Roseluck’s ears rang harshly as she and the distressed empress re-entered the hive into the queen’s bedroom through a hidden passageway they had accessed from the outside. The hissing returned, very loudly this time, almost deafening, like listening to a massive swarm of invading locusts from the inside. The commander stood at the far end of the room, looking up towards the sky and spitting insults with an angry sneer on its face.
“Listen, you little nuisance! You get down from there at once!” hissed the commander.
Chrysalis and Roseluck looked above the commander’s head, where they caught sight of Ditto hovering high above the ground. The little changeling appeared greatly disturbed, scared out of his wits as he hid from the bigger changeling.
The fuming commander continued its rant while Ditto squeaked in fear.
“I swear it, if I have to--!”
“Commander!” Chrysalis barked, baring her teeth irately at her most trusted advisor. The commander turned, its barbaric expression immediately turning shocked when its eyes caught sight of the queen’s face.
“M-my queen!” gasped the changeling, bowing to Chrysalis. “You’ve returned at last!”
“Cease your groveling!” snapped Chrysalis as she walked past the commander. She looked up at her son in flight, proud but full of worry. The dampness on his wings had evaporated in a surprisingly short amount of time, giving him full flight capabilities. The queen frowned, worried for her son’s frightened outlook. Her attention immediately returned to the commander, her inner motherly instincts believing that her most loyal subject was the cause behind Ditto’s fear.
“What happened? What is going on? Speak at once!” Chrysalis barked her orders. The commander gathered itself and rose from the ground. The queen’s sudden, violent mood swing made Ditto ascend slightly higher.
“I’m not sure, my queen! The others! They suddenly became…alarmed and angry!” The commander sputtered.
“Why?”
The hissing began to grow louder. Of course, it had little to no effect on Chrysalis or the commander, but the increasing disturbance made Roseluck cover her ears.
“They’re coming,” the commander growled, looking to the sky. “They can feel it in the air. I’m afraid our obscurity won’t be withheld for long, my queen.”
“Explain.”
“Earlier this day, I sent two scouts to the outskirts of Ponyville. I told them the order was from you, and that they were not to question why. Ponyville is in a state of major distress. There are a total of three missing pony reports there, and guards, direct from the golden city, have been sent in the masses to search for them. All I can say is that we won’t last long if they find us.”
Chrysalis frowned shortly at the news, but soon regained her serious composure.
“It won’t be long before they start searching the Everfree,” the commander continued. “Action must be taken if our survival is to be assured!”
“Then take action!” exclaimed Chrysalis, rolling her eyes. “The others fall under your control. What is there to stop you?”
“The others need their queen! They haven’t sensed eye nor ear of your physical presence within the hive for days! You’ve become suspicious to them, and they demand to know why. I’ve tried everything to get them to follow orders, but they remain within their irritated state, unresponsive to any of my commands.”
Chrysalis stared at the floor. The answer to her changeling’s misbehavior was as clear as day to her, but what drove her to start thinking was the delicate mind of her infant son. She frowned and turned tail, looking up at Ditto who remained cowering in his own little space. She bore a smile, sat down, and held out her forehooves, coaxing Ditto to descend from the sky. Her motherly swoon worked, and Ditto slowly and carefully floated into his mother’s hooves, where she then turned around once more and cradled him gently.
Ditto had never seen his mother angry, until now. She did not wish to damage his delicate mind any further by continuing her furious tirade openly. She thought how she should address her changelings as Ditto buried his head into her soft chest, keeping his eyes closed tightly. She could not risk speaking out to her changelings with a soft tone of voice. Such a rapid change in behavior could cause them to think of her as spineless, frail…weak, and a weak leader builds no legacy.
“Roseluck?” said Chrysalis, looking to the wincing mare in the corner of the room. “Come here…please.”
Ignoring the chorus of shrillness around her, Roseluck trotted up to Chrysalis. The queen smiled and held out her forehooves, with Ditto held in between. The infant’s attachment to his mother kept his eyes shut, but then, his tiny nose began to twitch as the alluring scent of freshly brewed love within Roseluck’s heart filled his nostrils. He looked up and reopened his eyes, grinning at the disturbed appearance of his walking dinner.
