How Chrysalis Got Her Groove Back IIII

>"Hello, your grace."
>"Good morning, your highness."
>"Greetings, my queen."
>"Hiya, mommy!"
>"Look! Look! It's momma! Hi momma!"
>Chrysalis watched as her subjects scurried to and fro in the hall
>Some of them were the smaller, stouter worker drones with their tool belts and their hardhats made of reinforced chitin
>Others were the bigger, bulkier warrior lings that walked around with their armor and their spears
>Even the caretakers, the drones that saw to the hatchlings, were expertly navigating through the crowd with some little ones following them like baby ducks
>One of the hatchlings-- a runt of the cluster by the look of him-- lost his balance mid step
>He was about to land muzzle first onto the stone floor, but with a simple spell the queen caught him
>The baby ling giggled as she lifted him onto the air and floated him over to her
"Easy there little one," she murmured, leaning forward to nuzzle his belly. "We wouldn't want you hurting yourself now, would we?"
>"Sowry, mommy," the hatchling chirped, its green little eyes alive and curious. "I'll watch where I'sh going next time."
>He was such a tiny little thing, barely half the size of his hatchmates,
>Not too long ago, a ling like this wouldn't have survived adolescence
>Love--at one time-- had been a rare and precious commodity
>They hadn't been able to give it out willy-nilly
>Only those who could do their part for the hive could have love
>Only the best and smartest and fastest were able to eat
>Only the strong could survive
>Chrysalis nuzzled the hatchling's cheek, smiling as she felt his hooves lightly tapping against her jaw and cheeks
>"Mommy, mommy! I wuv you mommy!"
>But no more
>All around her--from the smallest worker to the most imposing soldier-- were healthy, strong, love-filled Changelings
>All of her little lings could eat

>All of them could grow up, happy and healthy and safe
>The strongest weren't the only ones that could survive
"I love you too, my little ling."
>With a few more nuzzles, and a kiss or two, Chrysalis sent the little ling down
>His caretaker, who had a smile a mile wide on his face, quickly collected the baby ling and set him amongst his hatchmates
>They began to chirp and giggle, their wings buzzing as they nudged and bumped into each other and played as children played
>All around, lings slowed their pace to watch the hatchlings, chuckling and smiling at the sight of the little ones enjoying themselves
>"Now now, children, no rough-housing in the halls. We wouldn't want anyling to get hurt now," the caretaker cooed, shepherding the baby lings as best as he could. "Say goodbye to the queen and we'll go back to the nursery to get you something to eat."
>The little ones brightened at that, spinning around to face Chrysalis
>"Bye mommy!" they all chirped together
>The queen found herself placing a hoof to her chest
>Every single hatchling was smiling at her
>They all looked happy
>Their chitin looked healthy, their eyes were clear and focused and their teeth were white and sharp
>Runt of the litter or the biggest in the cluster, it didn't matter
> It looked like they all were going to grow into happy, healthy adults
>If she had the time, she would have carried every single one of those darling little lings on her back and taken them to the nursery herself
>She would have seen that they were all fed as much as they could eat, and then she would play with each and every one of them until she couldn't lift a hoof
>She wanted to pick them all up and hug them, she wanted to pepper them with kisses
>She wanted to try to share some of the joy and happiness that seeing them, laughing and smiling like they were, brought her
>But she couldn't
>A queen was a very busy ling after all, and she had very important matters to see to today

