“Hey, calm down! Calm down! Hive not safe! Need to go!” I shouted, trying to be heard above the swarming ankle-biters. It was no use, though; either they were too wound up at seeing me butcher their prospective killers, or they were too in awe of seeing one of the fabled ‘prometheans’ in battle. If I had to guess, I would have gone with a resounding ‘both.’

Luckily, I had backup that seemed far more capable in dealing with children. The soldier was shouting at them, trying to be heard above the bustle of the kids, and was speaking way too fast for me to keep up with. I caught ‘little ones,’ and ‘hide here,’ though.

The one I had saved earlier, a girl (if I was judging her voice correctly), looked at the changeling soldier and gave a firm, knowing nod and said something that I actually caught. “Okay, we’ll play hide and seek! You stop all the bad changelings, okay?”

“We will, you just-”

“No, I go ahead,” I said, stopping the soldier in his tracks.

“But-”

“No, listen, what about that one?” I asked, pointing at the young changeling that was still unconscious. The soldier stopped to consider the little one, before looking up at me with his pupiless eyes. “If we leave, who take care him? Enemy would kill moment they walk through door, and there nothing we do stop it!”

The soldier looked at me, clearly confused, and spoke again. This time he spoke a bit slower, probably so that I could catch it. “But… how will you be able to find your way to the top?”

I brushed off the question with a wave of my hand. “No worries there. I just have head up, right? Besides, I have ability at running into trouble, pretty good brain directions. I find ponies, one way or other.”

The changeling looked at the swarm of ankle-biters with some trepidation, and I could hardly blame him; it was a huge responsibility. Unfortunately, he was the only one present who could fulfill that role. I still had to get to the ponies at the top, regardless of whether or not I had a guide.

Not only that, but I trusted him to do this, too. The chances of him being an enemy changeling were less than zero, seeing as how the perfect opportunity to betray me would have been right after I had passed him on the way to rescue the kids. “No worry, I stop ponies. Just keep safe, and tell quick which direction to go. Find way from there,” I said, giving him a reassuring smile.

The changeling took one more look at the ankle-biters before taking a huge gulp and nodding in assent. He said something quickly, somewhat faster than I could fully catch. What I did understand filled me with hope, though. Apparently, the higher I got in the hive, the more all the paths funneled into the secondary exit. With any luck, I wouldn't even need a guide for the most part.

“Okay. Stay safe, I go,” I said as I turned and sprinted from the room. I could hear the children’s shouts of encouragement chase me out, which only served to harden my resolve. Despite the danger of the situation, I still felt hope rise in my chest. Somehow I felt like this would all turn out for the best.

Murphy and his freaking law, on the other hand, had other ideas.

It didn’t take me long to find a ramp leading upwards, so I quickly ran up it, remembering the soldier’s somewhat shaky directions. As soon as I reached the top, though, I came to a screeching halt, my eyes darting around nervously.

The landing of the ramp was a fairly large room, with three branching paths leading away from it. That wasn’t what made me stop, though. No, what made me stop was the group of five changelings standing near the center, quietly arguing with each other. Or, at least they were, up until the point where I had noisily charged up the ramp and into the room.

Before I could even think to wonder about whether or not these were friendlies, one of them got a devilish smile on his face, lowered his head towards me, and charged. Green flames quickly enveloped his form, and I could hear the air around him hum with excitement.

Luckily for me, I had not only already seen this trick, but had the wetware in my noggin needed to counter it. Time seemed to slow down right before he reached me, and I jumped over him without even fully thinking about it. I heard him go straight down the ramp and crash into something, and that was all the attention I paid to him as I ducked my head to avoid a laser from one of the others.

The changelings that remained seemed shocked that I had managed to avoid that, as they should have been, considering what I was. They took a few steps back, allowing me to stand at my full height and fix them with my best, soulless glare. “I not have time for you,” I growled as I unsheathed the claws on my uninjured hand, my eyes narrowing dangerously as I stared down the hostile, albeit extremely nervous-looking changelings. “If you not want die, I suggest run other way, leave hive, never come back.”

