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// Prompt #539: Dethroned 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
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She had always known that she was destined for great things. Ever since she could recall, she’d been dreaming about making sure that her eventual subjects would one day have what they needed to survive, and they would worship her for providing it. She could just picture it, her enemies bowing before her as her swarm overwhelmed the imaginary enemies she was facing, her loyal changelings trapping the enemies systematically. Each capture making her army stronger and stronger as they rolled over the lands like a plague. Of course, not all would be captured, no. There had to be just enough free creatures to keep reproducing, to keep a steady source. It would be a delicate balance, and there was the risk of rebellion and assassination attempts, but she was Queen Chrysalis. She could manage that-She had the most loyal Hive of all of the Changelings.

In the back of her mind, she felt a tingle. That could only mean that her Princess, Cocoon, had entered the room. Chrysalis was not overly fond of Cocoon, and only created her to ensure that the lineage continued. She had no plans to hand over the Hive to her weak pseudo daughter any time in the near future. Putting Cocoon out of her mind, Chrysalis went back to planning her next attempt at conquest. Perhaps the Griffons next time? They loved fighting, so her changelings could draw on that during battle, constantly energising them even as they fought. Yes, perhaps the griffons would be a suitable food source. They would certainly be difficult to trap, but if anyone could make it work, it would be her-no one had ever accused Chrysalis of being uncreative.

Chrysalis’s thought train was interrupted just then by a blast of magic slamming into her side, penetrating straight through her chitinous shell. She turned around, and found Cocoon powering up her horn for a second blast, which promptly blasted into the Queen’s front. Chrysalis collapsed, unable to keep standing under Cocoon’s onslaught as the younger changeling poured magic blast after magic blast into the Queen.

“You really are all that’s wrong with us, you know,” remarked Cocoon, “the drones may not be able to see it, but I can, and the outsiders sure can. So focused on conquest, you ignored the easier solution right in front of you.”

“Diplomacy will never work,” hissed Chrysalis, as she felt her life fading. “You are never going to win with diplomacy.”

“The ponies seem to do just fine with it. Besides, this isn’t about winning. It’s about survival,” said Queen Cocoon, as her new power began to solidify in her mind. “Though that said, I certainly seem to have won against you, wouldn’t you say?”

Chrysalis couldn’t reply, partly because she was already dying fast, but mostly because immediately after speaking, Cocoon leant down and bit into Chrysalis’s horn, to consume the last essence of Queendom in order to have complete control of the Hive.

“Long live the Queen,” muttered Cocoon, as she flexed her mental control of the Hive’s mind, issuing orders and commands, even as she began to walk out of the hive, to see if she could make peace with the ponies.