When all else fails, it's family that counts. By Supersnot
When all else fails, its family that counts. By Supersnot
The sun was a blistering orb hanging in the sky without a cloud in sight. The few plants that could cope with this harsh environment were scorched and withered, hiding their water deep within themselves. There was life here, if was an amazing testament to the wonders of creation that anything could live here in what was effectively a giant dust bowl.
Hidden in one of the few shady nooks of this place a small egg was starting to tremble, it had laid quiet for months waiting for the right time to hatch. The trembling became a rocking and a faint sound of tapping could be heard from inside. The egg was that of a 'flats skipper', a small and simple critter that sifted the sands of this harsh land for anything edible.
The little creature finally managed to break open the outer shell of its old home, carefully it pulled its self out of the whole it had made and began to test its new limbs and flutter its cooling wings. Not meant for real flight they helped keep the small bug cool in the desert heat.
The little guy looked about to see what this new world held for him. Dust, lots and lots and lots of dust. Well that wasn't bad, dust meant food it told its self. Shaking off the last clinging egg cast off’s the flats skipper began to do what it did best and started to sift through the dirt. After a few minutes the small creature began to wonder about life. It wasn't the most mentally taxing duty sorting dust particles from things you could eat. its antenna waved slowly as it pondered the deeper things of life.
Was this all that life had in store for the tiny bug? Was this vast expanse all there was in the world? Was the skipper all alone in the world? Not all of these questions would be answered for the it (well most wouldn't be any way) but one was about to be. There was a distant cry that could be heard over the wind.
The flats skipper lifted its faceted eyes up wards as it saw a small speck in the empty sky. The bug tried to focus on it. The speck became a dot then the dot became a black pony shape with a green mane and tail. This was fascinating to the skipper and it heard the following sounds.
"Gaahahaahahaaa, Cuuuuuurse yoooou allll!" gradually became louder as the falling creature came closer. The skipper didn't have a clue what this call meant, but it had no reason to think it was anything bad for its little self. There were other specks appearing now smaller than the first but all travelling at speed.
The skipper eager to try new things bounced its way forward to meet this new potential friend in its life. It raised its fore legs in a standard greeting of its kind. It had just enough sense to realize it may have done something a little silly as the changeling queen crashed into a jumbled heap and began skidding her way forward.
The skipper's 'new friend' was travelling towards the him much faster than the bug first thought but fortunately Chrysalis came to a stop just in front of the skipper with a cloud of dust and groaned. Shaking the grit out of her mane she raised her head and tried to focus on the small creature in front of her.
"Blah, what are you looking at mite?" She said in a dismissive way. Other survivors from her hive crashed and bounced around her, making small craters in the sand.
The skipper held out a fore leg to the queen, seeing in her a fellow insect in this world. The queen cocked an eye brow before flicking the skipper away with hoof. The skipper gave a small squeak and tumbled a short way before landing on its back. The queen just snorted and raised herself onto her hooves so she could see where her unplanned flight had taken her.
She saw what many eyes had before her, dust, dust and more dust. She was not pleased. It had all failed horribly. She had Canterlot in her hooves and now...... The Queen let out a sound of total frustration. The nearby drones were also picking themselves up and shaking themselves down. All of them were disorientated from the back lash of the spell and the rough landing.
After taking stock the queen found she had about thirty minions with her and no real idea of which way to go or what to do. Eventually the drones all gathered together to await the command of their queen. She stared at them all blankly for a few moments then huffed and trotted over to one of the few places with some shade. There was a small rocky out crop that offered a little haven the blasting heat.
Her drones all just looked at each other in confusion. Their queen always had a plan before, but now she had just trotted off without a word. What did they do now? To solve this problem a quick vote was held and one of their number was sent to try and ask the queen what the plan was. All he got was a hoof shove and a grumpy reply that came over something like "Leave me alone."
There was another huddle, more buzzing and clicking and this time two drones were sent, but met with the same result. This was new territory for the drones. Some voted they should just wait until further orders were given. Others that the queen must be ill and they should go on some kind of epic quest to find a cure. None of them wanted to wander off in this strange new land by themselves. So any idea of a quest was quickly decided against. Their queen was not acting like her normal devious self though so maybe she was ill?
Meanwhile the Skipper finding that the big new comer wasn't all that friendly decided to try his luck with the band of smaller ones. It righted its self and hopped its way over to them. There were a lot, more creatures than skipper had ever seen (Although admittedly that wasn't saying much, the skipper had only been self aware for about an hour now.) Being careful not be trodden on, the skipper made his way to what looked to be the center of the gathering and waved his legs in the normal greeting.
It took a few moments before any of the drones noticed the smaller insect in their midst. The discussion dropped off as one by one the drones looked down on the flats skipper waving its legs at them. This new addition to the meeting was an unexpected treat. They could feel a little friendly vibes coming off it and they were all hungry. The swarm eyed each other tensely and then as one tried to grab the little critter.
