The wetlands had given way to open grasslands that, in the cold of the night, were covered in a thin layer of frost. Her breaths could be seen in the air as small clouds of mist, and the chilling air burned her sinuses with every breath she took through her nose. In the distance to the north, the slopes of the crystal mountains could be seen rising up to block their view of the frozen north.
The peaks rose high into the air, and large swaths of the slopes were smothered in thick layers of snow and ice. Even in the total darkness of the moonless night, Chrysalis could see that it would be quite an arduous endeavor to pass through safely. And, as such, she came to a stop mid-flight to look back at the rest of the swarm.
“We have gone far enough today!” she called back to them, the drones all coming to a stop and listening to her voice. “Same as before; find a place to sleep and figure out night watch amongst yourselves. Try and find places where you are sheltered from the cold, if possible. Bundle up or transform only if you have to; we need to conserve our energy. Get moving!”
Her drones, again, were visibly relieved for the reprieve and wasted no time in following her orders. Chrysalis, too, dropped herself down to the grass at the front of the swarm and looked on at the mountains in front of her. Somewhere beyond those mountains, King Sombra was waiting for her and her drones to arrive.
Her eyes narrowed and her long, forked tongue lashed out to lick at her lips. Oh, how he would pay for what he had done to her drones. As she ruminated on how exactly she would torture that seemingly formless shadow, the sounds of the changelings moving around her gradually faded away into silence, signaling that they had come to a full rest. The quiet that followed was deep, only occasionally disturbed by the sound of a cold breeze rustling the grass and what few trees there were in the area. Somewhere, a night owl let out a hoot. A rat scurried by in the grass, making the blades twitch and shift as it passed.
Taking in the sounds of the night, Chrysalis slowly lay down on her stomach and closed her eyes. She took a little while to just drink it all in, trying to ease her tired mind while preparing to get some sleep herself. They had been flying all day, and even with the immense power she had at her disposal, her wings were still limited in what they could accomplish. The dull throbbing at their bases serves as an all-too acute reminder of that limitation.
After almost thirty minutes, just as she was preparing to set her head down and sleep, Chrysalis heard steps crunching against the frosted grass behind her. Frowning with displeasure, she shifted to face whichever drone was foolish enough to approach her. To her pleasure, she saw it was none other than Stinger, who gave a low bow upon being spotted. “My queen,” she acknowledged respectfully.
Chrysalis grinned. “Ah, my ever loyal Stinger…” she cooed out before her grin slipped away, replaced by a questioning frown. She rose back to her hooves, looking down on her with cold eyes and a colder tone. “I thought I ordered you to rest. The swarm is useless if it is exhausted.”
Stinger looked up at Chrysalis, her expression unreadable. “I can’t sleep, your highness. The anticipation... it’s driving me crazy,” she explained slowly before turning her eyes down again. “The idea that our hunger might finally be over…”
Chrysalis let out a quiet humph of understanding before turning to look up at the Crystal Mountains again. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head. “Ugh, very well. If you cannot rest, then you may as well make yourself useful,” she relented plainly, her glowing eyes narrowing.
“Anything for you, my queen. What do you need from me?” Stinger asked, her bow deepening to the point her nose was touching the dirt. Chrysalis glanced back at her, her grin returning at the sight of the warrior and infiltrator groveling so willingly.
Seeing the sight was enough to stir a feeling of pride in Chrysalis chest, and she leaned down so her face was closer to Stinger’s. “I can see you’re rather eager, Stinger. You’ve been so loyal for so long, now, and you are one of my most decorated agents. Perhaps I have underutilized you…” the towering queen whispered, moving closer until her lips were by Stinger’s ear, almost brushing against it. “You long to prove yourself to me, don’t you? You want to show me what you can really do... I can practically smell the desire to serve drifting off of you…” as if to make her point, Chrysalis sniffed heavily at Stinger’s neck before rising back to her full height.
The smaller drone shuddered from Chrysalis breath, closing her eyes and biting down hard on her tongue to keep herself quiet. “I live to serve you, Queen Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis’ teeth became visible in the near-perfect darkness before she turned to once again size up the mountains. “Then you can serve me now by scouting out that mountains. Look for a safe way through for the swarm to utilize in the morning.” she pointed out the spot, Stinger looking at the pass and nodded.
She slowly stood up, her eyes shimmering with anticipation. “Of course, your majesty. I’ll leave right now.”
As the drone went began to fly for the mountains, Chrysalis’ horn briefly lit up with a green magical aura, catching Stinger’s tail and holding her in place. “Ah ah ah, Stinger. Not so fast, now,” she said as if lightly scolding a child, drawing a quizzical glance from the eager drone. “I still have something to say to you…”
When Chrysalis released her tail, Stinger floated in the air in front of her while bowing her head and closing her eyes. She could feel Chrysalis’ piercing gaze boring into her, and she shrank under the weight of her queen’s judging eyes. “O-of course. I’m sorry, forgive my impatience.”
