Chapter 9: For Crown and Family
21st of the tenth moon, 1550 A.E. (After Equestria) 1:40 a.m. - Sleeping quarters of pod #27
"So let me get this straight. My clumsy brother here, after barely avoiding execution by your pleas, has detailed his extremely treasonous plan to resettle the hive on a piece of paper, then lost the darn thing, then it went into the hands of the queen, and now we're all very likely to die?" asked Pharynx. They were all huddled around the center of their sleeping quarter, with Chrysalis's soundproofing spell around it to prevent any eavesdropping.
"Unfortunately yes," replied Chrysalis. "I have already expended many days thinking about my options, and that means our time is rapidly running out. I didn't want to lose all three of us, so I even considered..." she couldn't dare say what she considered doing to her brother.
A gentle hoof was laid on her back, however, as Thorax said quietly, "Thats okay. Now at least I know what troubled you for the last couple of days. It's my fault that I was so clumsy and put my entire pod in danger. I'll go talk to the queen myself."
"No!" Both Chrysalis and Pharynx shouted. "Don't you get it? The whole purpose that I directly disobeyed the queen's orders was to avoid you getting killed!" she fumed. "Besides, after you go there and confront her on your own, she would still kill all three of us anyway," added Pharynx.
They all sat in silence after that. Chrysalis' mind was spinning at a manic pace. Through her harrowing dream, she finally acknowledged sacrificing Thorax was out of the question. Also, sending a direct proposal to the queen was a bad idea, so the only remaining option was... "to coup her?"
She didn't mean to say that out loud.
Pharynx wasn't impressed. "Seriously? That's the best you can think of? I mean, sure, you have the largest pool of magic among the rest of us, so if anyone in the hive was to attempt it, it would be you. But the queen..." he trailed off. "You know she's strong enough to crush all three of us flat. Even if you do succeed, what are you going to do about the rest of the hive? They are going to hunt us down as traitors."
Chrysalis bit her lip. She knew Pharynx was right. She couldn't possibly hope to take out the queen by force. But... "Then we don't coup her by force. In three days, the queen intends to make an official ceremony celebrating the war's end, and since we managed to hold back the diamond dog assault, she promised to make me her official heir. If I can deliver a speech to convince them of the need to relocate the hive to the surface...."
Her brother was still skeptical, however. "The address will probably be broadcasted via crystal to the whole hive, so it certainly would be potent... but are you sure you can convince the public of Thorax's plan? The queen is feared by all, so even if the plan sounds good, many changelings will hesitate to join you."
Chrysalis, truthfully couldn't give any guarantees. However, she knew her brothers would stand by her on that fateful day, so she had only one answer to his skepticism. "There is only one way to find out."
24th of the tenth moon, 1550 A.E. (After Equestria) 10:00 a.m.
The main hall of the changeling hive literally buzzed with excitement as fifteen thousand changelings fixated their eyes on the podium. This was only a small fraction of the hive, and plenty more were watching from their sleeping quarters by crystal television. It was a special holiday, when even the most hard-working sentinels or foragers could take a time off from their duties and watch the queen's speech.
A great round of applause went to the tall figure who limped onto the stage. The queen seemed to have sustained some injuries from the diamond dog invasion. However, she was looking as calm and regal as per usual, and full of confidence. Looking at her from the sidelines, Chrysalis shook her head in a sense of dread. This was a terrible mistake, she thought. I'll never be able to sway them to our cause. All three of us are going to end up dead...
Just then, she saw Pharynx looking at her from the opposite direction with a heavy frown. He was silent, but it wasn't hard to guess what he was trying to get across. You promised to save my brother. It's either coup or death.
The queen began to speak, amplifying her calm voice through her magic. "Greetings, fellow changelings. It has been three years since I stood here and vowed that the diamond dogs would never lay their claws on our realm. Today, I am immensely proud to announce that the promise has been kept. Their leader is no more, our hive is intact, and we have emerged victorious!"
After a round of applause, beads of sweat formed on her head as she continued. "However, I could not have done this monumental feat alone. So many changelings have lost their lives in the war. The sentinels bled for the hive in the battlefield. The foragers starved for the hive to feed them. Let us have a moment of silence for those who have fallen."
