P.O.V: Chrysalis.
My plan has gone to ruin, and my kingdom has suffered because of my insolence. Very few of my children now live, and each and every-one of the ones that do live are starving. They go around the Hive filled with nothing but despair and broken spirits.
My mother--Queen Metamorphosis--wouldn't have had such a failing kingdom. She lead the changelings to a glorious golden age, she made sure that all her children were fed nicely. Mother had reign over a vast amount of Equis, but look at me and my children. We only have this dying Hive in the middle of the Badlands.
My mother may have had a golden age, but it soon was torn asunder thanks to... those ponies. The same ponies who have turned my race and Hive into a hollow husk of its former glory. After my mother threatened the nation of Equestria some hundred or so years ago their ruler, Princess Celestia, lead her army of retched ponies against my mother and her children.
It was one of the biggest battles Equis ever laid witness to. The valleys were littered with the corpses of ponies and changelings alike. At the end of the war though, the changelings were nearly lead to extinction by the pony scourge. We had to go into hiding in the Badlands to escape our extinction. My mother and the rest of her children were not there with us. She personally met her fate at the hooves of the solar monarch of pony-kind.
I was forced to take over a dying race, I was barely a princess forced to mold into a queen. I had to feed my subjects, so I started small. I had drones go out and locate small settlements of villages. They would report to me their findings, and I would lead an invasion with my army. It wasn't ponies we invaded, but Zebras instead. They were travelers, a nomad race. They would sometimes have a small settlement in the Badlands, which was a horrid mistake on their part.
It wasn't long till they caught on, they refused to travel through the badlands, but it was not such a major loss. We had gathered enough of their kind and put them in our feeding pods. We changelings are able to excrete a green sap from glands in our fangs that, when excreted hardens on whatever it makes contact with. In this case, our captive zebras. We would then bring them to our feeding chambers, and a select few, --the healthiest--, to the larvae chambers.
Most would believe that changelings need to get the love from directly receiving it, but they would be wrong. We can forcefully take it by putting them into feeding pods, using our magic to suck it out of them. The feeding pods put them into a coma, so they won't squirm and thrash around.
Two hundred years after I took over, our supply of zebras were running thin, I had to find another food source for my children. The biggest supply of love to be found in Equis was in Equestria. I thought that I would finally get revenge on those who put us into such a pitiful state, at the same time getting a food source for my children. Never was I so wrong before.
Everything was going perfect. I successfully infiltrated Canterlot and took over the bride to be of the captain of the royal guard, Shining Armor. I successfully convinced everypony that I was the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, all I had to do was get the shield down that was surrounding Canterlot. Unfortunately for me, there was one pesky little lavender pony who saw through my disguise. It was lucky that her friends thought she was just jealous that her brother--who just so happened to be the captain of the royal guard--was getting married to Mi Amore Cadenza.
After she barged into the wedding and made a fool of herself, her friends were greatly disappointed in her and left her in the wedding room. I stayed behind, and banished her to the same place I did the the real Mi Amore Cadenza.
Later, as I was about to get married to the fool of a captain again, that same lavender pony shone up. This time with the real Mi Amore Cadenza. I had no choice but to let down my disguise and reveal myself as queen of the changelings.
I told them that my children were just outside of Canterlot, wearing down the shield around it. I said it wasn't long before they broke it, and that my subjects would lay ashes to the ponies grand city of Canterlot. Celestia--the one who killed my mother--did not take to kindly to that and challenged me.
I was somehow able to best her in combat. It was an intoxicating feeling that I did what my mother couldn't, thanks to the love power I received from the royal guard captain. My changelings broke the barrier around the city, soon we would have had all of the love we would need. That is until Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, somehow blasted me and my Children out of Canterlot using the power of love. If irony was the word to be used here, it would be an understatement.
We were sent back to the place we came from, the Badlands. Me and a select few of my children were able to regain composure in mid-flight over the Badlands, landing safely. The others were not so lucky, they were nothing but piles of bloody mush of guts and twisted bones. The ones who survived were mostly division leaders, squad captains, and a select few of Combat soldiers.
It has been a whole month since the invasion of Canterlot. Since then I have been able to start a very feeble Hive from the few remaining reserves we had stocked. The ones who survived the invasion dared not speak of it. It will forever be a day in changeling history that will be remembered in infamy, and it was all my fault.
I failed my children. I said I would lead them to another golden age, but instead I have only lead them to their deaths. I am watching my children die... my babies.
It was at this moment while I sat on my throne, reminiscing about the past, that my eyes started to tear up. I tried to suppress it, but the pain of what I have done was too much. I put my forehooves to my eyes to cover myself as I sobbed in my depressed state. The guards in the room looked at me with sympathetic eyes, but soon turned their heads. Not wanting to watch their queen, their mother, crying her eyes out.
As I cried, I thought back to mother again. I thought of how she would be ashamed of what I have done in her absence. How I have lead to the last nail in the coffin to the changelings downfall. My thoughts then wandered to my subjects, on how I have failed them as the queen of the changelings. Lastly my thoughts go to the two who sent my kind back to the Badlands, Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza.
