>You look to the door as it clasps shut, it's metal locks sliding into place.
>Turning around you catch up to Ram Charger, who had already set off towards the north west.
>The sun's rays are already beating down on you, piercing your clothing with heat.
>Going to be a long trip.
>Ram Charger wordlessly trundles on through the sand, carefully tracking everything around him. His ears bending every which way as he walks.
"So Ram, have you ever made this trip before"?
>"Yes. I was in the scout regiment as a mere sergeant, Rock's Edge was one of my stops along the scouting route".
>He seems...tense.
>You catch up to him yet again, making sure to keep the pace.
"You okay Ram? You seem a bit off".
>He draws in a deep breath, "I'm sorry Anonymous. I just don't think you understand the impact of what just occurred".
>Impact? Something important happened?
"Which would be...-"
>"No living thing has called the Queen by her name, omitting the title, and lived. At least not as long as I've been alive".
>"Just something like that had taken me completely by surprise that's all".
"Ahhh, well she tells me to just call her Chrysalis all the time. She doesn't like it much when I call her Queen".
>Ram stares straight ahead, eyes alight with thought.
>"Then, she sees you as more than a subject. More than just a mere ally or servant, she sees you as a potential mate Anonymous".
>What.
>Mate? You know she takes a liking to you, and you know that she is indeed very beautiful in a strange sort of way.
>But to-wait this can't be it. He has to be wrong.
"I don't think so Ram, with all due respect she is very striking but I don't think she's looking at me that way, and I really don't see her in the same light".
>You're such a fucking liar.
>You could stare into those eyes forever.
>Ram seems to have taken the bait, "Well, I can't promise your well being after you tell her those words. The secret is safe with me though".
>You nod as the two of you continue the arduous trek that is the Badlands, hundreds of thousands of square miles, with nothing but sand, sun, and rocks to show for it.
>"Have you ever been out this way Anonymous? I know you ran supply routes and scavenge runs to the south and east. But I don't know if you did any other areas".
>You shake your head no as you spit out some sand that had gotten under your bandana.
"Nope, just those two routes. Only ones that I was assigned in fact, was always curious of what was over this way".
>Something resembling a snort comes from Ram as you two pass over the top of a sand dune, "That reinforces my hypothesis even more about the Queen's feelings towards you. The south and east areas are well patrolled and protected by the changelings. Everything further north and to the west falls deeper and deeper into obscurity when it comes to territory".
"So essentially, she was shielding me"?
>Ram tilts his head side to side, "More or less yes, that's correct. I wouldn't take it as an insult to your abilities though, every changeling scout and runner starts at those same routes. Have to flutter around before you can truly fly".
>Hm, he is right, better to not dwell on it too much.
>Back and forth chatter continues on into the afternoon, thankfully the two of you are in a sort of valley area. Where you and Ram are shielded from the direct sunlight, letting it cool down a good bit and not have a lot of whirling sand tornadoes.
>You take this time to push your goggles up back onto your forehead and drop the bandana down to your neck.
"Ahhh, this feels so much better. I can never get used to this damned desert".
>"Even with the 6 months you've been here"?
"Yep, where I come from there wasn't a lot of desert like this. Around where I lived I mean, we had deserts but I wasn't near any. Mostly thick woods and mountains".
>As the two of you carefully walk down a narrow part of the ridge Ram Charger speaks, "Ahhhh so you were mostly in humid, colder climates? I can see your difficulty getting accustomed then".
"Eeyup".
>Looking up to the sun tells you it's around 5ish in the afternoon, you had left at around 11ish in the morning, so you had been walking for about 7 hours now.
>Ugh, this heat is hell.
>"Are you feeling alright Anonymous? You seem extremely fatigued, more so than what I would expect".
>He right, you didn't feel well leaving the hive but this is a bit...off kilter.
"I'm alright Ram I...I think it's just the transition from the cold and damp to out here. It has been a while since I went topside".
>"Ah, it has been a while for me too, about a year since I was last out here".
>The Commander? Not been outside in a year?
"Why haven't you came up? I'd think the commander of the scouts would be up here a good bit".
>Ram adopts a face that emits a feeling of being very uncomfortable, "Well, I lost my wings in a giant fight between a Sand Shrieker and the scout company I had command of at the time. Was put on medical leave and was restricted access to the desert".
>Oh, you were wondering why he didn't have wings.
