Full of Promise
Chrysalis was not happy at all. Not once but twice she had been defeated by a group of common everyday ponies. Even worse than that, it hadn’t even been the same group of ponies, it had been what she could only describe as the b-team of heroes. An insult in of itself, especially given how easy it had been to snatch up those who had dared defy her before. All of her greatest threats and enemies at her hooves, all of them in one full swoop. And she still lost.
This was beyond terrible for she had also lost her hive. Her subjects had turned on her, and a new ruler sat on her now broken throne. A traitor of all things too. She couldn’t begin to believe it. She refused to even allow herself to believe it. She had been so distraught she'd spent the whole last day out in the wastelands panicking and crying in a hole in the desert, not willing to admit to herself this was the reality she faced.
She was haunted by the mages of her subjects (her children) transforming into those...those shapes, full of color and life. The forms that they had taken! She was at first appalled then flabbergasted. She had never thought that sharing love could allow them to break their insect husks and release such a thing. Those forms though, looked so familiar too her, she could almost remember seeing them before, but it was long ago. Too long ago. Whatever it was that had changed them, she could no longer feel them in the hive mind, nor could she sense them, her power feeling almost crippled without her subjects around her.
That horrible Starlight Glimmer had even the nerve to offer her friendship, to give her some pity-induced form of patronized servitude. She had rejected it outright and why not? Who was she to change everything they knew or how they lived? Who was she too think she knew what was best for the queens subjects? And who was she to say to Chrysalis that they could be friends? Friendship was not the way to rule, it was only through power that one could keep their subordinates in line and loyal. Of course she regretted to admit, it hadn't helped her.
What was even worse was now Celestia and the ponies would back Thorax. His rule would be cemented after this, recognized by Equestrian monarchs and legitimized by their alliance. The new changeling order would be a threat, not only to her, but to their remaining race and to everything they knew. They must be so proud, must believe they are really something. Well they were in for a surprise. For though Chrysalis had lost her central hive it was not the only one, nor was she the only changeling queen.
There were many hives and many queens, but Chrysalis had always been the Queen of Queens, the empress of all changelings. Not even Thorax knew there were other hives loyal to her. But there were, there were still loyal hives to her cause, loyal warriors and legions aplenty. Of course there was one major problem with her plans of revenge. If the other hives and queens were to find out she had lost the primary hive, and how she had lost it, then she would be discredited. A queen who could not protect nor hold her hive (or her subjects) commanded neither respect nor power. Hers was a world of sharks and if you stopped swimming at any moment you would be devoured.
As it stood she still had little idea where she could even go. If she revealed the nature of her abdication, she would most likely be imprisoned or worse. Lesser queens would act upon it, seeing a chance to gain power and improve their standing by removing her from the picture completely. It was dangerous, but her options were very limited. As it was right now, she was sitting here on her haunches in the middle of nowhere, the stark desert around her cold and isolated. Chrysalis had officially hit rock bottom quite literally.
Another thing that had begun to plague her, was the lack of the sound of humming drones, as well as the absence of the closeness and comfort of the hive mind. The Hive mind had always been a comforting companion to her daily routines. Able to feel the multitudes of her hive with her at all times, Chrysalis had never felt alone, nor isolated before. Now she had nothing, that reassurance she had lived with her entire life all but gone aside from her memories.
She was all alone and had no one, she was isolated and vulnerable. To add onto her misery, she was feeling sick, angry, sad, fearful and dreaded what might come next. The former queen had no home to go to, nor subjects to welcome her. For the first time in a long time Chrysalis felt unsure of herself. She was unsure of the future, not just hers but also her people's.
Declaring vengeance and hatred and imagining the screams and punishments of your enemies was one thing, it was another to actually look back and wonder where to go, and how to go about that. Part of her had wanted to accept the ponies offer. She could even admit to herself, now she was all alone, that it had been quite generous. She could have accepted it. But pride and tradition lived strong in her heart, and her temper was something that not even she could truly control or understand. The majority of her mind and body had therefore rejected it. What they had turned into was an abomination in her eyes and those ponies were to blame for it all!
