---(Chrysalis P.O.V.)
The next few days were simultaneously long and blurred. There were several hours when I was unable to move from the bed, yet I was wide awake. Occasionally, one of the changelings peeked into the room. They scurried off as soon as I glanced in their general direction. Others stared for longer. The ones that held their ground when entering were either Laneiya or one of the former style.
Among the old variety was a rumor and a question they only passed via thought waves. When was I going to take back rule of the hive? I silently shook my head. This was usually enough to make them walk away, looking dejected or frustrated. Pharynx looked the most frustrated at my answer.
Sometimes, I closed my eyes and heard the distinct walking pattern of Ocellus. Her lack of running proved she didn't know that I was aware of her presence. She set a couple buckets down near the bed at the end of each day. I waited until I heard her hoof steps grow distant before looking.
I had taught her too well back when she had some resemblance to me. I had showed her every single one of my personal tunnels, explained to her the importance of a hive's queen, and the basics of what she'd have to do in my stead if I ever fell. In one bucket was some water. In the other, a portion of my stash of royal jelly glowed faintly.
My body was already as royal as a changeling could become. Eating it didn't enhance my growth or strength. Still, in the absence of a pony to absorb love from, it was okay at satisfying the munchies. Considering I didn't have enough love energy reserved to cultivate any more jelly, my stash would last less than one month. If I stayed here at the hive, I wasn't thrilled about my options: Starve without outside love, go out and find a pony to feed off of (likely drawing the ire of Equestria again), or... try to join Thorax's hive the way he started it.
Well, I still had a month.
---
The day came when Laneiya cleared me to leave the healing chamber. My exo-skull had covered over the missing piece of my head and hardened. A circular scar was the only proof that anything had been there before. My limbs were mostly capable of normal movement after the days of physical therapy.
I absentmindedly trotted toward my old resting quarters. About halfway there, I remembered that was one of the floors that had been destroyed. After mentally kicking myself, I walked over to the now open throne room. But Thorax wasn't there. Actually, none of the changelings that were there a few days ago were present.
There was, however, some chatter echoing faintly. I shrugged and used my wings to slowly descend the height of the mountain. Through some of the holes, I saw some of the changelings chatting with each other. Every so often, I saw one of the older style leaning against a wall by their lonesome. At about the seventh floor from the ground level, I spotted Pharynx.
I hovered close to that window. "Where did Thorax go?"
Pharynx snorted. "Off to visit that runt of a friend he calls a dragon." He shook his head. "It doesn't even have one wing!"
My thoughts immediately went to Eastern style dragons, but I decided against voicing them. "Are you doing anything today?"
He raised the equivalent of a brow. "No offense, Your Former Highness, but you're not my type of feeding victim."
I blinked twice. "I never knew you had a sense of humor."
"Who's joking?" He growled and hissed.
I rolled my eyes. "Please, I practically invented that tough-bug look. You don't impress me."
He deadpanned. "It's not like your approval matters anymore."
"Good talk, Pharynx." I continued my slow, buzzing descent.
"Whatever." He resumed his loner routine.
---
There was more plant life surrounding the base of the hive than I remembered. I wasn't even sure what some of the flowers and bushes were. The colors were nearly as various as those of the reformed changelings. The nearest patch of desolate wasteland was a mile away. As I took a moment to look at the scenery, my scar felt itchy.
I imagined Laneiya saying, "Don't scratch. That would open up the wound again."
I groaned quietly. As a reflex, I breathed in through my mouth. I was surprised by a pleasant taste flowing past my tongue. There was... love magic in these plants. For a second, I thought I had found a solution to my inevitable starvation. But a glance down at the surrounding flowers shut down that train of thought and my feeding immediately.
The plant life wilted, as if rapidly aging and drying up. I tried to cough back up, but I had already absorbed that magic into my very being. Within ten feet of where I was standing, an entire circle of dry rock and dirt was all that remained. Despite my satiated appetite, I felt wrong.
All of this damage, all of this destruction, all of this greed... all my fault.
---
I didn't remember walking back toward the hive's mountain. I also didn't remember dozing off at the base. Yet the vague sound of someone calling my name brought me back to reality. I pushed some mane hair out of my eyes and looked around. A rock rumbled nearby and blinked.
"Ocellus?" I stared at her.
A flash of bluish fire restored her current default colors. She shivered in place. "I was worried you'd wake up with a nasty spine cramp if you napped outside. I mean, scoliosis is unlikely at your age, but you can never be too careful."
After processing what she just said to me, I couldn't help but chuckle. "My, oh, my... I'm glad you've been keeping up your studies."
"Huh?" She blinked twice. "You're... not mad I woke you up?"
I shook my head. "That's nothing to be sorry for. Thank you for reminding me of the hazards of sleeping outside."
She sat down, almost dumbfounded. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Chrysalis?"
"I'm an alien named Guilt, and I kicked Chrysalis out after her second defeat to the ponies."
Ocellus leaned back. "Wha...?"
"That was a joke." I chuckled. "I guess it didn't land very well."
She scratched her head. "Did your crown contain some chemical imbalances that made you reckless and insane?"