They took one look at each other, another at me, then began charging their horns while they hissed menacingly.

“Suit yourself,” I said as my perception of time slowed to a crawl. If they fired their magic into beams like I’d seen them do up until now, then it would be child’s play for my implants to determine where they were going to fire. Unless, of course, they had power on par with Luna or her sister; if that was the case, I was royally screwed.

I rather doubted that, though.

Even as that thought came to mind, I could see red lines extend from their horns, giving me the predicted pattern of where the enemy would fire. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and saw in my head where I wanted to go. On my exhale, I moved.

I leapt up into the air, twisting my body to avoid the ray that had been aimed at my head. The other three passed harmlessly under me, along with the changelings that had fired them in the first place. I then tucked and rolled, being careful not to land on my still-injured shoulder, got to my feet, and charged down the hallway behind them. I could hear them swearing as I got the heck out of dodge, but I paid them no mind. Instead, I shouted out a battle cry that would have made Doctor John A. Zoidberg proud.

Yeah, I probably could have taken them all down. Probably. But that’s the thing; I really didn't have the time to deal with this, or the element of surprise to back me up. Not only that, but they had magic. I still wasn't a hundred percent sure on how it worked, or its limitations, and with that kind of unknown, it was a much smarter move to avoid a fight where I could.

As I beat a hasty retreat, I could hear them shouting behind me, trying desperately to catch up with me. They probably could, there was no doubt about that, but they’d tire themselves out before I did. Of that, I was certain.

Now, all I need to do is find some friendly changelings, or the ponies, and I’m all set! I thought as I took a hard right, grabbing the edge of the door to help me make the turn.

That, of course, was far easier said than done. Especially when I made another turn, and ran straight back into the ramp room I had started in. The changeling that had charged me was still here, rubbing his head, looking for all the world like he had the worst hangover ever.

“Well, this could take a while…” I said as I kicked the poor sod in the head, knocking him out instantly. At random, I chose another hall and ran down it, hoping that this way would lead me up and out.

Knowing me, though, I was probably going to run straight into the hooves of the invading queen herself. At that point, I honestly kind of expected it.

At any rate, all I could do now was run, keep out of the enemy’s hooves, and follow the obvious yellow arrows on the sides of the walls.

Wait…

I slowed down a bit and looked at the arrows in confusion. I knew that there had been no arrows here before, but for some unfathomable reason they had appeared on the walls and floors, and I had started to follow them without even thinking. I was about to come to a full stop to examine them further, but the telltale hum of spellwork behind me quickly drove that thought from my head.

“Whatever! You’re the boss, arrow-guy!” I said as I charged down the hallway.

Hopefully I wasn’t being led to a trap...

"They’re breaking through! What do we do?”

Hephaestus looked towards the frightened pupa, let out a weary sigh, then stepped forward. “The grownups are going to take care of this, okay? Whatever you do, don't let anyone smaller than you near the doors, okay?”

The youngling looked like he was on the verge of tears, but he nodded bravely anyway. Hephaestus fell into line with the other caretakers and charged his horn. He wasn’t a soldier; in fact, he had never even performed this spell. He’d seen it done before, knew the theory behind it, sure, but to actually practice it…

There was no time for doubt, though. He knew what he had to do; what his brothers and sisters had to do. There were only six of them, hardly a force to be reckoned with, but they were going to hold this line no matter what.

He almost jumped when Athena, the changeling next to him, began to sing. It was slow and mournful, a song that spoke of death, and the life that lay beyond. It was a song that had been passed down to them by the Prometheans, along with the promise that the hive would sing it for them if they failed.

How fitting… Hephaestus thought as he took up the chant with her. Another soon followed, then another, and another. Finally, the whole room had taken up the chant, the children either following along if they could, or crying in fear as they felt the despair in the room.

With one final heave, the door ripped apart, flinging bits of Father around as the changeling in front tumbled inward. Hephaestus released the charge in his horn, striking the one in the front, but it hardly mattered as more changelings poured through the hole. He didn’t stop singing, though. None of them did as the wave of death poured through the breach.

