Chrysalis plowed through the web of connections her minions and herself shared. It was a giant network, confusing and natural at the same time. The Queen had control over each and every minion, at the same time not being able to discern to well which one is which. They were all more or less the same to her – some might differ in appearance, gender or scars that marked them, but that made absolutely no difference in their psyche. All identical, ready for her to guide them, their little puppets.

And in their midst, there were those that were just like Chip – as dangerous as potentially useful. Tracking them down was an insanely difficult task – the more the Queen indulged herself in scanning her minions, the more pestering the feeling of pointlessness was getting. Without guidance, these minions would not grow like the renegade did. Or will they? Is it worth stopping to find out?

Those and many other questions weighted heavy on the royal mind while she walked the valley she called home. It was merely, what? a day? maybe two? since the changeling left. Or rather, since Chrysalis made the foolish mistake of giving into some kind of motherly instinct and letting the damned mutant live. He should have been slaughtered or at least brainwashed, as the original plan suggested. But no, she had to go all “he’s just like me, I was like him too” on herself. Reasoning and planning out the window.

“Hopefully, the little trash will get caught or killed somewhere out there. But if he does… Hmm… Another mistake. Am I getting that old? Stupid, stupid-” The Queen stopped and jerked her head upwards. She felt something. A wild rush of excitement went through her as she brutally tore at the delicate links of the hive mind. Close, somewhere really close!

Chrysalis disregarded the groans and erratic behavior of the changelings around her – some would die, of course, from the overload of psychical strain caused by the sweeping. All she needed was that one precious gemstone… One… Single… There… Up there!

“Why, hello there, my sweet. How is your day?” The Queen smiled as a tiny changeling, probably a female, huddled before her. The other consciousness, akin to what Chip called “the spark” was flickering faintly on the edge of her senses. The black mare thought that she had already decided to extinguish each and every sign of this abnormality… But maybe with a female things would go different?

The Queen now knew what to look out for, what to avoid. Less personal space, more indoctrination. Let her grow just a tiny bit – exterminate at the first signs of developing a stronger connection with the hive mind. She needed lieutenants, not generals. This will be the one last try to create a super drone. And maybe even an assassin… To dispose of a loose end she let slip…