How many days had it been. Five, six? She lost count of how many times she had watched the sun rise and fall beyond the window on her left. Practically frozen to the chair, Chrysalis hadn’t moved once since sitting down the previous week. Quite a few ponies had attempted to approach her in that time.

Twilight with hollow words of regret.

Zecora with questions about what had happened, and how the damage could be healed.

Pierinae had been filled with great concerns during her visit.

It was on the sixth day that she woke from her trance-like state, her head slowly turning to meet Celestia’s gaze. Neither of them spoke for a long minute, not even through telepathic means. The gaze was sufficient in getting their thoughts across. And yet, after all that had happened in the past, there was a surprising lack of animosity in their expressions.

When Chrysalis finally parted her lips, there was a noticeable change in the air around them. As if the entire library had been holding its breath, waiting for one of them to speak.

What she had to say was brief, but packed a very hard punch.

“The others deceived me. I’m going home to face them. The lands might very well run with changeling blood before this is over.”

Celestia gave a very slight nod in response. What could she possibly say in response to that? It was Twilight’s project, and while the outcome had been disastrous, it wasn’t her place to interfere. This was something they would have to overcome on their own.

There was still another side to the whole affair, one that was very much a problem she had to deal with herself. “I need to know if this could have repercussions for Equestria. If so, I’d rather help stop that before it leads to fighting of any kind.”

Chrysalis’ gaze drifted away for a moment. The answer was already clear in her mind, though she was at a loss for how she could put it. Straightforward soon became the only viable method. “This is a changeling matter. The others will be too prideful to let any sign of civil war escape our borders. You need not worry about a second invasion, especially not from me.”

That was enough for Celestia, who gave another nod and slowly turned away. Just before leaving the room, she said one more thing to the changeling queen. This time, there was a definite edge to her words. “If this put my prized student in danger, there won’t be a hole deep enough for any changeling to hide in. I will bring the sun down on the grey lands, mark my words.”

While watching her leave, Chrysalis found herself growing pale at the intensity of her threat. For someone who was otherwise a very benevolent being to say such a thing sent chills through her body.

She was standing at the entrance to the temporary hive by the time she became consciously aware of her surroundings again. Walking from the library to there was little more than a faint blur in her mind. Probably for the best, given what she imagined the expressions of those she passed would be like.

“Mother…”

Pierinae’s voice drew her attention to the left, from which she was approaching. It was obvious that she was still worried about her state of mind. “I was deep in contemplation, child. The path we must make is clear now, at least.” A long sigh escaped as she thought on how best to explain it all. There was much to be done. “I’m returning home. It’s about time I and the others discussed this matter face to face. I would feel a little better if you chose to stay here, but I will not stop you from joining me.”

It took a bit for Pierinae to decide. She had lacked the courage to visit Fluttershy since her return. And there was a good chance she wouldn’t ever return from her homeland if she went back now. But what could she do while remaining in Ponyville? “You need me as your second. Whatever happens, I’m staying with you.”

For the first time in a very long while, Chrysalis felt herself starting to tear up. It was far beyond what she expected from her daughter, especially after all that had happened. “Let’s hope neither of us regret that. I don’t think we can avoid the fact that this will not end pleasantly for all though.”

“We won’t necessarily be on the receiving end though.” The wind picked up at that moment, drawing her strands of white hair up along her neck. “You know the other queens. Surely some of them must’ve been just as oblivious to this as we were.”

It sparked a thought for Chrysalis, who turned away from the hive to begin pacing in thought. “You’re right. Most outright despise each other, they’d never conspire together against me.” Her gaze came across the Town Hall. It looked just as it did on the day she arrived in Ponyville, with the six Equestrian heroes ready to defend their town and friends. Working together to stop what they believed was a common foe.

“The queens need a much bigger threat to unite against.”

There was only one being that Pierinae could think of that could possibly qualify as a such a threat.

“The Matriarch was behind this. It’s about time her reign ends.”

*

Walking such a distance wasn’t something she had ever actually thought about doing before. It was far easier to fly, not only preserving the condition of her hooves, but having the added advantage of being able to avoid any obstacle in the way. It didn’t make for a good way to converse however, and that was something she needed greatly.

