has gone according to plan and the full moon should be directly overhead... Disguised eyes were turned skyward. Right on time.

Any plan expected to succeed requires two things above all else; careful preparations and a leader capable of seeing these preparations through to fruition. Blackfin's recent incursion into the Miasma hive fulfilled both of these conditions. The five soldiers with him were well aware of their objective, but one final debriefing was in order. Once they entered the enemy hive, there would be no further opportunities for questions.

Blackfin was the first one onto the beach. One look around verified that he was indeed alone upon the sand. He gave a subtle nod that summoned the rest of his party from the rolling surf. "Listen up. This is Miasma territory under our hooves, so I shall keep this brief. This is a terminal strike; every last Miasma soldier within the enemy's hive must be slain. Our task is to sabotage six key points in the sewer system and bottleneck all activity to the main chamber for Queen Myxine's arrival, before which she will seal her entry point."

During his speech, Blackfin's magic had been sketching out a rudimentary map of several city blocks. "These five points will be your access to the hive." The changeling pointed in turn to five small circles etched in the sand. "The tunnels at these points have collapsed and fallen into disuse. They will no doubt be deserted, but in the instance that you come across any of the enemy, slay them quickly and quietly. You are not to spill a single drop of blood. This strike must be made to appear as an accident. Once you have broken the line, proceed to the main chamber to assist with the final eradication. I will sabotage the main line, located here. This will introduce the greatest volume of water into the main chamber. Are your tasks clear?"

"Crystal!"

"Excellent. Miasma's soldiers will be on the streets hunting at this time. Each of you are to locate one of them; eliminate him and assume his pheromones and appearance. Be swift, I want you in the tunnels before the moon reaches its highest point. Good luck. May Her Majesty's favor be with us."

Each of the five soldiers flashed themselves into the guise of an average pony. Blackfin watched as they galloped away toward the Manehattan skyline. Finally, he glanced up at the light of the full moon to note the time. His own disguise, a gray unicorn stallion, followed soon after.

All right, this is the entrance that Blackfin marked. A blue aura took hold of the round cover that was the doorway to the fetid pit below. Near total darkness enveloped the Hagfish soldier once the lid grated back into place. As the harsh metallic sound faded away down the corridor, the only sound left to the changeling's ears was the sloppy gurgling of the sludgy muck flowing alongside the narrow walkway. Never once had the soldier wished to discover where the children of Miasma had gotten their signature odor and now that he had seen it, never would he wish to smell it again. A quick swallow suppressed the sour bile rising in the back of his throat.

His steps down the walkway were slow and methodical. He walked upon a knife's edge; every hoofstep carried with it the potential to unravel the whole of his mission. Any sound that was not his own froze the soldier in his tracks. All the while, he kept his eyes trained upon a dim magenta glow leaking from a wall far in the darkness. The closer the changeling got to this glow, the closer his belly came to the ground, until it brushed against the slimy, mildewed masonry. An exasperated tone halted him at the edge of the crude hole.

"We haven't used this tunnel in years. What exactly am I to be repairing again?"

"Her Majesty wants all of the sewer lines properly sealed and repaired. She does not want to return to a flooded hive. Do you hear those drips? It is because we haven't used this tunnel in years that you hear them. Get that line repaired at once."

Sewer line... The Hagfish soldier looked around the gloom until finding the source of the spoken of drips. A massive pipe hung from the ceiling, the bolts holding it together rusted and worn from the years of exposure to the disgusting humidity of its home. At intervals one could keep time with, a single drop of water squeezed from the rusted joints to hit the ground with a wet plink!

"Really?"

"Not my orders. Get to it."

"Fine..."

Soft hoofsteps, along with an unintelligible grumbling, floated to the waiting ears of the Hagfish soldier. They became ever louder before the purple-backed owner of both stepped into the dark corridor. The intruder was so close he could have reached out and tapped the other changeling on the shoulder. He went for a slightly more aggressive approach.

In a single fluid move, two hooves went around the neck of the unsuspecting Miasma changeling, a hoof around each of his hind legs, and his attacker's momentum carried them both into the filthy sewer water. The way he had tackled the enemy soldier left the Hagfish intruder in complete control. All his victim could do was flail about with his two forelegs, with the pitch black water ensuring that said flailing was horribly ineffective.

No matter how he twisted or turned, the Miasma changeling remained face down under his attacker. Water was the Hagfish's domain. He knew he was good as dead and yet his inherited stubbornness kept him struggling. In response to this thrashing he felt the hoof around his neck tighten sharply, to which his instinct responded by forcing an involuntary cough from his mouth. It was too dark underwater to see anything, but he could feel his eyelids growing heavy.

Come on, damn you! The sapphire-backed soldier yanked against his prey's neck again. One final stream of bubbles leaked from the Miasma's mouth. He went limp shortly afterwards.

The Hagfish changeling released the dead soldier and bobbed back to the surface. Water streamed off his carapace as he hauled himself from the channel. It took him no time to relocate and mount the pipe that was his target. It vibrated greatly from the pressure of the water rushing through. A blue aura enveloped the weakened flanges, eroding them little by little, until...

Knnnng!

The aged pipe let out one last groan before shearing apart. The newly freed water raced down the tunnel like a wild beast out for blood. The flooding of the Miasma hive had begun.