"I'm sorry to hear that Ram, it must've been hard on you".
>Ram heaves a long sigh as the two of you approach the first campsite, the sun has begun its' descent as Ram unpacks the camp bag.
>You enter the small cave after him.
>"It was hard at first, not being able to fly. However I found I had another strength that was a lot closer to my namesake, I found that I had a certain flair for well...ramming things".
>You accidentally let loose a small chuckle, which you immediately rescinded and cursed yourself for doing. That was in very bad taste.
>"You don't have to hold back on my account Anonymous, I find no reason to be offended. Just something that had happened, that's all".
"Sorry, it's still not something I should laugh at, just thought that your name and what that whole things was just, tied together to be a bit funny".
>Ram nods, sitting down at the small camp circle, "That is why I said do not hold back, I'm not offended, it is my name after all".
>He opens the food pack and tosses you a small box, inside is a stack of jerky, some nuts and a small piece of bread.
>"It isn't the dining hall's meals but it's what we have right now".
>You shrug and take a bite if the jerky, savouring its' peppery taste.
"I don't mind, it's food and I'm hungry".
>A grunt of acknowledgement from Ram is all you get as the two of you dig in to your meals, not exchanging much in the way of words.
>Night had fallen, and so you had set up your sleeping roll near the camp circle.
>Ram walks to the edge of the cave and activates his horn.
>A green aura surrounds it before dispersing and running over the open mouth of the cave.
>He turns around and walks to his pack, "Alert spell, it'll wake me right up if something crosses it".
"Ah, does that happen often out here"?
>Ram shakes his head, "Not too much, but I've never been worse off preparing".
>He has a point.
>As you snuggle into your sleeping roll you stare at the ceiling of the cave, the dim light of night flickering across its' many different edges and dips.
>You can hear Ram laying on top of his roll, his chitin armor scraping in some places.
>"Get as much rest as you can Anonymous, we rise at dawn, after that it's just another 4 or 5 hour trek until we reach Rock's Edge".
"Alright Ram, 'night".
>A slight silence falls between you two as Ram shifts in his roll, "Goodnight Anonymous".
>You awaken from a dreamless and fulfilling sleep, clambering off of your roll you stretch and look around the cave.
>Ram Charger is gone.
>Immediately not liking the situation you grab your rifle and turn off the safety.
>Doesn't look like any struggle went down, that and you're a light sleeper. You would've been woken up by the sounds of a scuffle.
>Looking further into the cave you can't make out much, but that's why you brought the little light sticks that Einstein had made for you for your last scout run.
>Grabbing one out of your hip pouch you crack the top and direct the light into the throat of the cave.
>You can't see anything but more rocks and yet more darkness further in.
>A slight scuffling sound makes itself known behind you, causing you to drop the light stick and bring your rifle up at the ready.
>"Woah woah woah Anonymous, no need to get jumpy".
>Ram.
>Shit.
"You scared the hell out of me".
>You lower your rifle and put the safety back on, you have to lean against the wall to get the jitters out of you.
>Ram adopts a confused expression, "Hell"?
>Ah, you keep forgetting.
"Your Tartarus is a human's Hell".
>A slight head rise and a curt nod is your response, "Ah, well I was out having a look around. I have very bad news".
>You take the light stick and chuck it into the cave.
>You don't like sound of this.
"Is the scout team uhhhh, you know...".
>Ram shakes his head, "I haven't found them, but the Sand Shrieker I told about? I spotted it heading towards Rock's Edge, which is detrimental to our mission out here. I'm going to have to get in contact with the Queen and see what she wants us to do".
>He walks outside, scrapes a bit of loose dirt out of the way and sits down.
>His horn lights up a bright green as he dons a look of fierce concentration, making you decide against disturbing him.
>You stand, and wait, while Ram does his thing you look out towards where the two of you are supposed to be travelling.
>You can make out what they call Rock's Edge in the distance, apparently it's a very, very large cliff that has a 10000 foot drop into nothing.
>Fun.
>Why they would put a scouting camp there you have no idea.
>A weird whine emanates through the air as Ram sinks into a more relaxed, tired state.
"You alright there"?
>With a huff he gets up and shakes himself, "Yeah, just...just it's pretty difficult to get in touch that far away. It's been a while since I tried".
>He goes to get his pack back on but you stop him.
"It's alright, I got this, it isn't much but you need as little weight as possible on you right now".
