We Rise

Chapters

We'll be Waiting
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

We'll be Waiting

“We’ll be waiting” was the last interaction the hive in the Scarred Forest, officially dubbed the ‘Scarred City’ by its allies, had with their queens. At least for a long time. And they waited. In grief they stayed there at their queens’ side until even their love reserves could not support them any longer. Lethargically the hive slowly returned to life, letting the world know that their month of inactivity hadn’t killed them.

The Hunters were the first to stir, the guardians abating their grief and enforcing the feeling of hunger the entire hive felt to push them along. The Brood needed food, and they were happy to oblige. There was no use waiting if they’d all starve to death, can’t have the new queen waking up to a feral hive.

The Various ambassadors and court members throughout the different nations and races were next, some having managed to abate their grief and continue their important jobs, others going catatonic like the rest. Before long, though, absences were forgiven and friendly communication was resumed.

The Defenders rose after them, quick to push back the deadly fauna scratching at their door again so the hunters would have their home safe to return to. Next were the researchers, the cooks, the laborers, and everyone else.

Within a day, the hive was back to its normal buzz, though the somber aura every changeling held in their hearts could never be abated. They clinged to that sadness, it was a strong emotion that they genuinely felt, but they knew it wouldn’t be long until that sadness would turn to joy and happiness again.

Some of the other queens had no idea this halting of the hive had happened, too caught up in their own ventures, but Chrysalid had noticed. She had even sent an invasion force on the second week, only to find the hive heavily defended by Mira, Bela, the Equestrian air corps, a griffon battalion, and even a few dragons. Not understanding the strength of her individual enemies, let alone when they worked together, Chrysalid’s invasion force was almost completely destroyed. There were few survivors, even the Equestrians ruthless. And rightfully so, they were defending their vulnerable ally, there was no honor to be had for Chrysalid here. Only petty vengeance.

With the hive functioning again the Harvesters made trips to the hive to replenish the love lost in their grieving, the Hunters and Defenders moved to secure their land again, and warriors were even sent to allies to aid in their various ventures in thanks for defending them. The Guardians returned to their places tending to the hive mind rather than keeping it alive. Dawn even came to visit the hive, her small group of drones mostly unaffected by the lethargy. She grieved with them, though, but the rest of her family kept her from freezing like the rest of the hive did.

There was a problem, though, a new problem. In the month, three new feral queens had popped up and only one had regained sanity. Queen Tera, a queen with hair and eyes the color of mud, came to her first dinner bearing the news of the ferals nearly destroying her own hive. It was Decided that Nilan was to act as Queen in Twilight’s stead, since Dawn refused the position and she had been groomed by Twilight in the ways and duties of a ruler- at least indirectly.

“What are you saying, Tera?” Mira asked when the queen finally finished her initial explanation.

“I’m saying we need to work together to put down these ferals… Or, at the very least, kill enough of them so that their queens may recover. I am only five hundred strong and without hive, I can only offer a dozen Geomancers and my knowledge of these ferals to the campaign…” The Earthen Queen replied.

“Maybe you should have died then, such a paltry contribution.” Chrysalid sneered. Nilan was on her feet with that.

“Acting-Queen Nilan, you share the floor.” Jordas said.

“And what would you be able to Contribute, Chrysalid? If memory serves, your population is down to barely over a thousand strong.” The Young acting-royal retorted with venom in her tone. Chrysalid stood and Jordas recognized her as Tera stepped down, intrigued by the exchange.

“And if you hadn’t have hid behind your allies you would have been exterminated to the last drone!” The Crimson Queen spat. Nilan chuckled darkly.

“Surely you aren’t that delusional, Chrysalid? The Seekers alone, let alone the guardians themselves, would have been plenty to stop that speck of an invasion force. Only three thousand? Even if they hadn’t taken to the field, even our grief couldn’t keep us from defending ourselves. We trusted our allies to defend us, and they did. I’m almost glad they did not show you the mercy my Queen would have!” Nilan scowled.

Chrysalid looked like she was going to burst in fury, and by her body language she was seriously considering attacking this girl pretending to be queen then and there. The only thing staying her hand was the non-hostility rule during these dinners and the memories of her last time fighting a huntress from the Scarred City.

“One day, I’ll find out what you’ve done to Chrysalis… what that terrible queen of yours did to make her fall into that endless sleep… And I’ll take her back, and I’ll kill you for it.” The Crimson Queen said with fire in her tone as she sat back down. Nilan was stunned by the statement, but it quickly turned to a little chuckle before she finally started laughing.

“You really are delusional, I thought you were just stupid. It’s clear to me that you will not see reason, so I’ll just have to hope you survive long enough to see what’s really happened. You’ve been openly declared as enemies not only by our hive, but all of our allies as well. You and yours will be attacked on sight in our territory as well as Mira and Bela’s, in Equestria, the Dragonlands, the Griffonlands, and any place the nomadic tribes call home. Your information gatherers will be rooted out and your love collectors expelled. You will either surrender yourself to a binding contract or find a new source of love.” The acting-royal declared with as much regality as she could muster. She was no Celestia or Twilight, but it was powerful enough to show they weren’t playing around any more. Chrysalid seemed to finally realize the gravity of what she’s done as she sank into her seat. Nilan turned to Tera, then.

“Send your people to the Scarred City. You will be housed and protected until you find a suitable place to build a new hive and establish love collectors. In exchange, you will teach our mages at least the basics of this Geomancing. We do not require you to lay its secrets bare, just the basics. Is this acceptable?” She asked the earthen queen. Tera thought for a moment before standing. Jordas recognized her.

“For our protection, our secret of Geomancy is a paltry cost, I accept in full. I simply ask that I receive an unbiased account of recent happenings and the state of things… I admit I am a little confused as to what exactly is happening. It seems that you have a strong alliance, though, and while I cannot promise to join it I will be happy to not get on your bad side.” The queen said. Nilan smiled and nodded.

