Queen Chrysalis's eyes opened abruptly. She sat upright, breathing heavily while holding her chest. Her hooves remained on top of the blanket in which she had been wrapped when the nightmare struck. A few tears trickled down her face, leaving tracks through the dirt and grime that had accumulated on her face from sleeping for too long. Her heart was beating rapidly, as if she had not slept at all. Her breath was slightly interrupted, as she tried to calm herself down, but failed miserably, as it became more shallow with each labored inhale.
She took a moment to pause, her muscles twitching as her chest rose and fell quickly. She could feel her heart pounding wildly against her ribcage. Beating as though she was still living through the last waking moment, even though she vaguely became aware she was no longer in danger.
Fresh adrenaline coursed through her veins - eager and waiting for something that had already happened. Not only did the adrenaline motivate her body to be alert, but it also sharpened her other senses. Like a lioness stalking its prey after a night spent hunting. She breathed deeply, feeling her ribs expand and deflate rhythmically as she did so.
A few minutes passed while she took stock of the situation - she wasn’t certain how much time had gone by - her mind slowly coming back into focus as she did so. Slowly, she felt herself calm down. Her pulse gradually returning to normal speed as she realized the nightmare was over. That everything she experienced just now is simply a dream.
It’s strange how easily one can fall under those kinds of delusions. Especially if they are based off a true nightmare. But then again, maybe not; maybe this was all merely an illusion. Maybe she didn’t have any real experience dealing with nightmares. In fact, she probably never had one before. How many times has she witnessed nightmares? How many times have she woken from them, only to find herself alone in her room?
Chrysalis sighed loudly, sitting back down and placing her head in her hooves as she let her legs drop from their bed roll position onto the floor. The blanket fell off and tumbled to the ground with a thump. She closed her eyes and focused, concentrating on her breathing, listening to the sounds around her. Nothing else existed besides the steady drumming of her heartbeat in her ears. It reminded her of the sound of waterfalls or waves crashing onto some nearby rocks. The sound brought her comfort. Something to take her back to reality without having to go somewhere new, where she had yet to set hoof.
The sound of her own heartbeat calmed her slightly. Even the sound of the wind rustling through the naked trees outside and inside the colony was oddly comforting. The sound of the forest being alive with activity. It helped bring her peace. The tranquility of the silence surrounding her made sense to her; why would she choose such an isolating place like the cave, where no one would hear her. But the fact remained that she was here; safe and sound, despite her loss against those pesky ponies.
Chrysalis gritted her teeth. She hated that she allowed such thoughts to form. If she allowed herself to become weak, she won’t be able to complete her goal. And she needed all the energy and clarity she could get to deal with things. To make Cadance, Celestia, and all her pony friends pay. Then and only then she could sit upon the throne of canterlot and enjoy the fruits of her labor, rather than worrying about what comes next. Because in the end, what came next would always come first. Even if it meant riding off anyone that dared stand in her way.
Chrysalis let out a sigh, swinging her legs over and jumping off her bedroll. She brushed the stray hairs away from her face, stretching her neck to relieve some of her soreness from hours of laying down. Each movement of her stretch crackled her bones slightly. Her wings unfolded behind her, fluttering lazily. When her wings unfurled completely, her wingspan reached almost to the ceiling of the room - allowing her to walk upright without bending forward. Though the rest of her body was relatively small compared to the size of her wings, the height difference between her body and hers was nothing to be scoffed at either. She was intimidating enough to scare even the strongest ponies.
Chrysalis starts towards a mirror hanging on the wall of her bedroom. Looking at her reflection, she could see the bags beneath her eyes from lack of sleep. Her mane looked slightly messier than usual. She tried brushing it out, running her hooves through her mane, but it refused to cooperate. Instead, it just stayed as flat as ever.
With a click of her tongue, she lights up her horn with green flames, levitating a hot rag towards her. Bringing it up to her face she began washing the dirt and grime off. She ran the rag across her forehead and along her cheeks. Dry and no dust anywhere near her mouth.
Once she finished cleaning up, she picked up her crown with her magic. Bringing it above her head, she secured the circlet securely onto her head. Satisfied with her work, she smirked at the mirror and stood proud. Her gaze met the mirror once more, her smile turning sinister.
“Soon, the day will come…” She spoke aloud with a sinister voice. “To rid the kingdom of my enemies!”