At that moment, even the three that were conspiring against the queen lowered their heads in revered silence. She was right. The war had taken a huge toll on the hive. After every battle, there were always corpses strewn about the floor. Thorax was demoted to janitor duty after his disobedience, and he had to clean up those bodies and blood after the battles. Chrysalis knew he came up with the plan to go to the surface for that reason.
They mourned for about a minute, but it felt like hours to Chrysalis. After it was over, the queen returned to her confident voice. "Yet, today, I intend to honor one changeling that has served me and the hive to the greatest extent. She gave us the means to predict the oncoming final assault and helped minimize casualties greatly. She demonstrated her bravery by fighting on the front lines when she could have stayed at the rear. As a reward, I intend to grant her the status of heir to the crown. Please come, Chrysalis, and say what you may to the whole hive."
In her mind, she made her apologies to the queen before going up to the podium. She had chosen this path because she wanted to save both her brother and the hive. Unfortunately, that would mean she would be betraying her mentor for the second time in her life.
On the podium, after a bit of thinking, she finally spoke up. "Thank you, your majesty, and thank you all for making this victory possible. Without it, our hive and our futures would have been decimated." She took a deep breath, and continued. "Yet we deserved better. We all deserved so much better. To be honest, I can't help but feel anger at the fact that we fought so bravely, yet lost so many." The crowd was perplexed, wondering where this was going.
"A few months ago, in the midst of our fight for survival, the hoof pox broke out among the foragers who went out to the overworld in disguise. The disease quickly spread through the hive, threatening our survival from within. During that harsh period, my brother Thorax was demoted for stealing the hive's dwindling love reserves, trying -successfully- to save those in quarantine. His decision saved hundreds of lives," She saw the queen baring her fangs in the sidelines. She shuddered at the thought of them piercing her veins, but there was no going back now.
"However, because of that, in the final battle we ended up losing more of our sentinels in the process. In the ugly choice between faraway casualties and up-close sickness, her majesty chose sickness, and my brother chose casualties. Yet there is one question left unanswered: Why do we have to choose at all?
A string of murmurs rippled through the crowd. "Why do we have to suffer when there is a whole world filled with love in the realm above? We could treat our ill, and have enough love magic to feed and arm ourselves at the same time! Also, by staying down here, we're simply wasting our greatest ability! By shapeshifting, we can simply blend into equestrian society without causing a massive upheaval, and..."
She was cut short by a sharp rock flying from the ceiling and brushing up against her neck. It floated there in the bright crimson magical hue of the queen. One swipe and she was dead. The queen has finally lost her patience, she mused. Well, so much for the plan.
The queen emerged out of the shadows as the crowd gasped in shock. "I should have expected this," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I should have expected you to fall into your brother's enticing trap. You are spreading his infectious words throughout the hive, without even considering the consequences of your actions. I thought you were wiser, stronger, more loyal than this!"
"She is!" cried out a voice from the sidelines. Thorax had galloped onto the podium as well, and was shouting at the top of his lungs. "My words are infectious because they are the truth! She has the wisdom to see it, the strength to challenge you on this spot, the loyalty to risk her own life and the life of our pod only for good of the hive!"
He went on, "As head of the foraging department, I discovered that ponies in general were becoming less hostile to outsiders in general. Many foragers reported that ponies showed hospitality and abundant love towards them when they were in disguise. My calculations estimate that if we moved the entire population to the surface and disguise ourselves, we could solve all our energy issues without having to harm the ponies!"
The queen only snorted, simply dismissing his claim with a hoof. However, her breathing seemed to getting raspy. "Since when was denying my authority the definition of loyalty? Believe me, I've lived several times longer than the two of you combined. Us changelings belong in the underworld! Ponies are cruel, vile creatures not to be trusted, and we can't go to the surface. That decision is final!" Although Chrysalis was up against her, she had to agree with the queen's sentiment about ponykind.
"Say that to all of our dead!" called out another voice. Pharynx had joined the struggle, trying to peel off the dagger from Chrysalis' throat to no avail. "Say that to the sentinels who died without ammunition during the final assault! Say that to the hundreds of disease victims that you refused to treat! Even when we have a way to end our suffering, you refuse to listen because of your stupid pride!"
The crowd was visibly shaken throughout this exchange. The changeling society was small, less then a tenth of Equestria's total population. Noling had survived through this turbulent era without losing a friend or a pod member. The promise of salvation, along with the promise of life was indeed enticing, and infectious.