“Well said. My last matter to bring to the queens is that Equestria’s offer of diplomacy still stands for all that have not been dubbed enemies. Your information and love collection is being heavily watched and regulated as you know, this will not change unless the terms are personally negotiated. Greta, your participation in Crystarium’s initial invasion has been forgiven, you should notice less harsh regulation on their side in that respect.” Nilan announced. The eldest of the Emerald Queens nodded to that.

“Tell your allies we won’t be so foolish as to provoke them again, but we prefer to keep to ourselves for the time being... “ The Viridian Queen replied. Nilan simply nodded and took her seat.

“Are there any subjects to be taken up?” Jordas asked. Tera stood again.

“I still did not receive anything concrete about this feral swarm. Judging by what little I’ve learned of recent events there’s now seven known feral queens. These three are swarms of their own, my latest number estimation if well over one hundred thousand combined, and they are working together.” The Earthen Queen repeated from earlier.

“Ferals never work together, not officially. The second their cooperation is no longer useless, or they’re hungry enough, they turn on each other and destroy them for us.” Meta said offhandedly. Her sisters seemed a little more invested in what Tera was saying, though. Nilan hummed before speaking.

“While we are not functioning as properly as we would like, our numbers are still over two hundred thousand now, we’ll organize something. Our allies should be happy to help as well, but you are right. It is concerning that they are working together for longer than a single battle. Perhaps they aren’t as feral as we thought. Maybe they are sane, but think different than we do. I’ll refer to those ones as Rogue Queens for now, more appropriate tags may be added later as we learn more.” The acting-queen said. Tera nodded and turned to the others, passing over Chrysalid without even a glance.

“We three may lend aid if we are needed, we will temporarily allow a proxy drone into each of our hives for such a purpose. They will be watched and restricted, but we hope this will be our show of faith that our neutrality means we don’t wish to be enemies.” Greta said after discussing with her sisters for a few moments.

“Proxy Drones?” Tera asked.

“I’ll take care of that, Tera. We’ll explain later.” Nilan said. The question confirmed that while Bela had regained sanity with an advanced hive mind, Tera was apparently younger and shared the limited connections of the other queens. The Earthen Queen simply nodded and returned to her seat.

“Just stay out of my swamps, all of you…” Chrysalid growled. There was no real response other than some snickers or dirty looks.

“If there are no other matters to discuss, we will begin population counts. As usual, food need not be supplied to the Scarred City due to its massive size.” Jordas said after a few moments of silence.

“Queen Greta, population of five thousand and forty-two.”

“Queen Meta, population of four thousand, nine hundred and six.”

“Queen Creta, population of five thousand, one hundred and seven.”

“Queen Bela, population of four thousand even.”

“Queen Mira, population of nineteen thousand even.”

“Queen Tera, population of five hundred and thirty-five.”

“Queen Chrysalid, population of one thousand and eighty-one.”

“Acting-Queen Nilan, population of two hundred thousand, seven hundred even.”

“Population counts recorded, this dinner has concluded.” Jordas rumbled before returning to his slumber.

“Come now, Tera. We’ll escort you, even though our allies lands are safe our home is surrounded by a dangerous forest.” Nilan said. Tera nodded and they made to leave. The Wraiths got along well with Tera’s guard.

“I hope our cooperation benefits you. Our Geomancing is just a specialization of magic, we have other secrets we would be willing to share. My honor will not allow that as such a paltry exchange, I just did not wish the other queens to know that I had more to offer.” Tera said quietly to Nilan.

“Just allow us to comb your hive for archives for us to research and Bela to restore and transcribe and we’ll call it even. If you want to trade for our other secrets, though, then you can start offering your other ones.” Nilan said with a smile. While she could barely trust the Emerald Queens, Nilan had come to allow herself a bit of extra trust to new or recently sane queens as they had no political stake in the land to get in the way of things like Crystarium thought she did.

“Archives? I suppose that’s fine, I never kept much… I know Bela was a historian, but I didn’t expect the interest from you.” Tera said, fishing for more information. Nilan just chuckled as they took to the air.

“We’re a strange bunch, you’ll see eventually.”

Nilan settled into her new chamber nicely, she refused to take the Queen’s chamber for many reasons, but she had allowed her brothers and sisters build her a room adjacent to it. She felt at home attempting to do a queen’s job, sitting where her two queens had rested. She couldn’t immerse herself in the hive mind like her queens could, but she could still direct her siblings and the Guardians to increase efficiency on a more minor level.

Tonight she wanted to try something else, though. It had been a month since that dinner, Tera and her brood were still in the Scarred City. The Earthen Queen had managed to double her population and had begun searching for a suitable place to put a hive in or near allied territory. She was still reluctant to join the alliance, but she promised to make a final decision after the Rogue Queens were dealt with.

She flushed that form her mind, though, as she focused on what she wanted to try. Flushing everything from her mind, she focused on Ceren’s arcane teachings. She placed an isolation bubble around her mind as the mages did to practice their magic in the confines of their forests. She focused on the link, trying to enter the vast forest that was the hive mind rather than her own personal patch of young trees.

It was a disappointing venture at first, hours of concentration and isolation to no avail. There was a spark of something, though. Something wanted her to follow it. She latched onto what manifested itself as a leaf, though this leaf was like none she’d seen before. Her leaves in her own personal trees were crimson like the forest around the hive, but to Twilight they had all been either teal or lavender depending on which queen was in power when they were born.

This leaf had two intertwining colors, the teal and the blue. She held it in her mentally manifested hands, and just as she was going to let it go she saw it. A single tree, somewhat gnarled but still beautiful, large as an ancient elderwood. The leaves were all combined in different ratios. She was awed by the thing and what she could only imagine what it represented. She saw guardians silently buzzing around it, checking leaves and smoothing bent branches.

A strong wind blew through the tree, and the sound of thousands of other trees surrounded her. She looked around to find a massive forest, larger than she had even thought was possible to exist. It was the Teal and Lavender she had expected to see in the Hive Mind. She looked to one direction, Twilight had explained that Chrysalis’ forest was nothing but ashlands now, but she couldn’t find it. She took a step forward and was surprised to not find dirt or grass, but ash at her feet. As she examined the ground, she almost missed a guardian standing in front of her. She recognized the guardian as the one inhabiting the first Seeker, Stella.