With both Queen Miasma and Centurion Arnyx away from the hive, acting duty had been passed down to Rutoan. He remained in the main chamber, wherein he could most easily keep tabs on all of the various goings-on. The light tap of a hoof upon his shoulder broke his attention away from the constant milling of activity.

"Rutoan, sir!"

"At ease." The hailed changeling accepted the gesture with a dismissive wave. "Are the repairs of the west tunnels underway?"

"Indeed they are. Just as was ordered."

"Excellent. Report to the eastern tunnels then. Assist in any way you can. The sooner we can get those lines attended to the better."

"Of course. I'm already the-"

Knnnng!

"Hold on soldier, what was that sound?"

No further words were exchanged between the two changelings. Their ears were tuned to any other noises following the curious sound down the tunnel.

"Get back down that tunnel and make sure that pipe is fixed! I don’t want to take any chances!” Rutoan shoved his hivemate back into the tunnel mouth at the same time a massive wall of water came barreling out of it.

It was only thanks to his reflexes that Rutoan was able to dive from the oncoming water, unlike his fellow soldier. "That's what he calls fixed!?" Rutoan hissed. "Damned idiot! What in the name of Tartarus was he doing up there!?"

The newly broken sewer main was indeed putting out a tremendous flow all on its own. However, it was but one of six and the others were about to follow suit.

On the eastern side of the hive, another Hagfish changeling had just dropped into the same darkness. He replaced the sewer cover behind him and looked about the enemy tunnel. It was very much what he had expected; black everywhere and the thick slopping of filthy water providing the only ambient noise. Despite the alien environment, he knew exactly where the pipe would be.

His mere presence in the hive of the enemy gave the soldier every excuse to keep his steps completely silent. The tunnels had been reported disused and empty, but caution was the word of the night. He stuck to every available shadow, moving with the utmost deliberation.

"What a damn waste of my time..."

The Hagfish soldier froze in place at the voice that was obviously Miasma in origin.

"We haven't used this tunnel in years..." the voice muttered. "I don't even know where this damned pipe is..."

A sound other than the voice reached the ears of the concealed soldier. The steady click-click of hoofsteps upon stone. Hoofsteps approaching his position. If there was any time to be utterly silent, it was now. The intruder made one final motion and it was only to press himself as close to the wall as possible. Even the act of breathing was out of the question.

Sewer walkways are notorious for being extremely narrow and even with the Miasma changeling walking along the far edge, there would be just enough room for the two of them. The Hagfish changeling was little more than a slightly misshapen shadow against the damp wall as the hooves of the enemy soldier fell upon the stone a fraction of an inch from his nose.

The purple-backed soldier carried on down the path, muttering to himself and completely unaware of the danger rising to its hooves behind him.

No breaths came from the Hagfish soldier and his heart beat furiously. He had one shot. One mighty heave bashed the side of the unsuspecting soldier's head into the sewer wall. Before he had time to stop reeling from the dazing impact, he was wrestled into the channel, where he disappeared with a thhhp!

Several moments later and a single, sapphire-backed changeling emerged from the channel. He glanced back at the sludgy water. "And stay down." he mouthed. The Hagfish child turned to resume his mission and found himself staring into a set of empty eyes.

Behind these soulless eyes was one of the many frail, emaciated husks that walked amongst the children of the Miasma hive. The skeleton of a pony stared at the intruder blankly, as if sizing up this new changeling before him.

Instinct had dropped the intruding soldier into a fighting stance, wings flared and fangs on full display and yet, the unblinking eyes remained fixed upon him eerily. Mystified, the blue-shelled changeling stood up. Just when I couldn't think any lower of Miasma's hive, I find this dull creature.

For how long it had done absolutely nothing, the husk was the first to break the staring contest. On legs barely strong enough to bear its own weight, the starved, tattered pony turned and began shambling away.

He knew nothing of what was passing through the husk's hypnosis-clouded mind, but Queen Myxine's child knew enough to know that the witness could not be left alive. Yet, there was something that stayed his hoof for an instant. Was it pity? Spent on this...pathetic excuse of a life?

The solid crack! provided by a magically-suspended chunk of concrete put an end to both the husk's servitude and the changeling's hesitation in the same instant. Keeping this sack of bones alive just to feed your lust for power... Disgusting.

With no further witnessess or defenders, another of the sewer mains easily fell to the Hagfish incursion.

"Dammit! Was that another one!?"

Back in the hive's main chamber, the water level wasn't the only thing rising. With every tunnel that began spewing water, more and more changelings poured into the chamber. Their panicked attitude spread quickly.

"Calm down, dammit!" Rutoan's shouting was all but drowned out by the rushing water, the rapid buzzing of hundreds of wings, and the general air of chaos. Frustration ground his fangs against one another. Finally, he grabbed one of the many panicking soldiers and shoved him against the wall. "Listen to me!" the temporary centurion roared into his face. "Calm down, or so help me, I'll throw you into that water myself!"

The pinned soldier's eyes remained wide and his words ran fast with fear. "I can't! The hive is flooding! Her Majesty will be furious! We'll all be-AAAAGH!"

Rutoan removed his fangs from his hivemate's shoulder and cuffed the other changeling across his mouth. "Dammit, Tirin! I'll tear you apart if you don't get a hold of yourself! Now get up that tunnel and get that pipe fixed!" The acting centurion's temper paused as he felt something lapping against his hooves. A quick look revealed the sensation to be exactly what he had thought.

