Twilight had a very strange dream that night. It was so real and so perfectly constructed it was stunning. The contents of the dream, though were less than stellar in her opinion. She saw Celestia in a birthing pod, a distraught and ragged woman weeping in a cavern of crystals. But the thing that truly worried her was seeing Chrysalis, though a less whole Chrysalis, defeated in front of her. And she felt victory, as if she was glad she was defeated. Why would she think a thing like that about her Queen?

Now that she was on the subject, what exactly did she think of her Queen? She had awoken to find her once again sitting in her chair, melded into the hive mind. Twilight sat on the bed and watched Chrysalis, for how long she had no idea.

“Your connection is developing rather quickly, as Ceren says. I can feel your confusion and stress.” A voice suddenly said. It was Chrysalis’ voice, so Twilight thought she was talking in her mind. But in reality Chrysalis had regained her consciousness and asked normally.

“Oh? Well the confusion is still a given isn’t it? The stress…” Twilight started. Chrysalis smiled and stood while stretching.

“You can talk to me about anything you wish, if it is not through the hive mind then your brothers and sisters know better than to delve into each other’s secrets.” She said, sitting down on the corner of the bed opposite Twilight. Some of the things she thought about rushed to the front of her mind, and though it embarrassed her to some extent she spoke her mind.

“Well the stress may be from scattered bits of memories or things I’ve learned in the past, but until I have more than fragments I’ll keep it to myself. The confusion, though… Well I guess it’s a few emotions I’m not used to, and I don’t really know what to do about them.” She explained.

“Oh? What kind of emotions?” Chrysalis asked. She was genuinely curious, especially since she felt that Twilight’s thoughts were at the very least partially directed towards her.

“Unsure affection mostly. For reasons unknown to me, though. sometimes it’s odd to think of you as my queen and I can’t tell if it’s a sense of casualty or something else.” Twilight replied. Chrysalis chuckled.

“Well by the sound of the first one, intimacy might be a better word for it.” She said. She laughed when Twilight gained a rather embarrassed expression. “And speaking of casualty or intimacy or whatever it is, you and I are quite good friends now. You may not have realized it in full yet but when I am melded with the hive I am there for you, and every other of the brood, at the same time. I have been getting to know you quite well and your connection to the hive, no matter how underdeveloped, lets you know me fairly well at the same time. Affection is rather new to our race, though, since we only recently obtained sustained individuality from the hive.” She continued.

“I’ve always had a feeling I was being watched and looked over…” Twilight started. “And I am glad I can call you my friend. I may not remember living for more than a few days, but I know there is power in friendship. And judging by how confused I am by the emotion, affection is new to me as well.” She continued. They both laughed at that before Chrysalis rather suddenly held Twilight’s head in a hand and leaned their foreheads together.

“You’re working with the Defenders today, and I have a grim premonition. I feel that your mental fortitude will be strained and possibly cracked or even shattered, so I’m trying to artificially develop your hive connection… This method is more of a direct link, as it only connects you to my mind instead of that of the hive’s but I will be here to give you strength and focus if you need it.” She explained lowly.

“I… Thank you, I hope your premonition is wrong, though…” Twilight said when Chrysalis finished, She could feel the connection.

“As do I, but if you need it then simply tug on that mental wire and the forests of our minds will come together.” Chrysalis said. Twilight nodded and stood up.

“Well, here’s hoping my brain doesn’t explode.” She said, they both chuckled again and Twilight left. Chrysalis returned to her place on her chair and allowed herself to be swept up by the hive mind, though she kept a portion of her attention always on her artificial link with Twilight.

---

“You kept your word.” Kaine’s powerful voice chuckled when Twilight entered the Defenders’ Chamber. The towering woman was eating from meal pods, Twilight had some of her own as well. “That’s new.” Kaine commented. Twilight had a black leather harness, similar to the Hunting one, and quite a few long rolls and folded pieces of more black leather with various characteristics.

“Well I had so much left over so I thought I’d bring it here since I don’t have much more use for it, This is what’s left of the leather made from my pelts in the last hunt. Well, most of it. I thought the defenders could use it.” She explained.

“While we’re not exactly short on leather, Lasher hide leather is exceptionally tough. Thanks.” Kaine said, taking the offered material and placing it on a seemingly random table. “Right, back to the task at hand. I was just about to start the briefing.” She continued, turning back towards the small team of, including her and Twilight, seven Changelings.