Chrysalis chuckled under her breath, stepping forward. She reached out with a hoof and lifted Stinger’s chin so that the two of them were looking into each other’s eyes. The smile on Chrysalis’ face softened somewhat as she spoke. “Do not be sorry for your eagerness, Stinger. Your will to serve the hive, to serve me is admirable. You are one of my most decorated soldiers, second only to Pharynx.”
Stinger visibly cringed at the name, her teeth briefly becoming visible in a scowl and her shoulders tensing up. Chrysalis caught that reaction but chose not to comment on it for now. “Now, to business...” she retracted her hoof and looked to the north again. ”You know of the self-proclaimed King of Shadows that captured my scouting party, yes?”
Stinger nodded slowly, her expression hardening with resolve. “Yes, my queen… what of him?”
Chrysalis flashed Stinger a bitter frown. “That monster easily overcame an entire squad of my scouts, and he managed to get the jump on all of them,” she explained in a cold tone, making the drone flinch and look away with discomfort. Satisfied that Stinger was listening, Chrysalis continued on. “You are an incredibly gifted warrior, Stinger, but even you would fall incredibly short against such a force. If you encounter this ‘King Sombra,’ do not attempt to fight him. If he spots you, then you are to fall back to the swarm immediately. If not, then you are to observe from afar only. Take no unnecessary risks.”
Stinger mouthed like a fish before dropping to the ground. She shuffled in place, turning her eyes to look at the grass beneath her hooves. Chrysalis got an almost mothering smile on her face as she watched her squirm, shifting down and speaking in a softer voice. “Is something bothering you, Stinger?”
Stinger opened her mouth to speak several times, but the words kept lodging themselves in her throat. She lifted her eyes fearfully to meet those of Chrysalis before finally finding her voice. “Wi… w-with all due respect, your highness, I am your sworn warrior, and King Sombra is an enemy of the Changelings… and I swore to devote my life, all of my life, to the hive, my fellow drone, and my queen. If I perished trying to destroy our enemies, I would perish proudly.”
Chrysalis’ smirk grew even more. “Oh, Stinger… Your devotion is truly a prime example that all of your fellows should strive to live up to. Such determination, such willingness to do whatever you must…” her smirk slowly fell away in favor of a bitter scowl. “A trait that, sadly, I fear Pharynx has lost…”
Stinger blinked, tilting her head in confusion. “I… My queen? What do you mean?”
Chrysalis looked up at the mountains, her eyes narrowing. “Pharynx is to our north, chasing down his traitor little brother, Thorax. You worked with both of them in Canterlot, did you not?” she slowly questioned, her tone cold and bitter.
Stinger nodded, her own face twisting with distaste at the memory of Thorax’s lackluster performance. “Yes, I did. Pharynx was quite…” she sucked in a breath, as if to pull something back, then continued. “...But Thorax was…” Stinger sighed and shook her head. “Absolutely useless. He only really became useful in any way a few days before the invasion began when he captured that one thestral.”
“He betrayed us,” Chrysalis suddenly spat out, her tone venomous. Stinger flinched back and watched as her queen took a few ominous steps towards the mountains. “And I feel that Pharynx may not be too far away from joining his little brother in desertion. When I ordered him to track Thorax down, do you know what he said to me?”
Stinger merely shook her head. When Chrysalis looked back at her, it was with a fire in her eyes that made her cower down against the dirt.
“He tried to fabricate excuses! Already, his competence had been brought into question when he failed to prevent his brother from turning his coat and running away. When he dared to question me, he showed that his loyalty was equally dubious…” Chrysalis ranted, the vitriol in her voice sending a terrified tremor through Stinger’s body. Silence fell over the two for a moment before Chrysalis turned a fang-filled grin on Stinger again, her earlier anger having evaporated into thin air. “Which is why you are not to get yourself hurt, Stinger. If Pharynx is discovered to be any more unreliable, then I will need someone to take his place…”
Stinger’s eyes snapped wide open, prompting her to sit bolt upright from her cowering position. “Wha… really? Are you talking about me?” she asked, daring to hope.
Chrysalis leaned down until her eyes were mere inches from Stinger’s. “But of course… every wasp has a stinger, does it not? Every queen her favorite soldier?” she whispered, reaching out and putting a hoof on the drone’s chest. “So you stay alive, yes? Do that for me, and you shall be my stinger.”
Stinger looked like she was about to faint, her body starting to shake. Her eyes darted from the hoof on her chest to those half-lidded, reptilian green eyes that stared back at her. With her legs feeling like they had turned into jelly, she only just managed to maintain her composure and bowed her head deeply. “O-of course… I will not let you down.”
Chrysalis hummed, again petting the back of Stinger’s head. “I know you won’t… now go.”
Stinger rose back to her full height from under Chrysalis hoof and gave a sharp nod. Then, with her wings buzzing furiously into life, she rose into the air and shot towards the mountain pass in the distance, barely able to contain the delighted laugh that was threatening to burst free. Chrysalis watched her go, a pleased smirk on her face as the enthusiastic drone flew off to server her.