Chrysalis, with her keen eye, didn't miss this. Using all her remaining love magic, she broke free from the queen's dagger, and dashed right in front of the crowd. She smirked to her former captor, "Well, maybe its for all of us to decide, whether or not my brother's plan is folly." Before the queen could intervene, she shouted,
"Everyling who wants change, shout aye!"
At first, there was silence. Then there was two ayes, from her two brothers. A moment later, one of the sentinels in the first row shouted aye. Then the forager in the rear, another forager from the front...
Soon the entire hall was chanting "Aye". There were other chants, as well. "Down with the queen!" "Long live the hive!" "For the surface!" Some changelings were sobbing, having to remember their fallen once more. What had originally began as a holiday to celebrate the victory had become the uncontrolled chaos of anger, pain, and hope.
Among this chaos and revolutionary zeal, the queen sat in a quiet frown, seemingly lost in thought. Then she began to quietly laugh, which quickly stole Chrysalis' attention away from the commotion. "Funny, I have protected this kingdom from all kinds of monstrosities, yet your babble about hope is how the kingdom falls. False hope has poisoned you all, from you, my heir to the smallest nymphs... everyling will suffer, because of you," she said, staring straight at Chrysalis.
"Quite the contrary," she retorted. "We will somehow get to the surface, and I swear to the ground below us, you will watch from the sidelines as we-"
The queen cut her off. "Also, I bet you aren't going to stop at queen. You're next goal is princess of Equestria, I presume?"
Chrysalis was horrified. Was she going to use her heritage to turn the tide? Seemingly reading her mind, the queen laughed once more.
"Oh don't you worry, I am not the one who's going to destroy you. As you have said, it would be wonderful to watch from the sidelines as you dig your own grave, but sadly I think I won't be able to."
Before Chrysalis could inquire further, the queen dropped down to the ground with a painful grunt, and a wave of crimson red magic washed over her. As the flames touched her body, Chrysalis could only watch in shock as her body revealed its numerous postules, scars, and the flustered cheeks of high fever.
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The former queen is an idiot, I'll enjoy see her being torn apart because of her stupid pride.
10073042
Well, she does have the pony equivalent of smallpox, so I hope that satisfies you?
10073056
What is the pony equivalent of cow pox?
10073089
Hmm, didn't think about that. You gave me an idea. I might use it in a later scenario.
10073056
Yes it does.
10073112
Glad to hear it.
10073089
10073097
By the comics buttocks! joey what have you done! You gave Seahorn an idea of a new sickness. Time for the foragers to wear the plague doctor mask, and a cart to bring the dead.
10073097
imagine if the first vaccine was made by changelings.
10073213
infection with cow pox usually isn't fatal and is actually why milk maidens were unaffected by smallpox
10073123
My Bionicle OC on the other hand probably wouldn't be satisfied as he actually enjoys tormenting those like her for his own amusement...if he cared about her existence at all.
Sorry for not a very good English.
Yeah, I'm know that after 40 years remembrance of the first earthpony who became Celestia's apprentice would be effaced from Equestrians memory.
But I think it would be interesting if among the delegates on botched ascension of Cater Pillar happened to be young Granny Smith and Granny Pie.
As we know, if we say "Apple Clan" we have in mind traditions, family honour and unwillingness to change when the world changes (in general). And story of Cater Pillar became example for the young Applejack that trying to jump ahead of yourself is the grave mistake. AJ would snap her hooves on story and fall from disgrace of future changeling Queen.
Whereas Granny Pie as oddball of Pie Clan would be seeing in Cater Pillar misunderstood tragic hero who tried her best to change the world to her people for the best, to see farther than racial prejudices. On the contrast to Applejack, Pinkie Pie would grown up idolising Cater Pillar and like her she would be make the world the better place with her "crazy" inventions.
I just can't get my mind off this idea...
10078304
Whoa..... Never thought of that. But since you've already mentioned it, I'll have to take it a slightly different direction. However, I really appreciate your feedback and the willingness to make such a dedicated comment on my underdeveloped fiction. Keep up your good work!
10078304
That goes for all of you who have commented on this story so far. It means a lot, and although I won't make the story exactly according to your ideas, all of these comments are giving me a great chance to make my fiction richer. I really thank you for all of that.