“Here, take him,” said Chrysalis.
“H-huh?” stuttered Roseluck, nervous.
“It’s just for a little while, I assure you! I just need you to hold him. My changelings must not know of Ditto’s presence, and I need the commander with me when I address them.”
Growing excited, Ditto extend his short forelegs, signaling that he wished to be held by the mare. Roseluck cringed and took a step back. Upon seeing her denial, Ditto sighed and frowned, letting his tiny forelegs fall limp as he looked towards the ground with a heavy sulk. Roseluck frowned as well, feeling immensely guilty having upset the precious infant. She thought it through for a moment, putting to mind that a little one like Ditto would in no way possess a threat to her. It would be like holding any other foal, which of course she had never done before, but there’s a first time for everything right?
Slowly but confidently, Roseluck reached forward and lifted Ditto out of Chrysalis’s grasp. The infant looked up from his somber huff and smiled blissfully. He squeaked in a fit of shaky, raspy laughter as he was gently pulled into a cradle near the mare’s upper chest. The infant yawned peacefully and rubbed his head against her coat, making it somewhat difficult for the mare to determine if he was trying to show affection or show that he was just hungry. Odds are it was both.
“Thank you,” Chrysalis smiled.
“Your emotions have changed much since the others last saw you,” said the commander. “Can you stand to return to your old ways?”
“I have no choice…” replied Chrysalis.
“They await us outside, at the gathering hall near your mother’s old throne. They are kept far back from the main entrance to your chambers, so Roseluck, and Ditto, will be safe from discovery.”
Chrysalis nodded and turned, allowing the commander to escort her to the exit. Before they departed, Chrysalis looked over her shoulder, assuring her son, who frowned when he realized his mother would be leaving again, that everything was going to be alright.
“Take care of him, Roseluck,” said Chrysalis, turning to Ditto’s caretaker. “I assure you I won’t be long.”
Roseluck watched with worried eyes as the queen used her magic to create a sizable gap in the wall of vines before stepping through it to the other side with the commander following close behind her. When they were through, the wall was resealed, leaving Ditto and Roseluck to wait out the storm.
~~~~~
“My queen, you must bear some form of distaste! A scowl, a grimace, anything!” urged the commander as they neared the angry swarm.
“I…I can’t…It’s been too long since I last saw them.” murmured Chrysalis as worry weighted down on her head.
“But if you can’t express anger like you used to, then the others may lose favor in you! Not once has a changeling ever witnessed such a dramatic alteration! You express it to me, yet you say you can’t do it to the others? Your emotions have changed dramatically, but this has gone too far! Think of what would happen if they saw you like this! Think of the consequences! Treason, insolence—!”
“…rebellion.”
“Exactly.”
Chrysalis felt as if her stump of a heart skipped a beat.
Rebellion.
Every leader’s worst nightmare.
The hissing continued to grow in volume as the queen and the commander neared the place where her many changelings have gathered. Already she could smell their anger.
“I beseech you, my queen! You must appear angry and full of hatred! At least this once!” said the commander, growing more worried by the second as they began ascending a tall mound of covered shrubberies that lead to her mother’s old throne, which remained as her prominent seat of power ever since her passing.
“…alright,” sighed Chrysalis, giving in to the pressure.
The queen’s face twitched as she contorted her despondency into a hopefully decent-looking scowl of disgust, smiling as deviously as she could when she arrived at the top of the mound. She held her head high, feeling like the queen she once was again; full of energy and righteous power, ready and raring to take on all who opposed her rule, but of course, as she expected, all meaning to it was lost. She had a son to take care of, and she preferred not to fill her life as a mother with manic tyranny.
Sadly, however, her future, and the future of the changelings, was much worse than she ever imagined. Her eyes nearly burst from her skull after she looked down at the…horde before her. She could not believe her eyes. It was as if a massive chunk of the entire changeling swarm had suddenly disappeared over the course of a few days. An army that once numbered in the thousands was now only a fragment of what it once was. How did this happen? Chrysalis had never felt more nervous in her life.