“They wanted you to see them, see what’s become of this place. They’re almost home, Nilan.” The young girl said happily. It took a moment for Nilan to realize what Stella was saying. Her face lit up in surprise as she looked up at the tree.

“They’re waking up…” Stella said with glee.

Author's Note

I've been waiting so long to start this leg of the story. Cover art is placeholder. Hopefully this flows and paces a little better than the last few chapters of From the Ashes, I finally hit my stride again. Hopefully I can keep it going for longer than four chapters this time.

Chapter 2

The viscous material covering her was familiar, it was calming. She recognized this feeling, being born again. But there was something else, some traces of fear and confusion that didn’t feel like her own. Chrysalis opened her eyes to see the walls of the rebirthing pod she had expected to see and smiled. The unfamiliarity nagged at her again, though, and as she examined her pod more closely she remembered what was wrong. She was supposed to be recycled, Twilight was supposed to lead her hive into prosperity.

But that’s not how it happened, Twilight had converted the pod into a royal rebirthing pod at the last minute, and then joined her to be rebirthed as one. The girl never ceased to surprise her, but she realized something else was wrong entirely. Those little feelings that weren’t her own, they weren’t her own. They were Twilight’s, but she didn’t feel like the culmination of two individuals fused in rebirth. Her other senses slowly came back to her, and she realized she was entangled in something else.

She was startled as the mass of nearly white chitin she was intertwined with opened its eyes, those pretty lavender eyes had an inner ring of teal now. A hand on her cheek, and the weak love that came with it, calmed her rising confusion.

“Let’s get out of here.” Her voice resounded in her thoughts, echoing strangely as her senses hadn’t quite acclimated to being used again. The voice wasn’t an actual voice, of course, it was over the hive mind. She did not remember it being so well organized though, but for now she had a duty to her children. She could not be their queen if she was lazily stewing in this pod all day.

“You can do it.” Twilight’s voice assured her as she tried to push the pod open as normal. It didn’t budge. She was surprised as a blade went through the translucent material of the front of the pod. She followed it and saw that the blade was coming out of Twilight’s forearm. The girl motioned towards it with her head, lethargically sloshing the liquid around. Chrysalis knew what she had to do, then. With little more than a thought, her own blade extended from her other arm and she put it through the pod. As one, they sliced it open and tumbled onto the organic cement of the floor.

“It’s true!” They heard as they hacked and coughed the solution out of their lungs. The light was blinding, but only for a moment, as their eyes adjusted. The voice came from Nilan, who was standing at the door, looking iwnded. She had just sprinted the entire length of the hive to get here.

“You… You’re both… but…” The acting-queen stuttered out after realizing just how literal Stella’s statement had been.

“It’s good to see you, Nilan.” They both said simultaneously as they shakily got to their feet. Nilan hunted for them in the hive mind to make sure their links had regenerated properly, but gained a worried expression when she could find neither of them.

“Mother, I can’t sense either of you individually in the hive mind… I think something went wrong.” Nilan started, but was stopped as both queen put their hand up. Again they spoke in unison.

“We are as one, don’t you remember?” They said, though after that they started speaking somewhat normally.

“Would you be a dear and fetch me a mirror? I have no idea what I look like right now.” Chrysalis asked. Nilan stood there, mouth agape, for a moment before nodding and shooting off.

“I think you look stunning, even covered in birthing solution. The Lavender in your eyes and hair suit our position wonderfully, I assume I have similar alterations?” Twilight asked. Chrysalis nodded.

“You still look like the young woman I left my hive to, just with a bit of myself in you.” The elder queen said with a smile. They both closed their eyes and focused then, reestablishing their link and fully immersing themselves in it. They saw their massive tree, how the ashlands had merged with the forest, and they both noticed the single cerulean tree flickering in and out of existence. They set some attention to it at all times in case it stabilized long enough.

They noticed that their entire hive froze again, at them reconnecting. Above that, though, they felt something change. They recognized this feeling, whenever a large-scale transmutation was shared through their queens. This one, though, they felt it. Uproarious joy spread throughout the hive mind as everyone possible rushed to their chamber to look at them. They found their queens, still holding hands, trying to clean themselves of the birthing fluid as their connection to magic hadn’t quite woken back up yet.

Nilan was back with the mirror, but as she made it to them she dropped the mirror. It was reinforced so it didn’t shatter, but she realized at the same time as her brothers and sisters how they were so happy. She felt the room become saturated with love, directed at the queens. Coming from THEM.

“I’m glad it worked, but I don’t think I’d have minded this turn of events even if it didn’t fix our little problem.” Twilight said, knowing what her brood were thinking as they thought it. The two opened their arms wide, and those that could fit swarmed in to embrace their queen. Love was exchanged, then, and Chrysalis couldn’t help but be brought to tears at it. So much love directed at her, from her children, and she could give it right back. This was something she never even thought possible, never thought she’d ever feel. She managed to catch a glimpse of Twilight through the pile of Chitin, she had tears on her face too. They weren’t her own though, it was almost as if she was crying Chrysalis’ tears of joy with her.

“Alright, that’s enough. We were just born again, our chitin is soft and we’re starving. Prepare for visitors, we’ll be having company over the next week.” Twilight said. Chrysalis sighed in relief, but only a tiny bit of relief, as the sea of Chitin was no longer crushing her. She knew what Twilight meant, the ambassadors and proxies with their friends and allies had informed them of such and most were already on their way.

Every single drone they passed gave them as much love as time would allow before they had to continue on their way, to the point where they were so stuff they were being forced to spread it back into the hive it was so much. Something started to bother both queens, though, as they came to the same realization at the same time.

“It must be part of the curse, then.” Twilight started.

“Maybe, but then that wouldn’t explain our progress before the relapse.” Chrysalis replied. They both hummed in thought as they walked hand in hand.

“Hopefully Crystarium finds something useful, I wonder if this change reached her.” Twilight sighed.

“To be honest, with the improvements you’ve made, I don’t know if skin would be possible without reverting many of them.” Chrysalis thought aloud as they sat down in a mess hall and had two unfolded pods with fresh lasher steak and two drink pods with wine in them placed in front of them. They were both triple orders.