They must have brought an army to exterminate us… Hephaestus thought as he readied his horn for another shot. He knew it wouldn’t matter; none of it would. They were all dead changelings. Chrysalis had seen to that.

Athena fell to the earth as a changeling tackled her, but Hephaestus paid her no mind, instead charging his horn for one more strike before charging at the horde in front of him, brandishing his hooves like clubs. He felt something hot pierce his shoulder, but he ignored it, despite the pain screaming in his head. All that he could hear were the screams of the fallen, and the cries of the children as they watched their keepers fall.

He kept fighting, though. Even as his hind legs were blown off, he kept moving, dragging himself forwards to take the monsters down. He felt something grab him and shove him into the wall, pinning him there. He could feel the blood drip from his legs, but he didn’t care.

All that mattered to him was the screaming larvae, and the monster that held him in its uncaring magic.

“You’ve fought marvelously,” the monster growled, its eyes flashing dangerously. Behind the monster, Hephaestus could see others like it gather up the younglings, harshly shoving and kicking until they were all together. Altogether, there were about thirty of them. Far too many for Hephaestus to take on his own, even if he had been in top condition.

None of the little ones had been killed yet; in fact, not a single egg had been broken. But as Hephaestus watched the monsters gather his charges together, he knew that that small mercy wouldn’t stay like that for long.

Once all the little ones were together in one group, the monsters stopped, turning towards their apparent leader, waiting for his word to begin the slaughter. It was almost peaceful, the calm that followed, broken only by the unending cries of the ones too young to understand what was happening.

The monster holding Hephaestus looked up at the wounded changeling, a malicious glint in his eye. “I find it fitting, that the last ‘ling standing should have the honor of seeing his hive’s future crumble around him,” the monster said as his horn grew brighter. Hephaestus didn’t close his eyes to the horror that was about to unfold. He couldn’t; the monster in front of him was holding his eyes open, ensuring that each brutal second would burn in Hephaestus’s mind for however long he was allowed to live.

Hephaestus let out a defeated sigh, then raised his voice once more in song.

“Stop that,” the monster said, sealing Hephaestus’ mouth closed. Hephaestus’ eyes sought out those of the little ones, and he tried to convey with his eyes alone that it would be okay. Tried to comfort them one last time before the end.

As Hephaestus stared, he felt something stir deep within his soul. He couldn’t put a name for the feeling that was twanging through him, but if he were to describe it, it was as if someone had plucked a deep, dark chord on the strings of his heart. Unbidden, he felt his eyes flicker towards the entrance, and his heart just about stopped at what he saw.

There, at the entrance, was an unbroken wall of pink, its light bright and angry as it rushed towards the gathered changelings. The changeling that was holding him must have sensed something amiss, because at that precise moment he turned, gasping in horror at the wall of death that quickly rushed towards him. He released his grip on Hephaestus, launching a quick spell at the barrier, attempting to prolong his life for a precious few seconds before that vengeful wall crushed him against the unyielding stone of the hive.

Hephaestus just closed his eyes, though. He knew he was already dead, and it was somewhat comforting that it would be quick and relatively painless compared to the horrors that Chrysalis’s brood would have inflicted.

The quick death never came, though. Instead of being picked up and hurled against the hard stone walls, he felt something warm and inviting wash over him. His wounds weren’t any less painful, but he felt a surge of hope rise in his chest, washing away the fear and despair. Hephaestus risked a peek, only to see something that he couldn’t believe.

Rushing into the nursery were Equestrians, standing shoulder to shoulder with changelings from the lineage of Providence. They quickly filled the room, checking the bodies, searching for the wounded, and trying desperately to calm down the still screaming children.

Hephaestus looked for the monsters, trying desperately to shake off this dream that had intruded upon reality. He found them, but they were only here in the physical sense. Their bodies had been carried up and away, missing the children, and plowing deeply into the stone walls of Oberon. They were little more then smears; a grisly reminder of the power that the Equestrians held in their hooves.