There was really only one place she could go to, only one changeling who could help her. It was a dangerous decision though for then he would have all the leverage and all the power. To the changelings especially the royals, power was everything. You needed it to rule, you needed it to control your subjects, and you needed it to inspire fear and respect. To have none was to be nothing, and changelings did not look favorably or with much respect on those with no power. Chrysalis's own situation was even worse since she had had power, and then lost it. To the many like her, that was a sign of direct weakness. Although in truth, she had nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. No options and slim hope was more than enough to decide for her.
She began heading east, to the eastern dunes and fortress her people called citadel Tor. A changeling stronghold and the only other hive that matched hers in size and power. It had long been a center for military operations and served as the gatekeeper for the eastern entrance to the changeling empire. It was built from a former massive termite mound, the termites having proved a delectable snack for the changeling drones, and so it had flourished. All under the command of the dangerous and dominating Mandrake, first prime of the First Order. The First Order being the changeling's primary legion. She knew Mandrake would help her, he was an authoritarian in every sense of the word. He would not take her defeat lightly, after all he was originally from her hive as well. The problem was that he was always looking for an angle, always hoping to have leverage and power over those he served and those who served him. He would no doubt help her, but at a cost.
~~~~
She spent an entire day just flying, even as her energy was seeping from her. Her hunger for love was growing out of control in her belly. The pressures and constant hours of fear, pain, anger, stress and all around panic all crashed upon her all at once. Her body was exhausted and her strength fading. Still she continued on. Despite her determination she eventually came within sight of the tall spire that singled out the once grand termite mounds that had been rebuilt into an impregnable fortress by her people.
Unlike the central Hive there were only two entrances to Citadel Tor, the front and a secret entrance which led to a tunnel going under the structure. The entrance to this tunnel was kept a mile from the fortress itself and was primarily used as an escape passageway. She headed there now, not wanting any changeling to see her crawling in the front doors. She still had to protect her image and her reputation after-all. How that would be possible given the loss of her hive, she had no clue, but hopefully Mandrake wouldn’t demand too much of her for his favor. She had barley anything left to give.
The entrance was cleverly hidden as a quicksand pit, the dry and sinking sand before her was quite the defensive mechanism. Little did anyone know, that diving inside simply landed you in a tunnel.
Chrysalis dove into the sand pit, coughing down sand and dirt as she fizzled through the entrance and into the dank and dimly lit corridor of a changeling tunnel. The hard and cold earth slammed the breath out of her as she dropped upon it. The faint glow of several blue glowing crystals studded around the tunnels blinked back at her. She tried to pull herself up, but could not for her strength had finally left her. She collapsed onto her side panting and unable to get up. Her anger and her weariness had finally conspired to ruin her, and her mind for an instant gave into a momentary lapse of defeat.
“This can’t be…”openly trailed off the changeling queen, her mind stretched to the breaking point. She had counted on Mandrake to be waiting for her. As head of all changeling intelligence, he should have known she would be coming, his spies would have definitely seen her approaching the tunnel.
"…Happening? I’m afraid it is my Queen.” came a stark reply from above her, Chrysalis’s green eyes flashing up to suddenly see the towering changeling above her.
"M-Mandrake!” she gasped both in surprise and welcome. “I thought y-you h-had…” she trailed off once more.
“Left you?” he snapped, the tall black form of his body towering above her as she grovelled in the dirt and mud. He was tall for a changeling, his alpha heritage giving him stature, he was also just as handsome as she remembered him. Tough jaw, bright blue eyes, gold encrusted ruby stud in his left ear, and a dark grey mane about his rough back chitin body and scales.
Looking up at him, made her feel ashamed of herself. She probably looked a fright, unkempt and dirty. Not too mention her actions and behavior were currently very unlike a royal queen. Though she had been through so much she could no longer keep her royal composure. Chrysalis barely even had the strength to stand let alone put on an ere of sophistication worthy of her breed. Chrysalis had been more than simply defeated or physically wrecked as before with the wedding. This time she had been betrayed and such betrayal left far deeper wounds than she could bare (or had dealt with before).