“Maybe that’s it. Honestly, at this point, it’s far less important than it used to be. All of our allies know that we aren’t enemies and they’ve come to accept changelings as more than monsters on a more general scale, though there will always be bigots and anti-changeling groups.” Twilight mused between bites.

“True. I think your improvements have made us rather beautiful. The guardians are an interesting idea too, I’m glad they were successful. You’ve done well with our hive, I’m happy to share in that honor again.” Chrysalis said, leaning onto Twilight’s shoulder. They finished their meal in relative silence, occasionally joined by a friend or a wraith just so they could see their queens and share their love.

They just wandered the hive after that, the entire place felt different. It was like a new experience, even though they had lived there for as long as they have collectively. The sun was going down by the time they finally returned to their chambers. They got into the bed after the long day and stared at each other, their fingers still intertwined.

“I missed you…” Twilight said softly. Chrysalis didn’t reply, electing to just pull closer to the lavender queen and rest her head against the others. Twilight giggled. “I’ll take that as ‘I missed you too.’” She said. Chrysalis hummed in response, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“I may have been sleeping for months, but it wasn’t nearly this comfortable.” Chrysalis said. Twilight put a hand on her face then, so she opened her eyes just in time to see the happy tears in Twilight’s eyes just before the lavender queen kissed her.

Chrysalis had come to understand the importance of a kiss to the other humanoid races, and their equivalents in other races. Changelings had no need of such displays of affections, and until now Chrysalis may have been made uncomfortable by it. Now, though, she actually understood it on a personal level. Not just because of her shared experiences from Twilight, but because she could finally understand the pure love the kiss came with. She couldn’t help but shed Twilight’s tears of joy as she returned the kiss, wrapping her free arm around the girl.

This is what it’s like to love and be loved by another, truly, without any obligation to muddle it up. And she was basking in it. They separated before long, no intentions of it going further than the kiss tonight.

“I’ve been waiting to do that for so long…” Twilight said, resting her head against Chrysalis’ and nuzzling closer. The many kisses goodnight Twilight gave the sleeping queen came to their minds at once, and they both smirked at it.

“To have it returned, you mean? I’m just happy I finally understand this… love… and it’s all thanks to you, Twilight. Now, our hive can finally prosper.” Chrysalis retorted, ending in a happy tone as she yawned and shifted to get more comfortable. It was almost like their chitin had grown perfectly to hold each other comfortably. In truth it probably had.

“Thanks to us. We are as one now, intertwined in mind and genetically. I’m surprised we didn’t come out as a single new queen, though. We must have really shaken the norm of changeling evolution.” Twilight corrected. Chrysalis just hummed softly as they finally settled down in silence. It was never actually silence, though, the constant hum of the hive and the symphony of the ive mind was ever present. It lulled them to sleep, acting more as a lullaby than anything. They would need their sleep, afterall. Today they were born again, but tomorrow they would return to the world.

Author's Note

as a great man once said, 'Kept you waiting, huh?'

Chapter 3

There were varying degrees of wonder, fascination, and confusion in the group gathered in the Queens’ chambers. It consisted of her friends and allies as usual. This time there was also the the commander of the griffon battalion that defended her hive, Black Talon, and the leader of the dragons, Spike. Twilight, and through her Chrysalis, was surprised to see Spike leading their dragon defenders.

“Was… this supposed to happen?” Celestia asked, first to break the silence that had formed. The two queens shook their heads. They spoke in tandem, which only further creeped out most of the room.

“No, but we believe it turned out for the better. It was supposed to be the two of us merged into one individual.” They said. Dash snorted.

“Geez, acting like that maybe you are one individual, just two bodies.” She said, her done a little shaky. She was trying to make light of the situation even though it made her feel uneasy. It made all of them feel uneasy. The two queens smiled.

“We still have enough of what makes me Twilight…” Twilight started.

“... And what makes me Chrysalis in our own heads. We’re just… linked.” Chrysalis finished without missing a beat. That seemed to ease the uncertainty in the air a bit, but there seemed to be a lot that everyone wanted to say. They were happy to be patient with them.

“On that note, I would like to thank you for inviting me here, I was expecting to be sent home as was our orders.” Black Talon said, moving a claw to his chest and bowing ever so slightly in a show of respect. The two queens inclined their heads respectfully in return.

“You fought as allies to defend us when we were vulnerable, so of course we wanted to personally thank you. I hear your casualties were almost nonexistent, is that correct?” Twilight replied.

“Yes, no deaths. A few injuries and two griffons who won’t be fighting ever again, but those are far more acceptable than the enemy’s losses.” The Griffon said with pride. Twilight nodded. “It was thanks to your airships, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, that we were so well protected. And the Dragons.” He continued.

“Yeah, they certainly weren’t expecting us!” Spike said with a bit of glee.

“I must say, I was very proud of how well we worked together. It’s been a long time since any of us had fought together in battle, let alone all on one side. Especially for our new Changeling Allies.” Celestia said with a smile. More talk of the battle helped dissolve the remaining inhibitions about the state of the Twin Queens, for now at least, and they moved to a mess hall for a meal.

“So how are things in Draconis, Spike? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. You’ve grown so much.” Twilight asked the purple dragon with a smile. He was the smallest of the dragons that came by far, about the size of a horse now. His exploits in Draconis had earned him much respect and ranking there, though. The fact that he was leading this group of veteran warriors was show of that. Especially since they hadn’t complained.

“Chaotic as usual, and no matter how much I didn’t want to I finally accepted the role as ambassador for Equestria. My Mate made a good point and finally convinced me.” The Drake said. Twilight and CHrysalis both gained curious looks, but Chrysalis let Twilight continue.

“Your Mate? I didn’t know you even had a girlfriend.” Twilight said with a bit of a snicker.

“I mean that’s what we call our girlfriends, whether we’ve mated properly or not- which we haven’t if you wanted to know.” Spike started, he frills flattening in embarrassment. “But yeah, her name is Sapphire. She’s the Matriarch’s granddaughter, the youngest one at least. I was basically the ambassador already, especially since I solved that land dispute and beat the Matriarch. Might as well get the title and benefits for doing it.” He continued.