A shadow fell over Hephaestus, causing him to turn his head to look at its owner. Standing over him was a pony, his armor gleaming brightly in the pale pink light, his eyes sweeping over Hephaestus with an expression that the wounded changeling couldn’t quite place. After a few seconds of this, he stepped forward, his horn shining with a brilliant glow, and Hephaestus started to feel his consciousness slip away.

“Wait…” the changeling gasped, struggling against the spell that was trying to drag him into a deep, dreamless sleep. “...Why?”

Prince Shining Armor just stared at him, before sighing, and allowing the ghost of a smile to grace his muzzle. “Because it’s the right thing to do,” Hephaestus heard, right before darkness claimed him.

“Hey! What the heck do you think you’re-” the changeling’s shout was suddenly cut off by a shrill scream as an angry green beam of energy scythed through him, leaving a gaping hole where his chest should have been.

“Remind me again why we can’t just use magic to cut through the door?” Rhino asked as he charged up for another shot.

“Pay attention next time,” Flitter said as he chopped his blade deeper into the door. It was covered in deep gouges, and he could even see the room on the other side a little. It was also bleeding somewhat, but that was to be expected.

After all, they were cutting through the Lord Consort of the Hive.

“I was, I just- crap!” Rhino barely dodged a bright pink blast of energy, and sent an answer back towards the offending changeling, nearly taking off his head in the process. “I TALK WHEN I’M NERVOUS!” Rhino shouted.

Rhino knew exactly why they weren’t using magic; a father of a hive was a repository for all the love of the hive. He had no way of using that power directly, but he could defend himself. Specifically, he could denature and disperse magic attacks that were directed at him. A father had his limits, though. He had to be aware of the attack, to begin with. On top of that, If you threw more energy at him then he had stored, you could conceivably exhaust his supply, killing him in the process.

Rhino had no illusions on how much power he or any of his kin could produce. Just getting this far had taken quite a bit of power. Not so much that it would have been life threatening, but enough to make it a bad idea to continue if they still wanted to escape.

“You guys just worry about reinforcements. We’ll worry about the door,” Flitter said as he took another chop at the bleeding door in front of him. He could see through to the other side, but only barely. It looked like someone else was inside the room with the father, but Flitter couldn’t be certain. “Okay, we’re almost through! Cocoon, you chop right here, while I pry right here. It should snap the bone underneath!”

Flitter shoved the hooked back of his axe into the hole and pulled. With an ominous creak, the door opened a little, but still held firm. That changed the moment Cocoon swung his heavy, broad-bladed axe at the door, shattering the bone underneath with a sickening crack that was felt, more than heard.

“I heard that! It’s open, right? We can kill him and go home, right?” Rhino asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

“Um…” Cocoon said, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably.

“Well…” Sylph chipped in, not really wanting to pop Rhino’s bubble.

“Queen Chrysalis take this whole stinking hive…” Flitter swore, stamping his hoof in frustration.

Rhino and the others watching the hall turned back for a moment, only to see something that made their hearts fall. Standing behind the tattered, broken remnants of the old door was a brand new one. This one was much thinner looking, though, so much so that Rhino could see light through its translucent folds, as well as the thick-looking bones that made up the supports.

“It’s a new one, so it shouldn’t take as long to pry apart,” Cocoon said as he picked up the axe he had stolen from the armory downstairs.

“Yeah, but do we have time to carve it up?” Flitter asked, eyeing the door critically.

Sylph didn’t even bother trying to answer that question. Instead, he hefted his stolen weapon and chopped at the door with one smooth motion. “For the Queen!” he shouted, working himself into a frenzy. The other two followed suit, working themselves up as they hacked at the offending growth, trying to pry this one open as well and get to the vulnerable father inside.

This one must have been far, far weaker than they thought, because it only took them a minute to cut it open. “Quickly! Inside!” Sylph shouted, motioning for the others to follow.

They all dove inside, quickly making a perimeter around the doorway once there, ensuring their privacy as Flitter delivered the Queen’s message and judgement.