The water pooling in the hive's main chamber had grown at a frightening rate, fed by the efforts of the Hagfish changelings in the tunnels. The pool had breached the ledge he was standing on, licking at his hooves. Before his tongue could utter any curses at the climbing water, his eyes spotted a shadow sliding under its murky brown-gray depths. Its movement stopped mere feet from his perch, where it slowly began rising toward the surface.

"That horn... No..."

Like some ancient, majestic beast of the sea, the queen of the Hagfish hive rose from the pool, water streaming from her glistening carapace.

Only one word managed to escape Rutoan's mouth. "Myxine..."

The intruding queen offered no reply, but instead affixed the enemy changeling with a stare that told him one thing. No other hive is as adept at nonverbal communication as Queen Myxine and her children and so it was that Rutoan came to understand the dark intent in her eyes. In their cold sapphire depths he saw not only his own fate, but the fate of his home. It had not been said, but he knew this would be his last night.

As if in accompaniment to this revelation, a massive curtain of water dropped itself directly onto his head, flushing him and every other changeling standing upon the ledge with him into the makeshift lake.

Being of Miasma descent, Rutoan was not used to being underwater. It was...strange, beyond alien. He saw nothing but the brown muck swirling around him; he couldn't even see his hooves flailing beneath himself. Not until a blue glow began rising from the depths. It rose until it drew level with his face. Despite it being a fair distance away, the soldier could very clearly see it to be a set of glowing sapphire eyes. They hesitated but a moment more before finally rushing toward him.

Everything went black soon after.

Author's Note

Remember when we saw Miasma distraught over Arnyx's death? Over one changeling?

Yeah. The stakes have been raised a little, haven't they? But, that's probably to be expected. We've only got two chapters left

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf.

1 - Chrysalis

The Canterlot Wedding...

The ceremony that was to wed the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, to the very niece of Princess Celestia herself, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. That day was going to be perfect. Everything had been going perfectly...until the beautiful bride transformed into something Equestria had not seen in many years; a mythical beast, long forgotten, used only to frighten rambunctious foals into compliance; a changeling.

But, this changeling was no mere worker drone. No. She was their Queen. The Queen of all changelings. At least...of those within her own hive.

You see, changelings as a whole have a very widespread presence throughout Equestria, yet remain largely out of the public forum. A species this prevalent very obviously must have a respected hierarchy if any sort of order is to maintained amongst them. However, just because this hierarchy is respected does not mean that all changelings are happy with it.

Word of the failed assault on Canterlot spread quickly, both within the changeling colonies and without. In a mere month, there wasn't a soul in Ponyville or the royal city who had not heard the tale of how the Changeling Queen Chrysalis had been forcefully expunged from Canterlot, flung over the horizon in a most demeaning manner.

Similarly, not one of these souls knows what happened to the Changeling Queen after this undignified defeat.

It's a cold, unforgiving world out there. This is that story...

When the sun rises, everything under it accepts its light, wanted or not, even the Everfree Forest. How much of that light reaches the ground is a different story. The countless trees block much of this light, making the forest floor a very dark, gloomy place. Gasses from various decaying plants and fungi ride low to the swampy ground, eerily lit by the pale glow of those organisms not yet a part of the muck.

From a hollow under a dead, but still-standing tree, a low rustling was heard.

"Unnnh...” In the low light provided by the luminescence of the gooey, sickly green secretions coating the walls of the hollow and the legs of its occupant, a single bright green eye opened. "Where...where am I..." The owner of this eye and voice looked around groggily, fighting through her blurred vision. An attempt at moving met with a wet squelch. "I see..." These secretions had been laid down by a lone changeling. Judging from the paltry amount of it, a sorely underfed changeling at that. A long sigh slipped past her fangs. "Why...?" She hung her head disapprovingly. "Centurion Sylph! To me, at once!"

An insect-like buzzing of wings preceded the arrival of a new presence outside the den. In entered a black creature similar to an average pony in both size and shape. A pearlescent blue carapace upon his back folded down over tattered insectoid wings and a small horn protruded through a position-granted helmet of the same blue material. "Your Majesty! It is a relief to see you-"

The changeling queen was still groggy, but not enough to dull her anger. "Spare me your pleasantries!" she growled. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"Your Majesty, I-"

"These are your pheromones in this nectar! You were already weak before the assault; to give anything beyond that is nothing but foolish! You know what happens when you give beyond your limits!"

"Your Majesty, those injuries were too great to naturally recover from. It was a matter of life and death..."

The female changeling seemed to mellow at these words, if only slightly. "Very well. But, remember, it is not your position to place your life in danger without due cause."

Sylph nodded. "I understand."

"How long have I remained unconscious?"

"Approximately three days, your Majesty."

"And this nectar?"

"Roughly three days. I sheltered you immediately after your fall and laid down what nectar I could spare."

Silence reigned over the makeshift den. The queen glanced down to the sticky green substance covering much of her forelegs. One application of nectar in this manner would only be beneficial for three days before it would have to be replenished. In times where a source of love was readily available, this was not a problem. This was not one of those times, however. "And you planned to renew it today, yes?"

There was no anger in the queen's tone. Rather, she sounded like a mother reprimanding her misbehaving foal. The centurion played the part well, avoiding eye contact and fidgeting with a hoof.

"Sylph! Eye contact!"

"I-I was..."

"How many times were you planning on renewing this nectar?"