“There’s a den of Prowlers that’s been trying to expand into one of our outpost chambers. Only three of our brothers are there at a time, so they’ve got their hands full and need some help. Once we help them out we’ll move on to patrol duty while making our way towards the human encampment. If they don’t leave by lunch time, which by my estimation is about an hour from our arrival, we’ll escort them out.” She said.

“What if the reason they haven’t left is because they’re hurt?” Twilight asked. Kaine thought for a moment.

“Well then, since they’re allies, we’ll help them out how we can before escorting them out. If they’re in critical condition it will be up to our Queen to decide.” The woman replied. “Alright, full battle plating up and wings fully extended. Twilight, you’re the faster one here so you can go ahead and see what long range support you can supply with that bow of yours. Grab a blade from the armory chamber over there.” She continued, finishing by pointing to a small tunnel.

“I don’t require one, thank you.” Twilight replied as they all deployed their chitin plating. She had been practicing a little bit with them so she was able to effectively retract the forward facing blades. She also found that the carapace melded with the blades and the edges of the carapace can be retracted or extended to cover the metal edge, for a less than lethal strike.

“Well shit, I’ve been trying to get something from Ceren for months.” Kaine said with a grin.

“She did say I was the first to earn something from her, I have no idea why.” Twilight replied.

“Ah well, she knows better than most who deserves what. Let’s be off now then.” Kaine said with a shrug and they took off, navigating a couple tunnels and outside of the hive.

Kaine nodded to Twilight and she shot ahead. Twilight found the outpost within minutes and landed on a tree. She saw the three Changelings stationed there trying to funnel a group of 15 or 16 creatures Twilight assumed were prowlers into a narrow tunnel with barricades. The things looked more like hounds than anything else, with leathery black skin and matching fur. They had pointed snouts and ears and were much larger than Lashers. According to Kaine they weren’t nearly as smart or agile, though, and weren’t quite as dangerous as the lashers as they had no other weapon besides their teeth and claws.

Twilight notched an arrow and drew her bow. Just before she was going to let an arrow loose, Kaine landed on a branch next to her followed by their group.

“Alright, this is going to be pretty tough… Ten against fifteen. Can you see our brethren, Twilight?” Kaine asked.

“They’re trying to funnel them into that tunnel, the one with the barricades, but between the three of them they can’t properly keep them sustained and deal killing blows to the creatures that peek around.” Twilight said. Kaine nodded and prepared to take off again.

“We’ll go charging in, you sit back and pick em off when you can.” She said. Twilight nodded and her comrades charged into the clearing on their wings. The second the beasts noticed the reinforcements, Twilight let loose her first arrow. It pierced through the eye, killing it instantly.

They all turned to face the new threat, but the three changelings holed up in the outpost lashed out, killing two before they could react to the two pronged attack.

See, that’s why changeling attacks were so scary and effective. At least when they’re not starved. Their attacks are so coordinated and effective that they don’t even need the advantage of numbers to decimate the opposition. Give them a chance to swarm, though, and there’s just nothing you can do about it. Generally, that is.

The attack only took about three minutes, Twilight picking off four of the fifteen and injuring half of the remaining ones. The creatures were confused and disoriented by the pronged attack and couldn’t even counterattack. Twilight retrieved her arrows, her group gave some medical attention to what little injuries any of them had, they nodded to each other and they were all in the air again.

They flew towards the last known location of the human camp, and with changelings last known was very recent. As they got closer they saw the large tent, even. There was a problem, though. They heard sounds of fighting and there was even a blast of magic. A rainbow haired valkyrie girl shot above the treetops and then came back down full speed. The sound of cracking bones was heard as they approached.

Twilight suddenly felt the need to be there with these humans she didn’t know. She needed to be there and she needed to make sure they were alright no matter what.

“Twilight?” Kaine called when she shot forward. Twilight didn’t answer, but Kaine understood. She could feel what Twilight was feeling through their connections.

In the clearing there were five girls about Twilight’s age fighting for their lives against a pack of four Lashers. There was a well built girl in a stetson with a claymore sword holding two of them off at once, the valkyrie girl from before had tackled a third and a pink haired girl was bouncing around one and hitting it with a rather large hammer. There was another valkyrie with pink hair looking over an unconscious mage, her hands still glowing from the power used in a spell. There was a seared corpse of one of the creatures at the edge of the clearing.