“I told you, my offer still stands by the way.” Celestia said with an amused snort.

“What, the gem stipend?” Spike asked. Celestia nodded.

“All you need to do is keep your dragonfire network open.” The Princess said. Spike shrugged.

“Why do y’all always bring business to the dinner table?” Applejack groaned, though it was lighthearted.

“Yeah! We should be celebrating how awesome this alliance is!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are right. It’s been ages since we’ve seen you Darling, and ages more since we’ve seen you awake.” Rarity added, nodding to Twilight and Chrysalis respectively.

“I like that idea.” The queens said together, giggling as they hadn’t intended to speak together that time.

“For now, I took the liberty of hunting down your secret stash.” Nictus said, entering the room with a large wooden cask in her hands. She plopped it onto the table and all but Chrysalis gave her a confused look.

“Oh you found it! I had actually forgotten about this. You know, I think there was at least one more cask.” The Elder Queen said, glancing sideways at the hunter. The Hunter snickered.

“I cracked the other two for the defenders after Crystarium’s invasion. I made sure I kept one good and sealed for your return, though. I’m just glad you can share it with Twilight.” She replied, giving a wink before leaving. Chrysalis chuckled as she shook her head, Twilight was already filling mugs.

“A Secret Stash, huh. This smells fairly weak to be honest.” Black Talon said, taking his mug in his talons expertly. Spike didn’t hesitate, downing his tankard in one go. The result was a mix between a breathless wheeze and a cough. Something like a sort of ‘PAHHHHHHH’ sound before a few actual coughs followed. It would have been amusing on its own, but the noise was coupled with a cloud of green-tinted smoke as he resisted the urge to belch fire.

“That is NOT weak, and that’s coming from a dragon.” He said, his voice cracking and raspy like he he had just downed paint thinner. They all looked at their bugs at that. Chrysalis giggled sweetly as she sipped hers.

“It’s wine, distilled from Elderwood Trees in our forest. While they don’t produce fruit, the leaves and roots can be harvested and fermented, or juiced, and added to other flavorings if necessary. In its raw form, the stuff would probably kill a human, downing a tankard like that would probably kill even a dragon too.” Chrysalis explained. Even Twilight didn’t know that.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Dragon Alcohol is the strongest stuff around, since our internal heat cooks alcohol out of whatever we’re drinking and our organs before it hits our blood. Some of the harder stuff is like pure alcohol.” Spike scoffed.

“The product is similar to Mana Water, except it’s a natural infusion rather than injected with arcane power. The mana empowers the strength.” The Teal Queen explained. Twilight’s eyes widened at that as she looked at her drink.

“Wait, a natural source of mana water? I thought the only way to achieve that is to take naturally forming mana crystals and liquify them.” The Lavender Queen asked. Chrysalis shrugged.

“It’s not exactly a reliable source. The last mature Elderwood was cut down during my time feral. The seeds were properly dispersed, but it would take centuries for them to grow.” Chrysalis explained. There was silence at that.

“Maybe we could cultivate them?” Applejack suggested. Chrysalis shrugged but Twilight nodded slowly.

“We can test growing trees for their properties, figure out ways to accelerate their growth in a controlled environment…” She started. Applejack seemed very interested, but Dash and the others seemed like they were about to start grumbling about business at the table again. “... But we’ll have to talk about that later, Applejack. Black Talon, I hear that the civil wars in the Griffon Lands have finally started sputtering out?” She changed the subject and small talk consumed the conversation for the next few hours.

It wasn’t until later that night, when the Queens had retreated to their chambers to sleep, when Nilan finally came to find them after their rebirth.

“You may speak your mind with us, dear.” The two said in tandem as they brushed their hair with two separate brushes, their other hands holding each other’s.

“We both know you can just look and see what I’m thinking…” Nilan said, but she knew they wouldn’t. They didn’t bother telling her that either. “...It’s about the last Queen’s Dinner. I want to know what you think of how I handled Tera and the other queens.” the Wraith continued. The Queens put the brushes down and looked at her with a smile.

“You handled it exceptionally well, even though things got heated with Chrysalid. We’ve already called another one, but we’ve only explained that it’s an important matter to do with the Queen of this hive. We haven’t told them we’re awake yet, so they’ll only expect you.” Twilight replied. Chrysalis grinned and continued.

“I wonder what my dear sister will have to say… She betrayed me once, that is why I went feral in the first place. I have to wonder why she’d become so hysteric for me now.” The Teal Queen wondered as her grin faded to a neutral frown.

“In the meantime, for your services as acting queen I want to offer you the choice of rebirth.” Twilight said, deciding not to get pulled into Chrysalis’ thoughts or changing the subject. Nilan gave her a confused look. It only lasted a moment as she realized what was being offered.

“A… royal rebirth?” She asked, the air almost literally knocked out of her at the shock of realization. The two nodded, though Chrysalis still seemed deep and thought. She snapped out of it when they stood, even her inattention wasn’t able to stop their synchronized movements.

“Moth- Dawn Sparkle is our only true royal, and she isn’t a true royal at the same time.” Chrysalis started, and caught herself. Twilight giggled at the slip up but continued.

“Our hive has grown so large, it’s starting to really get crowded. We could keep endlessly expanding underground, but that isn’t the best idea. Instead, we want to expand outward- and not our walls. We rely on the cover of the mountain far too much, and we don’t want to risk harming the ecosystem of the forest that keeps us alive. We’re already having to rely heavily on importing food to avoid devastating the Flora and the Fauna that we eat.” The Lavender Queen explained, her tone getting fairly serious.

“You have proven yourself wholeheartedly as a good leader, and many have already volunteered to be part of your hive.” Chrysalis continued. “And, with the transmutation array, the time of rebirth will be lowered to days rather than months. If you wish, you may be your own Queen by the time the Queen’s Dinner is held, even if you don’t have your own hive yet.” Chrysalis picked up. They waited for Nilan’s response, then, their free hands behind their backs as if they were clasping them professionally- just without the other hand. They didn’t want to break their contact.