"As many as were needed to aid your recovery, your Majesty..."

The changeling queen shook her head. "We are still in a time of famine. I have already lost many of my children to this difficult time. I do not wish to lose any more. I can already feel my strength returning and I no longer need you to jeopardize your life unnecessarily." With these words spoken, the queen reared to her full height, towering above the centurion.

Sylph's pupilless blue eyes widened as his queen walked from the den. "Y-your Majesty...!" His wings sprang forth from under his elytra to carry him from the tree.

Intelligent green eyes looked across the swampy landscape. The queen's fangs glinted as she bared them in frustration. That blast must have carried me farther than I thought... The hive is a full day away!

"Your Majesty! You are not yet recuperated!" Sylph dropped into his queen’s field of vision from above.

Those emerald-like eyes of the changeling queen softened and she raised a hoof to touch her child's chin. "Your concern is welcomed, Sylph, but I am well aware of my limits. I still have love enough from my stand as the princess. You need not be worried. Rather, it is I who should be worried; when was your last feeding?"

"A-a week ago..."

A week... I have let my children go without food this long... This is a new hive...but times are this trying? "It has been a week since you last fed, yet you chose to weaken yourself further for my sake? Sylph, I am disappointed." She turned to the tree, planting a hoof upon the dead bark. The holes in her forelegs secreted a substance identical to that which she had awoken in. This painted a streak upon the tree before she withdrew her hoof. "Replenish your strength." she instructed, pointing at the nectar.

"But I'm-"

The queen's eyes narrowed. "That...was an order. If I can help it, I will not see another of my children dead before my eyes. Feed."

"Of course." Her majesty's tone all but implied that she would brook no further arguments. Truthfully though, the changeling centurion was starving. The scent of his queen's nectar was tantalizing. He landed before the tree and began lapping at the gelatinous substance. The taste of it upon his tongue was the sweetest thing he had tasted in days.

The queen maintained an eye upon her child, intent on seeing that he received his fill. Such an action was unnecessary; Sylph went at the meal with an impressive, if exceedingly sloppy, fervor. The queen was slightly taken aback. Changelings are not renowned for their table manners, but never before had she seen her children eat in such a slovenly manner. It was...eye-opening to say the least. I have failed to find you a source of food for so long that it has reduced you to this? To behavior befitting the bottom-feeders of the Miasma hive? When she could no longer bear to watch the display, she turned and looked out at the labyrinth of trees. To many other beings, that's all that this would appear as. But, to the changeling queen, a path of pheromones as clear as day wended its way through the forest. "How many others landed with us?"

Sylph hastily gulped down the last of the provided meal before answering. "Three others landed with us. They left shortly after we landed, to return with help from the hive."

"The hive is a day away at best. They should have returned by now..."

"Indeed. Not all is well. What course of action do you suggest we take, your Majesty?"

"We follow the trail back to the hive. I have left my children without proper food for far too long." The green carapace upon the queen's back parted and she took flight, following the pheromone trail of her changelings. A nameless fear rapidly grew in her chest; not for her, but for what she might find along this trail.

The changeling pair made excellent time through the wooded hallways of the forest. They traveled until dusk began blotting out the sun. Even then, the stop was not planned. After about five hours of flight, Sylph grew too weak to continue in such a manner. Such it was that the journey continued on hoof...

Fatigue had fallen heavy upon Sylph's shoulders, but he pressed on. The level at which his vision swam before him effectively rendered him blind; he followed his queen purely by her scent. The strength from his earlier meal had burned out an hour ago. Every step felt like walking through a swamp. In some cases, he actually was. Finally, his body just gave up. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

The wet thud from his meeting with the ground drew the attention of his hive mother. She glanced back to find the spent changeling on his side in a puddle of thick sludge, breathing weakly. "Sylph..." Had anypony been present, they would have been witness to a rare moment indeed. Compassion welled in the queen's eyes, producing a single tear. Green magic surrounded her crooked horn and Sylph an instant later. The spell plucked him from the fetid muck and draped him across her back. His body convulsed as it instinctively coughed up a mouthful of swamp ooze. "My poor Sylph..."

This manner of travel did not draw on very long. The arrival of dusk brings with it the hunting packs of timberwolves. Their plaintive, howling calls had already started drifting through the trees. A lone changeling queen traveling upon the forest floor would be too inviting a target. She needed to take some sort of action. Sylph was placed upon the ground and the queen positioned her horn over the center of his body. A quick spell was cast and the centurion's body began changing. A magic green flame spread over his body, leaving behind the perfect illusion of an injured timberwolf cub. With her charge safely disguised, it was the queen's turn. She washed herself in the same green flame. Her body responded to the green flame, rebuilding itself into the wooded body of the predator of the Everfree Forest, right down to the sharp fangs and claws. Even her eyes took on the proper yellow-green glow. This convincing appearance alone would be enough to fool many creatures, but timberwolves possessed a remarkably powerful sense of smell, capable of identifying others with but a sniff. The queen knew this, but wasn't concerned; she was the queen, after all, and for her to flawlessly imitate a creature as simple-minded as a timberwolf, even down to their scent, was a mere parlor trick. Sylph had been sheltered with the same foolproof transformation. Not a soul alive, save for another changeling queen, would be able to see through this facade.