“Yes,” she gasped, nearly vomiting at the immediate thoughts of what that traitorous Thorax would be doing to her hive. He had done more than usurp her throne, he had made her distrusting of her very people. It was as if the traitor had taken her innocence in a way. He had made her doubt her own race.
“I would never leave you my queen, my place as an alpha states my loyalty to the hive, and you are the hive.” he replied with a very stoic expression. “That being said you are looking far less like a queen at the moment.”
Chrysalis sobbed, but nodded, she understood that, but did he understand all she had gone through? “Oh Mandrake you don’t know what’s happened, i’ve, i’ve l-lost…”
“Lost the central hive, yes i am aware,” he snapped back at her. His tone more disappointed and disgusted than angry.
“A-And, i-it, it w-w-was…” she tried again her sobs growing as she finally let out all the emotions she had kept bottled up over the last few days.
“Thorax and those ponies. And Thorax has taken the throne from you,” answered the dark grey haired alpha, his obsidian armor hiding the way his chest shook in anger at that, though she could see the burst of air as he snorted hotly.
“Yes but how did you know?” she inquired. The queen knew that he would at least know when she arrived to his fortress but knowing about her own trouble, she had not counted on that. She was about to ask once more right before he silenced her again with his booming voice.
“You forget Chrysalis,!” he barked at her. “I am more than a simple alpha, i am commander of the Insidian Order. There is no greater secret police or intelligence service in the known world then mine." he slowly made his way aorund her until he was at her side, his neck craning down as he ran his horn over her body, checking her for serious injury. "My spies informed me of your failure and reported back as soon as it was possible," he began once more. "They seemed to manage to get here in record time, whereas you cried in the desert for a day or so before coming to find me!”
Chrysalis glared at him, oh he was just as she remembered him, hot headed, antagonistic and accusatory. He was always so full of himself, and he could never have a conversation without degrading her in some way. He always had to be the most professional in any kind of situation. It was often hard for her to admit that he was one of her oldest confidant’s, having been with her since she was first made queen, and of course that together they had sired several generations of changelings, including Thorax himself.
"It's pathetic my dear, that's what it is," he insisted cruelly. His head nudging her to a crouch position.
“Well it’s not something I am proud of Mandrake," she snorted back at him, trying to contain her anger so as not to offend her only hope. She pushed back agaisnt his head, struggling to get to her feet, before collapsing once more under the strain. "In fact it’s not only humiliating it’s destructive," she continued, "if the other queens and hives find out, that i have been dethroned they’ll… they’ll,” she sobbed in sadness and fear.
“They won’t find out, I can assure you of that.” reassured Mandrake, his left hoof placing itself gently on her trembling head, the first affectionate thing he had done so far.
“But how, Thorax will definitely attempt to make contact with them. We can’t keep this a secret forever!” she sobbed once more.
“I’ve already thought of it. You did not lose your hive, it was infiltrated by a special pony force, and it was poisoned with a new weapon, something biological i think. Yes, and it has transformed the drones there, made them pony slaves and they are to be considered contaminated,” he stated.
She looked back up at him, her green eyes staring into his blue. Why is it so many alpha males have blue eyes? she wondered. They were not the typical drone bug eyes. They were pony like irises, colored ice blue, as if some-pony had chipped out bits of ice and stuck them into their eye sockets. It often unnerved her, the cold stares they could give. “Will they buy that?” she asked quizzically.
“They will, especially once they see what the others have turned into. It will be easy. We will declare the central hive infected and quarantine it, no contact period, and any and all ambassadors will need to be destroyed.”
“That could work,” admitted Chrysalis reluctantly, a brief pang of regret at the thought of her drones being killed. Of course then she remembered how they had turned on her, and joined that commoner instead, and she instead thought it would serve them right.
