Storms and Shadows

(Location Unknown)

Deep beneath the surface of the earth, a meeting between two beings was taking place. The dark cavern, peppered with a glowing green substance, fit perfectly with the two creatures.

The taller of the two seemed to be made of shadows, thin wisps of darkness floating off of it. The only indications of an actual form were two arms, legs that were too blurred in shadows to be labeled as digitigrade or plantigrade, and glowing red eyes. Other than that, the second being couldn’t discern what it was.

The second however was quadruped. It had a dark, near black, grey coat and had a teal colored mane and tail. Its body was very slender and had blue-green chitinous plating over its midsection. On its back was a pair of tattered insectoid wings and on its forehead was a twisted horn. Its pupils were slitted, with green irises surrounding them. The oddest part of the creature was the holes that peppered its legs. Unlike its tall counterpart, this creature was easily recognized as a Changeling. The small crown on its head denoted it as a queen.

“What do you want creature? You are not welcome in my hive,” the Queen asked, irritated that this creature had the audacity to stroll into her domain.

The shadow chuckled before speaking, its voice dark and demonic, “Now, now, my little Queen. I’m not here to start trouble. Oh no, quite the contrary. I have come to make a… make an alliance of sorts with you.”

The Changeling looked at the being oddly, “An alliance? What reason would I have to make an alliance with a creature I have never seen? Speak quickly, lest I sick my children on you.”

The shadow being didn’t seem to react to her obvious hostility. Instead, it seemed to change the topic, “You see, I like to travel. And when one travels as much as I do, we tend to hear things. Subjects like assassination, robberies, even the occasional failed Changeling invasion.”

A growl silenced the being, “You tread on shaky ground creature.”

He chuckled, “Oh I know. But I have no need to worry because, like I said, I wish to form an alliance with you. Seeing as insulting you would be counterproductive, you won’t need to worry about it. No, I was just saying that I think the invasion could have gone far better. Your children are formidable in combat, yes, but you rely too much on an outside source for power, this love. While it can give you powers to defeat even the Princesses, it can easily be taken away and used against you. I’m sure you’re well aware of that”

She said nothing.

“Anyway, I command forces that are not reliant on outside forces, but unlike you, I can only command so many. While you give birth to an infinite number of Changelings, I must manually create my armies with my own magic. You can only imagine the amount of energy that saps from me. With your numbers and my power, you and I could subdue the Equestrians easily,” the creature said, the power it had lacing every word.

Chrysalis looked at the creature for several moments before sneering, “What do you truly want?”

“Ah, as good at sensing deception as you are at deceiving,” Chrysalis didn’t react to the compliment, “Well, I suppose I can sum it up easily enough. I want the world to kneel before me.”

The changeling scoffed. “World domination? Really?” she asked condescendingly.

The creature chuckled good naturedly, “Oh, it’s much more possible than you think. Do you know why your species has survived so long despite mass starvations and, if I have permission to say, absolutely horrible queens.”

This gave the queen a slight pause. Where other civilizations would have crumbled under the pressure of starvation and extermination, the changelings had always persevered. She smirked when the answer came to her and at how simple it was. “We are a hive-mind. We obey our queens without question, even if it means our deaths. Where others care about money, we care for the hive,” she paused, “How are you aware of our past queens’ failures. Those are genetic memories and no other civilization has recordings that far back. You would need a powerful memory spell and I am most certain none of my changelings have had their memories read.”

It chuckled again. “Well, there were other hives spread across the land. Was being the key word as when I happened upon them they were nearly wiped out.”

“Hmm, and you want me to risk my own hive for your own goals?” she asked, none too obvious about how close she was to attacking him.

It waved its arms, “No, no, no, no. Well, yes but by taking that risk you could gain a never ending source of love for your children. When the Equestrians are defeated, you can harvest them as much as you like. All I ask is, when the time comes, that you kneel to me as well.”

The cavern around them erupted into a loud buzzing as hundreds of changelings working on their new home stopped and flared their wings in anger. How dare this insolent creature demand their queen to kneel! Chrysalis herself was on the brink of blasting him to smithereens. “How dare you, you insignificant creature! I am a QUEEN! I command millions with but a thought! And you dare ask me to kneel to you in my own home?”

Despite the near deafening sound of hundreds of insectoid wings buzzing, the creature remained unfazed. Instead it calmly spoke, “Like I said, I wish for the world to kneel before me. That includes you. But in exchange for your loyalty, I will give you limitless love to feed on. Given the rapid decline in your hive’s abilities, I think it’s a fair trade.”

Chrysalis continued to glare as she paced around the chamber. She hated the fact that it was right. Her hive stretched across nations and yet her children were still starving. If she could gain access to the unimaginable well of love that was Equestria, she and her children would never go hungry again. But she had her pride. Her hive had their pride. Even for food, kneeling to another who was not a queen was insulting to the highest degree. She looked to the side at one of her children. It was only a decade old, a child still and despite being the highest priority second only to her, she could see the effects of starvation on it. She turned toward the creature and bowed her head, “Fine.”

The creature chuckled, “I’m glad you saw reason. Let’s shake on it then.” It extended its hand.

Chrysalis extended her own hoof and shook its hand. “For as long as you can guarantee the safety and sustenance of me and my children, we are at your command.” A band of magic wrapped itself around their joined limbs, cutting into the Queen’s leg and most likely doing the same to the other creature.

The horn of every changeling, who had grown silent in submission, began to glow as they were bound to the creature. Chrysalis couldn’t tell, but she was sure that the shadow was grinning from ear to ear. “Good, very good. I believe we should get started right away, no?” it asked amusedly. Chrysalis merely turned and left. She still needed to finish her new home.