>He seem to want to reject your help but stops himself.
"So, what does she want us to do"?
>"Well, she wants us to follow it, at least until our assault troops get here to take it down. It has been too much of a hassle to let live around us and the other hives, we've lost many Changelings to the monster".
>He exits the cave and starts walking towards the giant rock spire, "Well Anonymous, let's be on our way. We have to follow that Shrieker".
>You quickly gather the rest of the things and sling them over you back. Grabbing your rifle that was leaning against the wall you exit the cave after Ram, and back into the morning sun.
>.
>..
>...
>This is hell.
>The second part of the trip is by far worse than the first.
>The two of you have navigated through deep cliffs, cracks and even quicksand in some places.
>Not to mention the sun is seemingly brighter and hotter than yesterday.
>Celestia must know you're out here.
>"Anonymous".
>Ram slows to a halt, a slight suspicious air about him, "Do you, have the feeling we're being watched"?
>You look to him as casually as possible while searching the horizon for anything that could pose a threat.
"I don't, and I don't see anything".
>A slow nod from Ram, "Well, maybe it's just me. I just have a bad, prickly feeling running down my spine right now".
>"Maybe it's just me being-".
>A bright green bolt sails past your head and strikes Ram on his right shoulder, it ricochets off but you can hear the sizzling from here.
>"ANONYMOUS GET DOWN".
>He pushes you behind a large rock before joining you in cover, "Did you see where that...ahhh that hurts...did you see where that spell came from"?
>Deactivating the safety on your rifle you look around the rock, trying to get a sense of direction.
>Another green beam sails at you, only to bounce off the rock your hiding behind.
"Ah fuck, it's...shit it's coming from the cliff side to our right".
>You look to Ram, who is nursing a very large burn wound on his shoulder.
"You gonna be alright Ram"?
>"Yeah just...gotta be still for a bit. Luckily it hit the thicker part of my armor, if I was any other Changeling I would a lot worse off right now".
>Another beam hit the top of the rick and bounces off, striking the stone cliff face behind you.
>A smoking hole about the size of your fist is now where the spell struck.
>That's not a good thing to get hit by.
>"Anonymous that's changeling magic, they're not any of us or our allied hives. They must be those rouges, we have to take them out".
>Two more beams hit the rock, bouncing off and flying off every which way.
"How do you think we're going to do that? We're pinned here".
>Ram sits still and thinks hard for a second, before stomping a hoof on the ground, "I got it! I have no idea why I didn't think of this before".
>"Alright Anonymous, I'm going to pull up a shield and you can stay behind me to take out the changelings. You need to stay behind me you got it? You don't have any armor, those spells will bore a hole right into you".
>Sounds like the only idea you two have...
>Oh well, let's do it.
"Alright Ram, whenever you're ready. I'll let you know when I'm firing though, this thing gets real loud".
>He nods as another beam sails over the rock, leaving a sizzling hole in the ground behind you.
>The two of you switch places, so he's on the outside of the rock.
>Ram powers up his shield, a wall of glowing green erupts from his horn, a slight crackling sound follows as he looks to you.
>"On three"!
>You give him a quick thumbs up, though you're not too sure he knows the gesture.
>"ONE"!
>"TWO"!
>You grip your rifle tightly, preparing yourself for what's about to go down.
>"THREE"!
>Ram darts out from the rock, immediately directing his shield towards the rouge changelings. You followed quickly after, crouching behind him and taking aim at one of the four changelings still firing those spells at you two, you warn Ram.
"Firing"!
>You squeeze the trigger, the all too familiar recoil hitting your shoulder as the crack from the rifle echoes through the cliff sides. Ram's shield had shimmered for a second but quickly regained it's composure as the round sailed towards the leftmost Changeling.
>The round struck true, a gaping hole had opened up where it's right eye was. Body matter and blood had splattered on the wall behind it, it topples to the ground as the other three Changelings look on in horror.
>One makes some weird sound as you were working the bolt of the rifle, chambering another round. Quickly after the other three break out into a full scale retreat.
>You follow their bodies with your rifle until they're fully out of sight, lowering the rifle afterwards you let your knees hit the dirt and heave a tired sigh.
"I never liked fighting, I thought I got away form this when I arrived here".
>Ram lets his shield dissipate as he sits next to you, "I'm afraid that was a vain effort, there was a time where even ponykind and Changelings were friendly towards one another".
