Chrysalis Condemned Chapter 4

>A piercing shriek brought you out of your fitful slumber

>"The changelings! The changelings are here!"

>But this was a ghost town, who in Tartarus was screaming?

>Your eyes snapped open and you saw a yellow earth pony in a ridiculous looking cowboy hat and vest

>He appeared to be holding back a large crowd of other ponies from charging at you

>You stand slowly, retaining what little regality your gaunt form had left

>Two of your warriors stand between you and the massive crowd of ponies

>You push them aside and approach the yellow one

>He seemed to be some kind of leader, or at least someone influential, if he was managing to hold back all of his kin

>In the crowd behind him, you saw the ponies' eyes grow wide and several fell over

>You ignore them and stare into the eyes of the vested pony in front of you

"You are the leader of this town?"

>The pony in question stood on all fours as best he could, pulling himself up to appear taller

>He still barely reached your withers

>"Y-yes ah am. Mah name's Braeburn. This is our town, called Appleloosa. Yer not gonna, d-drain us of our love an' life there. We don't got much else 'sides that in this desert here."

>You scoff at the statement

"Of course not. We haven't drained an entire city since our war with Hive Tymbal in the time of Queen Siphon. That was over a thousand years ago, for you short-lived ponies."

>This didn't seem to calm Braeburn at all

>If anything, his shaking and stuttering got worse, quite an annoying attribute

>"W-well, y'all ain't welcome in this here town. We don't want nothin' ta do with no changeling hives!"

>You sigh and send the signal to prepare to leave to your brood

"Then we will leave. Come, my children, it seems that no species will welcome us. Perhaps we can find sustenance in another land."

>You lead your children in a procession through the town

>On your way, ponies shouted obscenities at you, some even throwing rotted fruit at you

>Several of the items hit you, which you didn't mind

>But then a pony threw a stone from a window of one of the buildings

>It hit Nygma in the eye, and the changeling runt fell over, unconscious

>You whipped your head around to where the stone had come from and fired a blast of magic at it

>The building in question burst into brilliant emerald flame, the wood catching like tinder after so long in the desert sun

>The occupants screamed as their home burned around them

>But after lifting Nygma onto your back, you carried on as though it had never happened

>No one threw anything after that

>Eventually, you reached the hills overlooking the town

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>You look back at the desert town, now bathed in the glow of the setting sun

>Deep in your heart you felt you would never be accepted by any species in any land

>There was a time when changelings had ruled much of the earth that the ponies and other creatures laid claim to

>But then the creature the ponies called Discord had come

>The ponies, of course, thought themselves the only victims, as they were wont to do

>But the changelings hadn't always had holes in their legs

>And there had been dozens of different hives across the land

>Now, as far as you knew, yours was the only one left

>What a strange feeling, to know that your species was soon to be gone from the face of Equestria

>So you paused at the top of that hill, staring back at the town that had pushed you out, just like the rest

>The building you had set alight had long since burned to the ground

>As for its dwellers, you didn't know what had become of them

>Then again, you didn't care

>"Y'know, you'd make more friends if ya didn't kill ponies and destroy their things."

>You whirl to face whatever was speaking to you, and your warriors lept in front of you, baring their fangs

>The old unicorn, owner of that voice, chuckled with a dusty hack

>"Oh come now, you don't need to worry about one old pony. I doubt I could threaten you even if that is what I wanted to do."

>You place a hoof on one of your warriors to calm him

>You approach the elderly unicorn, noting some things that marked him out from the rest of ponydom

>He wore a strange collar-like thing about his neck, black with a white square in the center of it

>He had a pair of spectacles perched on the end of his nose, though he didn't seem to need them, instead staring directly into your eyes

>And his horn

>His horn was broken, two thirds of it missing

>He laughs again, that same dry cackle

>"You see? I could hardly threaten you or your hive, Queen Chrysalis."

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>You narrow your eyes at him

"And just how do you know who I am, unicorn?"

>The old pony smiles at you and replies in a tone devoid of any malice, more playful sounding than anything

>"I just listen, hive mother. It's something so few ponies do these days."

>Well, the elderly equine didn't seem to be a threat at least

>It couldn't hurt to entertain this kind of courtesy, especially from a pony after all

"What is your name, colt?"

>He inclines his head to you as a show of respect

>"I have the pleasure to be named Sigurd, Queen Chrysalis."

"Well, Sigurd, as you can see, my children are...ill at ease with your presence. If you would please move, we'll be on our way and not cause anymore trouble in this area."

>Sigurd places a hoof on your forelimb to stop you

>You can't believe the audacity of this unicorn, he dared to touch you

>Your guards evidently had a similar mindset and hissed at the old pony

>"I must insist that you wait. You and your children are starving, are you not? Please, come to my home. I shall feed you. And I'm certain you'll find my abode a sight more comfortable than the open flats."

>You look back at your emaciated children and sigh

"I accept your offer of hospitality. Lead the way."

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