The First Hive, Many Years Ago
“Chrysalis, stop staring,” Queen Avia warned her young daughter, who was staring in awe at the various queens scattered around the place.
“But, I have never seen so many queens before! How can you not be excited about this!?” Princess Chrysalis exclaimed.
Avia could only give a light-hearted chuckle at her daughter’s flustered features. “If you recall, I have been doing this a very long time. It is nothing new.”
Chrysalis pouted. “But what about the deep history this place must have? Imagine the books it must contain!” She shouted gleefully.
Avia rolled her eyes. “Chrysalis, if someday you have a daughter of your own and she is as enamoured with books as you are then our hive is doomed.”
“Oh hardy har,” Chrysalis deadpanned.
An amused grin graced Avia’s features. “I’ve also noticed you’ve started reading some of those pony romance novels?”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened. “What? No! Why would I ever read something like that?”
“Of Love and Loss I believe, authored by some little pony whose initials are T.Z? What does that stand for anyway?”
“Why would I know? I. Do not. Read that stuff!”
“I found it hidden under your pillow,” Avia grinned even wider.
Chrysalis just stood, unable to craft a response in a satisfactory manner.
Though she would not have to.
“Sister.”
Avia’s eyes widened at the new voice, and turned to see Queen Crudelis approaching.
“Sister…” Avia half-heartedly greeted back. “What do I owe the… pleasure?”
“This must be your daughter, Chrysalis is it?” Crudelis looked down onto the teenage changeling royal, who hid slightly behind her mother.
“You have no business with her,” Avia spat.
“Oh please Avi.” Crudelis rolled her eyes. “She is my niece.”
“Don’t call me Avi.”
Crudelis was legitimately taken aback. “What? Why not?”
“You lost that right when you murdered mother.”
Crudelis’ eyes narrowed. “I did what I had to.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Queen Avia mocked, before turning to her daughter. “Go on ahead Chrysalis, I will be along soon.”
Nodding, albeit reluctantly, Chrysalis left her mother to speak with Crudelis while she went on inside.
She found herself in a long corridor, and after about a minute of walking realised she had no idea where she was actually going.
“Ah, damn it,” Chrysalis muttered at the realisation.
She passed by a few more doors, but had yet to pass by another changeling. She was hoping to find a drone that could direct her out of the maze of a hive. Coming up on a T-junction in the corridor Chrysalis decided to take a right, and bumped head first into something.
“Owch!” Chrysalis shouted as she grabbed onto her throbbing horn, falling onto her rump in the process.
“Hey, are you alright?” another voice asked.
Chrysalis let go of her horn and looked up to see a changeling standing before her. The changeling had green draconic eyes and a teal mane done up in a neat bun, she also seemed to be about Chrysalis’ age.
“Hey, who are you?” Chrysalis asked.
“My name is Draco, yours?” Princess Draco held out a hoof.
“Chrysalis,” she responded as she accepted the hoofshake. “Could you help me? I might be a little lost.”
Draco chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry Chrysalis, I think we might be in the same boat then.”
“Oh, fantastic,” Chrysalis deadpanned.
“So, is this your first visit to the castle?” Draco asked. “It is mine.”
“Yes,” Chrysalis confirmed. “This place is amazing, don’t you think?”
“Um, I guess?” Draco shrugged.
“You guess?!” Chrysalis gawked. “Why can’t others just appreciate the history behind sites like these? I wonder who built it originally.”
“No idea. I never really thought about it.”
“Hmm,” Chrysalis tapped her chin with a hoof. “There must be a book on it somewhere.”
Draco raised an eyebrow. “You really like books, huh?”
Chrysalis eyes glinted gleefully. “Are you kidding? What could be better than books and studying?”
“Anything,” Draco deadpanned.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “One day I will show the world the value of a good book.”
“I’m sure you will…” Draco smirked. “Say, since you seem to study a bunch, do you know any good spells?”
“One or two,” Chrysalis smiled. “Magical theory is one of the many areas I like to research into when I can.”
Draco’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, theory? As in, you don’t really know how to cast them?”
“Well…” Chrysalis twirled a hoof in the air. “Mother kind of has a strict policy against any unnecessary spellcasting that might blow up the hive. Or anything else that I might do to accidentally cause damage…”
“She seems kind of paranoid to me,” Draco stated.
“Perhaps. But she might have a good reason to be.”
Draco raised that eyebrow again. “What do you mean?
Chrysalis blushed in embarrassment. “Oh, there was an incident. It involved a statue, flying and one shattered crystal.”
Draco seemed rather confused. “Wait what? What do you mean by any of that?”
“It doesn’t matter!” Chrysalis quickly stated.
“Alright, are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“Anyway…” Chrysalis changed the subject. “I have been practicing this one spell.”
“Oh? What is that then?”
“Portals.”
“Oh! I know about that one!” Draco exclaimed. “I’ve seen my mother and a few drones do it. I myself do not know how, but it is on my to-do list.”
“Well I can cast it!” Chrysalis stated with pride. “Want to see?”
“Sure,” Draco nodded. “Let’s see what you’ve got!”