She might have just established a new hive in an as of yet unfamiliar location, but she had observed timberwolves before and the queen had heard their cries many times and was familiar with their habits. She let out a pathetic, haunting wail. The timberwolf signal for injury and distress. Not ten seconds later saw an answering call returned across the treetops. The proverbial die had been cast; they were on their way. The changeling-turned-timberwolf curled up around her offspring and waited.

The wait was not a long one; timberwolves move quickly. The two changelings were soon surrounded by a hunting pack of the lumbered predators. One of the timberwolves stood a full head taller and carried himself stronger than the other five. The alpha of this particular pack. That was the best chance for her appeal to take. This large timberwolf took a step toward her and barked. She responded to this with a ferocious snarl, being careful to reveal the fake cub.

That did the trick. The large male froze in his tracks. Perhaps he was weighing the risks of approaching a defensive and possibly injured female? Finally, he directed a short bark to one of the other timberwolves. The instructed timberwolf gave a yap to the queen before turning to walk into the trees.

Her ploy had worked perfectly. The queen retrieved her changeling incognito and followed her escort. A moderate trek through the trees placed the small company before a burrow dug into the ground. The fake timberwolf nodded and descended into the earth. This dark, dusty hole in the ground was a far cry from the comforts of her hive. In any other situation, the proud changeling queen would not call upon such crude...beasts for sustenance or shelter. However, pride is often the enemy of survival and she had no choice. She chose a spot near, but not too near, the other timberwolf females.

At length, one of them cautiously approached the new arrival, eyeing the unconscious Sylph. A low warning growl rattled from his queen's disguised throat. The encroaching female quickly retreated, respecting the negative signal. Finally, the queen lowered her head and began her search for sleep.

The hours separating the present from the dawn passed quickly in slumber, soon presenting the morning sun to the Everfree Forest again. With the sunlight seeping into the den, the changeling queen was roused enough to register a presence before her. When the identity of said presence dawned upon her, it was all she could do to avoid crying out in her own voice. Before her, limp upon the dirty ground, lay a dead changeling. Upon the poor creature's neck, painfully visible against its jet-black exoskeleton, were four deep fang wounds, bleeding green... The timberwolf's killing bite... N-no...! The queen knew all the pheromones of all the changelings in her hive; as much as she wanted to deny it, this was one of her children...

One of her children...cruelly murdered by these filthy brutes, then presented to her as a meal!

She respectfully nosed the deceased changeling onto her wooden back, placing Sylph alongside him. The creaking of her disguised pawsteps faded along with her transformation as she strode to the exit...and the alpha timberwolf sleeping before it. The queen made no effort to soften her hoofsteps in walking past him; she wanted him to awaken.

And awaken he did. The beast came to with a furious snarl, sensing his natural prey. He lunged for the queen, claws and teeth ready for the kill.

He never got to her.

The Queen's horn and eyes sparked to life with a green light. The timberwolf was instantly and completely enveloped with an unnatural green flame. She watched with detached interest as the timberwolf fell at her hooves, writhing in agony and screaming like a beast possessed, while the flames literally consumed it.

The mortal throes of the dying animal quickly woke its eleven denmates, who noticed the dancing flames and promptly cowered against the back wall of the cave.

With slow, deliberate steps, the Queen started toward the back of the cave, the very essence of vengeance burning in her eyes. In passing the still-alive, still-burning timberwolf, she pointedly slammed a hoof down on its hind leg, splintering it. Wails from the mortally wounded timberwolf filled the entire cave and still the Changeling Queen advanced. "You would not hesitate to claim the life of an innocent changeling and call my wrath upon you, yet you cower at the mere sight of flame?" A familiar pheromone floated across the queen's senses, silencing her rage, but only for an instant. The timberwolf in the middle of the group...that was the one that had slain her child. Her anger returned with explosive results. "Pathetic beasts!" At her will, the guilty timberwolf spontaneously combusted.

Whether it was volume of voice or the fact that one of their own had burst into flame that caused the remaining timberwolves to flee was irrelevant. A magical explosion rent the burning timberwolf into dozens of flaming pieces. Each one of these sought a different target, spreading the arcane flame on contact.

The debt upon her child's life had been repaid; the queen had no further reason to stay. As she exited the den, she cast one final spell, sealing the cave's mouth with a wall of magic flame. Nothing would enter or leave this place until it ceased burning, which would not happen until the flames and lives inside burned out.

Green firelight danced in the queen's eyes, refracting off the angry tears welling there. "An act against a child of the Chrysalis hive commands a steep price..." She fell silent, listening to the guttural wailing of the burning timberwolves. "A steep price that Queen Chrysalis will always come to collect..."

When the Queen’s fury had waned enough to return rational thought to her, she moved off to give her proper respects to her fallen child. As she lay his body before her, new pheromones reached her nostrils. The scent of the passed changeling was there, yes, but fainter, almost as if off in the distance, there were hundreds more, each unique. This changeling had been within the hive recently. Even fainter than that, but still there, and absolutely unmistakable in its repulsive stench, was another scent. That of an intruder within her hive.

Chrysalis’ face twisted itself into a hideous, fang-revealing snarl.

“Miasma!!”

Author's Note

Remember in Inception when they said that once you have an idea in your head, it's almost impossible to get it out? I'm here to tell you that they were oh so right.

Damn, were they right...

Exactly a week ago, I came across a rather magnificent piece of artwork, backed by an equally magnificent headcanon dreamed up by the mod of the "Ask Velvet" Tumblr, Carnifex, that slugged me with inspiration. Seven days later, here you are, seeing the fruits of that inspiration; a fusion of a few of my own changeling headcanons with quite a few more of his.