Twilight didn’t bother announcing her presence, she didn’t even slow down in the slightest. Going full speed, she extended her forearm blades and impacted one of the two the girl in the stetson was holding off. Her blades went straight through the thing’s torso, but before it could even hit the ground from the impact she sliced it in half with a flourish of her blades.

Everything stopped to look at her, the Lashers snarling and the humans utterly surprised. Without skipping a beat she had pulled her bow out, notched an arrow and put it into the head of the one the pink clad girl was fighting. The valkyrie had killed her opponent, but that left one more.

She impaled its skull through the bottom jaw when it lunged at her. She twisted and flicked her blade away, tearing the head off and launching it a few feet away. She then sliced at the air, flinging the blood and gore off of the things, and retracted them.

“Are you well?” She asked them. They all just stared at her with both horror and surprise. The mage groaned and stirred slightly, but the girl in the stetson flinched and held her right arm. There was a set of jagged gashes along her shoulder.

Twilight quickly moved up to her and put her hands around the wounds, but not touching them.

“H-Hey!” The girl protested weakly, though she flinched and hissed in pain from even that. The valkyrie girl had rushed to her feet, but had wobbled and nearly fallen over. The pink clad girl was leaning on her hammer with a smile, the pink haired valkyrie girl had rushed up, but had stopped a few feet from her. The mage was still regaining consciousness.

“I would say we’re here to help, but she’s the only one that did anything.” Kaine said with a chuckle as the rest of Twilight’s group landed. “You got her covered, Twilight?” She continued. They all snapped their vision back to Twilight from looking at the newcomers at the mention of her name.

“Twilight?!” They all exclaimed. Twilight didn’t respond. Instead she gave the girl in the stetson medical attention. Meaning she practically spit a glob of her anesthetic substance onto her hand and rubbed it into the wounds. The girl flinched and the rainbow haired valkyrie cried out.

“H-Hey hey! What in tarnation are you… hey… hey it’s startin’ to not hurt so much…” She said. Twilight smiled and nodded.

“It acts as a local anesthetic. Now it has to be covered” She said. She proceeded to hack up the normal organic material and cot the wounds in it. The girl wasn’t exactly happy about it, though.

“Oh that’s… that’s just… um… alright thats nasty…” She mumbled. It was warm and slightly slimy until it hardened, where it sort of felt like latex or something of the sort on her skin.

“That will have to be dissolved with magic, since it is normally chewed off and I doubt you’re privy to that idea. Is your mage well?” Twilight asked. She was answered by the sound of retching.

“Good lord, I haven’t used so much magic in my life…” She groaned before passing out again. Twilight recognized it, though she had never seen it before.

“She used too much magic… She could die if she isn’t cared for properly. The forest is too dangerous to traverse in her condition and Ponyville is too far away.” Kaine said.

“Are you suggesting we go to your hive?!” The rainbow haired one exclaimed, standing and stumbling to the ground once more.

“You’re not fit to travel far either, so yes.” Twilight replied. Everyone was silent for a little while until she was suddenly surprised by the girl in the stetson. She was hugging her.

“I missed you so much, Twi…” She said softly. Twilight was about to ask why and how she knew her, but her mind just suddenly stopped working. She recognized this girl’s touch, her scent who she was and how she sounded. She remembered names. She was Applejack, the pink clad one was Pinkie Pie, the two valkyries were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and the made was Rarity.

She knew them, but she didn’t remember them. In a flash, a floodgate of images and sensations flooded her mind. It was so much, in fact, her mind shut down almost instantly and she lost consciousness.

She was in blackness, in excruciating pain. It felt like her head was splitting and her body was on fire. She couldn’t even feel th hive mind anymore and that scared her more than the pain. She felt something, though. It was a single tiny spec of comfort in the torrent of pain and darkness.

She didn’t just tug on it, she held onto it for dear life.

Color filled her vision. A magnificent forest of black and red and green and blue and every other color, dozens of fruits and animals grazing and flourishing. She turned around , recognizing this meadowy link. She froze and nearly yelled out in horror.

Her forest was burning and ashes filled the air.

Author's Notes:

you guys know me, gotta have super twilight badass mode at least once