Three changelings in rusty blue armour were resting, sprawled, in the middle of the dark, enclosed, rocky expanse of their current Hive.
One of them, Echo, was simply sitting in a stupor, watching geysers of green gas occasionally send small clouds into the air.
The second, by the name of Mirror, was massaging his scarred butt. "Guilt, those lousy Royal guards! I won't be able to sit for a week!"
The third, Shadow, was pushing idly a rock into a small hole in her foreleg. "Yeah? You know, if it weren't for those ponies, we'd be runnin' the joint."
"Yeah. By anger, I hate ponies."
"So roundy."
"And hairy.
"And pastel-y.
"And by rage, are they..."
They both shouted "UuuugLY!" And laughed.
From a high perch, a taller figure emerged, to bear on the three, faint amusement flickering in her slitted green eyes. "Oh, surely ponies can still come useful, can they not?"
All three turned in anticipation.
"Queen! Queen Chrysalis the Twenty-fifth!"
Two of them bowed, though only Mirror managed to come forward: "Have-have you..."
"I don't think you really deserve it," the Queen deadpanned, levitating in her aura a green stasis pod, with a sleeping rabbit inside. She flung it in their direction, letting it splash on the floor violently. Immediately, the three proceeded to lick the rocky surfaces clean of the emotionally-charged goo.
Meanwhile, the Queen continued her musings. "I only asked my best drones to provide basic intel on the Royal Marriage... and you almost got yourself caught." She sighed, "Canterlot is almost certainly on high alert right now."
"Well, you know. It wasn't exactly like Cadence was alone, Chrysalis," Shadow intervened, licking her muzzle clean of the goo.
"Yeah," Mirror joined in, "What are we supposed to do, kill Celestia?"
Chrysalis grew the widest smirk. "Precisely."
The three changelings paused from eating and looked up at her questioningly.
To this, Queen Chrysalis gave her best evil laugh, and with flash and thunder in the distance, she jumped down, wings fluttering, to ground level, where several geysers welcomed her with spews of noxious green fumes. Xylophones and ominous hums were accompanying her regal walk. The powers of song would best explain her plan.
She started circling Echo, still obliviously licking the goo off the dead rabbit.
"I know that your powers of retention
Are as wet as a siren's backside,"
She kicked the rabbit out of the way, to which Echo responded with a sharp salute.
"But I'm still your Queen, pay attention!
My words are a matter of pride."
She waved a hoof in front of Echo's unblinking, staring insectoid eyes.
"It's clear from your vacant expressions
The lights are not all on upstairs,"
Two drones were laughing at the victim merrily, but the Queen decided to admonish them too.
"But we're talking queens and successions;
Even you can't be caught unawares!"
Her outburst sent them on an exploding geyser each, spiralling them into the air with a high-pitched shriek, and back down.
"So prepare for a chance of a lifetime,
Be prepared for sensational news"
Chrysalis, for all that, just continued with her theatrical, royal strut up the perch.
"A shining new era
Is tiptoeing nearer"
Shadow peeked out from behind a rock, timidly, to ask:
"And where do we feature?"
"Just listen to teacher," Chrysalis replied, digging mock-affectionately her hoof in Shadow's cheek.
"It will be most guarded
But you'll be rewarded"
As Shadow massaged the mistreated cheek, the Queen continued her regal ascent.
"When at last we are given our dues
And the marriage deliciously impaired"
Once on the top, she pointed her horn up and sent out a green magic beacon, calling the Hive to herself, and blasting a nearby drone out of the way in the process.
"Be prepared!"
Mirror, enchanted by the light, nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Be prepared. Yeah-heh... we'll be prepared, heh. ...For what?
"For the death of the princess," Chrysalis announced.
"Why? Is she sick?" Mirror asked, buzzing up to her height.
"No, fool," she responded, grabbing the drone in her magic aura and shaking it, "We're going to kill her. And the Elements too," she finished maliciously as she threw it back down with the others.
"Great idea! Who needs a Princess?" Shadow commented, and threw up a little dancing gig with Echo. "No princess! No princess! la--la-la--la-laa-laa!"
"Idiots! There will be a Princess!" Chrysalis thundered in response.
Mirror looked confused. "But you said, uh..."
"I will be Princess!" She continued. "Serve me unquestioningly, and you'll never go hungry again!
Both Shadow and Mirror seemed ecstatic at the news. "All right! Long live the Queen!"
A great mass of other changelings, summoned by their superior, perched on every surface available, with more buzzing in the air, joined in. "Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!"
Together, they marched in tight formations below of Chrysalis, the song resuming its steady beat.
"It's great the succession has brought us.
a real queen who'll be all-time adored."
Chrysalis, seemed very pleased with the proceedings, smiling complacently at her subjects, and singing further.
"Of course, so you know, you're expected
To take certain duties on board,"
Hundreds of changelings were parading under her, a seemingly endless scape of obedient soldiers. Canterlot would be no match for a well-timed attack.
"The future is littered with prizes
And though there's some problems to solve,"
She jumped down her cliff once again, bearing intense stares on her close subjects.
"The point that I must emphasize is
My strength will destroy their resolve!"
The ground started to shudder and rise, as gases shot out new ripples in the ground. The queen for herself decided to ride a rising chunk in style, as her troops accompanied her both in elevation and musically.
"So prepare for the coup of the century
(Oooh!)
Be prepared for the murkiest scam
(Oooh... Ah! Ah! Ah!)"
Three drones shook their flanks at the rhythm of the music, as the gases and the pillars continued to rise.
"Meticulous planning
(We'll have love!)
Tenacity spanning
(Lots of love!)
Decades of denial
(We adore)
Is simply why I'll
(Endless love!)"
Finally the night sky came into view, as the queen's song and the drones' excitement were reaching a climax.
"Be Queen undisputed
(Aaaaaaah...)
Respected, saluted
(...aaaaaaah...)
And seen for the wonder I am
(...aaaaaaah!)
Yes, my fangs and ambitions are bared
(Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo)
Be prepared!"
The swarm joined in the main voice, their grins proudly displaying their sharp teeth, wings buzzing in elation.
"Yes, our fangs and ambitions are bared
Be prepared!"
The whole swarm joined in a massive-scale evil laugh, that reverberated for miles and miles of desert.
-----------
Luna shuddered, apparently for no reason, in the middle of her nightly guarding routine. She was getting jumpy, she thought; more stressful nights like this, and she'd wear herself down, and then who knows, she could even end up calling the day of the marriage off!