>She had to set aside her personal wants
>For the good of her little lings
>She fought to keep the emotions welling inside of her in check, giving the cluster a soft smile
"Goodbye, my little lings. Enjoy the rest of your day," she said, her tone gentle and motherly. "Make sure to be good to your caretaker."
>"We will mommy! Bye mommy!"
>Waving, the hatchlings took off down the hall, frantically followed by their caretaker
>Chrysalis stood there, watching the little lings until they disappeared down the hall
>It was only when they were out of sight did she begin to walk again
"Seven, Fifteen, come. We must hurry if we are to see all that we need to see to before the king returns."
>Lings of all shapes and sizes scurried around her and her guards
>Many bowed their heads, others greeted her with a "good morning" or a "your majesty", though, one or twice, she heard a "hello mother" and "hi mom" come from the crowd
>Though the last few days had been... trying, the queen couldn't help but feel satisfied
>Work Groups three and five had completed building another section in the nursery just the other day
>Two new floors were being dug out to house the almost fully matured lings from the nursery
>The little ones had completed their midterm exams and, from what she had been told, their grades were the highest they had been in fifty years
>All was well in the hive; better than well actually
>There was no threat of mass starvation, no one was coming to try to drive them out of their hive, from the intel that her spies were giving her there were no wars or plagues on the horizon
>It was just another routine, lazy couple of days
>No excitement, no danger, nothing
>While there was still a small smile on her face, Chrysalis couldn't help but quietly sigh
"Tell me, Seven, have the scouts seen my husband and their merry band enter the Badlands yet?"
>Seven-two-five, an old warrior ling with one dead, milky-white eye, nodded

>"Yes, your highness. The scouts reported seeing the king entering Throat-Crack Valley at mid-morning."
"Very good. I want you to contact the scouts. Tell them to keep an eye on my darling. I've been told that there's been an unusually high amount of activity coming from those bandits south of us."
>"As you command, your grace."
>As Seven-two-five's horn glowed, Chrysalis looked over at Fifteen-one-one, her other personal guard for the evening
>Fifteen-one-one was a giant of a ling; perhaps one of the largest that she had ever spawned
>He towered above most of her lings, nearly equaling the queen's size
>Just like Seven, his body was a peppered with scars and disfigurements and other signs of battle
>Parts of his chitin clung awkwardly to his body, others were of a darker coloration than the rest
>A long, shiny scar ran the length of his muzzle and across both of his cheeks
>One of his fangs were cracked and the other bore a hole in the middle
>His back right leg was shorter than the rest; a result of an infection from a wound that nearly killed him
>Fifteen was a veteran
>He had been with Chrysalis for more than a hundred years, first as a soldier, then--when he had become to injured to fight for her on the frontlines-- as both her personal guard and an advisor of sorts
>The ling might have limped as he walked, but he was as smart as a whip, and because of him the hive had been saved more than once
"Seven, is there any word on the Collection Crystals?" Chrysalis asked as the three of them entered one of the larger chambers of the hive
>Here three floors intersected
>Lings both walked and flew to their destinations, chattering and working all the while
>"From what I've been told two of our excavation teams have found a particularly large cluster of the Crystals in the Bugbear Lands. They're doing their best to collect them but, because of the territory, it is taking some time."
>Chrysalis found herself gently frowning

>While there were many perks being married to a creature that produced a seemingly unending amount of love, collecting and storing said love for the entire hive to eat was becoming a bit of a problem
>Her little lings were growing in numbers and eating more than ever
>They needed more of the crystals to store the love that her husband was emitting efficiently and effectively
>Once upon a time they had looked to the caverns under Canterlot for such crystals but now, with the entirety of the Equestrian city under constant and heavy surveillance, they had been forced to look for the crystals elsewhere
"Send Work Group ten and twenty to their location, along with a cluster of warriors," she said. "I want those crystals back at the hive as quickly as possible."
>"Yes, my queen," Fifteen said with a nod. "I'll have the teams prepped and readied to leave within the day."
"Very good. Now let us be off, I wish to see how the work on those turbines is coming along."
>The rest of the morning went by like this
>The queen and her two guards would make their way around the hive
>Her little lings would report anything that needed reporting
>She'd have them send orders via magic throughout the hive and beyond if need be
>Every once in awhile they would stop and listen or talk to a ling, which would usually end in Chrysalis giving them a nuzzle or a kind word
>All, it seemed, was running smoothly
>But there was a small problem
>As the queen and her guards made their way through the halls and the chambers and caverns, Chrysalis could feel the eyes of her subjects on her
>Usually, this wouldn't mean a thing
>She was a queen, and a loved one at that
>It was only proper for her subjects to gaze upon her with respect and awe and maybe even a bit of reverence
>A month or two ago she wouldn't have paid it any mind, but now, after her... transformation, she knew that the looks were for a whole other reason
"...Fifteen? Do I appear odd to you?"

