"And what is that you offer me in exchange for our protection? I doubt your little hive has many workers or even decent spies," Metamorpha said in a confident tone, the drone below her throne was kneeling down. A sign of respect to the hive that had opened its doors to an emissary.

"Our queen has just laid her last eggs. Among them, we have identified the egg of a king changeling. That, that egg is our bargaining chip," Metamorpha bit her lip as soon as she heard that.

'The news of my husband's death has already reached other hives. Not a bad move, I can see where he is going with this. If they caught wind of that information, they ought to know about the egg we currently have. Now, I have to both make sure to make them keep their end of the bargain, and find the snitch that is spreading news of our affairs to the other hives.'

"Therefore, you want to offer a changeling king to continue my lineage alongside my daughter, am I correct? To make it stronger," Metamorpha concluded crossing her legs and resting her head on her hand. Her green mane fell over partially covering her right eye.

"That is correct queen Metamorpha. I humbly apologize for such an underhanded use of your grieving. But our hive is in serious danger due to another nearby hive trying to destroy us," The drone apologized as it kept his gaze locked on the ground.

"Very daring, I'll give you and your brothers that. However, who is to say you're telling the truth? I require proof. Or..." Metamorpha saw the changeling's ear twitch as it heard those words, he was paying attention. And if he was as smart as their little plan was, he would understand what she was going for.

"Some sort of compromise, correct?"

"Yes, young one. If I were to accept your offer and my daughter ended up with your next king, our hives would be considered one. That means your hive would have access to our army, while our hive would get a hold of a territory within the borders of those damned sisters, with the added bonus of an extra territory once the opposing hive that is threatening your hive is dealt with."

"It is a win-win situation," The drone commented with a low tone.

"Unless you were lying and just ended up spreading our forces thin allowing an attack from nearby hives," Metamorpha said getting off her throne and flying over to the drone, once she was in front of him she kneeled down and held his head making him face her. The drone seemed to be flustered with the proximity. "However, rejoice child, for I am willing to accept your deal. Under one condition, I am giving your hive a week's time to get the egg here. Thanks to our channellers we can send you back to your hive without any trouble."

"And the catch being?"

"If you fail to deliver the egg or happens to send a fake one, our troops shall subjugate your hive and the one giving you trouble. You shall be nothing but mindless servants to us, working on an underground network to connect the hives."

The drone's ears perked up and he backed away from Metamorpha, she understood his fear. The subjugation was a ritual performed by a changeling queen after a war between hives was settled. The victims of that ritual were forced to do the bidding of the victorious hive.

Thoughts, memories, the sense of self. All of that would be locked away after performing the ritual. A simpler, weaker, and more limited version of this ritual was the subjugation spell. But given their situation, it would be useless to even consider that.

"I am aware of the fear you're feeling, child. How about a different perspective? If you succeed, your home will be safe and part of a bigger kingdom. If you fail, you'll still end up with your home safe and will still be part of a bigger hive," Metamorpha explained with a dark grin on her muzzle. She watched the drone shake his head to the sides before gulping.

"V-very well, we shall send a convoy to escort the egg here as soon as possible. Thank you, for your 'kindness'," Metamorpha giggled at the glare the drone was giving her.

'Accepting a contract like that without batting an eye? They must be so desperate.'

"You will learn to appreciate this kindness, little one. Guards! Escort this drone to the channellers' room."

As soon as the foreign drone left the room, Metamorpha flew up to the highest point in the throne room. Simply touching the wall made it morph into a hole, the path led to a small room decorated with children's toys and things she had her soldier extract from other kingdoms.

The room was illuminated by a single enchanted window that allowed the light from the moon and sun enter. At the end of the room, there was a single rock formation that Metamorpha had carved herself. On top of that formation, there was an emerald green egg resting within the moon's light.

Metamorpha walked up to the egg and caressed it. "I'll secure your future, my dear little Chrysalis. You will rule the largest hive that has ever existed in our history," Using her eyes she saw the interior of the egg, the silhouette of her daughter appeared before her eyes. Only the changeling kings and queens had the eyes that allowed to see the interior of the eggs, amongst other things.

A smile formed on her muzzle, a warm feeling filled her chest as she watched her child move within the egg. The pride of her creation, the need she felt of securing that small creature. It all amounted to that little egg. 'How I longed for your arrival. My daughter, you will be the greatest leader our kind has ever had.'

Metamorpha then looked out the window, the moon was up and the sun was starting to rise, however, the moon didn't move. A recurring event in the past few days, almost as if the moon refused to set.

'Are we having trouble in paradise?'

(Two days before the end of the deadline)

"How are we looking over there, brother?"

"There doesn't seem to be any signs of the enemy."

The channeler chosen by the queen watched as her brothers kept leading her and received reports from their lonely scout. In her arms the means of saving her home, tightening her grip the further away they went from the hive, she would follow all of her brothers orders.

Their route to the badlands passed by the Everfree forest, if they were to fly from that point on, they could arrive in their destination with one day to spare. However, sightings of the enemy hive soldiers combined with the Eclipse that had just happened the previous night, which was accompanied by a colorful light show.

