Murmurs rang through the crowd of changelings in waves. They were all standing outside the walls of the Black Palace, packed into the streets like sardines in a can. Nobody knew why they were there, only that their king had called an emergency address to his subjects. Rumors began to spread like wildfire.
Was the hive going to be attacked?
Has the queen gone mad?
Had the ponies gone back on the peace treaty?
Unfortunately, the address wasn't to happen for another ten minutes, so all the drones could do was speculate. The time passed excruciatingly slowly, and the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Eventually, the balcony doors to the royal quarters pulled inward and out stepped their glorious king, the look on his face resolute.
The king was not a changeling himself, but that mattered not to his subjects, for he loved them, despite what they were, and they loved him in return. It was rumored that the king's love for the queen alone had kept the hive fed in some of its hardest times over these last few years. As a symbol of his status in the hive, he wore a luminescent green crown, made from a rare fungus found in the caves. He didn't need it to stand out however, as everyone knew what their beloved king looked like, even without his now iconic headwear.
The murmurs increased as the king took his place at the edge of the balcony for all of his subjects to see. He let them continue for a few moments before raising a hand to silence them. The whispering died in an instant and the silence became deafening. The king swept his piercing gaze across the crowd below, taking in the sight of so many of his subjects in one place at once. Then, he spoke, projecting his voice off the walls of the cave.
"My beloved subjects, it warms my heart to see so many of you here. So many of you have dropped what what you were doing to come and listen to what I have to tell you, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing just that. Unfortunately, what I have to say is not heartwarming, but bleak." He paused, gauging the reactions of his audience. He saw that they hung off his every word, many leaning closer in rapt attention. After a moment he continued.
"You may have noticed that your queen has not been seen outside the palace for a few days. I am ashamed to report that our queen, my beloved wife, Chrysalis, has fallen deathly ill." Shocked gasps and horrified whispers rang out in the crowd. The black mass of chitin rolled like the waves of an expansive ocean, confined to the underground streets of the hive. Before they had the chance to panic, the king raised his hand once more. The speed at which the whispering stopped was impressive, and the king's pride for his loyal subjects radiated so brightly that it could be felt by them, even from so high up.
"I know that some of you may be skeptical of what I say, but it is true. The illness struck swiftly and brutally, and has spread throughout her body at a rapid pace. It has gotten to the point that she is no longer able to accept and feed on my love for her. Yesterday morning, when we woke up, she refused to kiss me, stating that she did not wish to pass on the disease to me as well. Last night, when we would have made love to spread across the hive, she was too weak to go through with the process." A single tear fell from the king's eye, staining his cheek with a line of sorrow.
"As you all know, my love for her helps feed the hive, but if... when she passes, I fear that I will not be able to keep all of you fed. When this comes to pass, the hive will no doubt fall into a horrible famine." Before the whispering could start again, the king slammed his balled fist on the balcony railing, a wave of his determination rolled over the crowd, giving them a ray of hope after this bleak declaration. "But do not think I will simply leave you all to starve! I have a plan, but it is risky. I will need your help, my beloved subjects, to see that it comes to fruition." The tension disappeared in an instant, his subjects faces returned the determination they felt from him. Their emotions fed off of each other, growing more and more resolute as the moments passed. Their king had called upon them, and they would heed his call.
"What must we do, my king?" called someone from below.
"As loathe as I am to say it, we must break the treaty with Equestria, and invade Canterlot once again. But that won't happen for some time. Before that, we must take this time to carefully prepare. We can't afford to lose again, or it could mean the end of the hive. We will plant spies at every level of government, replace as many guards and as much of the castle staff as we can." A murmur of agreement rose from the crowd, and the king allowed it to continue as he spoke.
"Everyone we replace will be sent back to the hive for love extraction to keep the hive afloat while we continue our preparations. We can't afford a single casualty on either side, as it will only leave less love to fuel our aspirations." The murmur grew into a cheer.
"Now you may be thinking that this sounds very similar to the last invasion of Canterlot, and it is, but the difference between this plan and that one is the goal. The last invasion was not nearly bold enough! We set our sights on a single mare in a single city, and we expected you to take such a small goal so seriously? No, this time my subjects, we think bigger! Bolder! We have a goal so lofty that even the heavens themselves are jealous of what we strive to achieve!"
Chanelings started to stomp their hole ridden hooves in approval.
"It may take months, even years, but we will make sure to be ready! And when we are, we will take not just Princess Cadence and Canterlot, but all the princesses and all of Equestria as well!"
The cheering was growing rapturous. If they weren't in the caves, the citizens of Equestria would have surely heard the shouts for their love to be spilled in the streets.
"We shall make the citizens our cuddle buddies, and not a single mare, stallion, or foal will be spared our huggable wrath! Then, when the princesses are within our grasp, they shall become my personal harem, so that I may spread enough love for the hive to thrive upon it for millennia to come!"
The crowd had grown hysterical with righteous zealotry. They would gladly serve in this most holy of crusades to save the hive.
"For the queen!" the king shouted over the din.
"For the queen!" echoed the drones.
"For the hive!"
"For the hive!"
"For princess cootchie!"
"For princess cootchie!"
"For tits and ass!"
"For tits and ass!"
The king stood, arms raised as he basked in the love and approval of his subjects.
"What the hell is with all this noise!?"
The crowd became quiet once again. Gasps of shock and awe could be heard. A few drones even fainted at the sight of their beloved queen as she stepped out onto the balcony next to her husband, who now stood stock still and pale as a sheet. He slowly turned to his wife, looking like a child who'd been caught trying to steal a cookie from the jar.
"Uh, good morning sweetie. Did you sleep well?"
"I was sleeping just fine, until I was woken up by all that yelling! What the hell is going on, Jeremy?"
Before the king could answer, someone down below shouted up to the royals.
"My queen, we thought you were ill!" Chrysalis looked at the gathered drones with confusion.
"I am. I have a cold. What does that have to do with anything?"
"We thought the hive was going to starve!"
"What, why would the hive starve? With the supply of love we got from Equestria, we should be able to feed for months, even without another shipment." After a moment, the queen seemed to understand what was going on, and she deadpanned. "Jeremy, were you trying to start another crusade to get a harem of Equestrian princesses?"
"No," he said. His eyes shifted back and forth, looking anywhere that wasn't his wife. Of course, she could feel his emotions and knew that he was lying.
"Jeremy," she practically growled.
"Maybe," he squeaked.
Chrysalis lit up her horn and its green aura appeared around the collar of King Jeremy's shirt. She began to pull him back inside their room, much to his dismay. Jeremy grabbed hold of the railing, but his hands couldn't find much purchase on the smooth surface.
"No, please! Help me my subjects! Our queen has gone mad!" the poor king cried.
"Jeremy, how many times do I have to tell you-"
The ensuing argument was cut off as the door to the royal chambers closed behind them, leaving the drones dazed and confused at what had just occurred. After a moment, someone in the crowd broke the stunned silence.
"The king is dead! Long live the queen!"
"The king is dead! Long live the queen!"