Shadow of the Hive

In the dimly lit throne room of the hive, Queen Chrysalis sat on her throne, her expression solemn as if deep in thought. The throne room, located at the center of the hive, was not a hub of activity but boasted secret passages that connected almost every corner of the hive. Due to the hive's extensive network and the unique materials used in its construction, one could hear sounds from across the hive here. These sounds were only a few decibels and could be heard only when the throne room was completely silent.

Every tranquil morning, Chrysalis would sit in the throne room for a while, listening to the sounds of the hive. She heard the early-rising children on their way to school, playing and laughing; she heard the sleepy changeling teachers picking up their textbooks for the day; she heard the nursemaids waking from their murmured dreams, complaining about another dull day; she heard the changeling soldiers patrolling every important place in the hive, ensuring its smooth operation. Chrysalis cherished these mornings. These sounds reminded her of her responsibility but also gave her insight into the lives of every being in the hive, giving her the courage to keep going.

As the dictator of the hive, moments of leisure were rare for Chrysalis. Her life was consumed by managing the hive's affairs, from the birth and education of young changelings to the acquisition and transportation of food, and the security and military strategies of the hive. Every detail fell under her responsibility. It was the queen’s natural duty, her inescapable fate, and the price of being queen—to give everything for the hive.

Due to the failure of the plan to capture the Guardians of the Elements of Harmony, the plan to invade Equestria using magical artifacts had to be temporarily shelved. They could only continue to send agents to remote pony villages, posing as a few ponies to steal small amounts of love from their family or friends to sustain the hive. Chrysalis understood that this method yielded very little love, and she needed to find a new source of food quickly. This was one of the reasons for her furrowed brow during her favorite morning time.

But what troubled her even more was the recent reports of dragon sightings at the hive’s border, near the Dragon Lands. Changelings and dragons usually avoided each other, and sentinels rarely saw dragons at the border. This unusual activity likely meant the dragons were targeting the changelings. This worried Chrysalis, as the hive's army was currently weak—they were underfed, and the magic-blocking artifact seemed ineffective against the strong and wild dragons, who could defeat most creatures with physical strength alone. In a war, Chrysalis would stand little chance.

But she couldn't understand why.

Why would dragons be interested in changelings? Dragons had no reason to attack the hive. Dragons were a greedy species, obsessively hoarding treasure. They were also very proud, looking down on other species, sometimes even their kind. They were among the strongest species in Equestria. Fortunately, the hive was a "poor" place, with almost no treasure, and they had little interest in meat, being only interested in gems. Chrysalis couldn’t understand what nutritional value gems provided or how such hard stones could be chewed, swallowed, and digested.

She remembered the young dragon she had captured yesterday. She had to admit, Chrysalis found him cute, unlike his fierce dragon kin.

"Maybe I should go see how he eats gems," Chrysalis muttered to herself. "It might be adorable!" she chuckled, though her worries about the hive's safety remained. Rationally, she knew she was just overthinking; the dragons had no reason to invade the hive, and the hive had nothing they wanted.

Despite her usual fierceness, Chrysalis had a soft spot for children. Perhaps it was because of the carefree and joyful lives of the young changelings in the hive. They gave her courage. Or maybe it was because she wished she could be a child, free from the enormous responsibilities and challenges of being queen.

She loved hearing the sounds of the children in the hive. Each morning, sitting in the throne room, she listened to their lives, remembered their names, and was interested in their stories and the events among their peers. On some magical evenings, the silent throne room would fill with the sounds of young changelings telling stories around a campfire, like lullabies soothing Chrysalis's heart, alleviating her daily pain as queen. Sometimes, the queen's guards would hear her laugh inexplicably.

Chrysalis's fondness for children extended to ensuring their food supply remained constant, even during food shortages. Though an enemy of Equestria, during the last invasion, she captured all her pony foes but let the little dragon continue playing with his toys. Maybe she felt guilty for disrupting his life while longing for a child's carefree existence. She understood the harshness of war but would soften at times.

"Boom, boom, boom," the clock at the top of the hive chimed, announcing the start of the day.

The queen rose and flew out of the throne room to find the little dragon she had captured yesterday. Perhaps she could persuade him to stay here, she thought. He could be my assistant—hmph! A queen’s assistant, isn’t that better than staying in that dusty old castle and looking after a library? She felt a strange confidence.

She reached the changeling nursery area, carefully checking the door signs along the hallway. Many young changelings greeted their queen, to whom they looked up. She responded with a smile.

"Ah-ha, here it is," she said, arriving at Spike's room. Uncharacteristically, she knocked on the door (actually on the wall, as the doors were part of the walls), perhaps out of Equestrian politeness.

"My dear little dragon, are you in there?"

She waited a moment, but there was no response.

"How rude!" Chrysalis muttered, opening the door and stepping inside.

Looking around, she saw no sign of the little dragon. But the queen was not worried; he couldn't possibly escape.

"Maybe he went out to play? Children do like to wander," the queen reassured herself.

At that moment, the door suddenly opened.

"Here's your breakfast!" came the voice of a changeling responsible for distributing food. The queen had instructed them to bring gems for the dragon every day. The changeling clearly didn't know the queen was inside.

The queen approached him, and he bowed deeply.

"My Queen, I didn't know you were here." He didn't seem very nervous.

"It's alright." The queen took the gems with her magic. They were collected from around the hive and were not as bright as Equestrian gems. These gems were dark gray, with low light transmittance, looking somewhat like the magic stones used to create the magic-blocking artifact.

In an instant, something clicked in the queen's mind.

"It all makes sense! These magic stones must be gems containing powerful magical energy! The magical waves from the artifact must have attracted the dragons!" The queen instantly understood why the dragons were acting strangely. She now had two options: drive away the dragons or destroy the magic-blocking artifact—the magical waves couldn't be stopped or concealed.

She had to choose the latter; she couldn't defeat those crazy dragons. She spread her wings and dashed back towards the throne room—the artifact was stored in a secret room behind the throne. She left the gem-carrying changeling standing there, bewildered, not understanding what had happened.

The queen quickly returned to the throne room, anxiously opening the secret room door behind the throne. She seemed to hear the whispers of children—they were close, not from outside the throne room.

When the door fully opened, she saw two familiar creatures—Spike and Thorax.

"What are you two little creatures doing here?!" The queen was slightly angry, but there was no time for rage; the dragons could attack at any moment, and she had to—

"Report, Your Majesty, the dragons... the dragons are attacking!" A breathless changeling burst into the throne room, shouting.