All that led to them to take the ground route, which would let them get to Metamorpha almost at the limit of their time. The path so far had been safe, only a few sightings of ponies carrying furniture and clothes in some sort of convoy guarded by guards that would only appear after the guards had returned. They seemed unusually fast on their hooves.

As they walked, the channeler felt a stinging pain hitting her shoulder. Instinct kicked in, she bolted away as fast as she could. Her brothers reacted as soon as she passed by them.

"Take the egg! Don't stop no matter what!"

Without batting an eye, the channeler did as instructed and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The sounds of the magic and fighting slowly fading as she kept running, once the sound was far enough, she opened her wings and took flight. However, in a matter of seconds after getting over the trees, a stronger pain hit her on her back paralyzing her wings and making her crash land.

The channeler managed to protect the egg during the crash, at the cost of her own body. Her landing made her hit what looked like a wall from a ruin, which crumbled over her legs crushing them. The channeler placed the egg on her side before lighting up her horn and lifting the rock, then she rolled to the side, grabbed the egg, and started to crawl away.

'Can't stop here. I need to get this to Metamorpha's hive!'

Another blast hit her back, making her drop the egg. The channeler's vision started to darken, she set her sights on the egg and dragged herself toward the blurry image. Upon reaching it, the channeler hugged the egg using her body as a shield. The world felt cold, the lights got brighter, before her eyes, the channeler saw the image of her home. Her brothers, sisters, her queen and mother, all the newborns. All of them greeting her and welcoming her back, as her breathing slowly stopped alongside her heart.

(Earlier that day ruins of the castle of the two sisters)

'There, now the Timberwolves should stay away from my subjects now. I wonder how the evacuation is doing. I and Luna ended up destroying a huge part of the city...Luna...how could I let you get that desperate? Celestia, focus! Your citizens need you!'

Celestia went back to the damaged streets, all of her subjects bowing and praying to her as she passed like some sort of deity. They all saw her as a hero, their hero. To them, the incident that took place in the previous night was the machinations of a terrible creature, Nightmare Moon.

The only ones that knew what had truly transpired were Celestia, Luna, and Starswirl the Bearded. Celestia kept doing her rounds and helping the citizens that seemed to be having trouble with the evacuation. Seeing her own sister turn into that creature filled her with grief and fear. If her sister could be corrupted by the fear of not being loved and the feeling of being tossed aside...could her subjects suffer the same fate?

She wouldn't dare entertain the thought of letting it happen again. Celestia decided under the black image she created on the moon after banishing Luna, that she would do everything she could so that never again let any of her subjects be a victim of such a fate.

"There, is this the last of your luggage?" Celestia asked with a soft tone as she paced the last briefcase on the wagon that would escort a small family with a newborn.

"Yes, your Highness. Thank you so much. May your golden sun never again be faced with such darkness," The father said bowing before her.

"PRINCESS! PRINCESS!" The shouts of the guard made Celestia turn around in the blink of an eye.

"What's the problem?!"

"Some strange creatures are fighting amongst themselves near one of our convoys! They're using magic and we are short on forces!"

Celestia didn't even answer, her wings shot open and she took to the skies. Flying with all the speed her wings allowed, Celestia headed towards the lights that shone through the treetops. As she did, a creature she didn't recognize flew above the trees.

The creature was heading straight towards the castle. 'The scavenging team is still there looking for documents worth saving! I can't let it reach the castle!'

Charging up her horn, Celestia fired up a beam from the pal of her hand. Her target was struck and crash-landed in the old garden her mother, Queen Faust, had constructed for both Celestia and Luna. Celestia saw the creature use magic to lift a rock an start to crawl away while holding some sort of bluish rock for dear life.

'Is it a weapon? I need to finish her off before she has a chance to use it!'

Celestia used her magic again, another golden beam shot straight at the creature. The damage made it let go of the stone, Celestia watched in awe the creature use the last of its life to reach the stone. Celestia landed by it.

'A female? Why is she smiling? She...looks at peace. All while looking at that stone. What is it?'

Celestia walked up to the stone, a plain bluish stone laid on the floor. It didn't look like anything special, nor did it look like a gem or anything of value. Why would that creature be so attached to it? Celestia reached for the stone, as soon as she touched it memories of Luna and their time together flooded Celestia's mind.

Celestia lifted her hand from the stone and making her memories fade. The stone remained with its bluish color, and nothing more appeared to have happened. Touching the surface again, the same effect, it didn't matter how many times she touched it, the happy and loving memories of Luna would come back.

'Is it a relic? Maybe...I can keep it. Maybe...it can help...'

Picking up the stone, Celestia used a magic spell to change the stone's size. Allowing her to carry it on a locket placed on her necklace. Looking around, Celestia felt her heart being squeezed. She didn't want to be near that castle anymore. With the stone secure, Celestia went to check back on the convoy. The sounds of a magic fight had faded, all her soldier had to report was that once three creatures were defeated the remaining ones ran away. They also reported that none of the ponies were harmed during the incident.