>Taking out a canteen you take a swig, you offer it to Ram but he refused.
"It was like that with humans in my world, at one time we were pretty friendly towards one another, but as with all good things they come to an end at some point".
>Getting back on your feet and slipping your goggles on you help Ram up.
"So, where to now? We wait here for the assault team"?
>Ram shakes his head, "We need to investigate those rouges, we need to get up to their vantage point and go over the one you had shot".
>Eh, you really didn't feel like looking at dead bodies so early in the day.
"If that's what needs to be done, I guess we have to do it huh"?
>Ram looks around the cliff face where the changelings were when they attacked.
>"I have no idea how to get up there though, if I still had my wings I could just simply fly".
>You were about to agree when the most horrendous screeching noise pierces your ears, forcing you to cover them with your hands.
>Ram adopts a terrified expression before pushing you hard against the rock you were just hiding behind.
>A very large shadow makes itself apparent as the sound of scraping and slight crunching noises sound off.
>Whooshing noises echo through the small canyon as a 2 story house sized, sand colored dragon flies away towards the west, clutching the dead Changeling in its' claws.
>Sand Shrieker.
"I...I take it that's a Sand Shrieker".
>Ram nods very slowly, "Yeah, that's a Sand Shrieker".
>Watching the colossal beast fly away with the only identification of the Changelings that attacked you two, you feel a sense of fear and dread.
>Eventually, you were going to have to fight that beast.
>You and Ram wait behind cover for what felt like hours, before Ram taps you on the shoulder, "It should be safe, let's go".
>Inching out from cover, you lean against the rock as Ram slips out from behind it.
>"That, is something I really, really didn't want to run into today".
>He looks to your rifle in your hands, "On a different note, that weapon you have. Is terrifyingly effective, I've never seen anything like it".
>You look down to it, it's receiver shining in the desert sunlight.
"Yeah, it's a bit scary once you think about it. There hasn't been anything that I haven't been able to kill yet, that dragon might be a first".
>"It's about as armored as I am, and judging by your weapon's power hitting that other Changeling it won't have any problems getting through".
>That gives you some comfort.
>"Well, you won't like this but the Queen will want to know of this. We'll have to go back to the hive".
>Despite your near death experience you still grunt.
"Fiiiine".
>Another long, arduous walk passes along as the assault team meets you on your way back.
>Ram explains the situation to them as you ponder your true purpose being here.
>The thought worms its' way in every once in a while.
>Why did they keep you?
>They could've just killed you off and went on with their lives after they kidnapped you.
>"Anonymous".
>You snap back to reality as you all approach the main door to the hive.
>"The Queen wants to see you immediately after we get inside, she knows the general jist of what went on but she'll most likely require some of the finer details. So be prepared to answer any questions she has okay"?
"Yeah definitely".
>As the noise of scraping metal surround you, the main door slides open slowly. Revealing the door guard behind it.
>It salutes you as you pass, making you almost do a double take before remembering technically you had a rank on this mission.
>So much for mission leader, Ram was doing all of the leading.
>You let out a sigh as you pass Einstein's lab, eventually passing the Dining Hall and into the corridor that leads to the Queen's Wing.
>Approaching the door the guard salutes you and opens the door for you.
"Thanks".
>The guard simply lowers his head in response.
>"Oh Anonymous! So good to see you, it looks like the Badlands did a number on you, not to mention those rouge Changelings! I heard you took care of one real quick huh? I like that about you, you seem so...effective".
>Those eyes again, damn.
>You bow to her, "I was told you had-"
>"No formal talk please dearie, I'd rather just hear you as you are".
>She flutters her eyes as she sits on her chase lounge, sipping out of a goblet full of some unknown liquid.
>You try your best not to make eye contact.
>"You know, you look very tired. I'll tell you what, since I am such a benevolent and caring ruler I'll let you relax and get some rest before any questions are answered. How about that? Does that sound good to you"?
>"Y-Yeah Chrysalis, sounds great. I'll go get a bath and go to bed, it is getting late".
>Before you reach the door a green aura surrounds it, quietly yet sharply shutting the door, "I have a hot spring you can use here in my personal quarters, it's the least I can do to reward such a strong, brave creature such as yourself".
>Heat is rising to your face as you try to push away all the thoughts that are laying siege on your mind.
"Um, yeah...yeah that'd be great. Thank you Chrysalis".