For those of you worried about how this will affect Storms On the Horizon, do not; that will always be my main fic. I will also hold myself to keeping chapters for this particular fic to roughly 3k words, or about half the length of a SOtH chapter, for quick and easy work.

Stay classy and enjoy, y'all.

*A huge thanks goes out to Carnifex for allowing me the use of headcanon and artwork for this fic and another huge thanks out to my real-life brony friend and fellow FiMFiction author, SpiritofthwWolf, for providing pre-reading services and also calling me out on a good deal of my timberwolf representations!

11 - The Lone Queen

Out of all the races and creatures within Equestria, a changeling queen fears one thing and one thing only: The loss of her children. Whether or not it is death that takes them is irrelevant. For a queen to lose the loyalty and respect of those children of hers that are still alive is just as painful as their passing, if not moreso. The greatest fear of any changeling queen is the loss of all of her children. To lose them all means she has failed them as a mother.

Chrysalis could not possibly begin to accept what her eyes were telling her. As if Sylph's declaration had not been enough of a shock, she watched with wide eyes as the helmet he had worn for thirty years-the helmet that he had worn with pride and honor-floated from his head. Silence fell upon the changeling queen as her mind fought within itself to determine an appropriate reaction. After several long seconds of this mental tug-of-war and with neither side any closer to success, Chrysalis finally made the decision herself. She managed but one word from between her fangs. "Why?"

Sylph looked up at his mother, his expression confused, unsure about what part of his reasoning was so difficult to grasp. "I believe I have provided an adequate explanation, your Majesty." The changeling shifted his shoulders as the same green aura that had removed his helm did the same with his armor, placing it upon the ground before Chrysalis' hooves.

The queen's emerald eyes watched in horror as the armor she had bestowed upon the one child she had believed would always stand at her side was discarded like a spent husk. The instant Sylph's magic released the armor, the tug-of-war was over. A furious inferno rose behind her eyes. "Now!? Why NOW!? Thirty years you have followed me! You have never once doubted my orders before and you choose now, when I am stripped of my hive and all of my children, to break your own oath!? And all of this is decided on a whim!? Insolent brat!"

Sylph flinched in response to the shout. This was hardly the first time his queen's voice had been raised against him. This time, however, it was far different. There was nothing within her tone but raw fury. His expression hardened in the face of such heated anger. His eyes closed to narrow slits, matching his mother's burning glare. "Since the assault upon Canterlot, it has been nothing but a struggle for me to simply survive. I have had one proper meal in close to two weeks and was nearly slain by a lowly timberwolf. For me to follow you any further only assures my own death. It has been my faith in you that has brought me this far, but now I can see that that faith was nothing more than a waste!"

Her centurion's sharp tone was the only weapon capable of piercing the veil of rage that enveloped Chrysalis' mind. Its blow landed true, finally triggering the tears she had been holding back. Even so, anger still had the matriarch's mind tight within its claws. "You would so easily turn your back on your queen!? After you were the only one to willingly follow me from the hive!? After all I have done for you!? You unfaithful maggot!"

"If I recall, it was your words that wished for me to not place my life in danger without due cause."

"What would you call the undertaking to reclaim my hive?"

"A lost cause, your Majesty." Sylph replied coldly. "You left your right to ask for respect and loyalty at the Canterlot gates. We should have parted ways at the hive. I have only followed you this far because I believed we had a chance. I have been thinking; why should any other hives even consider pitying us? I see now it is nothing more than folly to expect otherwise."

Chrysalis' fangs ground against one another in rage. "You would rather submit yourself to be trod upon by the swine that is Miasma!? Have you lost your mind!?"

Even with the anger pulsing through her body, the queen flinched at the cool insult. She stepped up to Sylph, her eyes searing him with a frigid glare. She rose her hoof in rage, holding it above the centurion as if to strike him. "V-very well... If you would be so disloyal..."

Sylph didn't so much as bat an eye as the hoof of his matriarch buried itself in the ground inches from his face.

Chrysalis' anger was beginning to fade, letting her voice begin to waver. "I would never bring harm to a child of my own hive; that shall not change, but...if you would be so disloyal, then you are dead to me. I won't forget this act of treason, Sylph. If you walk away now, it shall be the last time you see me. I...will no longer come to your aid. Regardless of the danger you may be in...I...I will not stand to see you again. In choosing to turn your back on me...you have asked me to do the same to you. Be gone, Sylph… Y-you are on your own now."

The centurion nodded slightly, an agreement having finally been reached. He turned away to stride into the forest. Before he vanished from sight, old habits bade him cast one final glance toward the figure amidst the countless trees. His once proud mother, his once strong queen. There she stood, broken, defeated, and alone. Her gaze met his for an instant. It was then that he saw everything behind her anger laid bare before him. All her sadness, all her pain. Everything she wanted to say, yet could not bring herself to do so. Sylph saw everything. The things he could never hope to understand. "It...has been an honor to serve under you, your Majesty. Goodbye." The changeling broke his mother's stare to step away into the trees.

