Mage in Equestria: Live For The Swarm part 4

All around you, emotions swirl in a raging maelstrom.

You had been practicing more complicated magics and as a result, grew quite weary.

In the dark of the feeding chamber, the only light to be had was the faint green glow of the pods.

The ponies within, trapped in a state of endless slumber.

After your queen had taught you to sustain yourself with the emotions of others, you've found yourself addicted to such.

Their love and hatred fueled your being, revitalizing you.

The sound of screams and laughter alike cloud your mind, only urging you to drain more til they are silenced.

These sounds of course could not be heard in the silence of the dark chambers of the Hive.

Not by physical ears.

The cries of both happiness and anguish from the ponies slowly came to a dim whisper as you siphon it all into yourself.

Under normal changeling means, such a massive feast was not possible for one being.

You had made it possible.

Chrysalis of course did not have your arcane knowledge available to her then.

You had designed a sigil that would drain away the emotions in the air much like water down a drain.

The foci would then send it blasting into you.

This rune was why you hungered so.

A powerful energy was needed for the foci to work properly, so you gave them a part of yourself.

As always, your queen was very pleased with you.

With one last spark of your purple aura leaping from the 4 focus runes, you stand rejuvenated.

The ponies in their pods were sentenced to dreamless slumber at the expense of your hunger.

Life was so much easier when you didn't have to physically eat.

This left you to studies and your designs.

You had been hard at work creating various means of defense and automation for the Hive.

Having attempted to teach Chrysalis of your magics, you found she was almost reluctant to accept your teachings.

 

-memory from your past teachings-

 

Using her hole riddled foreleg, she drew the circle as you instructed.

Well, attempted to draw it as it was admittedly quite sloppy.

>"There, here is your circle. The next step?"

Your gaze lingers on her pitiful circle for a moment before you wipe it away with your magic.

She glares at you with impatience.

>"Why did you do that? I had drawn the circle just as you instructed!"

With your vast seas of patience, though dwindling of late, you manage retain your calm demeanor.

"Your circle was uneven. It would never hold even the smallest amount of magic."

You had turned your gaze to her now.

"Try again."

Instead of doing so, she sits back on her haunches and crosses her forelegs over her chest.

>"No. Not if you're going to ridicule your Queen in such a manor."

You let out a sigh, your patients beginning to become exhausted, and walk over to her side.

You kneel down next to the creature, her head only reaching to your chest when standing.

Taking the same hoof she used to try to draw her first few circles, you dip it in the black paint and help her.

Starting closest to her, you guide her leg and draw a new circle, this one much more steady and even than the others.

To draw the far half of it, you had to lean into and over her to reach.

Her mane met your face with its cool silky touch.

The cold shell of hers that wrapped around her back could be felt through your robes and was a heavenly savior from the heat.

Lost in the contact that came between you two, you had forgotten completely of everything else, your impatience gone.

It was after she tried to adjust her wings under your abdomen that you were brought back to your senses.

You let go of her leg, worried of what her reaction might be. You had never shown any sort of affection like that towards her.

The silence between you hung heavily like a thick quilt of embarrassment.

Eager to break it, you speak up with some effort.

"Long, steady strokes your Highness. Perfection takes patience."

She stares at you with a very curious expression, her eyes slightly wider than normal.

>"Yes, I, uh, thank you Praetor."

You smile and make a small half bow, too nervous to say anything else.

>"I suppose your lessons for today are sufficient. You may leave now."

You comply and take your bowl of paint with you as you leave.

Her chamber doors close behind you with a heavy thud.

You had made a big mistake today, though was it a bad one?

You remember she was satisfied with your teachings.

You remember he was startled, yes, but not angry as you could tell.

You remember the blush on her cheeks as you let her go.

 

-present-

 

You leave the feeding chamber, coming to your room.

Expecting to have some sort of work to do, you realize you don't. Again.

Your time spent in Chrysalis' domain was quite dull and you relied on her library to keep you occupied.

You have since read every book in there, some more than once.

Bored magi are dangerous magi.

You even briefly considered how entertaining it would be to try and summon forth a shoggoth.

Not the best of ideas.

You're fairly certain a creature of infinite form and pure chaos would note bode well in this world.

You have after all read of Discord.

As entertaining as he may sound, his presence was not a favored idea by many.

You lay upon your bed and ponder what you could possibly do to occupy yourself.

Change the drone's forms?

You had learned the secrets of their shape shifting abilities and it was quite humorous while it lasted, though Chrysalis was far from approving.

Go sack another camel village?

No, you had already cleared all the closest settlements and they dare not lead their caravans through hive territory anymore.

To your dismay, there is not much to do at all underground in a damn desert of all things.

With a sigh, you get out of bed.

It was time to go dig a hole.