Nilan was stunned again by the proposition. It was nearly twenty seconds before she finally spoke.

“I… I don’t… I don’t know what to say... “ She stuttered out. The queens smiled and embraced the young changeling.

“Nilan, ever since I formed the Wraiths I knew you were special. You took to your family well and showed an amount of personality that reminded me of myself. From the day Nictus left them in your hands I’ve been proud of your leadership skills. Now, you can make us more proud than anyone but a mother can be.” Twilight said softly. Nilan quickly returned the embrace, holding both of her queens like the mothers they were. They finally separated and Nilan had a look of determination on her face, causing the queens to grin.

“Then we’ve better get started then, after a good night’s sleep of course. I might be able to talk the dragons into letting me settle in the Dragonlands, I’ve always wanted to visit Draconis.” She said, her mind swimming with ideas. Twilight and Chrysalis kissed her on the head livingly before turning for their beds.

“You will have our aid and support until it is no longer needed, and you will remain in our hive mind. You will have control over your branch as normal, but I can’t stand the idea of cutting you out of it.” The two said as they got into their bed.

“And I wouldn’t dream of having it any other way.” Nilan said, smiling at her mothers cuddling happily in their bed. When they seemed content to try and sleep, Nilan left for her private chamber and was surprised to see Tera there.

“Ah, I was hoping I would catch you here.” The Earthen Queen said, standing from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Is something wrong?” Nilan asked, only a little concerned the Queen had come to her, but confused she hadn’t gone to see the queens. Tera shook her head.

“Now that your duties as acting queen are ended, I would like to request your aid. My Brood and I wish to settle in the Dragonlands, as they are filled with rock and mountains. Perfect for my Geomancers. I understand your hive and your allies have good rapport with the dragons. I am prepared to join your alliance on the terms that a place to settle will be negotiated properly.” The Queen explained professionally. Nilan grinned. Before Tera could ask why, though, Nilan spoke.

“It seems we have similar ideas to settle our new hives.” She said simply before adopting a thinking expression. Tera seemed confused for a moment, but then came to some understanding.

“Did your queens offer a royal rebirth in exchange for your success at the last dinner?” She asked. Nilan nodded.

“Tera, I’d be happy to assist you after my rebirth. We may even settle in the same area and protect each other accordingly. You would be able to focus far more effort on rebuilding since we’d be able to supply you with love.” The soon to be Royal replied. Tera nodded slowly. She was still dumbfounded and mazed that this brood could still produce love, and would never have believed it if she hadn’t felt it yesterday and today. Even now, Nilan was giving off an ambient love that felt almost sisterly.

“Very well, we shall talk to your queens in the morning then.” The Earthen Queen said, inclining her head. Nilan inclined her head back and the Earthen Queen left the room. The Wraith proceeded to unceremoniously drop onto the bed and let out a long, happy sigh.

She had her queen back, BOTH of her queens. Even if she didn’t know Chrysalis, she still loved her like she loved Twilight. And now she would soon be able to feel that love? She couldn’t wait. She couldn’t help but dream about raising a hive in the Dragonlands in tandem with her new ally. She had seen the behemoth drones other queens created to be more effectively integrated in terms of love collectors with them, and she was glad she didn’t have to mutate any of her siblings or future children since they produced their own love now.

Author's Note

Finally got a day off of work, so here you go. How many of you are interested in seeing what Crystarium's up to by the way?

Chapter 4

The Twin Queens were expecting to have to wait for weeks for the queens to reconvene for another dinner, and thus were a little surprised when they agreed to convene two weeks after they awoke. Nilan’s rebirth was complete, she was a proper royal now and would be introduced as her own queen. She already had a small group of drones numbering 50 strong in her branch of the brood.

“Oh you shouldn’t be that surprised, the only one openly against us is Chrysalid. The Emerald Trio are friendly but neutral. Tera is ready to join our alliance if we help her build her new hive, though that alliance won’t be cemented until we get to the Dragonlands, Draconis specifically.” Mira said as they walked down the ebony halls of the first hive.

“And the fact that you’re up would mean that Chrysalid would want to see you early as well.” Bela commented.

“There was also another of those ferals turning sane, I heard wind they’d be here, but they’ve nothing of their brood left.” Tera said. The Twin Queens hummed as they lead the pack, hand in hand, as they entered the dining hall. Twilight and Chrysalis, as well as the other queens and members of all of their brood, had personal bets going to see how long Chrysalid would take to make a scene. Throughout the hives, bits were exchanged and Twilight gave Chrysalis a snarky smirk as Chrysalid slammed her hands on the table and stood, screaming bloody murder.

“Sister?! What have they done to you?! How can you stand to touch that creature?!” The Crimson Queen practically snarled. The mood of the group soured, Chrysalis’ especially.

“Sister? You’re no sister of mine Chrysalid. I am truly sorry about the lack of communication after I recovered from my feral spell, but you never reached out to me either. After Twilight singlehandedly saved me and my brood from going feral, again, you thought it best to fight her every step she made as queen. You even attacked her, and lost. The icing on the cake is how you tried to destroy OUR hive while they MOURNED US. And you have the gall to call me sister? You’ve done nothing but betray me as long as I could remember. If only Mother were here to see you today.” Chrysalis nearly seethed. Twilight’s tightened grip on her hand immediately calmed her, though. She let out her mirth with a breath as everyone took their seats.

“Has the other ‘new’ queen arrived yet?” Twilight asked the emerald queens. They all shook their heads in unison.

“They are arriving now, as well as three more. Rogues seeking peace.” Jordas said. They all stared at him.

“The Rogues are seeking peace?” Most of them asked at about the same time. Jordas did not respond, and so they waited. A minute saw three queens. They looked days from love starvation and they looked sickly. Even Chrysalid didn’t look so haggard. Their eyes and hair were a dark grey. They eyed everyone in the room before taking seats. Tera and the other queens not in the alliance tensed at their arrival, but the Twin Queens and the other two kept perfect poker faces. The three stared directly at the two queens with intense curiosity, sizing them up.