“You’re lucky Chrissy,” he hissed at her. “It could have been much worse for us. If i hadn’t relocated my main headquarters to these eastern provinces to best spy on the griffons, we could have lost the entire order.”
“You didn’t see them Mandrake, they were powerless, the throne's anti-magic field worked. They were cut off from their magic, even Discord couldn't do a trick, and it was beyond impossible for them to win.”
“Yet they did win, and in doing so lost us our central hive. But, you may take this as comfort, it did not work on the alpha’s. Already they are streaming back here, it seems only the drones turned on you.”
Chrysalis balked at that, she had often felt that the alpha’s were a bit too much of a pain. They were changelings of greater will and power than simple drones; administrators, and facilitators, officers and leaders; they shared the responsibility of leadership answering only to her. They helped her with the running of the hive, supported the immense weight and complexity of the hive mind, and administrated duties she was too busy to handle. This greater sense and ability of free will was often a double edged sword as they could be quite snarky and belligerent on their own.
To hear that they had stood by her was a bit of a shock, then again they were biologically loyal to the hive. They saw the queen as the mother of the hive and therefore the hive itself, that could be the reason they had not fallen for Thorax or Glimmers trap.
“That is most exciting,” she mumbled.
“Hardly, the loyalty of the alpha’s was never in question. However, i find it most distressing that drones tuned on you… DRONES!” hollered Mandrake.
The changeling queen covered her ears wondering if any pony else was around to hear it, but it seems they were alone. Mandrake would of course had made sure of it. Anything to keep her secrets from ruining everything they were trying to keep order of and in control.
“An alpha’s entire existence is to help you facilitate and rule the drones, keeping them in line, keeping the burden of the hive mind off your shoulders and to control them, keep them satisfied, and they without orders or hesitation turned on you!” he snapped.
“Thorax and Glimmer tricked them,” she spat back. “You didn’t see the form they took Mandrake, it was…it was like ours, before we changed, don’t you remember?”
“All to well, but it is lie my queen, sharing love is not the same as creating it, nor giving it, for that we need hearts and as you know no changeling reformed for otherwise has one of those…he saw to that!” hissed the male.
Reaching down with his strong chest and neck Mandrake helped nudge and push Chrysalis to her feet, her body leaning on his for support. Together they started walking forward, the male supporting his queen every time it seemed she would fall.
“But it’s the only thing that could explain how they turned on us, if that’s all it takes…”she started, thinking would it be so bad to try? She had rejected Starlight Glimmer’s offer out of anger and spite, using the last of her energy to deny what she had firstly seen as an abomination. Now though, as she dwelt upon it, if they could return to what they had been once, should they?
“It’s a lie!” he snarled at her. “We cannot change what we are, nor should we, we have been wronged but in our suffering we have found an existence that makes us strong. The hunger we feel drives our expansion, allows us to breach the moral and ethical quandaries of lesser beings! We are superior Chrysalis, we are greater than any pony or any freak or traitor, no matter if they share our blood,” he snarled once more.
“Thorax was always different,” she said aloud. Wondering if he was defective at birth, and maybe that was what allowed this to occur?
“He was never one of us,”growled Mandrake stamping his gauntlet clad hoof sharply. “We should have smothered that ungrateful grub a long time ago.” Talk of grubs made Chrysalis balk as she remembered what she had been wondering about for ages.
“Mandrake, my son, is he?” she begged.
“Hemlock is fine. Wicker has him. They’ll be along shortly. It seems my queen, you were wise to send him to us.”
“I didn’t think it would be needed,” she admitted. She had believed that whatever rescue party that would come for the captured prisoners would meet their end and yet something had made her take the extra step for safety. “But i didn’t want to leave it to chance.”
“Good thing too, otherwise he might be Thorax’s, instead of ours.”
Chrysalis approved, but only just. Thorax was a friendship-pansy whipped traitor but he wasn’t cruel, she doubted he would have hurt Hemlock, but he would have turned him against her, of that she was sure of.
