Word Count: 1,248

A full month had passed, and Azrith had heard no news back from the Queen. It was by no means strange; her Highness normally kept to herself except on hunts. Not much had happened. Azrith still hadn't heard from Trezin. Even the 'under the wing' Changelings could send letters after the first week (that was after the initiation process, and no one knew what happened then). Azrith was worried. Not that that was unusual, but she was more worried than she normally was. Her training as a scout had taught her to sniff out when something was wrong, and this was definitely wrong.

She shook herself out of her thoughts. She wasn't paid to snoop for information about the Hive Mother. That, most likely, would get her burned to make the aura easier for the newborns to eat. Criminals in all Hives, Lower or Upper, were burned to ashes. Apparently the ash of a Changeling strengthened the aura's power, so that the hatchlings wouldn't have to stay in isolation as long.

So, Azrith made her way to work, heart beating louder than the tympani drums of the Dragon Empire. They were forced to listen to the drumbeats, in a steady beat of four, twenty four hours, seven days a week. It was said that it was trying to make them into good warriors, but from what Azrith saw when she travelled to their land, it only drove them insane.

Azrith walked in the doors of her work at least twenty minutes early, bursting in with barely contained excitement and a little bit of fear. Ms. Wrelis, sitting at the desk as usual, looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Azrith, when will you learn that being too early is nearly as bad as being late?" she complained, and Azrith's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, voice raising an octave.

"If you're early, people will start to think that you're some sort of… some sort of Queen's advisor!" she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose.

Azrith rolled her eyes. "Trust me, ma'am, no one is as clingy to the Queen as her advisor," she scoffed. "I'm just eager to explore."

"Well, eager or not, even her Majesty hasn't arrived yet, so…" Ms. Wrelis gestured irately at a chair. Azrith sighed and sat down, waiting for the Queen to arrive.

Not ten minutes later, royal guards entered, Queen Chrysalis and two other Changelings behind them. She glanced down at Azrith and smiled. "Ah. I see you are early," she said in her soft, double toned voice. "Your dedication shows, child."

The Queen walked through the door, gesturing to Azrith to follow. Azrith rose from the chair and gave a smug look to Ms. Wrelis, who scowled back. The room, alight with torch flame from what she saw in the doorway, flickered into darkness when the Queen walked in. She shivered, the horrible cold creeping down her spine once more.

"Please, sit," Queen Chrysalis said from the head of the table. Azrith took her place next to another female Changeling from a Lower Hive (all the Changelings were marked with bands on their back leg according to their Hive- purple for Upper Hives, green for Middle Hives, and red for Lower Hives). The male directly across from the two females was wearing a black band on his ear, signifying that he was part of the army, which confused Azrith. The army was for getting aura and bringing it back. They weren't very good at transforming.

"Welcome, all of you," the Queen said. "As you all know, my health is quickly failing. You may be able to feel it right now. I am in need of aura. You will accompany me to the land of Equestria, where there will be sustenance for everyone. You will disguise yourselves as…" She made three folders materialize with her magic. "…these three."

Azrith took a folder from the pile and opened it. Inside was a picture of a green… thing, most likely a pony. It had a strange marking of a golden thing with strings on its flank. Next to the picture was a file of the pony's life. Apparently it was a roommate to a thing called Bon Bon… no, Bon Bon was another pony. She smiled, always up for a challenge. She would have to improvise for that.

"Inside your folder is a biography of your pony, which is the primary race there," Queen Chrysalis said coolly. "There is a picture of the pony, who has already been taken care of, and an article on how ponies function as a society. We will leave as soon as you read the profile. I have a little under a month to live without feeding again."

"Um…" the Changeling beside Azrith said hesitantly. "Excuse me, your Majesty. But might I see my nichemate before we leave? She was expecting me back by dusk."

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "It sounds almost as if you are friends with your nichemate," she said suspiciously. "You are aware that friendship is a dreadful thing that leads to the collapse of society, yes?"

The Changeling looked flustered, and blinked rapidly. "Y-yes, ma'am," she stammered. "Of course, ma'am. I'm not friends with her."

Queen Chrysalis smirked. "Good. You will do well to remember that," she said. "Yes, the problem with these ponies is that they use this horrible friendship as a weapon. They will try to be nice to you to worm their way under your exoskeleton, and when you believe you are close to them… they strike." All three Changelings visibly flinched.

After about ten minutes, the Queen rose, walking over to Azrith. "Are you ready, young one?" she said, not giving any room for choice in her sentence. Azrith nodded. "I can only take one of you at once, as there are different locations you must be. But I assure you, you will be near to me. The city you will all be in is called Canterlot. Rise, young Azrith, and transform."

Azrith got up and turned into the green mare. She stood facing the Queen, who placed her hoof on her shoulder. Green light surrounded both of them, and they teleported out.

They arrived outside of a tall building. It was night. "This is where you shall be staying during the month I shall use to infiltrate their society to make them trust us," Queen Chrysalis said softly. "They are called apartments. It is where ponies live. Your roommate will be waiting for you in the apartment on the top left. It provides quite a view to the castle, where I shall be staying."

Azrith nodded wordlessly and began walking toward the building. She stopped and turned back around when the Queen spoke again.

"You will meet me at the foot of the castle in three weeks' time," she said. "The others will be there as well."

"Yes, your Majesty," Azrith said. "Is there anything else I must know?"

"One last thing," the Queen said, and a small smile flashed across her face, for but a second, and then it was gone. "Once this is over, and we bring back the aura for the Kingdom, your name will be heralded. You will become someone that all Changelings want to meet, want to be. You will receive all of the aura you could possibly want."

Azrith felt her mouth water. That was every Changeling's dream. "Thank you, your Majesty," she whispered in her new voice. She turned around and raced to the apartments.