The instinct that came over the changeling queen was so deep-rooted that Chrysalis didn't even notice her hoof rising to carry her after Sylph until she looked down. There she froze, slowly looking from her risen hoof to the spot where her centurion had disappeared amongst the trees and back to her hoof again. All the while her mind was consumed in a furious struggle. The impulse to follow Sylph was so strong that even thinking of denying it was causing her physical pain. At length, the changeling queen's hoof drifted back to the ground. In the single toughest act of her life, Chrysalis tore her tear-filled emerald gaze from where she knew Sylph to be. Each hoofstep away from her centurion held a pain worse than any wound she had ever felt before..

Chrysalis didn't dare look back; she knew if she did she wouldn't be able to keep herself from running after Sylph. She didn't know if she was even heading in the right direction anymore, nor did she care. She just kept walking. So strained were her steps that the queen hardly noticed when her hoof fell into something that responded with a wet squelch! Only one thing would have made such a noise. She had stepped directly into a pile of golden nectar flecked with dirt, leaves, and all other manner of forest debris. Face-down in this disgusting pile was the horribly emaciated remains of some unfortunate stallion, all four of his legs broken. A quick inspection revealed that his corpse was still warm. Horror ran cold through the matriarch's body. Ambrosia was nearby and Chrysalis had no idea where. Instinct threw her mind back to Sylph, walking alone through the trees. No! The changeling queen froze on the spot; every fiber of her being screamed at her to fly back to Sylph's side.

With a great amount of difficulty, Chrysalis stuffed her mother's instinct back down and turned to continue her journey. The instant she resumed walking, a scream of pure agony crashed against her ears. "GAAAAAH!" There was no mental debate this time. A blaze of fury instantly rose behind her eyes. The wings of the changeling mother opened into a blur. Branches cracked and entire trees fell before her as she flew to the aid of her child. Mere seconds passed before the queen arrived at the origin of the scream.

A changeling queen with golden-yellow mane was happily bouncing up and down near Sylph's collapsed body. With frightening accuracy, Chrysalis hooked one of her leg holes around the horn of the enemy queen, ripping her from her hooves. The rival queen twisted quickly in midair, landing on her hooves again. She nimbly caught Chrysalis' horn against her own, halting her furious charge.

"Simple-minded bitch! I will flay you with your own entrails!"

"I'm happy to see you too, Chrysalis! Guess what I found out?"

The Honeycomb queen’s innocent smile only served to heighten the rage burning within Chrysalis' eyes. "What have you done to my centurion!?" she snarled.

Ambrosia's horn lit up to carry her spoils up to Chrysalis' eye level. "Look!" she giggled. "I pulled his wings off and now he's so mad he's shaking, just like I thought!"

Chrysalis snorted at the happy giggling of the rival queen. A quick toss of her head forced the Honeycomb queen to the ground horn first.

"Well, he was shaking..." Ambrosia sighed from her newly prone position upon the forest floor as she stared at the trapped centurion. "Oh well. At least you're shaking! My plan worked!" she squealed, a wide grin stretching across her mouth.

The emerald-eyed changeling queen stepped over the ecstatic Ambrosia to attend to her child. "Sylph, are you all right?"

"'All right' is not the term I would choose, your Majesty. The giggling idiot behind you just ripped my wings out. I am far from all right." An irritated sigh slid from the centurion's mouth. "Why are you here? What happened to 'you are dead to me?'"

Chrysalis visibly hesitated in answering. "I...I... My anger spoke for me, Sylph. I did not know Ambrosia had the advantage. Had I known, I would not have left you to fend for yourself. Y-you were the one to pay for my negligence and I...am sorry."

Despite the pain upon his face, Sylph forced a half-hearted laugh. "You couldn't possibly have known Ambrosia was on the hunt, much less that I would have fallen into her trap. Fitting that I too would lose something in our parting."

No words found their way to the mouth of the changeling queen to form a sufficient reply. But, how could she say anything to her child? She had cast him out in anger and he had suffered for it. This knowledge drove a white-hot horn straight into her heart. Again and again the pain dug away at the changeling queen's side. When she could no longer stand it and looked back to the source of the repeated discomfort she found a sharp stick, held aloft by an aura of yellow magic, repeatedly poking itself into the side of her chest.

At the other end of the floating stick was Ambrosia, lying flat upon the ground, inquisitive eyes fixated upon the hovering branch. "C'mon. You were shaking earlier..." she murmured to herself. The instant she noticed the scalding emerald glare of the Chrysalis matriarch fixed upon her, she sat bolt upright, quickly hiding the stick behind her back.

"If Ambrosia finds herself finished with her senseless games, I would rather like to be freed from this disgusting filth."

Chrysalis' gaze remained upon Ambrosia's sheepish smile for a moment more, if only to avoid looking back at the last of her children. "As you wish, Sylph." A beam of bright green light flashed from her gnarled horn to dissolve the nectar trapping Sylph upon the forest floor.

"Better." the centurion snorted. He opened his elytra to survey the damage underneath. The two halves of the chitinous shell trembled irregularly as every tiny movement sent another wave of fire through Sylph's body. "Nggh!" Two rivulets of green blood stood out brightly upon the changeling's jet-black carapace, steadily leaking from his wings' former home. Apart from the stinging needles digging into his back, the absence of such a familiar appendage was confusing. The movement of muscles that would have previously lifted the centurion into the air only twisted his face in agony.

Chrysalis' reaction was identical. To see such pain upon her child's face and to know that she had been the cause of it. It nearly killed her. "If you wish, I can suppress your pain for a time." she offered.

