Origins

by Spiders Are Bae

Where her story began

Queen Chrysalis ruled over her hive ruthlessly and with absolute authority. No drone was spared her wrath. If they messed up in some way or were found lacking in their abilities to perform tasks, they would be punished accordingly. Worse were the days when Chrysalis was bored, treating her drones harshly for the smallest of reasons, all the while making sure her subjects stayed loyal, obedient and kept in line with the mistreatment on display.

Whenever she laid a batch of eggs, she occasionally hatched a special drone with everything needed to develop into a queen, a potential heir to the throne, or a new rival to be crushed or exiled, like many have before.

Queen Necifera was one such drone, although she was far from being a queen in her current state. From the moment she hatched, Chrysalis could tell this drone was different from the others in the clutch. Necifera hatched with a rare mutation, causing her to have a dark red chitin compared to Chrysalis’s green. As Chrysalis saw her grow, she could see the full extent of Necifera’s mutation, her mane and tail revealing their bright red colors, and her eyes gained a crimson red glow to them.

Chrysalis wasn’t surprised or bothered by this, she saw many similar cases before. What really interested her, and the question that plagued her mind ever since Necifera hatched, was if this drone would betray her, like many of her children have before. Chrysalis was no stranger to this, many of her drones and alphas have attempted to seize the throne for their own. None have succeeded thus far, and ended up being exiled or, to those less fortunate, were kept as prisoners and taught a lesson, to put it lightly, by Chrysalis herself.

“Are you ready for your lessons today, Necifera?” Chrysalis asked bluntly, facing away from the drone as she entered the throne room.

“Yes mother,” replied the young drone, taking slow steps towards her mother.

Chrysalis nodded, pleased with the answer. “As you should. You already know your purpose, to grow up and be ready to become a queen and replace me should the time come,” she stated. “I hope you know how important these lessons are. Without them, you will surely fail your role as a queen.”

Necifera stayed silent, her ears aimed towards Chrysalis as she listened intently.

“Many of your sisters tried and failed to dethrone me, for they did not listen to my teachings,” Chrysalis then turned to look down at the drone, locking her eyes on Necifera. “I hope you don’t make the same mistakes.”

Although she felt a shiver running through her entire body when Chrysalis laid eyes on her, Necifera finally spoke. “But mother, do we have to keep practicing our violent ways? Can’t we change? Treat others better. Even with your own changelings you are aggressive and cruel.”

Chrysalis frowned and waved her left fore hoof dismissively. “What are you saying? You haven’t even seen the outside world yet, you don’t see how others treat us. You have to show your above them if you wish to rule. This has always been our way. Don’t tell me you're one of those defective drones with deviant ideas. It would be a shame to....replace you.“

Necifera let out a low sigh of defeat as she lowered her head slightly. “N-no mother, i’m fine. I won't bring it up again...”

“Good, now, let’s get started.”

***

Every day, Necifera grew and learned more with the help of her mother’s lessons. She would occasionally leave the hive for some scouting missions in pony territory, and whenever she encountered one, she found it easier to use hypnosis to get food from them, without harming or alerting her prey of her presence due to the ability to erase recent memories.

She made this her preferred hunting method and perfected it with every future mission, able to increase the effects of her hypnosis. The more she saw of the outside world, the more she hated the thought of taking her mother’s place, treating others and even her own changelings with spite.

Necifera didn’t want to inherit such a position, she didn’t share the same view as Chrysalis, and it took her some time to make a final decision on the matter. If she were to flee, her mother would surely see her as a traitor and would hunt her down, or prevent her from ever returning. If she were to stay, she would risk becoming like her. Necifera explored the hive whenever she got the chance, mapping out the quickest way she could make her escape through the dark, winding, shifting tunnels.

In her task, she came across the chamber where different crystals were kept. These small crystals stored raw love for later consumption, and were vital in keeping the changelings in the hive well fed. This would prove useful to have if Necifera successfully escaped. With that in mind, she began forming a plan.

As the days passed, Necifera endured Chrysalis’s lessons and the ever increasing discomfort she felt in the hive, especially near her mother. No matter how much she tried to distract herself and interact with her siblings, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread she felt within.

She also grew to be much bigger than a normal drone. She became an alpha, the last stage needed before becoming a full grown queen. If she wished to have full control of her life, she needed to act fast.

Before her plan to escape the hive could be put into motion however, she first needed to sever her connection to the hive link in order to prevent her mother from locating her.

Necifera knew this would be a hard and painful process. Once separated from the link, she would feel alone, isolated, and weak. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make, she just couldn’t bear living under such mental pressure. Once the alpha was sure she no longer had anything left to do in the hive, she prepared a spell that her mother taught her, one used to manipulate the link.

“I can do this…” Necifera whispered, her calm breathing and low voice amplified in the silence of the empty chamber where she stood.

The alpha closed her eyes, and focused her magic and mind. Her horn lit up, causing a blinding red light to envelop the room, and she cast her spell. Sharp pain began coursing through it, and slowly started spreading to the rest of her body. She clenched her fangs and winced as tears began streaming down her face, the feeling being stronger than Necifera expected.

She felt the voices she heard ever since she hatched, as well as her mother’s oppressive but comforting presence, slowly disappearing, and being replaced by a deafening silence. She stumbled, and as the spell finished, she collapsed. Her horn, it’s light now extinguished, was left smoking from the ordeal. The room went silent.

