Chrysalis paced, nearly tripping over a bioluminescent egg, and startling the mother.
"My apologies," she said, her voice overlapping itself. "General Exoskeleton! Get in here! I thought I made it clear that this was a sleeping area, not a nursery."
A changeling, taller than the rest, only shorter than the queen herself, flew in, and bowed. He had a black carapace, with vague grey stripes running down it, one of which was split by a crack.
"Forgive me, your highness, but the refugees have nowhere to go, as they are filling up the caves. We are working day and night, chipping away so that we may make room." He chuckled. "Another one should be joining us soon."
Chrysalis smiled. "It was a success?"
Exoskeleton stood up to his full height, green eyes reflecting the cold green light of the eggs and and the glowing horns of the drones. A smile crept up his face. "Yes. She was all too eager to take it. She made the rash decision and didn't notice anything negative."
The Queen grinned, wings fluttering slightly. "Excellent. You are dismissed."
As the general walked away, he was engulfed in green flame and replaced by a grey striped unicorn. A blast of changeling magic flew across thw cave, as pieces of rubble were removed to reveal a new cave. A cheer went up, an odd, thrumming sound, multiplied by several hundred times, and the general was lost in the commotion.