“I’m afraid I don’t have the strength to go much further, if someone would kindly help me to a seat.” A surprisingly old voice came from the hall a minute later. They all turned to look and saw an older changeling queen leaning against the doorway, a hand over her chest. Her legs and arms were so full of holes they were amazed she wasn’t completely feral, though if she really was completely without a single drone then that could explain it. Her eyes and hair were a slightly paler shade of teal from Chrysalis’.

Without even a command, Nilan rushed over to support the elder queen to the closest seat near their alliance. Twilight felt a massive surge of emotion from Chrysalis, and felt the other’s queen’s tears coming from her eyes as they fell together. Chrysalid looked to be in shock. The rest of the brood and Nilan felt it as well.

“Well, judging by my mothers’ emotions I think she just got her wish. It’s nice to meet you, grandma.” Nilan said incredulously. The elder queen gave her a strange look before looking over to Twilight and Chrysalis. Confusion registered on her face before they got up. Chrysalis still refused to let go of Twilight’s hand, but she embraced the old queen as tears poured down her face. Twilight couldn’t help but join in the embrace. They both directed as much love as they could into the old queen. She finally recognized Chrysalis and wrapped her arms around both queens, clinging to their love like a newborn.

“Chrysalis, I had hoped you had retained your sanity for so long… but… this… love?” The old queen said, her voice much stronger. Now that she wasn’t love starved her features seemed to pop. Comparing to the age of humans, she looked to be in her mid fifties. Chrysalis, and through her Twilight, knew she was thousands of years old, maybe even older than Celestia. The old queen looked around the room and recognized Chrysalid. She stood with her own power and walked over to her. The other queens could do little more than watch the spectacle, not wishing to break the moments. Even they could understand the significance of a mother returning.

“My dear Chrysalid, you look as frail as I do? Where is Siria and Silvia?” She asked, holding her arms out as Chrysalid practically bolted towards her. She caught the Crimson Queen in an embrace.

“Siria fell to a feral queen over a century ago, I made sure to avenge her. Silvia’s passing was peaceful, converting all of her drones to collectors before asking me to take her life. This was over three centuries ago.” Chrysalis replied from across the room, getting a little choked up by the end. The old queen slowly nodded.

“Mother! You’re alive!” Chrysalid sobbed into her mother’s chitin. She gently stroked her daughter’s hair, shushing her until she stopped sobbing.

“Would someone please bring me up to date on the state of things? It’s been centuries since I’ve been sane.” She asked. It was nearly two hours of explaining from the various queens in attendance. The Rogue Queens listened intently as well, curious as to what was going on outside of their borders.

“I hope you’ve realized your folly, Chrysalid. It will take much to redeem yourself to your sister. I can’t help you with that.” The old queen said. Chrysalid just looked at the Twin Queens. They were expecting a glare, but her eyes were almost pleading.

“We’ll discuss your ceasefire during the dinner.” They said in tandem.

“Speaking of that… Jordas, requesting your blessing to continue my duties.” She said to the crystal golem who had remained silent up until now.

“Denied. I apologize, Chreia, but it is not my blessing you require. The Queen with the highest standing or population has the right to that station.” He said, looking at the Twin Queens. Twilight was confused for only a moment before Chrysalis remembered for both of them.

“Then you have our blessing to resume your duties as Hostess.” They said in tandem. Chreia nodded and moved to the center of the table. She hopped up onto it with surprising strength and sent energy into a small etching in the very center.A single elevated podium slid upwards, complete with a high backed chair. She could see everyone, and everyone could see her from inside the circular podium.

“Then without further dilly dally I’d like to begin the meal, I’ve been away for a very long time and I’d like to get some food in me before I have to deal with politics again.” Chreia said with a tone of authority and sleight annoyance. Chrysalis couldn’t help but smile, which Twilight shared, at seeing her mother back in her rightful position.

“What is a Hostess?” Mira asked.

“My duties as Hostess are to preside over the dinner, which Jordas has been doing in my place. I will care for the First Hive, maintain the guardians, and act as mediator and tiebreaker for political disputes. I will not fight in your wars, and any attacks on me here are to be declared feral and rogue.” She explained. At that she eyed the three queens that WERE rogue.

“Speaking of, you three have come in peace. You have been dubbed rogue by the other queens, but ultimately you have a chance to prove otherwise since it was made out of ignorance. You will explain yourselves after the meal.” Chreia continued to the ashen trio as the swarm of laborers entered with food. They simply nodded in respect to her, which she seemed satisfied by.

“I thought nothing was supposed to fully preside over the dinners.” Twilight said to Chrysalis as they practically fed each other. Tera had little in the ways of actual food to bring, since she was still being housed in the Scarred City, but she did create a particularly tasty treat of rock candy infused with different flavors of love to match the colors. Twilight was particularly fond of those. Within an hour, though, the meal was finished.

“Mel concluded, Hostess Chreia has the floor.” Jordas rumbled out.

“Very good. If you would, please explain yourselves now that we are full and satiated.” The Hostess said, immediately turning all eyes to the ashen trio.

“We are queens Lyra, Onyx, and Ceren. To put things simply, we ARE Rogue. Or rather, we were. We had regained our sanity, but we could not stand this vicious cycle of starvation and politics. We were prepared to do war with the sane until we heard who would be coming for our heads.” The eldest of the three, Lyra, started.

“We watched and then we decided that we would do better to hide, leave this region and find a New place to settle.” Ceren, the middling queen, continued.

“But then we discovered your ability to produce love. We decided to return. If you could advance our race to such lengths as to lift the curse, then we couldn’t chance you being an enemy.” Onyx, the younger one, finished.

“Absolvement of your rogue status requires a positive vote from all, and I personally don’t think realizing how far up shit creek you are is a good enough reason to…” Chreia started, but paused as Twilight and Chrysalis stood.

“Queens Twilight and Chrysalis, you share the floor.” Jordas announced.

“Let’s not be too hasty, mother. They were never officially declared rogue, not by Jordas or even during a dinner. That is simply what it was agreed they be referred to as, as it was clear they were no longer normal feral queens.” The twin queens explained in unison. The Hostess hummed lowly and turned to the rest.