“Commander, please don’t tell me that this is what I think it is!” Chrysalis fretfully whispered into the ear of her most loyal changeling sitting next to her. The changeling mob bared their teeth, spittle flying from their mouths as they continued to hiss like a pit of rattlesnakes. Their anger was surprisingly overwhelming. Never before has a changeling ever acted in such a manner when in the presence of their queen. Their loyalty was teetering on the brink of refutation.
“I’m afraid I can’t deny it, my queen. What you’re looking at silently speaks the truth. This is the last of the…normal swarm.”
“Th-the…normal swarm?”
“Those that are…still living are either too weak to move, or have been captured during recent raids in the past three days. My queen, our supply of love is dwindling, fast.“
Chrysalis looked back at the aggressive swarm, her mind racing like a swift antelope. Her scowl had long disappeared, overtaken by fear and the sheer, mental instability of uncertainty.
“My queen, you must take action!” exclaimed the commander. No response. “My queen!” Again, Chrysalis ignored the commander, her body and mind remaining still at the drive of an overpowering realization.
~~~~~
The strident hissing still worried Roseluck. It grew quieter shortly after Chrysalis left, but its shrillness alone was enough to show that the changelings were a force to be reckoned with, weakening or not.
Roseluck looked down at the black bundle in her hooves. Like she had seen with his mother, Roseluck had expected Ditto to have fallen asleep by now, but still he remained awake, keeping his beady eyes on the mare’s enriching heart, watching, waiting to be fed. It felt creepy having the sacred son of an insectoid empress practically stare into her very soul. Hesitant at first, she tried nuzzling him to get his attention, but nothing happened. Next, she tried rocking him to sleep, even though her beliefs about whether or not that actually worked in real life were somewhat ambivalent. Again, to her displeasure, he didn’t budge, and Ditto continued to eye his next meal kept behind the veil only inches away from his face. Good thing he didn’t have his teeth yet, or else dinner would have been served early.
Thankfully, Roseluck was able to look past the disturbing air of the moment and notice just how gentle a newborn changeling really was. It drove her to think, deeply. Maybe changelings have a better history than the one they possess now; the one that made them infamous and well-hated throughout Equestria. Maybe, just maybe, they could have been a lot gentler, like Ditto.
Roseluck looked away from Ditto, thinking back to the day when Zecora came to town. Everypony hated her guts, scorning her like she was a hideous outsider, but when it was discovered that she was merely misunderstood, the whole town had a change of heart, coming to respect the good brew maker rather than hate her outright. This was the way they should have been treated.
But then, there were…others, a few of which anypony would downright loath to the core. She thought back to the days when that spiteful griffon, Gilda, and that pompous unicorn, Trixie, came to town just to parade on and on about how much better they were than anypony else. A few sparkly magic tricks and a “natural” talent at “being awesome” most certainly won’t earn you new friends anytime soon.
Maybe a compromise could be made between the changelings and the ponies, but given their history, such a bold endeavor would prove to be foolish.
Suddenly, Roseluck felt a chilly…moist tingling sensation running up her chest. Grimacing with shock, she slowly looked down to find a rather…interesting sight. Ditto must have been very hungry, because when she took a closer look, she found the young, innocent changeling licking the area over her heart like a dog with a brand new chew bone. His black, forked tongue licked her coat twice before he recommenced his kitten-like gestures, rubbing his face against her coat as he continued to make himself comfortable. Roseluck winced, too disturbed to make any sudden movements.
Pleeease hurry, Chrysalis! Roseluck thought as she tried her best to remain calm as Ditto continued to play the role of the world’s most affectionate feline.
~~~~~
It had been long since she has showcased her righteous power over her changelings. The process was simple: show them that you’re in control, show them the true meaning of fear, threatening the consequences of disobedience and denial. Her control over what she did was at a minimum. Her body and mind calendared every move she made and every emotion she felt just so she would be molded into a fit mother for her son.
Everything was happening too fast for her to keep up. It hasn’t even been two weeks, and already herself, the hive, and the entire changeling species was on the brink of total disaster.
Desperation never felt closer. She had to make a choice. Show her might, or lose it all, and for a society she cared for so much, losing everything she had worked for was something she could not let come to pass. Her changelings continued to express their defiant attitude, and Chrysalis would have none of it.