"Very well, please return to the city. I'll finish escorting this convoy to the campsite. Please help the remaining citizens and send the remaining troops to protect the scavenging team while they search for other documents. "

"Yes, your Highness!!" The guards saluted before heading back to the city.

Celestia sighed, then she walked alongside the wagon until they reached the camp. As soon as Celestia set hooves on the area, the citizens flocked to her and started to bow and pray to her. Her heart started to ache, she was being praised for a mistake she made. Just being around the immediate area of the castle made Celestia feel uneasy.

She needed a place far enough for her to feel a bit more at ease, a place where her subjects could also start anew. It didn't matter how much her subjects smiled as she passed by them, she knew they were afraid. Afraid of what had happened during the previous night, others were still grieving over the loss of their family due to casualties that resulted from the fight.

Being there hurt both Celestia and her subjects. Therefore the answer she had come to was to find a new place to build a castle, a secure location. The best possibility would be a place where there would be only one way to access by ground, maybe with high enough elevation to allow sighting of enemy troops from far away.

As she thought about it, Celestia saw a shadow looming over the village. Looking up she saw the mountain that would always cover the sun and her sister's moon during the end of each period of the day. As far as Celestia remembered, that mountain was an old crystal mining area.

'The mining has long been closed off due to a cave in that completely sealed the entrance at the mountain's base, meaning the only opening left was the one at the plateau. And that area was only accessible through an old road or by flying, but the second route could be protected with simple spells. Maybe some wards? I think we might be able to work with some runes and make some sort of seal to allow entry through the wards. Starswirl should have some ideas for that.'

With those ideas in mind, Celestia proceeded to see how the camp was faring. Tents were being raised everywhere, taking up to the skies she started to survey the place. She could see her tent in the distance, at the very center of the camp, the remaining camps were all organized like a circle.

The castle was about one mile and a half from a huge clearing, That area was being saved for some sort of produce, but for now, that was the best place they had to keep the camp. The hills were clear and there were no areas of tall grass, meaning that wild creatures would need to get through a wide area completely exposed.

Celestia flew down to her tent, during her descent, she could see the citizens start to pray as she approached. The deity treatment had just started, and Celestia was already fed up with it. The guards made way for her to enter, once inside, Celestia could see the silhouettes of the guards surrounding her tent.

Celestia sat down on her bed and opened up the pendant, using her magic once more, the stone was restored to its usual size. Grabbing hold of it, Celestia simply laid on her bed and stared into space. The warm feeling of those memories comforting her, making her feel more at ease and sad at the same time.

Without even realizing, Celestia had fallen asleep. Using up her spells, the fight in the previous night, using the elements of harmony, securing a route for the convoys, the chase with the creature. All of those events had taken their toll on her mind and her body.

When she finally woke up, Celestia realized that she had been hugging the stone during the entire time. Her body felt lighter, and her mind was more at ease. Whatever that stone was, it had allowed to rest up nicely. Celestia stretched a bit before making the stone return to her locket. Stepping outside, a guard walked up to her.

"Your Highness! The scavenging teams have returned. They claim that the important documents regarding history, spells, and other things have been secured."

"Very well. Has anypony seen Starswirl? I need to speak to him."

"He is aiding the wizards with setting an alarm around the perimeter. He should be by the southeast edge of the camp by now."

"Thank you for your service," The guard saluted her before leaving.

Flying up, Celestia headed to the southeast edge of the camp. Starswirl was accompanied by a group of wizards conjuring up some sort of wall that disappeared after a few seconds. They must have heard Celestia's approach because they were on their knees by the tie she landed.

"Teacher, I require your help."

"Well, it has been a while since the princess has asked for my advice. All of you, please continue your work," The other wizards got up and continued on her way. "Now, what is that you require of me?"

"I believe that we need a new capital. And I also believe to have found just the place."

"And where might that be, your Highness?" Celestia pointed at the plateau. "That seems to have a pretty high vantage point. The old mine entrance at the base is collapsed and completely sealed off, meaning the road up there is the only path to it. It is a very secure place, the only problem being the risk of aerial assaults."

"And that is exactly why I require your help. Do you believe that some wards blocking off all flying routes to the city can be worked around with a rune that allows passage through?"

The stallion scratched his beard, for a few moments. After some thought, he snapped his fingers and looked back to Celestia.

"I think I might be able to pull it off. All I require is time. Give me that and you will have your runes."

"Thank you for your help, teacher."

"You are welcome, my student."

With that they parted ways, Celestia raised up the moon after setting her sun and went back to her tent. That had been a very eventful day, but at the very least she had managed to make many plans and keep her subjects safe. Picking up the stone again, Celestia laid on her bed and allowed herself to sleep again.

'That ought to do the trick. All that is left is checking the area for the castle and seeing if the plateau can handle it. Once that is done, another city and a castle is the next step,' She thought as she slowly drifted into the loving memories of her sister.

Alright, let's see how this goes!

Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think!