Throughout the hive's tunnels were small illuminating mushrooms. Just bright enough to light the way for the changelings, all these mushrooms gave off an amber glow. All except those in a particular room in the hive, which gave off a greenish blue glow. One of Queen Amber's personal guards, Aegis, was guarding the entrance of this room; looking out for the princess in Bulwark's place.
Said princess was laying on a heap of smooth rare stones; a small collection of pebbles floating in her magic. Having been taken in by a bout of melancholy, she bid Momo to take off after having a midday meal, and had kept to herself since, relatively speaking. The silence carried between the princess and the guard was shattered as the sound of stone breaking on rock rang from the room.
Glancing to the door's guard, a displeased look grew on her face. She didn't mind Aegis, but he was no Bulwark. She briefly wondered where her personal guard was before her mind wandered back over the day's events. Once again the pony came to mind, but thoughts of him were brushed aside as she replayed her encounter with Mantis. She frowned as one of the pebbles she held started to spin.
The sound of stone striking stone rung out again, prompting a curious look from Aegis as Chrys began to hurl another stone towards a changeling-shaped rock formation on the far end of her room. The structure was surrounded by debris and rock fragments from years of abuse. Another rock was hurled against its face, making the stone bounce off, letting its protest be heard before rolling to a stop.
Four more stones were cast before her frustration started to ebb. She let out a tired sigh as she rolled in her rocky bed, her eyes falling to the wooden bookshelf that held her things. She found herself thinking that the bookshelf once belonged to a pony, making her face scrunch up as she pushed the obvious notion to the side. She then eyed her collection of colored egg shells resting on the bottom rack; placed where she could easily see them.
Standing in the center was a mostly intact teal eggshell, hollowed out, sitting as a bowl. Next to it were seven shell fragments of varying hues of amber, as well as an almost complete eggshell. Each of the fragments had a name and number etched on them, names of their original owners.
When a clutch starts to hatch, each hatchling is given a number based on the order they hatched in; a number they wear as their name till they're old enough to give themselves a name of their own choosing. Of her clutch, she was the only one to start off with a true name. The mostly intact amber egg next to her shell was slightly larger than hers, Bulwark’s egg; she didn't have to look to know that nearly all of its pieces rested within, with only two fragments of the entire egg missing.
Levitating her own egg over, she smiled as she looked upon the two fragments resting inside: A spotted fragment had Momo – 1 written on its side, while another fragment bore Darrin – 77.
Chrys' heart ached as she looked to the other fragments resting on the shelf, picturing herself putting the two left inside her shell outside to join those seven others. She could clearly remember when all nine fragments were nestled happily in her shell. Her brow then furrowed as she recalled who had driven those seven clutchlings away from her.
The largest stone in her bed was cast, with more emotion then all before, causing a boom that caught even the stoic Aegis off guard. The 'face' of the 'statue' had shattered into countless pieces; dust swirled in the air as Chrys huffed at the target, her eyes itching as she placed her egg back on the shelf, falling onto her bed in a frustrated heap.
You'll always be too weak, it's in your color.
Another rock was sent flying across the room, but it failed to hit its mark, striking the back wall before bouncing to the floor. Looking to it, her eyes shifted to a teal mushroom rooted between her and the pebble that missed. She looked at that mushroom for several moments, before glancing to the side.
Her horn then glowed, causing the mushroom to brighten slightly in reaction to her changeling magic. Her horn's glow then shifted orange, slowly turning the mushroom a matching color in the process. Now it was a lone amber mushroom in a room of teal light, yet, she envied it. The other mushrooms didn't care about the color of their neighbors.
Her horn then brightened, and she felt her mane tingle for a moment, before her magic faded away. She ran a hoof through her hair, seeing a color matching the amber mushroom in front of her, making her let out another long sigh.
“If you're going to change your mane, maybe you can change that sighing problem while you're at it,” a warm voice suggested, making Chrys flinch, her horn glowing teal as her mane returned to its natural color. She then turned around, seeing her mother standing there with a mischievous grin on her face. “Oh, don't change on my account,” she said as she sat down next to Chrys' bed. “So let me guess; Mantis?”
“Mantis,” Chrys replied as she glanced to the abused statue in the corner.
“Hasn't even been back for half a day,” Amber mumbled as she shook her head, “What'd he say this time?” she asked as she pulled Chrys closer, making the princess blush as she adopted an annoyed look.
