Light hoofbeats fell without sound, one after the other, as a lone figure made her way through the vast castle of the Changeling colony. The castle was dark as jagged cuts of obsidian rock, lit with the sickening green glow of lights illuminated by Changeling powers. Each of the twisting tunnels looked identical to the next in the vision of untrained eyes, but to Princess Chrysalis, the halls and corridors held subtle differences just visible in the jade light.
She followed a path she knew well: the route to her mother's chambers.
The Queen was awaiting an audience with her eldest daughter, and it was an audience she was going to receive, though not quite as she was expecting.
A smile played about the Changeling princess's face as she raised her horn, the essence of her magic shimmering a sickly green. The changes she made to her appearance were minimal. Luckily, Chrysalis and her sisters all resembled one another closely, and the most drastic shift was the length and color of her mane. Long strands of hair grew several inches, turning an iridescent fuschia. She smiled, pleased with herself. This was going to be all too easy.
She drew nearer and nearer to the door of the Queen's chambers. She paused, taking a moment to check underneath the catch of a wing joint, to find the phial she had hidden. A sigh of relief escaped her when she was reassured the phial hadn't budged. Everything was going perfectly.
“Everything is going according to plan.” She murmured to herself.
She continued her trek until she arrived before a huge, forboding door. It was crafted out of a dark, stained metal, with crude ivy designs etched into its surface. She had gazed upon and stood before this very door many times since fillyhood, and none of those times raised good memories in her mind. But this time... This time, everything was going to be different. She raised a forehoof, hesitated, then knocked as casually as she could manage.
“Enter.” A female voice barked in a sharp tone of command. Inhaling deeply, Chrysalis reassured herself she would not fail in her plot, and let her magic flow against the heavy door, pushing it inward. The room beyond was dimly lit, and the cloying aroma of burning incense hung thick in the air. She tried to avoid creasing her snout at the smell; She hated the incense her mother indulged in burning, but her eldest sister had been equally fond of the disgusting smoke, and Chrysalis had to keep up appearances for the sake of her plan.
“Ahh, daughter!” The Queen crooned in a mildly fond tone, her voice husky with signs of aging. “Do come in, it has been far too long since Mummy has seen you!”
She stepped inside, carrying herself proudly. She had spent weeks trying to perfect her sister's arrogant, self-important stride, and she was confident her mother would never know the difference. She had to resist the urge to stare at all of her mother's furnishings, and instead kept her gaze focused on the older Changeling. The Queen was an aging female, the long strands of her mane going steadily a silvery-white color, and her glossy black chitin turning an ash gray. Many of the Changelings in their society still thought the Queen to be a figure of great beauty.
Chrysalis thought her ugly and alive long past her time.
She worked a fake smile onto her face and moved to embrace her mother, wrapping a foreleg around the Queen.
“Indeed, Mother. It has been far too long.” She agreed, rolling her words in an elegant purr. “Pray tell, what have you summoned me here for?”
“Daughter,” her mother began in a melodramatic drawl, “As you well know, the defeat of your many sisters means that you are alone, and my singular heir.”
She motioned her disguised daughter onto a large, plush cushion, and the Changeling princess obeyed reluctantly, keeping her emotions and expressions in check. She had a vague idea of where her mother was going with this, and the last thing she wanted was to be forced to listen to this nonsensical rubbish, but she had to keep up the act.
“Of course, Mother.” She said huffily. “Was that not the point of you encouraging us to eliminate competition?”
“Your brevity this day is unusual.” The Queen remarked, and a lump of panic rose in Chrysalis's throat. Curses! She had forgotten her eldest sister had a habit of jawing on about her own accomplishments, and ran the risk of the disguise being seen through.
But as it would appear, luck was with her, for her mother smiled indulgently.
“I trust that you are eager to learn, now that you are the sole heir to one day take my place as Queen.” She said with a cold chuckle. “Excellent, my child. Your bloodthirsty nature toward your sisters never left me in doubt about who I would be passing our matriarchy to.”
Old fool. Chrysalis thought, a genuine smile working its way onto her face now.
