Chrysalis's Revenge

Princess Cadence soared over the changeling kingdom, wings beating rapidly. Her eyes scanned the ground for any movement; her multicolored mane waved behind her in the wind. She took deep breaths, relishing the speed and the wind in her face, but her eyes never stopped moving, never stopped searching.

There. A black dot moved along the ground far below her, almost as fast as she herself was. She glanced around quickly, making sure that nopony else was anywhere nearby. Then she dove. The black dot began to resolve into a larger shape, that of Queen Chrysalis. Cadence's shape dissolved in green flames as she plummeted, gaining speed, and by the time she reached the ground, she was an ordinary drone, bowing before her queen.

"Elytra," Chrysalis hissed. "Excellent. Love first, then we talk."

Elytra nodded and released half of the love she'd gathered in the Empire into the air. She was allowed to keep half of it for herself, but she wished she could keep it all. It felt so wonderful inside, like a warm glow, and the Crystal Empire had been so rich with love! For a while, she'd almost felt full.

Still, rules were rules, and she felt that warm, full feeling slip away as Chrysalis drank her share. "Ahh," the queen sighed. "I haven't had a meal that good in ages."

Elyra grinned proudly. Cadence was the absolute best pony to replace. She'd probably brought back more love than the rest of the changelings combined! Maybe this meant she would finally be considered the best infiltrator in the Hive, instead of second-best. She'd been dying to edge out that brown-noser Carapace for ages.

"Now," Chrysalis said. "Where are the others? Aphid and Carapace?"

Elytra brandished her wings. "They're coming, they're just not as fast as me."

"You mean you left them behind?" Chrysalis whispered, her voice dangerously low. "You left them behind?"

Elytra stepped back. She'd expected praise for being the fastest, for returning so soon after the queen's summons. "I-"

"You IDIOT!" Chrysalis burst out, and Elytra flinched. "We're in serious danger right now! Carapace is the top infiltrator in the Hive. We need him more than ever. You should have stayed with him! You should have kept him safe!'

"Your message said to come as fast as I could," Elytra argued sullenly. "I only did what you asked."

Chrysalis scoffed. "Do better next time."

"Yes, your majesty." Inwardly, Elytra groaned. What would it take for Chrysalis to acknowledge a job well done? She'd successfully kidnapped Cadence, and played her part incredibly well. Nopony ever suspected a thing, despite how often Cadence was in the public eye. She'd brought the queen far more love than anyling else would've had, and she was the first one to reach her side, despite the fact that the Crystal Empire was farther away from the Hive than almost anywhere else. "Your majesty?" Elytra asked tentatively. "If you don't mind me asking... what happened?"

Chrysalis whirled angrily. "THAT TRAITOR THORAX HAPPENED!" she shouted. Elytra hid her smile. It was easy to distract the queen from anger at an underling if they could just get her in a ranting mood at something else. "He and that wretch Starlight Glimmer broke into my Hive, rescued everypony, and stole the loyalties of everyling inside!"

Elytra winced. That was a huge blow to Chrysalis and the Hive. "What are you going to do?" she asked cautiously. It was a bit of a gamble; if Chrysalis didn't yet have her next move decided, she might shout at Elytra again for bringing the fact to light, but if she did, Elytra needed to know it so she could prepare. "Do you have a plan?"

Chrysalis smiled, and Elytra relaxed. "Of course I have a plan, Elytra. The thing that matters most to Starlight Glimmer is her friends; I'll tear them apart from the inside. Then I'll destroy Starlight Glimmer herself. Who knows? Perhaps I'll even have time to conquer Equestria while I'm at it."