Pod Leader Flitter stepped forward, examining the room with a critical eye. It was somewhat oblong, with a sloping floor with short steps that made the whole thing look like a small amphitheater, or some kind of classroom. This feeling was further reinforced by the small, soft toys that were scattered around in the center of the room. At the other end, Flitter could see a brand new wall, probably put into place to protect whomever had been inside the room with the Lord Consort when Chrysalis had begun this invasion.

The father of the hive himself was easy to find, however. He hadn’t even tried to create a barrier for himself, and was instead staring at Flitter with a surprisingly calculating expression. Flitter returned his gaze with one of his own: The Consort was… pretty average, as consorts go. He was merged with the wall to Flitter’s left, having been subsumed by the hive to such a large degree that only his head and a single hoof remained; sticking helplessly out from the hive that he was intimately a part of. Flitter could still tell which hive he had originally come from, though; Oberon’s eyes were still as yellow as the day he was hatched, their piercing glare conveying a deep disapproval for what Flitter was doing. The walls of the room Oberon was a part of had that homely, organic feel that made Flitter feel somewhat nostalgic, if he were being completely honest with himself. The whole effect together made Flitter feel somewhat ashamed of himself, a feeling that he quickly tried to cast aside as he approached the Lord Consort of Providence.

"Have you come to end me at the petty orders of your tyrant?” Oberon asked, shaking Flitter from his revere.

Flitter didn’t answer. Instead, he placed four beetle-like objects on the ground in front of Oberon before stepping away quickly. Oberon stared at the objects impassively, watching with little interest as they opened up and connected themselves to each other through beams of brilliant green light. The beetles then changed even further, weaving themselves into a web-like pattern before erupting with energy. A hole in the fabric of the world seemed to form in the air above the webbing, before resolving into the face of the Queen of Desolation.

“Glimmerwing! Long time no see…” the queen hissed in apparent delight.

Oberon, however, said nothing. In fact, he didn’t even seem to be paying attention.

“Oh, come now. You must have seen this coming… After all, you and your hive did side with those Providence traitors...”

“The name is Oberon, now. And all they did was to alert the Equestrians of your duplicity. Since you’re hardly our ally, I wouldn’t call that treason,” Oberon replied, his contempt barely hidden.

“No, they sided with food over their own kind!” Chrysalis shouted, her rage burning clear, even through the vision beetles. “For that infraction, you and your hives are sentenced to death.”

Oberon raised a single eye ridge, but otherwise didn’t change his expression in the slightest. “You should have brought more changelings, if your goal was our extinction. Tell me, were you planning on talking me to death?”

Crysalis gave a short huff. “Your death will come soon enough, I needed-”

“No, you wanted. You’re a talker, Chrysalis. Always have been,” Oberon said, his eyes seeing straight through the changeling queen and into her soul. “You live for the theatrics. You want someone there behind you, to see every move that you make, and gasp in horror at your planning. It makes you feel good to gloat.” Oberon’s face broke out into a smug smile at that. “If memory serves, isn’t that how you lost against ‘your food?’”

Chrysalis’s eyes narrowed menacingly at those words, clearly infuriated at what he said. Flitter couldn’t help but wonder why the consort was antagonizing the queen this much. Is he that eager to die? he thought to himself. He snapped out of his thoughts, though, when he realized that his queen was talking to him. “Kill him, but make it slow,” Chrysalis snapped, clapping her hooves together. “This is what happens when you oppose me, Oberon.”

“We already know what happens when someone gets on your bad side,” Oberon said, waving his only remaining hoof negligently as Flitter approached, brandishing a knife. “Everyone knows what happens when you get on the bad side of The Queen of Desolation. All anyone has to do is look at the blasted landscape that surrounds your hive. The remains of your once populous food source.”

“Be quiet if you know what’s good for you,” Flitter growled as he drew closer. “You’re just making this more painful for yourself.”

“Oh, I already knew that,” Oberon said, waving his hoof negligently at Flitter. He then turned back to the queen, his eyes narrowing just a little bit. “What I can’t figure out is why you thought this small, sorry excuse of a force was enough to destroy my hive. We are strong, and with the help of the Equestrians, we will recover, with or without me.”