Her body laid motionless on the ground for a few seconds, before she rose on shaky hooves, panting, and tried using the link. Necifera was only met with silence, no voices could be heard, and her mother’s presence couldn’t be felt at all. She was alone with her thoughts. The alpha remained silent, still shaking and quietly sobbing to herself as her mind adjusted to the new emptiness inside.

“I-It worked…” She whispered after she calmed down, drying the last of the tears in her eyes with a fore hoof. “...No turning back now.” With the new feeling of emptiness inside her, but also newfound motivation, Necifera set her plan in motion.

***

It was time to make her move, it wouldn’t take long for her mother to notice something was wrong in the link. Necifera prepared a bag to take with her, late one night, and made her way to the crystal chamber, trying to act normal whenever she passed by one of her siblings. Once she arrived, she stashed a good number of crystals filled with love inside the bag and began her escape.

She made her way through the tunnels, trying to remember the quickest path out of the hive. Unfortunately for her, she ran straight into Chrysalis when she passed near the throne room.

“Ah, Necifera, i was just looking for you,” Chrysalis said, oblivious to what Necifera was planning. That is, until she quickly noticed the crystals poking out of the bag the alpha was carrying. She leaned in to get a closer look at it before frowning. "What are you doing with those?" She asked as she pointed towards the bag with her hoof. “And why can't I sense you on the link?” Chrysalis’s voice took on a more serious tone and her frown intensified, discovering she couldn’t sense Necifera’s presence in the hive link. “What did you do?” She towered before her, shooting daggers at the alpha.

Necifera let out a breath she didn't notice she was holding and managed to blurt out some words. “I…I'm sorry mother, but I can't be like you. I'll show you how we can change! I’ll show you how we can live in harmony with others!” She shouted, her adrenaline rising as she did.

Necifera’s horn flashed red as she dashed past her mother, causing it’s sudden bright glow to blind Chrysalis temporarily. As Necifera galloped away through the tunnels, her heart beating as fast as she was moving, she heard a sharp hissing echoing behind her.

“Ack! Stupid bug! What are you planning?” Chrysalis hissed, hints of anger and annoyance in her voice. She covered her still blind eyes with a fore hoof while she waited for her vision to return, backing up slowly while continuing her scolding. “Is that how you plan to take me down? Blinding me won't be enough!” Once her sight returned, Chrysalis looked around the area, and found no sign of Necifera. She was confused at first, expecting a confrontation. Then, as realization hit her, she snarled <We have a traitor in the hive! Hunt her down and bring her to me! Do not let her escape! > She practically screamed her orders into the link, providing with them a mental image of the rogue alpha to all her changelings.

The hive came alive, just as Necifera expected once her mother found out. She needed to move fast before all escape routes were blocked. The corridors shifted often, but she was able to stay on track with all the scouting she did earlier.

Changelings appeared to stop her progress, and she was able to dodge many, but, hesitantly and regrettably, she had to use force and magic to shove most aside.

Necifera didn’t want to harm any of her brothers and sisters, she merely wished to get away from her mother. As she dodged and weaved throughout the hive, she spotted one of the many exits, the light brightly shining inward.

She sped up, but abruptly came to a halt when another changeling landed in front of the entrance, blocking her path. This changeling was also different, like her. She had a dark purple carapace and a violet mane and tail. Nymph was her name, Necifera interacted with her many times on her missions and often inside the hive.

“Nymph….please, I don't want to hurt you. Let me leave, mother doesn’t have to know you helped me.” Necifera pleaded, breathing heavily in between words.

“Why are you doing this? Mother gave you everything a changeling could want. You can become a queen! Why flee from such a gift?” Nymph proclaimed, her cold tone very noticable, and her gaze fixed on Necifera.

“I was lucky to be born ready! You could become a queen with enough work and dedication! But i don’t want her legacy, i’m not like her. I’m not her! I will show her, I will show you and all my siblings that we can change! We can rule with trust and harmony in others! Please….just give me a chance. Let me pass, she doesn’t have to know...” Tears began running down her face again, the thought of having to hurt her sister forming in Necifera’s mind.

Nymph closed her eyes and sighed, before locking them on Necifera again. “You're making a mistake, pray it won’t be your last, sister,” she slowly stepped out of the way, allowing Necifera to continue her escape, still keeping her gaze fixed on the rogue alpha.

“Thank you sister. I promise, I'm doing this for the hive, for our race. I hope we can meet again on better terms,” Necifera reassured Nymph as she passed by her, and resumed her escape. She leapt into the air and, flying as fast as possible once outside, picked a direction at random. Just as she started to make distance from the hive, she heard a familiar voice, one that sent chills running down her spine one last time before she left the Badlands.

“RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN! IT WON'T MATTER, I WILL FIND YOU AND YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR TREASON!” Chrysalis’s voice rang all the way to the edge of the hive’s area, her hatred echoing in her words.

Chrysalis was panting heavily at the entrance of her hive after having shouted so loud, the loudest she ever shouted. A guard walked up to her as she observed Necifera.

”Should we chase after her?”

“No, she won’t survive out there. She will just get herself killed with her little friendship quest. I should have seen it coming, such wasted potential.”

Chrysalis turned to enter her hive, quickly glancing towards Nymph, who was still staring intently, unmoving, at Necifera disappearing in the horizon, her eyes lost in thought. Chrysalis frowned with a mix of disgust and disappointment thinking about what just happened, before she whipped her head forward and disappeared in the depths of her hive.