She needed to educate her daughter on the situation at length. From the Matriarch’s establishment of the changeling lands, to the emerging of the first queens. Their race’s spread through the land, formation of noteworthy hives, and the eventual animosity that developed between them all. Most importantly, she went over every single queen in detail. What they looked like, how they ran their hives, and what stance they were likely to take in the coming week.

Many of her changelings had been dispatched to the varying hives at the time of her departure. All carried a message of summons to the homeland. Under the guise of making her report, every queen would be at that meeting. It was a great risk to draw them all in together, but it was the only way to ensure that none would wait back and take advantage of what could happen.

It wasn’t until much later that the reality of what was to come hit them both. Standing at the edge of the grey lands was an almost alien experience. By some twist of irony, the home of their former enemies had become more of a home to them as well, than the land of their origin.

The twisted rock formations that had been encased in dark chitin centuries ago were very foreboding. Where trees had once stood, hollow tubes of similar material towered out of the soft ridges that stretched out before them. In the distance, the great spire beneath which the Matriarch lived was barely visible.

“It’s not exactly what I expected, but it’s close…”

Chrysalis glanced at her daughter. She probably didn’t remember what the grey lands looked like, outside of stories told anyway. “You might be surprised to learn that this hard coating has nothing to do with our species. Not directly anyway.” As her hoof moved from rough dirt to smooth chitin, a slight chill ran through her body. Unlike the material found in hives, what lay in front of them was quite cold, and lifeless in a sense.

The hesitation soon wore off as both proceeded on towards the spire. Already, a few watchers had noticed their approach, signalling an acknowledgement to them telepathically before sending reports back. It wasn’t long before they were being watched by quite a few changelings, all having come from the spire upon hearing of the arrival of a queen and princess. The first of many in the coming days.

By the time the pair reached the spire entrance, there was a veritable swarm gathered around. Unlike those found in hives, they were all shapes, sizes and colours. Some were remnants from fallen hives, but most had lived in the spire their entire lives. And yet, there was no sense of difference between them and their hive-born brethren.

However much the ponies claimed to follow acceptance and love by instinct, Chrysalis knew there were still elements of class to them, based on nothing more than upbringing. She used her changelings as hoofrests because she had brought them into existence in the first place, and wouldn’t dare to think about doing that to any that originated outside of her hive.

While her mother was stoic in her advance, Pierinae was captivated by the spectacle of what went on inside the spire. As high as she could see, changelings were flying from and to all directions, going about their daily business with a strange order to what otherwise looked like a chaotic scramble of beings. Far from the grim sight outside the spire.

“This is incredible.” By then, they had begun to draw the attention of passers-by, obviously curious about their arrival. Those who had been following them outside had also started to find their way inside. Such a large amount of attention was something she was unaccustomed to. “Shall we, mother?”

Chrysalis nodded slowly as she moved forward again. The royal chambers were several levels below, separated from the spire by a multitude of chambers. Being able to communicate with the others from the comfort of her hive meant she rarely made her way through the network of rooms they were now in. Even now, she still wasn’t sure what half of them were for.

The corridors got progressively cooler as they descended. Green light permeated the corridors, gradually increasing to the point that Pierinae’s hair was a vibrant green. At the royal level, there was a faint hum in the air that gave both a slight chill when they entered.

“Why is it cold down here?” Pierinae looked to her mother briefly, who could only shrug in response. Guessing that would’ve been answered earlier if known, she overcame her discomfort to move further into the room. There was a large table-like structure that went around a large pool of liquid in the middle. It was from the pool that a lot of the light was emanating.

Eventually, Chrysalis made her way to one of the corridors that led away from the room. “Here. It would be best to get some rest now, we might not get another chance for a while.” She glanced back briefly before moving to one of the inner chambers. Like all of the others, the walling in there was very thick, and the doorway was quite tough to break through when closed. With so much tension being brought to the boil, no precaution while sleeping was excessive.

Author's Note

More is coming. I don't want to burn myself out on this, so I'm easing myself back in.