“Oh, I know that. Which is why my changelings have set up this beacon,” Chrysalis said, easing herself back into her throne. “My armies are already readying themselves to come pouring into your hive. Wiping everything out in a flood of death. Soon, Equestria will be mine!”

Oberon looked around at the changelings that surrounded him, then down at the mass of webs that made up the beacon. “And yet, for all your planning, you’ve overlooked something.”

Chrysalis seemed amused by that. “Oh? And what is that?” she asked, raising an eye ridge at the Lord Consort.

“If you wanted to take this hive so badly, you really should have sent more changelings.”

Chrysalis just snorted at that. “Yes, yes… you’ve said that before. Weren’t you listening? My force there is sufficient, and soon you will have far too many there to even think about repelling them. You are-”

“Not for my children, not even for the Equestrians,” Oberon interrupted, taking the wind out of the queen’s sails just a little bit. She looked annoyed, but narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Oberon’s face broke out in a cruel smile. “No, you should have sent more to deal with the Promethean Demigod.”

Chrysalis looked confused at that. “I’m… sorry, but what in the name of the Spirits is a Promethean?”

There was a low, throaty growl that seemed to crawl up Flitter’s spine and earth itself in his brain. It then seemed to root around in his head, searching for every primal fear inside, before bringing them all to the forefront of his mind.

Flitter quickly turned to the source of the noise, and immediately noticed something wrong. The once brightly lit hallway beyond this room had been plunged into darkness, the magical stones leading to this room having been snuffed out. In fact, the stones inside Oberon’s chamber had also been extinguished, the only remaining light source being Chrysalis’s beacon.

That changed when Flitter noticed two pinpricks of red light stare out from the pitch-black hallway beyond. Flitter couldn’t be certain, but he thought he saw a faint outline around those baleful eyes.

The changelings closest to it took a nervous step back, before firing at the monster just beyond their sight. The flare from their horns briefly illuminated the hall, revealing absolutely nothing beyond this room.

“What’s going on?” Chrysalis asked, her voice slightly panicked. She then turned to someone in the same room as her, her face a mask of rage. “Go now! Do not let this slip through our hooves!”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that, but this victory has already slipped through your hooves,” Flitter heard Oberon cackle. Thinking quickly, Flitter turned, the knife in his magical grip slashing towards where he knew Oberon was. Even if this new monster takes us, I’ll still-

His thoughts were cut short as five long, sharp blades passed straight through his sternum and into his spine. Flitter was faintly aware of the merry jingle of metal on stone as the knife he held fell onto the stone floor, but that hardly mattered to him. All that he could think of was the tall, imposing form that had seemed to appear between himself and the Lord Consort. It looked down at him, its black eyes seemed positively demonic, especially with those glowing, red holes in their center. Flitter coughed, splattering the creature with his life essence, but it hardly seemed to care as it roughly pulled its long, sharp claws from Flitter’s chest. Flitter coughed once more, before stumbling, then falling into the icy black of eternity.

Author's Notes:

To answer some questions before you ask:

Yes, Chrysalis sent changelings after Alex.
No, Chrysalis has no idea about Providence's connection to Earth.

When Chrysalis was talking to Oberon, and Oberon mentioned the Promethean Demigod, she literally could not make the connection that he was talking about Alex. She honestly thought he was talking about some new threat, which she will quickly be corrected about once all the crap goes down in the next chapter.

Sorry for putting this out here now, but some of my prereaders were confused about that, and I wanted to put out a correction before the questions started to fly.

As for this one, I hoped you enjoyed it! I have really mixed feelings about this one, mainly because I felt like a total tool when writing these children in danger. Like, really bad, like I had personally put children in danger.

I honestly felt like scum while writing that part. Does that make me weird? I feel like that makes me weird.

At any rate, I hope you all enjoyed it! Onward to the next part, where there will be a revelation as to why Chrysalis wants to get her hooves on Alex!