The Twin Queens were expecting to have to wait for weeks for the queens to reconvene for another dinner, and thus were a little surprised when they agreed to convene two weeks after they awoke. Nilan’s rebirth was complete, she was a proper royal now and would be introduced as her own queen. She already had a small group of drones numbering 50 strong in her branch of the brood.
“Oh you shouldn’t be that surprised, the only one openly against us is Chrysalid. The Emerald Trio are friendly but neutral. Tera is ready to join our alliance if we help her build her new hive, though that alliance won’t be cemented until we get to the Dragonlands, Draconis specifically.” Mira said as they walked down the ebony halls of the first hive.
“And the fact that you’re up would mean that Chrysalid would want to see you early as well.” Bela commented.
“There was also another of those ferals turning sane, I heard wind they’d be here, but they’ve nothing of their brood left.” Tera said. The Twin Queens hummed as they lead the pack, hand in hand, as they entered the dining hall. Twilight and Chrysalis, as well as the other queens and members of all of their brood, had personal bets going to see how long Chrysalid would take to make a scene. Throughout the hives, bits were exchanged and Twilight gave Chrysalis a snarky smirk as Chrysalid slammed her hands on the table and stood, screaming bloody murder.
“Sister?! What have they done to you?! How can you stand to touch that creature?!” The Crimson Queen practically snarled. The mood of the group soured, Chrysalis’ especially.
“Sister? You’re no sister of mine Chrysalid. I am truly sorry about the lack of communication after I recovered from my feral spell, but you never reached out to me either. After Twilight singlehandedly saved me and my brood from going feral, again, you thought it best to fight her every step she made as queen. You even attacked her, and lost. The icing on the cake is how you tried to destroy OUR hive while they MOURNED US. And you have the gall to call me sister? You’ve done nothing but betray me as long as I could remember. If only Mother were here to see you today.” Chrysalis nearly seethed. Twilight’s tightened grip on her hand immediately calmed her, though. She let out her mirth with a breath as everyone took their seats.
“Has the other ‘new’ queen arrived yet?” Twilight asked the emerald queens. They all shook their heads in unison.
“They are arriving now, as well as three more. Rogues seeking peace.” Jordas said. They all stared at him.
“The Rogues are seeking peace?” Most of them asked at about the same time. Jordas did not respond, and so they waited. A minute saw three queens. They looked days from love starvation and they looked sickly. Even Chrysalid didn’t look so haggard. Their eyes and hair were a dark grey. They eyed everyone in the room before taking seats. Tera and the other queens not in the alliance tensed at their arrival, but the Twin Queens and the other two kept perfect poker faces. The three stared directly at the two queens with intense curiosity, sizing them up.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the strength to go much further, if someone would kindly help me to a seat.” A surprisingly old voice came from the hall a minute later. They all turned to look and saw an older changeling queen leaning against the doorway, a hand over her chest. Her legs and arms were so full of holes they were amazed she wasn’t completely feral, though if she really was completely without a single drone then that could explain it. Her eyes and hair were a slightly paler shade of teal from Chrysalis’.
Without even a command, Nilan rushed over to support the elder queen to the closest seat near their alliance. Twilight felt a massive surge of emotion from Chrysalis, and felt the other’s queen’s tears coming from her eyes as they fell together. Chrysalid looked to be in shock. The rest of the brood and Nilan felt it as well.
“Well, judging by my mothers’ emotions I think she just got her wish. It’s nice to meet you, grandma.” Nilan said incredulously. The elder queen gave her a strange look before looking over to Twilight and Chrysalis. Confusion registered on her face before they got up. Chrysalis still refused to let go of Twilight’s hand, but she embraced the old queen as tears poured down her face. Twilight couldn’t help but join in the embrace. They both directed as much love as they could into the old queen. She finally recognized Chrysalis and wrapped her arms around both queens, clinging to their love like a newborn.
“Chrysalis, I had hoped you had retained your sanity for so long… but… this… love?” The old queen said, her voice much stronger. Now that she wasn’t love starved her features seemed to pop. Comparing to the age of humans, she looked to be in her mid fifties. Chrysalis, and through her Twilight, knew she was thousands of years old, maybe even older than Celestia. The old queen looked around the room and recognized Chrysalid. She stood with her own power and walked over to her. The other queens could do little more than watch the spectacle, not wishing to break the moments. Even they could understand the significance of a mother returning.
“My dear Chrysalid, you look as frail as I do? Where is Siria and Silvia?” She asked, holding her arms out as Chrysalid practically bolted towards her. She caught the Crimson Queen in an embrace.
“Siria fell to a feral queen over a century ago, I made sure to avenge her. Silvia’s passing was peaceful, converting all of her drones to collectors before asking me to take her life. This was over three centuries ago.” Chrysalis replied from across the room, getting a little choked up by the end. The old queen slowly nodded.