"That will not be necessary, your Majesty."

Chrysalis nodded slowly, her following tone civil and steady. "Very well, Sylph. I shall respect your decision." For the second time in the same day, the changeling mother watched as her child turned his back upon her to disappear among the trees. The pain burning inside her was hardly of its earlier intensity, but it was still there.

It was far easier this time for the changeling queen to separate her gaze from her child's path. Chrysalis willed the tears from her eyes before turning to face the other queen. It was some time before either spoke. When one finally did, her words were not many. "Ambrosia."

The golden maned changeling returned the curt nod. "Chrysalis."

"I...presume you would desire a reason as to my trespassing?"

"No. Not really. I heard enough."

"I see. Then I need not waste breath upon what events have led me here. Rather, I would explain what I have come seeking. No doubt you gathered that the vain Miasma has forced me from my own hive. I have traveled here to request your assistance in reclaiming my rightful throne."

"Aaaaand why should I help you exactly?" Chrysalis' request had fallen upon deaf ears. Ambrosia's holed hoof reached out to lazily bat at a low-hanging branch, its owner already more interested in the twitching of its leaves than in the words of her rival. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you bringing me a new plaything, buuuut, it was sorta boring. Changeling wings come out too easily. They're not like pegasus wings. No feathers to pull out, no bones to break. Not that much fun. That's not really enough to make me want to help you, Chryssi."

If there was one thing that would get the attention of a changeling queen, Chrysalis knew exactly what it was. "You know Miasma as well as I. She has taken my hive with ease. That ease has gone to her already over-inflated head. To where do you think she will march next?" The taller of the two changeling queens paused to allow time for the thought to simmer. "I care not for your decision, regardless of what it may be. I have lost my hive, the last of my children. If Miasma takes your hive, what is that to me?" Difficult though it was, Chrysalis turned to follow Sylph, leaving the passive-aggressive threat hanging above Ambrosia's head.

Ambrosia’s thoughts moved rapidly, wasting no time in forming a reply for her. "Wait! What exactly do you need of me?"

A dark smile passed over Chrysalis' mouth. Perfect. "I need you to draw my children's attention. As long as they remain within the hive, Miasma will not hesitate to use their lives against me. Remove them from under her and she loses the only thing preventing me from pinning my horn to her throat."

The head of the Honeycomb hive may have been more laid back than most, but she was still a queen and knew how to negotiate for the good of her hive. "What do I gain from placing my children in danger for your sake?"

"This is not for my sake, Ambrosia. Help me to dethrone Miasma and your hive is safe."

"Uh, uh, uh. Do better."

A flare of anger twitched Chrysalis's wings. After some silent pondering, the matriarch spoke once more. "Very well. The White Tail Woods. You have sought after it for some time now. Assist me in reclaiming my hive and the territory along with all hunting it contains will be yours. You shall have it free of contest from my hive for as long as you shall desire it."

Ambrosia giggled happily. "I never thought I'd see you give something like that up! You feeling okay, Chryssi?"

"I never thought I would see the day my centurion turned his back upon me. There is a first time for everything." she murmured. Unconsciously, her eyes fixated upon the part of the forest she knew Sylph to have disappeared in. Strangely enough, the desire to run after him was beginning to wane. She wished for his respect back, that much went without saying. Even so, she knew that there was only thing that would return it to her.

The queen's somber look was replaced with one of annoyance as she felt a repeated poking upon her flank. A long sigh hissed from between her fangs. Chrysalis waited for the jabbing to cease, but her patience was at a premium today. When it snapped, it snapped loudly.

"Stupid bitch! Touch me one more time with that damn stick and I'll shove it through your eye!" Chrysalis rounded on Ambrosia with the speed of an uncoiling snake. In the same instant, a flash of green flame incinerated the offending stick and the Honeycomb queen leapt into the treetops with a squeal of startled amusement. "Enough! I will not indulge your simple-minded games!"

Following Chrysalis' shout of anger into the trees, a new, third voice made itself known to the pair of queens. "Queen Ambrosia, your Majesty!"

In response to the call, the head of the Honeycomb matriarch appeared, upside-down, from the branches above the newly arrived changeling. "Centurion Seayr? What is it?"

"Your Majesty! Come quickly, there are trespassers within our territory! The hive is in danger!"

Ambrosia hardly batted an eye at the news. "No. That's just Chrysalis." she corrected, shaking her head. "She's not a threat to the hive. She's just visiting."

"No, your Majesty! It's Miasma! A massive group of her soldiers have orchestrated an attack upon the hive! Ten of our own have already fallen!"

This news finally got through to the changeling queen. The playful light in her eyes immediately took on a far darker tone. "Ooh! I wonder if wings from Miasma changelings pull out that easily! Let's find out!" Like an arrow from a bow, Ambrosia was away through the treetops, closely pursued by her centurion.

For the last time, Chrysalis looked back over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Sylph."

Author's Note

Fun fact time again.

At the time of writing Myxine's introductory chapter, I had all of three little bits of information to build a fitting personality for her. The first draft of that chapter got a passing grade from Carni and was posted soon after.

This chapter above, the one dealing largely with Chrysalis/Sylph interaction? Three separate tries.

Enjoy and stay classy, readers.

*Approved for your viewing pleasure by Carnifex and Spiritofthwwolf. Special thanks out to Carni on this one. The first iteration of this chapter was butt, let me tell you.