With those words said, Chrysalis turned around as head towards the door. On her way out she climbs down a set of stairs to the main area. Upon reaching the new area, she enters a room with green illuminating egg sacks glued to the ceiling.
There are numerous eggs delicately positioned on every available surface. Upon Chrysalis' entrance, a faint cracking sound emanates from beneath the clusters of eggs. Directing her gaze downwards, she observes that several eggs have indeed hatched, causing the clicking noises to grow closer together. In due course, all the eggs rupture, liberating their contents.
The eggs descend and land upon the floor with a wet splat. Some descend upon the ground beside it, while others bounce and roll in circular patterns until eventually coming to a rest. As the eggs cease their rolling and gathering, Chrysalis gracefully steps aside to gain a clearer perspective of the unfolding chaos surrounding her.
The eggs were perfectly round and smooth to the touch. Layers of white fuzz covered their surface. They seemed to radiate a gentle glow, reminding Chrysalis of the warm glow of a fire. Each egg was slightly big, bigger than the average egg of a changeling. There seemed to be no obvious pattern to how the eggs were arranged. All they held in common was their shape.
Multiple heads of baby changelings broke out of their fragments and cooed at the Chrysalis. Some of the babies crawled out of their shells and began crawling along the floor. One baby crawled towards Chrysalis’s hooves and glanced up at her.
Chrysalis discreetly expressed her disapproval by clicking her tongue, before walking past the recently hatched changeling. Departing the room, Chrysalis swiftly navigated through the labyrinthine rock hallway. Occasionally, she encountered changeling drones gracefully soaring above her. Chrysalis arrived at a colossal cavern where an immense multitude of changelings were dispersed across the floor and walls.
Every changeling in the cavern turned their heads at her.
Chrysalis smiled sinisterly.
“Alright, let’s get to work.”
Thorax awoke with a sigh of discomfort. The small cavern remained tranquil, except for the resounding echoes of water droplets descending from the ceiling. The solitary occupant lay in his designated spot, emaciated and yearning for sustenance and affection. Thorax remained there, disheartened by his expulsion from the colony due to his failure in the raid on the capital of Equestria, orchestrated by none other than his Queen.
His Queen desired no association with her inept servant, and even the changelings most devoted to her had exiled him. To exacerbate matters, his step-parents also disowned their inadequate offspring. To the best of Thorax's knowledge, they had departed from Equestria in search of easier prey. As for Thorax himself, he was psychically severed from the hive and understood that he would never lay eyes upon them again.
Thorax, compelled to reside in solitude, had no alternative but to persevere. Day after day, he would venture forth from his newfound abode, in search of any wandering pony from whom he could draw sustenance in the form of love, thus prolonging his existence. Although he occasionally encountered vessels of affection, they proved insufficient to satiate his cravings, both emotional and physical.
Contemplating the dearth of love he had been able to procure, Thorax's thoughts meandered back to a time when he had assumed the guise of a stallion and extracted love from his intended groom. Grimacing at the recollection, Thorax refrained from uttering her name, consumed by remorse for having exploited the unsuspecting mare.
Thorax frowned at the ground. How long had he been living in this cave? It had only been a week, but each day felt like a separate lifetime, filled with new challenges to test his ability to survive. He can’t even remember the last time he siphoned off any pony’s love; the thought alone made his stomach growled.
Thorax sat upon his hindquarters and gently caressed his stomach with his hooves. He found solace in reminiscing about his childhood, where the memories of the colony served as his true home. His father had passed away prior to his birth, and his mother had tragically perished while giving birth to him. Consequently, he was raised by his stepfather and stepmother. However, it was evident that they never harbored any affection or concern for Thorax; if anything, they merely nurtured him to meet the Queen's expectations. While he inherited his father's eyes, he carried his mother's compassionate heart.
Kindness was an inherent aspect of Thorax's character. Unlike the other members of the colony, who harbored animosity towards ponies, he never fostered any hatred. At the tender age of six, he began to assert his independence. In secret, he would venture beyond the confines of the colony, making his way towards Ponyville. There, he would conceal himself and observe, diligently learning to imitate the appearance and emulate the demeanor of each pony he encountered. His diligent efforts eventually earned him a position among the team of raiders, who clandestinely pillaged various kingdoms to extract love from ponies. Their ultimate goal was to conquer Canterlot and claim the entire kingdom as their own.
But that obviously didn’t go as planned.