Walking through the winding network of tunnels and caves, you make your way to the lowest parts of the hive.

Passing the spring, you descend deeper into the earth.

With your illuminating ball of energy in your palm, you find the end of an abandoned tunnel.

God, you were actually going to dig a hole just for fun.

You levitate your light above you, letting it drift about in the air and you begin to focus vast amounts of energy in front of you, concentrating it to a fine point.

Sparks of magic leaped from your body and struck the walls of the cave around you leaving smoldering marks where they came to impact.

Compacting as much energy in front of you as you could, wincing through the pain of holding it all together, you unleash it in a steady beam.

The blast sent you skidding back on your feet a few feet as you held the magic steady.

Earth and stone were obliterated by the massive volley of arcane energy that you let forth.

Your eyes tear up by the bright light before you.

You close them tight and try to hold steady as you let loose the blast.

After a few seconds, the magic is spent and you open your eyes.

You had cleared long cylindrical tunnel, the walls bright red with molten heat.

Exhausted, you sit down against a nearby stalagmite and wait for the stone to cool down.

just as you close your eyes to rest, there is a loud crack and a puff of green fire.

>"What was that noise!?"

Chrysalis stands next to you with a frantic look on her face.

You look up at her.

"I made a hole."

>"I see that. What in Equestria would convince you to blast out such a massive tunnel?"

You wipe a bead of sweat from your brow.

"Boredom."

Your flustered queen casts you gaze down the new tunnel.

It had since cooled down enough to where most of it was once again dark stone.

There were yet still a few molten patches lining it providing the only light.

You look down the tunnel as well and see a large opening at the end.

Perhaps you blasted through to an existing one?

She relaxes a bit as she finds your nonchalant digging may have been to some sort of advantage.

>"It appears you found another cave."

"Yeah, I guess I did. Allow me."

Getting up, you unleash more magic down the tunnel, this time sweeping chilled air over the walls.

Satisfied with the loud sizzling and cracking of molten rock cooling, you venture in, Chrysalis following.

>"You should really inform me when you're about to start exploding the earth."

"I apologize for startling you. There is unfortunately not much to do down here."

You bring your orb of light back to your palm and hold it out before you.

"Out of curiosity, what do you do to occupy your time?"

She stiffens a bit at your question.

Perhaps you crossed a line you weren't supposed to?

>"What I do in my chambers does not concern you Praetor."

Yep, definitely treading in unwelcome territory.

"I apologize for prying."

The rest of the walk is met with silence as you come to the end of your efforts.

Before you is not a cave, but a much larger tunnel that yours came to intersect.

This one was not simply dug out of stone.

Carved bricks and support columns ran along it's perfectly symmetrical walls.

You both stare down opposite ends, incapable of seeing what lies beyond.

Your light was not sufficient to reveal what rests in the dark.

You spot the torches on each of the support columns, perfectly spaced out in uniform lengths.

You line them up in front of you, raise a hand and let loose a long jet of flame, igniting several at once.

Whatever they were coated in, it did not decay.

This place was obviously quite old and it was amazing that it survived.

In fact, the craftsmanship of the stone and paved floor was so fine that it gave no room between the bricks.

They all fit snug and formed a solid seal. It would take some sort of massive earthquake or something to cave this in.

>"I...I think we found a road of the old empire. These stretch for miles, connecting major cities."

Your boredom was annihilated.

This was an amazing discovery.

You felt like some sort of Indiana Jones having discovered this.

>"You will archive this immediately. I will send drones later to scout ahead."

You turn to her and open your mouth to protest only to be cut off again.

>"It is dangerous underground. Packs of diamond dogs or even a dragon could be waiting in the dark."

Her tone is enough to tell you there will be no say against her word.

You retreat back to the Hive.

 

You close the book you were writing in.

It told of the events today as you were ordered to catalog.

Chrysalis said she would tell you when you could go explore the road you found.

She was going to send a group to scout ahead tomorrow and you were not to go without her permission.

Was her word really going to hold you back from such a discovery?

You bet your monkey ass it wouldn't.

You leave the book on your wooden table and don your robes.

Pulling your hood over your head, you diced it's best to remain as low key as possible.

Even though changeling eyes could see in the dark, your clothing was as black as the stone the hive was carved out of allowing at least some stealth.

Well, added stealth. You have a spell that you would use when sneaking around at night back in your world.

Stepping out of your room and quietly closing your door, you look to Chrysalis'.

Her doors are closed, as always when she's in her chambers.

What did she do in there all the time?

You intend to find out later, but for now you have other things to attend to.

You reach out with your magic and meet the very fabric of space.

Like a shroud, you bend the darkness around you, keeping you mostly from sight.

Other than a faint ripple, you were nearly invisible.

With a grin, you make your way back to your little discovery.

It was time to go explore outside of the Hive.