“But as Queen, you shall have more duties to attend to.” She went on. “You are aware, I am certain, that love is in short supply with the remaining inhabitants around our territory. Our people grow restless and short-tempered. Within a few years, if we are unable to feed them, then our kind will begin to starve.”
The younger Changeling shifted in place. Her mane was beginning to itch. She detested looking like any of her sisters for any length of time, and she was eager to be back in her own form. But patience was of the essence. She had to keep this up.
“Surely we could attend to our subjects by going to another kingdom and—“
The Queen shook her head slowly, her frown disapproving.
“We would have to begin rallying our forces today, and there is no guarantee we would be met with no resistance, regardless of what place we chose to invade.” She responded coolly. “That was always one of my concerns with teaching you and your sisters politics. Bloodthirsty or not, as my eldest daughter, you at least ought to know by now that subtle deception and careful planning are the best policies for finding new sources of love on which our people can feed.”
Oh, but I do, Mother. Chrysalis thought in dark glee. I know that far better than you ever could hope to. And my idiotic sister never saw power in anything beyond brute force.
That was probably why it had been so easy to dispose of her, once she had killed all of their other sisters for Chrysalis.
“But I shouldn't fret so,” her mother continued, waving a hoof idly, “After all, we still have years yet before your coronation and we shall work better at your deception and manipulation in that time. Never let it be said that I'm a neglectful mother.”
A vein pulsed angrily in the Changeling princess's temple. She was tired and through with the charade, and decided it was finally time to “conveniently” fumble and drop the hidden phial. She shifted slightly, making as if to stretch her wings, and the tiny flask popped free of its little niche she had tucked it into. It fell to the floor and bounced off the cold tiles with a musical tinkling. Her mother immediately whirled around at the sound, her confused expression turning suspicious as she caught sight of the stoppered glass phial.
“What is that, daughter?”
“N-nothing, Your Majesty!” She answered, giving her voice a nervous quaver. Her sister had always slipped into tones of great respect whenever she was worried about getting in trouble and risking the Queen's wrath. “It's nothing.”
The Queen approached the flask before she could make an exaggerated grab for it, leaning down and sniffing at the cork stopper.
“Nothing, daughter?” She challenged in a soft voice. “That is condensed, raw love."
She fidgeted, trying to look convincing. Really, how hard could it be? Her eager sister had been nothing but an overgrown bully that reverted to a sniveling, cowardly little filly whenever she angered the Queen-Mother. She looked back and forth, hoping she had her sister's anxious expression perfect.
“Ah, a...ah...a snack for later.” She said in a weak, simpering tone. “I did not want to squander all of my meal.”
Her mother looked up at her with a measure of contempt and distaste, clearly disapproving of her daughter's selfish hoarding.
“Little fool.” She snapped. “Had you been caught by any of our lesser subjects carrying even this much raw love in a flask, you would have been attacked. This is barely enough to qualify as table scraps for another race, and I'm sure some of your sisters have died for less. It is high time you learned a few consequences for your thoughtless actions.”
“But Mother!” She protested.
“Don't talk back to me, insolent child!” The Queen snapped, lifting the phial in her hooves delicately before twisting the stopper out with her sharp teeth. “Consider this your consequence, and be glad it is so harmless, at that! This is mine now.”
And without another word, she tossed back her head and drank deeply from the phial, greedy and eager to have raw love to feed her energies. Chrysalis, still wearing her sister's form, watched her mother, and a slow smile began to spread over her dark face. The Queen drank the flask dry, and then carefully lowered it from her lips, smiling triumphantly. But after a moment, she frowned.
“Well, that can't be right.” She muttered. “It is cold. The taste is off.”
The Changeling princess's smile grew wider.
“Daughter, what—“ her mother began to say, before she involuntarily made a hacking noise in her throat and her eyes went wide. “What? What is this?! What is going on?!”
She continued to cough and try to clear her throat, sinking to the floor.
“That's right,” Chrysalis sneered, resuming her normal voice, “On your knees, you old hag.”