Slowly, the queen recovered her will to stand strong among her changelings, taking in as much inner strength as she could. Her scowl returned, and she was ready and raring to once again show her changelings the righteous fury of their true leader.
But, just when she was ready to put her changelings in their places, their perturbed hissing ceased. It died down swiftly until all was quiet. Then, they all looked up, staring up at the blue sky above. What on earth could have caused them to go silent?
The queen’s question was answered. A shrill, distant whistling noise broke through the silence, and the changelings became uneasy, cowering low to the ground and backing up towards the shadows. Demanding answers, Chrysalis finally found the courage to speak.
“What are you doing?” Chrysalis spoke in her most serious tone of voice. Her changelings ignored her as if she wasn’t there. The whistle came around again, louder this time. “How dare you ignore your queen! I command you to listen to me! Stop!”
Her voice came out loud and strong, but the added vocal strength proved to be useless, and her changeling swarm continued to disperse.
“They’re not ignoring you, my queen…” whispered the commander, who also appeared to be frightened.
“Then why do they defy me?” asked Chrysalis. “Is this of your doing, commander?”
“N-no, my queen! This is much worse.”
“Speak!”
“It’s the search party I talked about earlier, my queen, and they’re looking for Roseluck…”
Chrysalis’s mind was suddenly flooded with hundreds of telepathic messages, too many for her to count. Warnings, pleas, and emotional responses all showed signs of the changeling’s inner terror.
The queen looked to the sky, eyeing a silver-colored speck streaming through the air. Moments later, four more specks appeared, following close behind the first in a bird-like formation. Royal guards without a doubt, and for them to be this far out in the Everfree, there had to have been more parties than just one.
Chrysalis looked back to her changelings, and they looked back at her, awaiting orders from their queen. Losing hundreds of changelings in such a short time weakened her morale and theirs, and they could no longer find the valor to act out and repel the invaders.
The cluster of pegasi soldiers stopped above the hive, surveying the area around them. In a quick decision, Chrysalis gave the order to scatter, and the commander emphasized her commands with a ferocious threat of banishment, hissing it as loud as it could.
The changelings immediately obeyed and made haste for the trees. Some dived into hidden tunnels and passageways, sealing themselves inside for protection, while others used their natural abilities to blend in with the foliage around them. The scene was like watching a colony of ants flee for their lives from the ruins of their recently destroyed knoll. The stamping of hooves and the sound of wingbeats only added to the organized chaos.
“Commander,” said Chrysalis, turning to face her most loyal changeling. “I must return to my son at once. Remain here with the others and make sure they are kept hidden. Do not engage anything unless absolutely necessary. Understand?”
“Yes, my queen! At once!” spoke the commander, nodding.
The commander leapt from the throne, landed on the gathering grounds, and sped off towards one of the passageways, running inside and disappearing from sight.
More worried for Ditto’s safety than ever, Chrysalis turned and fled back through the way she came, racing down the throne mound before speeding off through the hive, determined to reach her precious son in time.
~~~~~
Chrysalis burst through the front entrance of her bedroom, panting. Roseluck looked away from Ditto and smiled at the queen’s return.
“Thank goodness you’re back!” exclaimed Roseluck, pulling Ditto away from her heart and passing him to his mother. Ditto moaned and frowned, deeply upset. He then looked up at his reluctant mother’s face, rubbing his belly.
“I know, I know…” Chrysalis spoke in a soft voice, looking down at Ditto with a comforting smile. “I’ll feed you soon. Don’t worry.”
“You look tired,” said Roseluck. “Is everything alright, and where’s the comman--?”
“Th-there’s no time!” Chrysalis interrupted, placing Ditto on her back. “Quick. Follow me!”
Chrysalis led Roseluck to the back of the room and used her magic to part the foliage walls. The network of vines uncurled like snakes, revealing a sizable crawlspace big enough for two.
“Here, go inside,” said Chrysalis, waving the mare off.
“Aaand I need to do that…why?” asked Roseluck, raising an eyebrow.
“Just trust me!”