What followed was mass confusion, a lot of biting and shoving and one very nimble skipper making its way safely out of the scrum. The Queen finally looked up at all the commotion to see her minions all scrabbling in the dirt and fighting each other. The source of the brawl was soon clear.
The skipper was at one moment on the head of a drone and then sliding down the back of a second. It finally dived through the legs of a third and off to freedom. To the queen's dismay these acts resulted in one collision after another as her drones missed the skipper and impacted on one another instead. Chrysalis face hoofed as her drones descended in more infighting as they blamed each other for the failure. Little to her surprise the flats skipper emerged from the scrum totally unharmed.
Shaking her head the queen raised herself up and began to walk off, leaving the heaving mass behind her. Chrysalis wasn't in the mood for this. It took a little while for the drones to realize their queen had gone. Slowly they all stopped fighting and looked about in panic. All they could see was a trail of hoof prints leading away into the barren waste.
Queen Chrysalis wandered the parched land, not really caring which way she went. The only real points of interest were the distant mountains, but they formed a wall around the horizon so it didn't matter which way she headed. the queen was done with her useless minions, done with failed plots and done with being a queen. She was going to go it alone, find some small community of ponies to live off by herself. Yes she would be better on her own, draw less attention that way.
After short while she heard the sound of hooves behind her. Chrysalis turned her head to see her drones were catching up. She rolled her eyes and ignored them. The smaller black insects caught up to their queen but she paid them no heed. They tried flying in front of her and waving their fore hooves, but she just raised her head and snorted as she pushed past them.
The queen just kept marching forward as if they weren't there. One drone was appointed leader by the rest and flew over to tap her gently on the shoulder. Chrysalis looked about and glared at the worker before shouting "Go away I have had enough of all of you!" The sad minion sank to the floor with its lip trembling and a pained expression on its face.
Chrysalis turned about and shouted to the rest of them. "Go on shoo! I don't want you anymore. Scram, get lost! I have had it with all of you!" Before she about faced and once again resumed her solitary trek into the wastes.
The drones shed a few tears before forming into a lost looking huddle. They felt empty and not just because of their grumbling stomachs. Finally the appointed leader did something that had not happened before, he started to try and form a plan of his own. Their queen was not herself, she was angry with them and everything else (Well more angry with everything else she had always had a temper.) The drones needed to fix her. The baking sun was making it hard to think, maybe that was it? Could it be the heat of the day getting to her and making her act strange?
Making up his mind the Leader motioned for the others to gather around him, they had needed a plan and he had one. After half an hour of clicking, buzzing and chittering the drones had put together a list of what needed to be done. The appointed Leader nodded too the others and they began to scatter to find materials.
Night had fallen by the time the drones caught up with their queen. The temperature had dropped sharply as the sun set. Chrysalis had settled down in a small patch of desiccated brush. She was cold and the queen was doing her best to keep warm, she had half buried herself in the sand and pulled a few dried branches onto herself. The queen was just starting to wish she had some of her minions with her when she heard approaching buzz of insect wings.
Her spirits lifted and she almost smiled. The drones came and they had what looked like palm leaves, branches and other assorted foliage. Maybe they were useful for something it after all. She would be warmer soon. They had brought bedding with them, or at least she thought they had, she was soon to learn they had other ideas.
The Queen was soon in the midst of a flurry of wings. The drones were flitting about putting their plan into action to help their queen. Chrysalis's smile fell as she discovered what they were doing. Her minions were setting up a shade like umbrella! It was freezing cold and they were giving her shade! Not only this but others armed with palm leaves began to fan her!
All her previous annoyance came back in a rush. How could she ever get anywhere with idiots like these? The cold air was wafted past her and she felt what warmth she had managed to preserve slipping away.
"Stop it at once you fools! It’s freezing! I was right to leave you behind! You will all be the death of me. I need to be warmer not cooler!" She got to her hooves trembling from a mix anger and shivers from the chill night air.
As one the swarm looked to their queen in confusion. They were so caught up in the plan that it had never occurred to them that even though it was roasting when they started out it was freezing cold now. Chrysalis covered her eyes with her hooves once again and let out a growl of rage. "How can you all be soooo stupid!" She glowered at the group before stomping off again into the night.
The appointed Leader scratched his head, well that could have gone better. But now they had a better idea what was wrong. The queen was too cold! well they could solve that. It would just take some more foraging. Once again the huddle formed as they prepared to sleep, keeping close to each other for warmth they fared through the night better than their queen did. When dawn began to creep over the horizon they were ready for plan 'B'. They wouldn't let Chrysalis down this time!