“He said that my color was weak, after I tried standing up to him.”
“You stood up to Mantis?” Amber asked in surprise, letting out a happy little cheer as she hugged Chrys, who was now trying to free herself, in vain. “Ohh Chryssy, you'll be a queen before you know it!” Amber let out, making Chrys slump in defeat as she gave her mother a confused look.
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, you're starting to assert yourself,” Amber pointed out, “An important queenly attribute!” She then nuzzled Chrys' face, getting a put off look from the princess as her blush deepened, before Chrys was put down. “Oooh~ My little hatchling's gonna be all grown up soon!”
“...I don't like being little,” Chrys mumbled.
“You don't have to worry about that. When you hit your growth spurt, you'll be as big as your clutchlings before you even realize it!” Amber then nodded to herself, “In fact, you should take some time to appreciate your size. Right now, the world is so big and mysterious, but once you become a bigger part of it, you'll realize just how small it is,” she said as she looked to the cold walls of stone, “Appreciate being little while you can, Chrys, cause you're only little once,” she stated with a sagely nod, getting an uncertain nod from Chrys in turn.
“Could you stop calling me a hatchling? I'm just as old as the others, you know,” she requested in an off-putting tone.
“Oh? So you're ready to set out and run your own hive?” Amber asked coyly, getting a hesitant pause from her daughter. “Don't let what Mantis says get to you. Your color is perfect! I wouldn't want you any other shade,” she added resolutely, getting an uncertain look from Chrys.
“How can you be sure? Have you had a teal hatchling before?” she asked, her eyes widening at the prospect, “Wait, I am the first, right?” she added worriedly, getting a small laugh from Amber.
“Of course you're the first, and I'm sure you're perfect because we changelings were a cool color before we were my color.”
“You mean purple?”
“That's right. My mother's hive was quite strong, so I can assure you that color has nothing to do with it,” Amber said with a nod. Chrys then gave her a very skeptical look.
“Didn't your mother also run off to fight a ghost, and never returned?” she asked, getting a bashful look from Amber as she glanced to the side.
“Yes... L-Look, the point is, your color doesn't matter. What you do, that matters. For instance, I'd have crushed Mantis years ago for his attitude towards you, but it just so happens that he's really good at what he does.”
“He's also really good at ruining my day,” Chrys retorted, disregarding the fact that the day already had a bumpy start. “Does he really hate me for my color?” she asked as she looked to the queen, who rubbed her chin for a moment before pointing the amber mushroom.
“Doesn't this mushroom grab your attention?” she asked, making Chrys look a little put-off as she eyed the mushroom, before nodding.
“It stands out since it's the only one like it in the room. So you're saying Mantis hates me because I stand out? But I'm a princess, I'd stand out without being a different color.”
“It's not because you stand out, but because you're different. So, can you tell me what he doesn't see?” she asked as she gave Chrys an eager look. The princess thought on it for a bit, before looking to her mother with a skeptical look.
“The amber mushroom is still a mushroom?” Chrys answered, being caught off guard as Amber gave her another proud hug.
“That's exactly right! You're a mushroom- er, changeling! Your color doesn't matter.” Her face then scrunched up in thought, “Well, okay, your color matters, but it doesn't matter,” she affirmed, nodding to herself.
“Huh?” Chrysalis asked incredulously.
“Chrys, this is your color,” she said as her horn glowed, turning the amber mushroom back to teal, “It's a part of you, and who you are. It's important because it's you. And you, are a changeling; a small one who will grow into a fine queen; of that I have no doubt!” she proclaimed, getting a small smile from Chrys. “And Mantis doesn't want to admit that. Unfortunately, he's a pretty stubborn one. Though, I guess you'd have to be pretty stubborn to earn the title of Mantis.” she said as she let out a sigh. “Either way, he'll be out of our manes once spring's past.”
“You mean after we capture the Moon Princess?” Chrysalis asked, getting a nod in turn.
“With the princess of the ponies under our power, the rest of them will fall into disarray, and we won't need Mantis anymore,” Amber said with a genuine smile, before adopting a contemplative look. “Maybe I should start looking for a replacement?” she considered, prompting an unamused look from her daughter.
“You're gonna get rid of him, but haven't planned his replacement,” Chrys said, letting out a sigh, “Maybe you rely on his schemes a little too much, mother.”