Hemlock was very special to her, one of the first full birthings she had done in over a hundred years. Much different from laying eggs, as queen of the changelings she was granted both an insects egg sack and natural pony womb. Left over evolution from their days as ponies. While she was used to birthing drones by the hundreds, a full on pony birth was usually reserved for alpha’s or royal heirs.
His father Wicker, had been a promising alpha officer, he had helped her through one of her worst heat cycles. After that he had helped to preserve the empire when several hives attempted open sedition against the crown. It had also been Wicker who had helped her to make her way back after the Canterlot wedding failure. She wanted to see them both again. But she also feared explaining to her son the loss of everything they had known.
“To think that Hemlock is the first prince-ling ever born to the changeling race,” continued Mandrake directing the Queen through the secret tunnel towards the inner most sanctum of Citadel Tor. “And he is to be overshadowed by this commoner! How is it possible for a regular drone to ascend to royalty?”
Chrysalis thought as much herself, it was true that in the most dire of circumstances every drone had a recessive royal gene, but normally it was elusive. Only the pure bred royalty could ascend the throne… at least until now.
“We can never allow this to become public knowledge,” reassured Mandrake his own fears taking hold. “I will impose on every alpha the importance to crack down on every drone, individuality must be contained and structured! We must insure that no drone ever steps out of line or runs amok without our knowledge or control.”
That’s when the queen began to suspect where Mandrake’s passion really lied. Chrysalis wasn’t stupid, she understood where Mandrake’s fear came from. He wasn’t concerned with the unnaturalness of the whole affair, or the evolution of their species, he was concerned with the change in power.
As he himself had said, the alpha’s main purpose was to control the drones, to help ease her of the burden of so many minds hooked together as one. They helped lead the sheer legions of drones in the empire let alone a single hive, a naturally created class to bring order and administer to the hive and help facilitate it. However, If drones could think and act on their own beyond orders, as hers had done, or worse a simple drone could become a royal, then the alpha’s purpose let alone the royal heirs were pointless. And if their purpose was pointless there would be no reason for the drones to obey, it would be a revolution, and the alpha’s would no longer be special, they would be nothing.
She had to admit the thought had chilled her as well, more so how her changelings would survive. A male prince had never been born in the changeling race before aside from her son, it had always fallen to females. Thorax could not breed like her, even with breeders they would never be able to breed the same as before. Without a queen the hive was doomed. Correction, their hive was doomed, Thorax was the leader now, and so it would be his curse to try and correct the extinction of his followers.
Her thoughts filtered back to her favorite son. Hemlock had been born several years prior, now a strong yet still young colt, he had been the first prince-ling ever born. What should have elevated him to a point of prestige and fame among their kind was now smeared with the arrival of King Thorax, so now even the uniqueness of his birthright and been snatched from him, along with his ancestral home.
“They must pay!” she hissed. Not just for what they did to her, but to her son and her people. They had usurped their very nature from them, and the ponies would only make them stronger, strong enough to infect other hives with their heresy.
“They will pay,” agreed Mandrake. “From this point on i will devote every moment to making them all pay, our spies and our infiltrators will never stop, our elite units will keep hunting, we will not let them defeat us. Armies will be gathered, soldiers will be trained, we will smash these traitors and then smash those who allowed this.”
Chrysalis agreed, if any changeling could do it, it was Mandrake. From nothing he had created a feared and powerful intelligence army, expanding it to also be a police force and the elite honor guard for the monarchy. Waging wars no pony or changeling and even heard about, he had won their race many a victory.
“We shall overcome them,” continued Mandrake passionately. “We shall destroy them, I will not rest until the entire family line of our enemies is wiped out, for all changelings, for you my queen, and of course for the glory of the hive.”
Chrysalis glowered. “That’s one promise I shall hold you too.”
Author's Note
Well Just had to get this out, I mean i couldn't rest until i had this written and posted. hope you all enjoy it and let me know cheers.