The queen had not fared well. The cold of the night before had sapped her strength. But she was determined to leave all the fools behind her. Her head hurt though and her stomach was empty. The mountains she had chosen to head towards were no closer either it seemed. She thought that maybe she had been a bit harsh with her drones. It wasn't all their fault that the attack on Canterlot had gone so badly. They had only being trying to help before.
Yet again she was just starting to miss her workers when through the shimmer ahead she saw to her astonishment what looked like a small shack in the distance. As she staggered closer she saw that it had a thin plume of smoke coming from a chimney. There were ponies, or at least something other than skippers. Either way it was a potential source of food.
"Ah ha, I knew I would find some pony if I kept going!" Chrysalis cried in a dry raspy but triumphant voice. The heat of the day nearing its peak once again and Chrysalis had no intention of being out in it. With a small effort the Queen changed her form into that of a pretty, sand blasted and fair coloured mare. The Queen then practised batting her now blue eyes and making herself look so vulnerable that only the hardest of hearts would not want to take pity on her.
C heckling her disguise was in place she staggered her way towards the small building with a little water hole near it. The trees and foliage here looked better than the ones she had seen so far, being close to a source of water. A red and white cloth veil covered the entrance to the hovel and Chrysalis threw it open with a cry of "Woe is me, please help I have been wandering for days!" before she pretended to lose her footing and fall to the ground.
The first sign that something was wrong was a feeling of even greater heat than before. The sounds of crackling fire on at full blaze were heard along with an all too familiar buzzing. With deepening sense of suspicion the changeling cracked open one dust caked eye.
There were the drones, doing their best to stoke a fire pit. The flames were almost large enough that they were begging to scorch the roof. If the fire was any larger the whole place would soon burn down. There were containers of water being heated all around and the whole effect was of a sauna. The small room was so humid that if almost hurt to breath and the queen could feel the moisture running off her.
The workers all looked up at their queen and beamed certain they had got it right this time. The queen had told them she was cold so they had made sure that when she caught up with them they were well prepared. They energetically bounced up and down and praised each other in a job well done with excited clicks and hissing. The queen got once more too her hooves and just glared at the assemble host.
After a few moments there was the sound of water evaporating off Chrysalis as her temper once again began to come to the boil. The appointed leader was sure there were little wisps steam curling out of her ears. There was a flash of green light and the changeling queen was her true self again and her eyes bored into each drone one after the other.
She took a deep breath and regretted it at once as more of the humid air was sucked into her. Chrysalis was feeling a little light headed now, she wasn't sure if was because of the heat or just that she was so angry with the silly insects before her that he head was going to explode.
"You are all completely useless! How did your tiny minds think I needed this now!" The drones cowered back from her wrath with stunned looks. They had followed her instructions and stopped trying to cool her down. Now the queen was angrier with them than ever.
"I mean why? WHY? Why do I bother?" The queen now looked quite deranged (Well more so than normal, she usually had a slightly manic glint in her eye which came with the job, but now Chrysalis looked crazy even for a changeling.)
"Will you all just leave me alone, go find a hapless colt to suck on or something! I have better things to do with my time than waste it on you!" The Queen commanded.
The creature stormed out of the steam filled building grumbling all the way about underlings and how stupid they all were. There was a quick debate inside before yet again the appointed leader came out and buzzed after his queen. Hearing the approach Chrysalis came about and glared down the smaller bug.
"I told you I don't want you! Be gone! Leave! Go mess up some other insect's life!" With that the Queen stomped off and didn't look back.
The Leader just sat there in the dust looking crest fallen and on the verge of tears. Slowly he made his way back to the wooden shack. There was another long talk about what to do. In the end the rest of the swarm decided that enough was enough. Their queen had given them exact instructions to leave her alone. Maybe it was part of some master plan they didn't know or understand.
Either way they were all hungry now and after a refreshing dip in the water whole to clean themselves up they decided to strike out as a swarm, without Chrysalis. Only the Leader insisted that the queen needed their help and he was going to go find her one more time.
Chrysalis dragged one hoof in front of the other. It was harder with each step she took and the blazing heat of the sun was merciless. Her black carapace drunk in the heat and she didn't have the strength to change again. It had been days since she had seen sign of another changeling or even any flat skippers. The mountains she had been heading for seemed to taunt her by looking further away than ever.
With a final sigh Chrysalis let her weary legs fall beneath her. She was alone, she was starving and she had driven away the only creatures that would assist her because she had been so angry. They had only being trying to help her and she had been so mixed up in her own frustration that Chrysalis didn't see what good they could do.
"Well this looks like the end for me, I had a pretty evil life over all, sacked a few towns and devoured a few herds." To go like this wouldn't be all that bad. Some of the things other races did when they caught a changeling were far worse. Everything needed to eat, it was just a cruel fate that her food came at the expense of others.
The former queen closed her eyes. She didn't have the strength to go on any further and chose to lye here and await the inevitable. She let her wings droop and slipped into a disturbed sleep.