“H-Hey, don't get fresh with me,” Amber said indignantly, before adopting a sharp grin. “Shouldn't you be doing something other than laying about in your room casting stones?”
“But, Bulwark hasn't returned from whatever he's doing. And Darrin's busy-”
“Perks of being queen!” Amber interrupted, “Darrin will be here soon for you, I've ordered it so, and Aegis can protect you till Bulwark returns.” She then tapped her chin in thought, “Honestly, I can't see why he wanted to scout the Badlands,” she said, making Chrys blink in surprise.
“Bulwark is outside?”
“He didn't tell you? He informed the forward guards about it-” She then adopted a look of realization, before rubbing her temple, “The soldiers must have been told to keep him in the dark about Mantis' return.” She then let out a heated sigh, “Four more months...”
“And we capture the princess, and take Canter Town,” Chrys finished, her eyes widening in thought. “About that, erm, about ponies. Mother, feeding off of them doesn't harm them, right?” she asked, making Amber blink as she raised an eyebrow.
“Where'd that come from?” she asked, getting a sheepish look from Chrys.
“Just curious. A queen needs to know these things, right?” she said, giving Amber a smile, that the queen fell for.
“Already thinking ahead,” Amber replied as she adopted a radiant smile, her eyes glowing with pride, “It's completely harmless, dear. If it harmed them, then our food wouldn't last nearly as long,” she added, getting a small sigh of relief from Chrys. “Was that a sigh of relief just now? What's up, something bothering you?” Her eyes then narrowed, “Hmm, maybe I haven't been giving you enough hugs.”
“Uh, it would be bad if it harmed them, that's all.” Chrys quickly assured as she glanced to the side. “So, why does love come in different flavors?” she asked, getting an appraising look from Amber, winning a nervous smile from Chrys.
“Did you skip out on nectar to taste ponies again?” Amber asked, making Chrys wince.
“Yes, and you didn't answer my question,” she quickly replied, a determined look in her eyes. Amber sighed as she rubbed her head.
“Different flavors? I'm not sure,” she then nodded to herself, “There's a reason for it, but I've never actually considered it before.”
“'There's a reason for it?' That's what you always say when you don't know,” Chrys said in a disappointed tone.
“Well, it's true. There's always a reason for things being the way they are. If you're curious, you could ask Lores to look into it.” Her brow then furrowed, “So, you've been draining from the cocoons," she stated, making Chrys glance to the side. “You know you're not allowed to do that—”
“Says the one that ‘plays’ with her food,” Chrys quickly replied, almost instantly getting a flustered look from Amber.
“Th-They taste better when you mess with their dreams, is all,” she replied before glancing to the side herself. Chrys caught onto her words, considering them for a moment before nodding to herself.
“Do they taste sweet?” she asked, making Amber consider it for a moment before shaking her head.
“More like bittersweet,” she admitted, “I've never managed completely sweet, not for a lack of effort,” she stated, making Chrys nod to herself.
“We seek the flavors we like, and sweet is a popular flavor...”
“Oh? Looks like someone's trying to figure something out,” Amber said with a small smile, getting a sheepish grin from her daughter in turn. Amber's ears then perked as she glanced to the door, prompting Chrys' eyes to follow. Next to Aegis stood Darrin, who looked a little surprised to see the queen with Chrys.
“Your Highness,” Darrin began as he kneeled, “Permission to speak freely.”
“I'm not Mantis, Darrin, what's the problem?”
“It's just, while I appreciate getting back my day off, when Mantis gets word-”
“Don't fret over the small things Darrin, Mantis is in a good mood. I'll make it work,” she said with a sinister smile, getting a small nod in turn from the drone as he looked to Chrys.
“I'm at your disposal, Highness,” he said with a light bow, making Chrys frown for a moment before hopping to her hooves, heading out of her room as she passed Darrin.
Chrys paused when she saw Bastion standing in the hall, who gave her a warm smile, which Chrys returned. Easily her favorite royal guard besides Bulwark, Bastion was Amber's most trusted protector, and he was the strongest, making up the last of the four royal guards in the entire hive.
“Come on Darrin, let's go find Momo,” Chrys said, getting a stoic nod as he followed her, Aegis a step behind. “Later, mother!” she shouted, getting a small wave from the queen as they made quick work leaving the Royal Halls. Chrys was expecting Darrin to say something about what happened earlier, but he kept quiet as they left her home behind. She then stopped in surprise when she found Momo waiting for them outside of the queen's tunnels.