"A good question, but that wouldn't explain everything." I waved a hoof dismissively. "I think losing control of what I thought was my domain helped start the process I needed to see things differently. I haven't lost the dream of leaving a legacy and conquering an enemy, but that won't happen if I'm stuck on vengeance. I need to figure out what really matters in life."
Ocellus looked like she was mulling over her thoughts. "I want to believe this is really you, but I can't be sure."
I shrugged. "I don't expect you to believe me. There's too much evidence that says I'm probably putting on an act, right?"
She practically jumped onto all fours and backed up. "St-Stay out of my mind!"
An earthquake interrupted our conversation. Both of us took to the sky. However, a mound was rising faster than we could fly. It soon parted ways to reveal... a giant blue monster with beaver teeth, wolverine claws, and eyes that looked like they hadn't slept in hours. It thrashed about, crashing into the side of the mountain we had just flown away from. I heard a few screams while several worried changelings were revealed at once.
Next thing I knew, it clenched its giant arms together and slammed down. Those arms hit Ocellus. She cried out at the impact and went tumbling along the dirt. My mouth and eyes gaped. Time seemed to freeze, and I couldn't move. It was like the world decided to dampen the colors and trap everyone in their current positions.
Despite the fact I felt frozen, I heard a beating heart. It was slow at first. But with each passing second, maybe more like a millisecond considering the sensation, it beat a little faster. Each time the rate increased, my vision was covered in a brighter shade of red. The little movement I got back was used to clench my fangs. In that split-second, I turned my gaze at the abominable beaver-tooth, and time continued.
"How dare you strike my daughter, you dick!"
---(Third-Person P.O.V.)
Any changeling in that ground-level room immediately woke up from their stupor. They saw their former queen cover herself in red magic fire as she dive-bombed into the Maulwurf's chest. The beast roared and slapped a paw against itself. Chrysalis shook herself and flew up. She shape-shifted into the form of Cadance and blasted green missiles at the Maulwurf's face, over and over again.
Two of the changelings galloped out and retrieved Ocellus. The rest flew out of the hole and spread into a defensive swarm. While Chrysalis's blasts were forcing the Maulwurf to slide backwards, they didn't seem to be leaving much of a mark on the creature itself. Eventually, it managed to make a slashing attack, knocking Chrysalis into one of the third-floor windows. She shifted back to her default form. She groaned, trying to lift her face out of the new impression in the rock.
There was a loud whistle. The Maulwurf looked behind itself. Thorax was flying at about its eye level, levitating a mass of leaves and grass.
"Hey! You want this, big guy?" He taunted.
The beast roared, thumping its chest before running toward the leader changeling.
"Well, go long!"
Thorax's levitation spell tossed the plants toward the horizon. The Maulwurf took a dive in that general direction and dug into the earth. It shook the ground a bit until it was completely out of sight. Thorax sighed, flying down toward his hive. A round of cheers washed over the changelings.
He flew close and pulled Chrysalis off the wall. Whatever kind of emotional rush she had was quickly fading to fatigue. She grumbled unintelligibly as her eyes slowly closed.
"Don't worry Chrysalis." Thorax personally carried her in front of the crowd. "Your daughter's going to be fine."
---(Chrysalis P.O.V.)
My head hurt when I woke up. I moaned as I rolled onto my side against the bed of moss. I saw Laneiya step in with her typical, stoic face. She scribbled something on her clipboard.
"You're awake," she commented. "I had hoped you wouldn't need to come back to this chamber so soon."
"Ugh, what's the damage?" I rubbed my hooves behind my ears.
"Briefly knocked unconscious by a combined impact of Maulwurf paw and a rock wall." Laneiya flipped a page. "Light sprains healed up fairly quickly. Horn was overheated. I recommend you stop casting twenty of the same destruction spell in the span of five seconds."
"Twenty?" I looked at her funny. "I only remember shooting five."
"Stressful situations can alter memory and recognition significantly." She adjusted her glasses. "It's fascinating how trauma can affect both physical and mental health."
I put my head down and looked at the ceiling. "I'm so happy you're enjoying yourself."
"If work is pleasurable, it never feels like work." She deadpanned.
"Heyyyy!" Ocellus came galloping into the room. "Are you alright?! I came running as soon as they cleared me for good health."
"Um, yes." I nodded slowly.
"I thought I was hallucinating, but after I heard from the others, it actually registered." Hope glistened in the little changeling's eyes. "You protected me. You tried to save me. You... called me your daughter."
"Oh, that was... the rush of the moment." I blushed. "I can stop if you want-"
"Please, don't ever stop!" She slapped both of her front hooves against the moss. "I...I love you, Mom."
I hesitated. Then, I slowly reached out a hoof. I ended up petting her on the head. She smiled and purred. I had few words to describe this situation except unreal, confusing, and nice.
"I love you too, my little girl."
Laneiya's eyes actually opened wider. "Your wings..."
"Hmm?"
I looked up at the nursing changeling before turning to look behind me. I blinked at the sight. I was certain my wings used to have holes in them. Now, they looked completely whole and in a different shape. I flapped them once, and they shimmered, as if they were giving off their own light.
Laneiya cleared her throat. "Just for the record, do you feel hungry at all?"
I held a hoof under my muzzle for a moment. "No... I don't."
---