Just when she thought danger had never felt closer, the whistle she had heard before came back once again. Chrysalis looked up, gasping at the sight of the royal search party continuing its route over the hive. Have they been found out? Did the search party discover the hidden hiding place of the world’s most hated creatures? She hoped not, but such as cruelty was, the search party began descending from the sky. Four of the guards broke away and flew off in different directions, leaving just one to investigate the area below. Scared, Chrysalis pushed Roseluck into the hideaway before entering herself, quickly resealing the walls behind her.
Light poured in through tiny cracks in the dark enclosure. Ditto gripped his mother’s neck tightly, uncertain of what was happening.
“What was that for?!” asked Roseluck, groaning and rubbing her forehead as she rose from the hard ground.
“Shh! Quiet, or they’ll hear us!” hissed Chrysalis as she calmed Ditto’s nerves with a nuzzle to his forehead.
“Who’s going to hear us?”
Loud wing beats interrupted the queen’s next attempt to speak. She turned towards the entrance wall and peeked outside through tiny openings in the plant work. In her bedroom, an armored guard stood tall, looking as tough as usual. His coat, white, just like the many identical others that watch over the city of Canterlot. The commander wasn’t kidding when it said they were from the golden city, for on the guard’s midsection there sat a beautiful longsword, laced to straps on his armor and held down for easy accessibility.
The guard appeared confused as to why all the walls were made from vines. Cautiously, he strolled around the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He stepped up to Chrysalis’s bed area and found Roseluck’s blanket lying nearby. Curious, he picked it up and examined it before tossing it onto his back.
“What’s happening?” Roseluck whispered, trying her best to push past Chrysalis. “I can’t see anything!”
“It’s a royal guard...” said Chrysalis.
“A royal guard?!” Roseluck gasped. Shocked, Chrysalis quickly slammed a hoof over the mare’s mouth. Roseluck’s outburst jolted the guard a little, making him stop what he was doing and watchfully scan the area around him.
Slowly, Chrysalis uncovered the mare’s mouth, allowing her to speak again.
“What’s a royal guard doing out this far in the Everfree?” Roseluck asked, whispering.
“He’s…part of a search party…”
“A search party? Why would there be a search party out--?”
Remembering why she was here, Roseluck continued no further. She sighed gloomily, once again thinking back to memories of her old life in Ponyville. Of course, some part of her still wished to return, but seeing a queen cower in the fear when a single search party of royal guards comes to visit, she realized that the changeling’s situation must be have been graver than ever before. Why would a colossal army of shape-shifters hide from such a defenseless target? Because it’s in their nature, of course, but even then a few guards is nowhere near a strong enough force to defend themselves from such ferocious beings.
Outside, the royal guard shrugged his shoulders before leaping into the air and taking off into the skies. Moments later, the whistling Chrysalis had heard before could be heard fading into the distance, sending an all clear signal to the entire hive.
Chrysalis parted the walls once more and stepped out into the sunlit bedroom. Ditto, who had buried his face into his mother’s mane, revealed himself when Chrysalis nuzzled the side of his head.
“Roseluck?” said Chrysalis, turning around to face the red-maned mare as she stepped out into the sunlight.
“Yeah?” replied Roseluck.
“I need you to take care of Ditto for a little while. I must speak with the commander. Our situation is…bad, to say the least.”
“I-Is it serious?” asked Roseluck as she took gradually lifted Ditto off the queen’s back, trying to look as calm as possible while doing so.
“Oh, it’s very serious, Roseluck. Minutes ago, I saw my changelings for the first time in days, and the outlook of our very species is grim at best. I feel ashamed for having neglected them for so long, but I knew that this would happen someday, especially after the Canterlot incident.”
Chrysalis tickled the underside of Ditto’s chin, turning his frightful frown upside down and making happy as he found himself once again in the hooves of his source of love.
“I shouldn’t be long,” Chrysalis continued, stepping towards the front entrance. “Roseluck, what I’m about to do could be listed among the most idiotic, mule-brained ideas in history. The commander won’t like it, but I’ve no choice but to put the lives of each of my changelings in grave danger. I can only brace myself for the future ahead.”