"Yo!" Momo said with a beaming grin, getting on her hooves to join the others.
“Momo, you were waiting for me?” Chrys asked in surprise, getting a sigh from Darrin.
“We were worried,” he said as he gave Chrys a side-glance, “Is it really that surprising?” he added, making Chrys' brow furrow.
“You were worried?” She said as she stomped her hoof, “What were you two thinking!? Standing up to Mantis like that!”
“I was thinking something like: 'Oh shoot, Chrys needs my help,'” Momo said with an honest expression.
“I'll admit, I wasn't being all that smart at the time,” Darrin admitted, “But, it's hard to be rational when your blood is boiling. Sending me away was the smart decision, Chrys,” he said reluctantly as his brow furrowed, “It just ticks me off that that's how things are.”
“Mantis has too much power,” Chrys said as her ears fell, “The hive needs him. His schemes have done so much... I hate it, but that's simply how it is,” she admitted as she kicked the ground.
“Did I miss something?” Momo asked.
“I was on the verge of attacking Mantis,” Darrin explained.
“Oh, well, I'm sure you would have beat him!” Momo said with a confident nod, getting side glances from Chrys and Darrin. “Right?”
“I'd be dead,” Darrin replied, making Momo blink in surprise, earning a small glare from Chrys. She couldn't stand how blunt he could be. “His shadow would crush me. That, and I'm not as fast or powerful as he is,” he admitted as he looked to Momo. His eyes then glowed briefly as he added, “But I'm getting close,” he stated confidently, getting an appraising look from Momo as Chrys shook her head.
“That's why I don't want you two getting between me and Mantis,” Chrys said as she glared at no one in particular. “It was stupid to send Bulwark off.”
“True,” Darrin said, before quickly adding, “It was stupid of me to assume Mantis wouldn't return ahead of schedule.” He then gave Chrys a hard look, “And like it or not, we'll get between you and Mantis if it'll save you,” he declared, getting a small nod of agreement from Momo.
“Why!?” Chrys asked in frustration, “Is it because I'll be queen one day? There's a reason for everything, right? So why would you two put your necks on the line for me?” she asked as she stomped her hoof.
“Chrys...” Momo said, about to take a step forward, hesitating as her ears fell. She glanced to the side as Darrin stepped closer.
“Yes, we do have other reasons for risking our necks to be with you, but the first, and most important reason is the very fact that you're our clutchling,” he said resolutely, “You've been in danger since before we hatched. Even now, you're in more danger than myself or any of the soldiers on the field. Out there, they have each other. In here, you only have the three of us,” he said, making Chrys look between the two of them.
“I want to know those other reasons,” she insisted, her eyes carrying more concern than anger in them.
“Well, one is that good old 'hive bond',” Darrin said matter-of-factly, “Protect the queen, serve the queen. You're gonna be a queen one day, so that's probably part of it. There's more, but I think I'll keep that to myself for now,” he said as he glanced to Momo, who was eyeing her hooves for a moment before looking to Chrys.
“I promise, I'll tell you when I'm ready,” Momo said, giving Chrys a reassuring, yet sad, smile. “It's just, something that's hard to confess,” she added as she rubbed a hoof over her other leg, getting a curious look from Darrin.
“Hard to confess?” Chrys asked.
“It's like...” Momo began as she thought for a moment, “It's like telling someone you can't do sleep-overs because you still wet the bed. It's not something you can just blurt out on a whim.” she said with a confident nod, before her eyes widened. “Not that I know anyone that does that!” she assured as Chrys and Darrin raised an eyebrow at her.
“So ... where'd that analogy come from?” Darrin asked as he gave Momo a mischievous grin.
“L-Look, it was the first thing to come to mind, okay!” she replied indignantly, “What about you, huh? Aren't you gonna explain yourself to Chrys?” she asked as Darrin looked to Chrys.
“Pretty sure I said I'm keeping that to myself,” he said dismissively, “Honestly, I might just die before I bother to tell either you,” he added with a sharp grin, “It's not like you need to know why we cling to you.”
“I'd still like to know, thank you very much,” Chrys replied as she gave him a hard glare.
“Well, guess you're gonna have to wait then,” he countered, matching her glare, causing a moment of silence to fall on them. Momo then coughed into her hoof as she stepped between her clutchlings.
