//------------------------------// // O my Queen // Story: Chrysalis's story // by Nightmare Loopy //------------------------------// He sighed, watching the two nymphs. The bright eyed queen, and the keen drone. “Must we?’ He asked. His daughter was currently nose to nose with her twin. This was rare. Not only were two nymphs from the same egg rare, but even rarer, never heard of before, was a Queen and a drone. The changeling behind him let out a sigh, and swallowed hard. “Morph… You know we have to. They can't grow up with each other. They are Queen and drone. They need to learn to act like it, first and foremost.” He turned. The changeling in front of him had a milk white carapace, complete with sapphire eyes. Her ebon hair was wavy and fell across her right eye. “Imposter, they are siblings. You know what it is like to be from a clutch, and thus, you know what it's like to need to look out for each other.” Steel grey eyes gazed at her. Then he turned to watch the little ones again. The drone was booping the young Queen on the noise, much to her raucous amusement. A sigh next to him marked the movement of Imposter. A perforated hoof rested on the carefully constructed barrier separating them from the nymphs. Her blue gaze fixated on the two nymphs, and she bit her lip. “So, it's decided.” He spoke mournfully. She nodded near imperceptibly and blinked back tears. “My apologies,my little Queen. My little… Chrysalis.” Chrysalis, then. He could now address the young Queen. “And apologies to you as well, Shapeshifter.” He withheld a gasp as the drone was addressed. Drones were not named. It was not custom, so his surprise to this sudden development was unadulterated. She walked past him to the main hall, and after one look, he turned and followed her. He strode out behind her, taking a minute to admire what the changelings of elder times had accomplished. Then he spoke. “Y o u r k i n g d e m a n d s y o u r a t t e n t i o n.” He spoke loudly. Every changeling turned, blue orbs flickered to pinpoint him. Now that he had their attention… “The young Queen and the drone are to be separated. For those who wish to come with me and the drone, wait for further orders.” He took a step back, giving Imposter her cue. “To the changelings who wish to tutor and support the young Queen, coalesce in the Throne room.” She announced. A collective hum of wings launching filled the hall as each changeling rose and headed to their destination. The two royals turned towards the Nursery, where Chrysalis and Shapeshifter waited. As they trotted up to the door, they gave eachother a nod and sent a spark of magic towards the door, written in their own magical signature. It was time. Imposter swept in first, midnight hair hanging over her face as she watched the two. “Young Queen.” SHe called softly. “Chrysalis.” Her daughter turned her attention towards the Old Queen, and thrummed with delight. She galloped to her mother and as the female picked her up, she made little ‘uh uh uh’ noises and turned to her brother, wiggling to get out of Imposter’s grasp. He whimpered at the sight. But nevertheless, he picked SHapeshifter up and beat his wings, fast, faster, faster, until he was hovering, and headed out the door. Shapeshifter cried out, grasping for the sister he would not see for years to come. As if the same premonition came to her, she let out a ghostly wail of despair, the sound echoing off the canyon walls. Several hundred drones rose and flew behind him as he headed west, eyes focused on the distant spires. Tears spilled from his eyes. <><><><><><><><><> Shapeshifter groaned and turned onto his side. His face burned with fever, and he kept seeing hallucinations of an onyx haired Queen, as well as a bright eyed Young Queen. One he remembered hugging him, licking him, locking horns with him, and mock hissing at him. Crystal. THat was her name. No. No it wasnt. Butterfly? Chrysalis. It felt so right on his tongue that he sat up in bed and shouted it, listening to the sound of it echoing around his cave. He did again. “CHRYSALIS!” It reached his ears again and he grinned. It felt so right to know this… Chrysalis. He tumbled out of bed and stumbled for the door. “FATHER!” He yelled, slamming the door open. The guards on either side startled, crossing their spears as a reflex. His bangs hung over his yellow eyes. “At ease, HE-217 and HF-54.” He passed them without a second thought and headed for his fathers chambers. The halls were dark and dreary. He imagined them lined with red stone, lit by lamps. His fathers door was more of a curtain of changeling secretion, and he stepped through. “Father.” His father turned. He was at his desk, bent over a map. “‘Shifter?” His eyebrows raised. “Its past midnight, why are you awake? You still have a fever.” He nodded and leaned against the wall. Taking a deep breath, he considered how to phrase this. Obviously his father would not of kept this from him without reason, so saying he found out on his own… “I remember.” He stated bluntly. And backtracked to add more on. “I mean, the Young Queen. CHrysalis. She…. she was my sister, right? I dont remember.” He looked up to see his father looking stricken. “Shapeshifter, with all due respect, please, forget you know her. You aren’t supposed to. There are changelings here who would seek to harm her.” He furrowed his brow in confusion and stood his ground, shaking his head. “No! I dont understand! I can protect her like this. I hope. But who is she? Please, tell me!” he begged. His father sighed, looking for all the world torn. He rubbed his temples with dark hooves. The silver helmet his father wore was adjusted before he stood. “Ok. She is your sister. Twin, in fact. We separated you two because you and her were drone and Queen. We can’t afford sibling bonds to get in the way of her service to the Hive. If you died? She would mourn and weep, and neglect the hive. If she died for you, the Hive would be Queenless.” He whined at the blunt facts, thrown in his face brutally. “Ok.” He turned to go. Before passing through the curtain, he burned the name in his mind. THen he went back to bed. <><><><><><><><> Chrysalis paced. Every so often she brought the image up in her mind again. A drone, her age. She had been exploring minds one afternoon and discovered a changeling drone unlike any other. Undoubtedly a drone, but with a mane and irises. He had the horn of a drone, the wings, and the sabretooth fangs. She had recently found a name for this drone. Shapeshifter. She didnt know why she chose that, as drones simply didnt have names, but this one seemed right to be titled ShapeShifter. When she thought that name, she felt a warm hoof against her small snout, a playful nymph nomming her short locks. It felt so familiar. She drew his profile in the dust of the plains. Looking down on it, she hissed and brushed it away with her tail. She raised her eyes to the sun, halfway through the sky. Sun. Son. Son. She realized and a grin stretched across her face. The son of the Queen. She was the daughter. Her brother. She had a twin! She knew her imaginary friend from nymphood hadnt been fake! She breathed his name into the scorching air. “Shapeshifter.” <><><><><><><><><> He sighed her name, falling asleep to the sound of running water. “Chrysalis.