She Who Holds The Crown

Chrysalis left the podium and the gathered changelings behind once she felt that their voices had been calmed, at least a little. She knew that she hadn't assuaged their concerns completely, but even still, they continued to look at her with shock and appreciation. Perhaps to them, she was the small piece of fortune they had been granted in such confusing times.

Chrysalis, however, was growing more and more confused by the second. She'd not meant to out herself, not so quickly either. Now that she had in such a public setting, news would travel like wildfire. It had seemed the right thing to do at the time, but now?

She didn't take the crown off. She walked through the hive wearing it, changelings stopping to stare, calling after her, bowing... but none got too close. Whether they'd heard what she did to the warrior with a single strike or were simply wary considering her stature, she was unsure. The thing that she hated was the small feeling of pleasure she received from the respect she was being granted. She didn't feel as if she had earnt it.

That, and the pleasant buzz that had rocked through her body after striking down a powerful warrior for disrespecting her. She never would have been able to do that in her usual form. And something told her that she simply never would.

Her movements were slow, graceful, and in the sight of her new eyes, everything stretched further, seemed more vibrant and easy to differentiate. She took in her surroundings with a newfound interest, as if she was looking at the hive for the first time, the interconnecting pathways, the large caverns and halls that made up its structure, the lower levels where drones buzzed and ran about going about their days, many of them seemingly on edge just from the rush of their movements...

Chrysalis had never known changelings to be particularly divided in opinion. While they might argue over small things, like who received the lion's share of a meal, or whose turn it was to do a task, the argument she witnessed earlier felt... wrong. It was as if without their queen, the link that anchored them all to the hive, changelings had started to not only think more as individuals, but not known how to go about doing so. None of them seemed trusting of one another, all of them were looking for a leader to show them the way, either an old one, or a new.

They were looking for a new queen.

Chrysalis felt the presence of another before she saw it, and was shocked upon turning to find that a changeling had come up behind her. It wasn't the proximity that shocked her, nor the speed, more so the fact that one had approached her without fear. She recognised the changeling as soon as she turned. It was Fascia, the general from the interrogation, with her green eyes and polished scales. She had an eyebrow quirked as she looked Chrysalis over, and her mouth was twisted into something resembling a smirk.

"I thought the crown had crumbled to dust?" Fascia asked, eyes wide, more curious than scrutinising.

That didn't stop Chrysalis from rubbing the back of her neck. Even amongst the smaller changeling, it was the first time she had actually felt nervous since assuming this form. "I didn't know how you would react upon knowing. I had to work out how all of this worked first... I assume you saw me by the effigy?"

"I did indeed. I wanted to wait for a quiet moment to approach you." Fascia sat on her haunches, inviting Chrysalis to do the same. "You realise what this means, I hope?"

"It means that I'm to be queen," she replied bluntly, not knowing what else to say.

"Exactly," Fascia replied, pointing a hoof at her. "You, barely a hatchling no longer, are to rule our people now, perhaps for generations to come. You have no experience, you have no knowledge of what it is to be a ruler..." A moment passed, and she smirked. "You apparently know how to silence those that would challenge you, however."

Chrysalis blushed as she realised what she was referring to, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to knock him to the floor. In the heat of the moment, it just kind of happened, and I knew I'd look weak if I didn't run with it..."

"Try not to get a reputation for abusing your subjects," Fascia responded with a pointed nod. "Though I understand your reaction. You clearly have no clue what you're doing right now." Her eyes drifted upwards for a moment, focussing on the crown. "It's funny how much a single object can change you. Even for us shape-shifters, this is something else entirely."

Chrysalis could only nod, biting her lip. Did she recognise that the changes had gone beyond physical? Had her earlier interrogation been enough to determine that?

Fascia's eyes hit the floor for a moment, and she looked back up to Chrysalis with a softer expression than she'd imagined possible on that battle-hardened face. "I'm... sorry if I was too harsh with you the other day. You have to understand, tensions were running incredibly high, and the death of the queen, it—I still haven't come to terms with it. But I can see that you aren't a liar, despite what you might have said then. You said what you did for good reason, I understand."

Chrysalis considered her carefully. She seemed to be genuinely upset about the whole ordeal, more than Chrysalis would've expected from a commander that regularly fought and likely grilled soldiers constantly. Perhaps the general was more compassionate than Chrysalis realised. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for what I did." It was genuine, too.