“Mother! You’re alive!” Chrysalid sobbed into her mother’s chitin. She gently stroked her daughter’s hair, shushing her until she stopped sobbing.
“Would someone please bring me up to date on the state of things? It’s been centuries since I’ve been sane.” She asked. It was nearly two hours of explaining from the various queens in attendance. The Rogue Queens listened intently as well, curious as to what was going on outside of their borders.
“I hope you’ve realized your folly, Chrysalid. It will take much to redeem yourself to your sister. I can’t help you with that.” The old queen said. Chrysalid just looked at the Twin Queens. They were expecting a glare, but her eyes were almost pleading.
“We’ll discuss your ceasefire during the dinner.” They said in tandem.
“Speaking of that… Jordas, requesting your blessing to continue my duties.” She said to the crystal golem who had remained silent up until now.
“Denied. I apologize, Chreia, but it is not my blessing you require. The Queen with the highest standing or population has the right to that station.” He said, looking at the Twin Queens. Twilight was confused for only a moment before Chrysalis remembered for both of them.
“Then you have our blessing to resume your duties as Hostess.” They said in tandem. Chreia nodded and moved to the center of the table. She hopped up onto it with surprising strength and sent energy into a small etching in the very center.A single elevated podium slid upwards, complete with a high backed chair. She could see everyone, and everyone could see her from inside the circular podium.
“Then without further dilly dally I’d like to begin the meal, I’ve been away for a very long time and I’d like to get some food in me before I have to deal with politics again.” Chreia said with a tone of authority and sleight annoyance. Chrysalis couldn’t help but smile, which Twilight shared, at seeing her mother back in her rightful position.
“What is a Hostess?” Mira asked.
“My duties as Hostess are to preside over the dinner, which Jordas has been doing in my place. I will care for the First Hive, maintain the guardians, and act as mediator and tiebreaker for political disputes. I will not fight in your wars, and any attacks on me here are to be declared feral and rogue.” She explained. At that she eyed the three queens that WERE rogue.
“Speaking of, you three have come in peace. You have been dubbed rogue by the other queens, but ultimately you have a chance to prove otherwise since it was made out of ignorance. You will explain yourselves after the meal.” Chreia continued to the ashen trio as the swarm of laborers entered with food. They simply nodded in respect to her, which she seemed satisfied by.
“I thought nothing was supposed to fully preside over the dinners.” Twilight said to Chrysalis as they practically fed each other. Tera had little in the ways of actual food to bring, since she was still being housed in the Scarred City, but she did create a particularly tasty treat of rock candy infused with different flavors of love to match the colors. Twilight was particularly fond of those. Within an hour, though, the meal was finished.
“Mel concluded, Hostess Chreia has the floor.” Jordas rumbled out.
“Very good. If you would, please explain yourselves now that we are full and satiated.” The Hostess said, immediately turning all eyes to the ashen trio.
“We are queens Lyra, Onyx, and Ceren. To put things simply, we ARE Rogue. Or rather, we were. We had regained our sanity, but we could not stand this vicious cycle of starvation and politics. We were prepared to do war with the sane until we heard who would be coming for our heads.” The eldest of the three, Lyra, started.
“We watched and then we decided that we would do better to hide, leave this region and find a New place to settle.” Ceren, the middling queen, continued.
“But then we discovered your ability to produce love. We decided to return. If you could advance our race to such lengths as to lift the curse, then we couldn’t chance you being an enemy.” Onyx, the younger one, finished.
“Absolvement of your rogue status requires a positive vote from all, and I personally don’t think realizing how far up shit creek you are is a good enough reason to…” Chreia started, but paused as Twilight and Chrysalis stood.
“Queens Twilight and Chrysalis, you share the floor.” Jordas announced.
“Let’s not be too hasty, mother. They were never officially declared rogue, not by Jordas or even during a dinner. That is simply what it was agreed they be referred to as, as it was clear they were no longer normal feral queens.” The twin queens explained in unison. The Hostess hummed lowly and turned to the rest.
“Do they speak the truth?” She asked the congregation. They all nodded, even Chrysalid. “Very well, I apologize. I was under the impression you were properly declared rogue.” She continued, inclining her head to the trio.
“We are not fond of these politics, but I am glad they have worked in our favor this time around. I will announce now that we will not be attending these dinners unless attendance is necessary to remain clear of rogue status. We will abide by your rules while here, though, and we do not wish any further hostilities to come of this. We will remove our kill on sight policy for our borders so if important matters need to be discussed they may be done via normal means.
“We do not wish to make enemies here, but we have no interest in alliances. We will survive on our own, but if it comes to the survival of our race or a matter that benefits us as well then we will aid when possible.” Queen Lyra explained. Chreia seemed displeased but said nothing.
“Such bold words coming from those here to avoid destruction themselves.” Chrysalid retorted. She immediately regretted it. Chreia gave her a disappointed look.