“Wh-what...what treachery is this...?” The Queen wheezed, and when Chrysalis unwove her disguise, the older Changeling let out a ragged gasp. “Chrysalis? You? What...what is the meaning—“
“Oh, do be quiet, would you?” She groaned, stomping a hoof down hard on her mother's head. “Look at you, the mighty Queen-Mother, the greatest of all Changelings. You're disgusting, pathetic. A waste of space and resources. You're a fool, Mother, thinking that any of my elder sisters would inherit your throne, just because of their ambition or strength. You always prattle on about subtle deception, but you cannot even see through it yourself! Especially not when your seemingly adoring daughter conveniently drops a phial of tainted love.”
“Tainted...?!”
Chrysalis gave a smile and a nod, answering, “Yes. Poison. Highly concentrated manticore poison. It took me ages to obtain it, and I think it has aged in the months since I got my hooves on it. That probably would only make it all the more potent, but I cannot say I would know that for sure. What do you think, Mother? Well-aged poison, or no?”
The Changeling Queen could not speak, trying instead to draw in shallow, gasping breaths as her face started to turn a paler shade of gray.
“Oh, dear.” Her daughter crooned in honey-sweet tones of false sympathy. “Something caught in your throat, Mother?”
There was another choking noise, and Chrysalis flipped her mane, yawning and pretending to examine the holes in her chitin. Thankfully, the poison was swift, and in a moment, the choking died down to a wet gurgling, then finally the noises ceased altogether. She glanced down, her saurian eyes flicking over the dead body in mild disinterest.
“You really ought not to just die all over the floor like that, Mother.” She remarked in light tones. “You leave such a mess, and our poor guards will have to be the ones to clean it up.”
The corpse gave no response, nor had she expected any, but she hated it the more she glared down at it, giving the thing that had been her mother a venomous shove.
“Vile old wretch!” She spat. A moment longer of staring, and she realized the Queen's crown had dislodged from the dead body, laying a few inches above the head, twinkling faintly in the poor light. Smiling greedily, she kicked the corpse away from her and raised the crown with her magic, setting it down upon her head. Waves of joy pulsed through the new Changeling Queen as she felt the weight of the crown, filling her body with a strange sense of dangerous ecstasy, sending shivers through her. At last, the throne was hers.
She was no longer the weakest of her sisters. She was the most cunning and beautiful ruler her people had ever seen and would ever have.
Queen Chrysalis.
While she was busy silently gloating, there were faint sounds from outside the chamber, and within moments, there was a thundering knock at the door. Scowling, she barked for them to enter. Three Changeling guards burst into the room, their wings humming loudly to mirror their agitation.
“Your Majesty, we—“ one of them began, but on seeing Chrysalis with the crown upon her head and the rapidly cooling body of their former Queen upon the ground, they all fell silent. Chrysalis turned to them, her eyes flashing in a dangerous way. They all skittered backward, then dipped respectfully into solemn bows.
“The Queen is dead.” She declared in a cold tone. “I, Princess Chrysalis, am her sole surviving descendent. My sisters are dead. The throne is mine. I alone am your Queen now.”
“Long live the Queen!” They chorused, rising to salute and stand to attention.
“Good boys,” she cooed, slipping past them, her head held high, “If you will all excuse me, I have my coronation and ascension to the throne to announce to all.”
“Your Hi—I mean, Your Majesty?” Another of the guards asked tentatively.
“Get rid of it,” she said, giving a poisonous jerk of her head toward her mother's corpse, “And dispel that suffocating incense. If this room isn't rid of the stench by the end of my coronation, you'll be joining Mummy in the catacombs.”
They all gave stiff, terrified nods, and Chrysalis smiled as she swept from the room.
Oh, yes. She was going to thoroughly enjoy being Queen.
Author's Note
Second story ever for this fandom! Sorry it's just another short, fast-paced oneshot. It was an idea that got into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. I'm actually not a huge fan of Chrysalis (though I have yet to read the comics with her, and I feel like I may like her in those,) but I'm of the opinion she became the Changeling Queen through careful deception and subtle manipulation, not just because of some birthright. (If you're wondering how I imagine the structure of Changeling society, I highly recommend you Google the dark elf city of Menzobarrenzan. Forgotten Realms dark elves always provide plenty of brain-food to work with and be inspired by.)