I felt a great pain in me soon turn into resentment, an absolute hatred towards those two particular ponies. It was at this moment that I removed the hooves from my eyes, and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Curse you Shining Armor and especially your bitch of a wife!" The guards in the room couldn't help but wince at my screaming and cursing of the two retched ponies who put me in such a state of despair. I then lowered my voice to a whisper and said. "It is your fault that my children, my babies, and I are forced to live in such despair."
It was at that moment, that I felt anger like no other. Such primal rage, that it would even make the darkest creatures in Tartarus blush. This feeling gave way to an idea, and that idea lead to me understanding what I must do. I must gather as much resources I can, be it from pony villages, to other neighboring kingdoms. I must get enough food in order to have enough energy to birth a new set of royal guards. With them I would be able to rebuild my kingdom, and bring glory back to the changelings. Most of all though... I was going to get revenge on the things I hate the most.
I remembered the previous royal guards. They were powerful, so powerful in fact that they rivaled even me. During the war between changelings and ponies two hundred years ago. They fought with such savagery and cunning. The only reason they died was because they were vastly outnumbered and had to do battle directly against Celestia.
There was one particular royal guard I remember. His name was Vex, and he was probably the most powerful of the royal guard. He and I were close when I was young, and after hearing about his death in battle it devastated me. Almost as much as losing my mother soon after.
It was at this moment of remembering Vex, that a knock came from the throne chambers door. I told them. "Enter." The two large imposing doors that sealed off the entrance to my throne chamber opened, the guards and I watched two drones enter the chamber. They came up before my throne, and bowed to me. "What business do you have my children?" I asked.
The two drones rose from their bow, and the drone to the left spoke to me. "It is the crystal kingdom your majesty. It has returned."
I tilted my head questioning. "Has it now?"
"Yes, and the bad part about it is that it is being ruled by Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor." The drone continued.
I hissed at the mention of their names, baring my fangs at the drones. The drones in front of me cowered in fear over my display of aggression. After a moment, I returned to a reserved state again. "I need you to go to the soldier hubs, tell my division leaders to rally my kingdom to the grand amphitheater, I wish to make a speech to my subjects, and also make sure to tell them that a few workers and guards need to stay in the larvae chambers. That way they are not left unattended. They will be updated on what's going on after my speech."
The two drones bowed again, and replied to me. "Yes your majesty, as you command."
As they left, I got off my throne and approached the two guards in my chamber. I told them. "Follow me, I want you to be by me as I make my way to the grand amphitheater." They both saluted me, following me as I left the throne chamber.
I was standing behind a podium on the stage of the amphitheater. There were a couple hundred changelings sitting in the stands of the amphitheater, there was empty spaces everywhere you looked. Back in the day it would be hard to find a seat, but now, with such few numbers, the amphitheater was but a shadow of what its former glory.
I sighed to myself, before raising my right forehoof to silence the chatting crowd. I then addressed them by saying. "Hello my children, it is a pleasure to be before you today, and I thank you all for coming here." They bowed their heads to me, and after a moment they raised them back up. "As you all have noticed by now, our race is close to extinction, and we run low on food. It is saddening to see this once great kingdom gone to sunder thanks to those." My face went to that of disgust and malice. "Ponies."
The crowd before me started to boo the ponies that I mentioned, after letting them have their fun, I silenced them again, and began to speak. "But our kingdom will not be left to ruin, and we will rebuild what was lost. For I have a plan my children." I let another pause occur to let my children think about what I had said before I continued. "I plan on gathering enough resources, in order to birth a new set of royal guards. It is with their help that we will rebuild this fallen Hive, and make a army that even Equestria can't combat. From that we will get revenge on Equestria for all of what they have done to our race."
There was cheers from the crowd before me, and after they died down I continued on. "Two drones have come to inform me that the Crystal Kingdom has returned, and with it... the new rulers. Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor." all the faces before me winced at the mention of their names. "After we build the army I have envisioned, we will lay siege to the Crystal Kingdom, their populace will be used as a food supply to feed our new glorious Hive! I will personally see to the torture of Shining Armor, and Princess Cadence before murdering them... slowly..."
The changelings in front of me erupt into cheer again, praising me and my plan to rebuild our Hive to its former glory. After letting my ego be stroked by their cheers of praise, I silenced them again. "Now, my children, I need you to find as many food sources as you can. I am going to need as much energy as I can get, if I am to birth a new set of royal guards." They bowed their heads again, and I turned to the guards on my side. "Escort me back to my throne." They saluted me, and followed me as I starting leaving the stage of the amphitheater, and out of the grand amphitheaters chamber.
I let out a low chuckle as we departed. "Equestria will regret the day they ever dared to challenge the changelings."
Author's Note
Chapter name goes to this awesome song.
Special thanks to my Editor Rancor. He is a amazing dude, and a great editor,