With a happy grin Chrysalis lit up her horn a bright green. “Now, I’m only going to port myself a little to the left of us, it is just an example after all.”
Draco nodded in agreement.
“Alright, here we go!” Chrysalis activated the spell.
A tear opened in the ground beneath Chrysalis, and she quickly sank into it. A short distance away another one opened and Chrysalis emerged again.
There was just one problem.
“Um… help?” Chrysalis squeaked in embarrassment.
The portal had opened up in a wall. The wall itself had morphed and disfigured around Chrysalis, but she was now so tightly packed in that she was very, very stuck.
Draco erupted into a fit of giggles that sent her falling to the floor.
“Yeah yeah laugh it up…” Chrysalis groaned.
Draco managed to bring her giggles under control and shot Chrysalis an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but that was too funny!”
Chrysalis glared at Draco.
“Alright! I will help you out.”
Draco lit up her own horn and grabbed onto Chrysalis with a levitation spell. With both their efforts and after about a minute of trying Chrysalis popped from the wall and tumbled to the floor.
“T-thanks.”
Chrysalis looked up to see a hoof outstretched to her, Draco was offering to help Chrysalis up. Chrysalis accepted the help gratefully.
“You're welcome,” Draco smiled. “I like you Chrysalis. Do you want to hang out more?”
Chrysalis smiled back at Draco. “I would like that."
Pffft!
That was too funny!
B.Y.C.F.F
7298065 What? I get the last three letters (C.F.F = Changeling Friend Forever), but what does B.Y. mean?
OMG! That was too cute!
Thank goodness i was reading one of my favorite chapters when i saw the new chapter. Good job !
7298125
Best Young CHangeling Friends Forever
If you are wondering my lowercase H is broken, but you probably aren't.
7298165 Anyone that would like to help me is welcome and will be rewarded with all the power i can give them. NO ONE HURTS A CHANGELING, EVEN IF IT IS CELESTIA!
*Finds this story*
Me and my big mouth...
(it's a really good story, kind of like this but with celestia and other things.)
Wow like mother like daughter. Both of them love books and both get trap in a wall try to tp lol.
Now you're . . . almost thinking with portals.
It's hilarious! Hahahaha ... I wonder if Chrysalis also has Twilight's knack of going more than a little bit crazy when she gets frustrated?
Hahaha I can't stop laughing at the last part.
Welp, like mother, like daughter. And the idea of a young Chryssie studying a book in complete concentration is just too adorable.
Pfft, nice going, Chryssie.
Nice cover art!
7298202 Oh!
Um, based on current evidence, Twilight's love of books stems from her mother, but is a bit higher. If Twilight ever has a kid, better by new locks for the royal library while you have the chance.
7298507 You know how many times we hear that joke? No. We are not a robot cop. The other enforcers and I are called 'Murphy'. Because we enforce the law...Murphy's Law.
7298562 Exactly. If the other queens knew that, not even, if Chrysalis and Twilight find out, Crudelis will have to deal with Chrysalis' Hive as well as Equestria's military and princess(es)
7298396 Canterlot invasion *Cough*
Hmm a double update. I enjoyed both of these chapters. The counsel meeting is under way. The changelinges of the Empire are in between a rock and a hard place...or should I say in between a crystal and a hard place.
And ontop of it all we get this really cute moment between Chrysalis and Draco. I love it all to peices. Keep up the good work and I await for the next chapter.
Read ya later-BFBL
Liking the updated cover art
Another story worth loosing sleep over!
Shut up and take my ratings!
OOOOOHHHH! The are updated!
Pffffffttttt...
we so much freaking cuteness I could die.
I'm guessing something happened to chrysalis that made her not like books, and will the hive be doom by the hands of Twilight, who knows
7300750 Who said she didn't like books? If you wonder why she isn't as into them now as she used to be, a thousand years happened.
Dawwww! Cute!!!!
And a grand friendship begins.
Don't know why but I read that as "Five hive and many years ago"
lolololtoofunny
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
7312465 Not going to argue with you there. I did it more as a joke, partially because I play WoT, and the U.S.S.R. tanks are pretty damn good. I like their tanks, not their government. And their dancing:
Finally got around to read the last 8 chapters or so. And boy - shed is going down!
The princess in the Crystal Empire is an intresting plotline -I wonder what the ponies reaction will be when they capture eatcher of the Bugs and get it to talk. It'll be intresting with Shinings assistance...
The secound plotline is essencially fantastic. So Crudelis murders one of the Queens. How aren't all the other queens don't make a coalition agaist her yet? She is clearly the pony equivalent of Hitler, so come on! If she can kill one of you then she can kill ANY of you, your survival instincts are much stronger than fear against a set person. Unless Bug biology works diffrently, there are no sentient spiders in the real world to really tell.
7313835
And let us be thankful that there are not.
I saw what you did there with Love and loss..dat reference tho Approved wholeheartedly!
Hooray for egghead Chryssi!
You're?
Missing end quote. Otherwise nice so far.
Awwwwww, Draco and Chrysalis are such cute friends. ^_^
Twilight's love for books as been discovered!
I see what you did there.
9369459
who is T Z.
10684166
I think it stands for tom117z
I disagree the hive seems to be going quite well.
For now.