“Do they speak the truth?” She asked the congregation. They all nodded, even Chrysalid. “Very well, I apologize. I was under the impression you were properly declared rogue.” She continued, inclining her head to the trio.

“We are not fond of these politics, but I am glad they have worked in our favor this time around. I will announce now that we will not be attending these dinners unless attendance is necessary to remain clear of rogue status. We will abide by your rules while here, though, and we do not wish any further hostilities to come of this. We will remove our kill on sight policy for our borders so if important matters need to be discussed they may be done via normal means.

“We do not wish to make enemies here, but we have no interest in alliances. We will survive on our own, but if it comes to the survival of our race or a matter that benefits us as well then we will aid when possible.” Queen Lyra explained. Chreia seemed displeased but said nothing.

“Such bold words coming from those here to avoid destruction themselves.” Chrysalid retorted. She immediately regretted it. Chreia gave her a disappointed look.

“The same could be said about you, Chrysalid. The only reason you still live is because Queen Twilight shows mercy far too easily.” Mira sneered. Chreia gave Twilight a bit of a look. Much had been explained to her, so she knew of Chrysalid’s misdeeds against her.

“That is something I had meant to speak of, Queen Twilight. Why do you show such mercy? Not just to my daughter, but of Crystarium that you mentioned?” The Hostess asked. Chrysalis let twilight speak alone at this time, though didn’t take her seat again so she wouldn’t break their contact.

“Mercy is a rare concept amongst our kind I noticed, and so is Kindness. I’ve been steadily changing that. I came from Equestria, which thrives on kindness and love. It is why nearly 80% of love collection happens there. It was ingrained into my life before rebirth, and then after rebirth I was shown kindness by my queen. I was shown love, even though she did not understand the concept of it at the time.” Twilight explained, looking at Chrysalis beside her.

“I see. We will have much to discuss beyond my duties as Hostess. For now, though, are there any new matters to be taken up? The Ashen Queens have declared their neutrality, and unless anyone objects it is accepted.” Chreia said after a few moments. Nobody voiced their objections if they had any, so Twilight an Crysalis remained status.

“For those who haven’t noticed and guessed, Nilan is now her own queen. She is under the protection of our alliance, so any action taken against her and her brood are direct hostilities towards us and you would have forfeited my mercy in its entirety. She and Queen Tera will be negotiating land with the Dragons in Draconis in one week’s time. If any of you have negotiations you wish to make with the Dragons then they are prepared to allow you to join them in peace.” The Queens spoke in tandem. Nilan nodded when Chreia and the other queens looked to her for confirmation. Queen Greta stood.

“Queen Greta, you share the floor.” Jordas announced.

“I will accompany them. We have our own dispute with the Dragons of Draconis to take up. We would welcome the company and the added protection.” The elder emerald queen said. Nilan and her queens nodded and they all took their seats.

“The floor is empty.” Jordas announced. Bela stood then and Jordas announced her.

“Chrysalid, in lieu of recent developments I would like to extend an offer of redemption. Allow me access to whatever archives you’re willing to give and I will take it as your token of neutrality and resolve to end your hostilities.” The golden queen offered. Chrysalid gave her a small glare.

“Yes, they will be shared with my allies. I won’t lie to your face.” Bela added. Chrysalid grumbled, rubbing her forehead a moment before nodding.

“On the condition that my sister give me the chance to earn my amnesty in the near future.” She finally said. They looked to Chrysalis.

“You have dug deep with your actions, Chrysalid. Scars never truly heal, but you will have your chance as you ask. I never intended to keep that right fro myou.” Chrysalis replied. The Crimson Queen let out a sigh of relief. The room fell to silence then.

“If that is it…” Chreia started, but Lyra stood once more. Jordas announced her.

“I wish to know more about your brood, Queens Twilight and Chrysalis. You are clearly different in almost every way from these other queens, even your allies. Your brood has even changed since we last caught sight of them.” The Ashen Queen said.

“Allow a diplomat into each of your hives and you may ask them yourselves.” Twilight retorted fluidly, as if she was anticipating the question. Lyra hummed and looked to her sisters. They nodded and she nodded to Twilight.

“They will be granted safe passage and an escort if you require it. We will abide by the old code of honor and promise upon our lives that no harm will come to them.” She said. Twilight nodded and Chrysalis spoke.

“I will tell you now, we will learn as much about you as you learn about us. You are obviously older than most here, how degraded is your hive mind?” Chrysalis asked. Some of the other queens seemed confused at the question.

“If it’s all the same to you, that can be discussed with your diplomats.” Lyra replied. Chrysalis nodded respectfully and the Ashen Queen returned to her seat. Chreia seemed satisfied by the interaction and looked ot everyone else.

“Then if there are no other matters? No? Very good, this dinner is now complete. Thank you Jordas darling, you can sleep now.” The old Hostess said. Jordas grumbled in response before returning to his slumber. The podium slid back into the floor as the ashen queens dispersed. Chrysalid disappeared almost immediately. Greta and Creta briefly spoke to their sister before leaving, Greta moved over to speak to Tera and Nilan. Bela and Mira gave the Twin Queens a farewell and a respectful goodbye to Chreia before taking off themselves. The Hostess puts her hands on Twilight’s and Chrysalis’ shoulders respectively.

“I am glad and proud to see what you’ve done for our kind, and to see that it is my own blood doing it.” She said with a smile. Chrysalis embraced her mother again, as did Twilight, and they stayed like that for a while.

“Chrysalid was blinded by zealotry and self delusion. Hopefully she’s cleared that from her mind. I won’t be quick to forgive her, but even Crystarium earned my love again.” Twilight said. Chreia nodded.

“She was always quick to act and even quicker to convince herself she was right. In the meantime, you must tell me more of what has happened? There were many gaps left in the last explanation and I’m interested to know more about my newest daughter.” The Elder Queen asked. The two smiled happily and they moved to a different chamber.

Author's Note

Woo! Starting two more stories at the same time didn't destroy me like it used to. I'm feeling good, finally.
Enjoy, my friends.