She didn't know how long she had been out for when she came too. The sun was well past its zenith and she was surprised to hear the sound of a fire. Chill was in the air but the flames were keeping her warm. She tried to move her head but it felt so heavy. After a few moments she heard a buzzing sound and to her astonishment a small scrap of paper was placed in front of her muzzle.
On the paper was drawn (very badly) a picture of a heart. 'Leader' was gently pushing it towards Chrysalis in a concerned way. The former queen felt a little strength return to her limbs. The energy wasn't from the paper, but from the small insect before her. Chrysalis's eyes would have watered if there was moisture to spare. Her faithful little drone was giving of its self to help her become stronger. That was unheard of among changelings, to open their closely locked hearts to another meant they would be drained of the very substance they craved, love.
After the way she had treated them this little worker was still trying to help her and Chrysalis felt a faint stirring in her own heart. It was one she knew of but had never felt in herself. It was that same love their kind fed on for sustenance and power.
The little drone having done its duty curled up next to his queen and began to sleep. It was tired after trying so hard and its breaths came in short bursts. The queen got herself into a more comfortable position and looked at the small scrap of paper. It was drawn in charcoal from a bit of burnt wood and despite its larval style carried a power all of its own. Carefully Chrysalis turned the scrap over and a lump formed in her throat. Three simple words were written there in very shaky letters:
"Love you mum."
Chrysalis looked down at the sleeping form beside her and the queen’s heart felt like it had exploded. Now she remembered why she did all she did. It was the duty of a changeling queen to make sure her subjects were taken care of. That was the reason behind the attempted attack at Canterlot. Why she had caused hurt to ponies, griffins and other sentient creatures during her time as queen.
She had to feed her family and if that made her a monster then so be it. One day maybe they would find a way to live in harmony with the other species of Equestria and beyond, but until that day she would do all she could to care for her children. It wasn’t out of love for her offspring in the normal sense of the word.
changelings didn't give love, they took it. To open their hearts was to lose strength and power and leave them diminished. Every changeling knew that, every changeling except this faithful little drone it seemed. Or maybe it didn't care? Or more accurately it cared more for her than its self?
The queen of the changelings did something she had never tried before. It felt alien to her whole being, but she wanted to help her little drone directly. Chrysalis opened her closely guarded heart and let her affection for this small loyal drone trickle out. The source of life of a changeling flowed out of herself into its sleeping form. It hissed contentedly in its sleep and took much stronger and deeper breaths than before. As she felt the power flow from her she readied herself for the empty gnawing that would come, but too Chrysalis's amazement she felt new love and affection take its place.
She didn't feel diminished at all, in fact she felt stronger. The queen of the changelings looked up to the sky, past the scruffily built sun shade and the messy fire next to her and felt a new sense of hope and freedom she didn't know she had been missing. For the first time she could remember she felt happy, truly happy.
Who knows maybe she could learn from this little one next to her. To be able to generate strength from their own kind and learn to feed each other would be a better way of life. It would not be as easy as simply taking love from other creatures, but it seemed a far safer considering how well her last scheme had gone. But these were plans for another time. First of all Chrysalis had to find her other lost little ones (even if they were too stupid for their own good some times.)
The insect queen lowered her head and gently nuzzled her little 'Leader'. His delicate wings vibrated contentedly and he gave a little yawn.
"Yes, I think this may just be the start of something wonderful for us my little boy." The queen announced before laying her head down and protectively drawing the worker closer to herself. Queen Chrysalis didn't fully understand the implications of the discovery made that night through the simple acts of a humble drone. The world of Equestria would be a slightly brighter place once the full impact became known to her and the others of her kind.
They both gently slept through the night not noticing the even smaller form of the flats skipper coming closer. It too had seen the fire and wanted its warmth. It hopped up to the sleeping pair and gently prodded the drone before waving its fore legs in a friendly way once more. The worker opened one eye and with a little hoof motion waved back.
The flat's skipper having found its first ever friend settled down and 'churiped' happily. Queen Chrysalis smiled in her sleep and dreamed of better times ahead.
The End.
Author's Note
This was a lot of fun to write, though I must admit I didn't intend for it to be such a touching end when I first started out, but the the plot just took me that way. I have no idea if the ways changelings work are any thing like what I put forward here in accepted cannon. But I always like the idea of a happy ending. As said earlier this is an entry for a story even on Equestria daily that I came across. If you liked it I would be grateful if you would give me a vote. I would suggest that you at least check out some of the other entries and support the event.
But I waffle on, thanks for taking the time to read my story and this bit at the end. I hope you like it and even if I don't get any where in the competition I enjoyed writing it.
All the best: Supersnot.
I hope to have some cover art for it later, though it's not vital for the competition I fancy trying to draw some changelings :)