>Fifteen cocked his head to the side as Seven made the way for the three of them through a particularly dense crowd of lings
>"Odd? What do you mean, my lady?"
>Chrysalis simply raised an eyebrow
>Fifteen grimaced, his wings buzzing uncomfortably
>"You wouldn't be speaking of your current form, would you your highness?"
"You know very well what I'm speaking of, my little ling."
>Fifteen's wings buzzed again
>Chrysalis could tell that he wanted to look away from her, but his training as a soldier, even after all of these years, forbid him from looking away from his ruler when he was asked a question
>"I find nothing distressing about your current form, my lady," he said very carefully
>Chrysalis snorted, both in frustration and amusement
"Fifteen, I am not some delicate stallion. You will not hurt my feelings, no matter what you have to say," she said in a chiding tone. "Now, your queen ORDERS you to say what you think of her new... appearance."
>Fifteen opened his mouth
"I will know if you're lying," the queen quickly added
>Fifteen closed his mouth
>His eyes darted over to Seven, who gave him a helpless shrug and a smile
>"I find your new form... odd my queen," Fifteen admitted. "I do not mean that in a bad way--"
"Fifteen."
>"--I know that you're the same queen as you were, but your new form is nothing like it was before you molted."
>A small smile came to the queen's face as she looked down at herself
"I do look like a whole other ling, don't I?" she muttered, mostly to herself
>"Would you have any idea why you were changed so during your molt?" Fifteen asked
>Chrysalis shook her head
>"I will admit that this is something that I've neither seen nor heard of in all of my years as queen," she said. "I have the Shaperate pouring through our records, to see if there is any word of this happening to a queen from in any part of our history."
>She made a face

"Unfortunately, I have a feeling that they shall not find any other instance of my... condition. Tell me, what do my little lings think of my new body?"
>"Many find your lack of holes odd, and most that I've spoken to tell me that you're beginning to resemble an equestrian," Fifteen instantly replied
>Chrysalis grimaced, causing the ling to backpedal
>"Though, rest assured, my queen, they do not think ill of you in anyway. No matter how differently you look you are still our almighty queen."
>The queen looked away from her old guard for a moment
>She could see a trio of lings staring at her
>Their eyes drank in every inch of her; her now mostly hole-less legs, her horn, her butterfly wings, her smooth, soft chitin
>When they noticed her watching them they quickly looked away but the damage was already done
>Chrysalis snorted again, a rueful smile coming to her face
"The king insists that there is nothing wrong with me," she said. "He even had the gall that I looked CUTE like this..."
>Fifteen knew the beginnings of a trap when he saw one, and so decided to throw himself out of the way in the quickest and most respectable way possible
>Flattery and misdirection
>"While I believe that our king is as wise as he is kind, I do not, in any way, see you as CUTE, my queen," he said. "You are, my lady, a fearsome and formidable sight. When your enemies look upon your majesty they are struck with the most particular mixture of fear, regret, and even shame for attempting to inconvenience you in any way. No ling queen, in any age, carries herself or carries such an aura as you. The very earth trembles in reverence with each step upon it that you take."
>Fifteen could have gone on and one and one but, as a ling knew when to flatter his queen, he also knew that too much flattery wasn't necessarily a good thing
>So he went silent and bowed his head, as any good servant did when in the presence of his better
>On the other side of the queen, Seven was shaking his head

>Chrysalis herself was smiling warmly with an amused twinkle in her eyes
"What am I going to do with you, my little ling?" she asked
>"This poor, meager servant would like nothing else than to live comfortably and safely until the end of his days," Fifteen said, picking his head up. "It also wouldn't be remiss if he were to receive a box of delectable dark chocolates once in a full moon."
>Chrysalis chuckled, opening her mouth to smartly retort, when the tip of Seven's horn sparked to life
>The ling twitched in surprise, his eyes narrowing for a moment before he smiled
>"My lady, I just received word from the guards at the mouth of the hive. They're reporting that the king will be arriving within the hour."
>Every ling within earshot perked up
>Chrysalis herself looked positively thrilled
>Though it had only been three days, she missed her husband
>She missed walking through these halls with him
>Missed waking up to his peacefully sleeping face
>She even missed his incessant--though oddly heartwarming-- ramblings
>But now he was almost back again
>Back home where he belonged
"Excellent! Come, let us greet him."
>The queen and her guards did not sprint through the halls
>None of them would ever do something so unrestrained and undignified
>A queen held herself to a higher standard, and so only ran in the most dire of circumstances
>But, as she made her way toward the main entrance of the hive, her pace was visibly quicker
>It wasn't quite a jog, but it wasn't a walk by any stretch of the imagination
>There was an unrestrained smile on her face
>Her tail was swishing back and forth with each step she took
>Every few moments she'd wiggle midstep or her wings would flutter against her sides briefly
>Her little lings, seeing their queen in such, were quick to move out of the way as she and her guard expertly navigated the labyrinth of halls and corridors and chambers