"Me and Queen Clavus..." Fascia continued, her words coming slowly, "we were... I wouldn't purport to call her a friend, but I loved the queen with all of my heart. She always seemed to trust me as her military leader, and..." She looked up to Chrysalis, and Fascia had tears in her eyes. "I failed her. I failed my queen. I know this is a lot for you to take in, and that you're awfully confused right now, but if she entrusted the crown to you, then perhaps all hope isn't lost. I only wish to help set things right, and atone for not being there when Clavus needed me."

The emotion in her voice was strong, moving. Chrysalis had heard stories of Fascia, the general that had saved many changeling lives in her skirmishes in the north, defending against Angel and her forces. To think that such a legend was stood before her now, on the edge of tears... it didn't feel right. It didn't feel fair, on her or anyone else. "How would you wish to help?" Chrysalis asked, her voice softer than she'd expected.

"Allow me to advise you," Fascia said, standing while Chrysalis still sat, body straight and rigid in a soldier's pose. "Dark times are ahead, and you need experienced changelings behind you that understand the political climate, that will help to see our people through the darkness." She bowed her head, a show of respect, and Chrysalis fought the urge to ask her to rise. "I'll fight dutifully as always, but I'll serve you with my wisdom, too. I learnt a lot beside Clavus, and I feel as if I'm the right changeling to teach. I imagine she would have been proud to see me serve you, also."

Chrysalis didn't feel the need to stop and think about this too much. Having Fascia offer help was a godsend, when she could just as easily have shunned her for lying and obscuring the true version of events. "I'd like to have you by my side," Chrysalis smiled, nodding her head. "I'm scared I might become lost otherwise."

"Not just me," Fascia answered, "but the entire council, all of the forces of the hive. I'll show you how to command each of them, what their jobs entail, and how they can help us all. You were right to say to the crowd that you'd convene with Celestia, it's better that she hear of the current state of affairs from us directly before she has the chance to receive too many stories from elsewhere. The fanatics in the north will do anything to drag our names through the dirt."

Chrysalis stood herself, noticing that Fascia was beginning to walk on. "How did you know the truth of the crown?" she asked.

"Queen Clavus never explained all of the specifics to me, but she told me of its power. When I heard that the crown had crumbled from you, I feared we might never have another queen..." A look back, a small smile. "But luckily, that notion no longer holds true. I'm very relieved to see that the crown still rests on a changeling's head."

Chrysalis was silent for a moment, and after consideration, decided not to say what she was about to next. She wanted to remark that the crown belonged on the head of a changeling like Fascia. Still, sentiments couldn't change anything. Instead, she chose something more relevant to the here and now. "Where can I go to find out more about the crown? Natrually, Clavus didn't have much time to share its intricacies with me..."

Fascia 'hmm'd for a moment as she walked, not seemingly with a destination in mind, but more so looking to stay active. "The archives on the lower levels are extensive, and there are many sections that you wouldn't have had access to when you were only a drone. Perhaps you can find something that might shed some light there, maybe even help you to understand the changes you're going through. Look for a changeling named Vertex, when you've a chance. He runs the archives, and might be able to help you."

Chrysalis mentally noted the information. She couldn't help but feel the length of time which she'd been wearing the crown for now. She could barely feel the conflict right then between her usual self and her current self. It was almost as if they were one. "I'll keep that in mind. Do you think that I'll have time soon?"

"You are queen now. By all standards, you should choose exactly what you do and when you do it, and no one should be able to tell you otherwise." The pause at the end of Fascia's sentence indicated there was to be more, and Chrysalis motioned her along with a hoof. "That said, it would be wise to address the council first. Many of them will need speaking to following this development, and explaining your perjury will be a delicate issue. That said, I hold a lot of sway there, I should be able to bring many of them over to your side with little issue."

"They have no choice but to be on my side, there isn't another for them to choose." Chrysalis almost covered her mouth following the words, but she knew them to be true. She'd lost her filter with the crown on her head, it seemed, but there was no escaping the gravity of what she said. She nodded to Fascia, grateful that she was there. "We'll go to see them immediately. The sooner that's done, the sooner we can begin to clean up this mess."

"That's the spirit," Fascia smiled, turning a corner as Chrysalis followed. "We'll go now, and I'll whip all the members until they're present. I'm sure a lot of them have already heard about the commotion with the effigy, it's best we hit them before they have time to discuss matters too much."

"Why, you think they're planning to oppose me?"

"I think it's wise to assume that not every changeling is glad to see a young, inexperienced drone as their new queen."

Chrysalis had to silence a growl at the thought, rather than any feeling of self-doubt. What was happening to her? The sooner she got through the coming meetings and out of her new subjects' eyes, the sooner she could take that damn crown off and feel herself again.

Because this? This felt too good. Like an insatiable addiction slowly tightening its grip and refusing to let go.