“The same could be said about you, Chrysalid. The only reason you still live is because Queen Twilight shows mercy far too easily.” Mira sneered. Chreia gave Twilight a bit of a look. Much had been explained to her, so she knew of Chrysalid’s misdeeds against her.
“That is something I had meant to speak of, Queen Twilight. Why do you show such mercy? Not just to my daughter, but of Crystarium that you mentioned?” The Hostess asked. Chrysalis let twilight speak alone at this time, though didn’t take her seat again so she wouldn’t break their contact.
“Mercy is a rare concept amongst our kind I noticed, and so is Kindness. I’ve been steadily changing that. I came from Equestria, which thrives on kindness and love. It is why nearly 80% of love collection happens there. It was ingrained into my life before rebirth, and then after rebirth I was shown kindness by my queen. I was shown love, even though she did not understand the concept of it at the time.” Twilight explained, looking at Chrysalis beside her.
“I see. We will have much to discuss beyond my duties as Hostess. For now, though, are there any new matters to be taken up? The Ashen Queens have declared their neutrality, and unless anyone objects it is accepted.” Chreia said after a few moments. Nobody voiced their objections if they had any, so Twilight an Crysalis remained status.
“For those who haven’t noticed and guessed, Nilan is now her own queen. She is under the protection of our alliance, so any action taken against her and her brood are direct hostilities towards us and you would have forfeited my mercy in its entirety. She and Queen Tera will be negotiating land with the Dragons in Draconis in one week’s time. If any of you have negotiations you wish to make with the Dragons then they are prepared to allow you to join them in peace.” The Queens spoke in tandem. Nilan nodded when Chreia and the other queens looked to her for confirmation. Queen Greta stood.
“Queen Greta, you share the floor.” Jordas announced.
“I will accompany them. We have our own dispute with the Dragons of Draconis to take up. We would welcome the company and the added protection.” The elder emerald queen said. Nilan and her queens nodded and they all took their seats.
“The floor is empty.” Jordas announced. Bela stood then and Jordas announced her.
“Chrysalid, in lieu of recent developments I would like to extend an offer of redemption. Allow me access to whatever archives you’re willing to give and I will take it as your token of neutrality and resolve to end your hostilities.” The golden queen offered. Chrysalid gave her a small glare.
“Yes, they will be shared with my allies. I won’t lie to your face.” Bela added. Chrysalid grumbled, rubbing her forehead a moment before nodding.
“On the condition that my sister give me the chance to earn my amnesty in the near future.” She finally said. They looked to Chrysalis.
“You have dug deep with your actions, Chrysalid. Scars never truly heal, but you will have your chance as you ask. I never intended to keep that right fro myou.” Chrysalis replied. The Crimson Queen let out a sigh of relief. The room fell to silence then.
“If that is it…” Chreia started, but Lyra stood once more. Jordas announced her.
“I wish to know more about your brood, Queens Twilight and Chrysalis. You are clearly different in almost every way from these other queens, even your allies. Your brood has even changed since we last caught sight of them.” The Ashen Queen said.
“Allow a diplomat into each of your hives and you may ask them yourselves.” Twilight retorted fluidly, as if she was anticipating the question. Lyra hummed and looked to her sisters. They nodded and she nodded to Twilight.
“They will be granted safe passage and an escort if you require it. We will abide by the old code of honor and promise upon our lives that no harm will come to them.” She said. Twilight nodded and Chrysalis spoke.
“I will tell you now, we will learn as much about you as you learn about us. You are obviously older than most here, how degraded is your hive mind?” Chrysalis asked. Some of the other queens seemed confused at the question.
“If it’s all the same to you, that can be discussed with your diplomats.” Lyra replied. Chrysalis nodded respectfully and the Ashen Queen returned to her seat. Chreia seemed satisfied by the interaction and looked ot everyone else.
“Then if there are no other matters? No? Very good, this dinner is now complete. Thank you Jordas darling, you can sleep now.” The old Hostess said. Jordas grumbled in response before returning to his slumber. The podium slid back into the floor as the ashen queens dispersed. Chrysalid disappeared almost immediately. Greta and Creta briefly spoke to their sister before leaving, Greta moved over to speak to Tera and Nilan. Bela and Mira gave the Twin Queens a farewell and a respectful goodbye to Chreia before taking off themselves. The Hostess puts her hands on Twilight’s and Chrysalis’ shoulders respectively.
“I am glad and proud to see what you’ve done for our kind, and to see that it is my own blood doing it.” She said with a smile. Chrysalis embraced her mother again, as did Twilight, and they stayed like that for a while.
“Chrysalid was blinded by zealotry and self delusion. Hopefully she’s cleared that from her mind. I won’t be quick to forgive her, but even Crystarium earned my love again.” Twilight said. Chreia nodded.
“She was always quick to act and even quicker to convince herself she was right. In the meantime, you must tell me more of what has happened? There were many gaps left in the last explanation and I’m interested to know more about my newest daughter.” The Elder Queen asked. The two smiled happily and they moved to a different chamber.