Thorax gently shook his head. He never voiced his opinions, but he firmly believed that Queen Chrysalis had made a grave mistake in underestimating the capabilities of those pony girls during the wedding incident. Thorax comprehended the significance of even the smallest opportunity, as it possessed the potential to alter the course of events. Had she maintained her vigilance throughout the entire process, they would have successfully claimed Canterlot long ago. Now he was secluded within a cave; devoid of companionship. Thorax valiantly held back his tears.
The sting of loneliness stung him like a whip.
Thorax sighed and slowly slowly lifted himself up off the ground. He rubbed his head as he started out of the cave’s small room. The soft padding of his hooves against the floor echoed through the empty chamber.
Somewhere in the far off cave there were footsteps.
Thorax stopped in his tracks, tensing up, and listened intently. With his heart racing, he stared wide eyed at the darkness of the chamber. Slowly stepping forwards, he crept towards the source of the noise, hoping desperately to hear something other than his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears.
As he crept forward, more shuffling came into view. The sounds got louder as he drew nearer. Then suddenly, something large fell from somewhere high overhead. It slammed directly into the ground with a deafening thud. A momentary silence settled over the chamber as the dust filled the room.
Slowly rising up from the rubble came a tall dark silhouette.
A figure.
Thorax froze in place as he took in his visitor.
The bipedal figure stood seven feet tall, with a broad chest, and tan skin. They wore a long sleeve red hoodie, black jeans, and white sneakers. Their eyes were a pure leafy green color, seemingly staring right back at Thorax. The individual’s face was diamond shaped, with three sharp bangs tracing down their forehead.
The figure started leisurely towards Thorax. As soon as they approached close enough, slowly dropping to one knee. A smile crossed their lips as they knelt before Thorax.
“Hello,” greeted the individual. “Never thought I would find a changeling here in all places.”
A chill went down Thorax’s spine.
“How do you know my race…?” Thorax asked with uncertainty.
“Well, duh,” the figure responded. “the changelings crashing the wedding, it’s still being talked about to this day. Plus my mother told me everything that happened.”
Thorax glared at the individual. “So what? Are you here to arrest me and take me to Princess Celestia’s dungeon?”
The individual chuckled.
“What? No, no, I’m not here to arrest you.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’ve done nothing wrong. Plus I doubt my mother even has a dungeon.”
“Then why are you here?”
The individual looked around.
“I heard rumors that there are rocks that glowed in different colors in this cave. So I came here to see if they were true or not, and thought they might be a nice gift for my friend’s birthday.” The individual replied.
Thorax glanced at the ground.
“Well, there aren’t any here. So you are out of luck.” Thorax remarked coldly.
“Really? Aw man, that sucks.”
The individual rubbed the back of his nape before redirecting his gaze back at Thorax. He smiled and extended his hand to Thorax. Thorax stared at him blankly.
“I’m Alan; Alan Reign-heart.” Alan introduced. “And you are…?”
Thorax regarded Alan skeptically, unsure whether to trust him or not. Ever since his former companions from the colony had betrayed him, he had become wary of any stranger. Thorax reached for Alan’s outstretched hand cautiously. Upon touch, the pair shook firmly.
“Thorax,” he replied curtly.
“Nice to meet you, Thorax! Now we’re not strangers anymore.” Alan remarked with enthusiasm. “Are you hungry?”
Thorax’s eyes widened.
“How did you—”
“I notice how dizzy you look, and how you’re barley keeping balance. You hadn’t eaten anything in a while have you?”
Thorax glanced to the ground, averting his gaze. “No, I haven’t. But I can take care of myself. You shouldn’t have to wor—”
Alan interrupted Thorax by placing his index finger on his lips.
“But I am worried about you,” Alan replied seriously. “I could never forgive myself if I just left you starving to death.”
Thorax lowered his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. He could sense that Alan had been sincere. The latter then removed his finger from Thorax’s mouth.
“Why are you being nice to me?” Thorax asked, his tone almost in a whisper. “I'm a monster.”
Alan smiled while shaking his head.
“You’re only a monster if you behave like one,” Alan replied. “And because a wise old mare once told me that love is better than hate.”
Alan stood up and crossed his arms.
“Now, let’s get out of this cave and go to my place. It’ll be more comfy there than here.” Alan suggested optimistically.
Alan rolled his body around and started forward down the winding tunnel. Not once did his smile wavered, and Thorax was beginning to wonder if his cheeks were hurting. Reluctantly following suit, Thorax nodded in agreement.
Their footsteps echoed through the winding tunnels.