“The sun's still up. We can still fall back on our original plans!” she said with a beaming grin, melting the glares her clutchlings were sharing.
“You seem adamant on sunbathing,” Darrin said in an amused tone.
“It's not that often I get a day off,” Momo said with a nod, getting a sigh from Chrys.
“I'm sorry. I've really messed this all up-”
“You broke off early because of the pony this morning, but we can blame the rest of this frustration on Mantis,” Darrin quickly said, getting a nod from Momo.
“Let's not worry about that now," Momo stated, "Bulwark said he'd return to our spot when he got back, so let's give him a smile when he does!”
“Yeah, about that.” Chrys began, “Why'd Bulwark head into the Badlands? Isn't it dangerous to go alone?”
“He is a royal guard, Chrys,” Momo pointed out, “Though, I didn't really ask why when he left, I had things on my mind,” she admitted, before walking next to Chrys, offering her back to the princess.
“Just a moment Momo,” Darrin said, a bothered look growing on his face, “I'm Her Highness's 'carriage' today," he said as he motioned for Chrys to hop on. "Let's get going if we wanna catch what's left of the day.” He added, prompting Chrys to look between her clutchlings, her heart aching for a number of reasons, as she shook her head.
“Aegis, stay behind us,” Chrysalis ordered, getting a nod from the royal guard as she started down the tunnels towards their destination. “I'll lead.” She then looked to Darrin with a small grin. His eyes widened for a moment, before he let out a small sigh.
“Then I guess we'll follow,” he replied.
“Sounds good to me!” Momo let out, as they went to their spot on the cliff. As Chrys led them through the hive, she once again found her mind wandering towards what happened this morning. She then pushed it all aside, choosing to save it for tomorrow. It didn't take too long for them to reach their spot, and the way was still open for them.
“...You going to join us, Aegis?” Momo asked as she stepped into the sunlight, giving the unfamiliar guard a curious look.
“I'll keep watch, but nothing more,” he said simply, getting a disappointed look from Momo as he did just that. As Chrys walked onto the outcropping, she briefly looked out into the Badlands, wondering what her Bulwark was doing, before she lay down, letting out a long sigh as she enjoyed the sun's warmth.
The three of them enjoyed themselves for a time, talking about their latest acquisition from the land of ponies, helping keep Chrys' mind from anything other than their company. Near sundown, just before they were deciding to go inside, Bulwark returned, catching the others off guard as he flew up from beneath the outcropping.
“Bulwark!” Chrys let out excitedly, more so than she intended as her horn glowed, giving Aegis a small push. The royal guard took the hint, and left before Bulwark could notice his presence. “I mean, uh. What took you? Why'd you go into The Badlands?” she asked as she adopted a displeased look.
“To learn something.” Bulwark said as he limped to the princess, getting concerned looks from the others as he added. “No worries, Your Highness, I ran into a snake. Nothing I couldn't manage,” he assured as Momo and Darrin came closer. He didn't look injured, though he was covered in dirt. Before they could press for details, he looked to the princess. “Did you find your answer?” he asked, and Chrys looked to him, trying to imagine how big the snake must have been to cause him to limp like that. She then shook her head as she considered his question.
“No, but I have some direction now,” she replied as she looked to the horizon, spotting the first hints of the coming monsoon in the distance as she looked to the others. “There are things I need to learn, before I become a queen,” she added, a fire burning in her chest.
“You can say that again.” Darrin said, getting a small glare from Chrys as Momo let out a small laugh.
“He's got you there, Chrys. Don't worry, we'll be there with you. No matter what Mantis pulls.”
“Let me worry about Mantis,” Bulwark said with a determined glare, “Just do what feels right, Your Highness.”
“I think I'll do just that.” Chrys said as she gave Bulwark a big smile, “That's a lot better advice than what you said this morning,” she pointed out, prompting Bulwark to glance to the side.
“Do what feels right, as long as it doesn't get you in trouble,” he corrected, getting a small chuckle from her.
“No promises,” she replied, getting a sigh from Darrin and Bulwark, and a laugh out of Momo. “So, about this snake, are they as big as I've heard...?” Chrys asked as she looked to Bulwark, who adopted a smile as he told them of his encounter. A short story of peril and adventure that followed them as they returned to the hive, looking to call it a day.