>As she walked, Chrysalis had the time to think all of the little things that wife's secretly think when they're about to see a husband who had just returned from a trip
>Was he doing well?
>Had his trip been an enjoyable one?
>Was everything alright?
>What had he gotten her?
>It better not have been anything too excessive
>He knew that she didn't like to have all of those nick-nacks in their room, and she also didn't like it when he spent too much on her
>Had he been eating well while he was gone?
>Did he miss her as much as she missed him?
>Many would have found the walk a short one, but for Chrysalis it felt like it took a thousand years
>Eventually though, her and her personal guard found themselves nearing the mouth of the cave
>As per her orders, there were a group of lings standing at the ready with food and water to refresh her dear, sweet husband and his guard, along with a group of lings that would see to the king's baggage and chariot
>"Seven, what is the status of my husband?"
>Seven's horn glowed once again
>"He'll be here in a few minutes my queen. From what I'm being told there's a bit of a gale out there so the flyers are taking their time."
"Very well. We shall stand here and wait for him then."
>"Of course, my queen
>Chrysalis was a fidgeting ball of excitement as she waited for her husband
>She couldn't hold still
>Every few seconds, she would shift her weight, bouncing on the tips of her hooves, before shifting her weight again and bouncing on the backs of them as she bit her lip and stared out the mouth of the entrance
>Every ling in the large chamber was quick to ignore their queen's un-queenly actions, readying themselves for the king's landing
>Outside, Celestia's sun stood at its highest point, baking the hard clay ground with its merciless rays
>The skies were clear except for the occasional heat wave that distorted the very air itself

>Other than the sound of the wind picking up bits of clay and dead roots, all was quiet
>Then, out in the distance, a speck could be seen in the sky
>It was a tiny thing, barely visible, but each of the lings perked up when they saw it
>"That should be them," one of the Changeling's said. "Alright everyling, let's get ready!"
>Within a few moments, soldiers and worker lings took off into the air toward the speck
>Inside of the entrance, lings scurried around, making sure that everything looked neat and presentable
>The few guards still waiting stood a little straighter
>A carpet, emerald green in color, was rolled out
>Chrysalis quickly looked over herself, making sure that her crown was on straight, her mane and tail were neat, and there wasn't anything in her teeth
"Fifteen, have the kitchen staff prepare something for the king. He is no doubt famished."
>"Yes, my queen."
"And have one of those soldiers come over here with a shield. I need to get a proper look at myself."
>"Right away, your highness
>Minutes passed and the speck began to grow larger and larger
>It began to take form

>If one strained hard enough they would have seen the outline of a chariot, and a pair of lings pulling said chariot along
>When it got a little closer, one could see a hooded figure sitting in the chariot, along with about a dozen and a half lings flanking the airborne vehicle
>Closer and the finer details of the chariot could be seen
>It was a simple thing, though well made and sturdy
>The only thing that distinguished it from any other of its kind was its size--which was nearly three times that of a regular chariot-- and the symbol of a broken heart on the front and the sides of it
>"Everyling make way! Chariot landing! A chariot is landing!"
>Chrysalis smiled as the chariot flew into the mouth of the cave and landed on the pathway provided with little difficulty
>The moment that it hit the ground lings scurried forward with water and food on tow
>Chrysalis counted to ten in her head, rocking back and forth excitedly all the while, before trotting forward
>"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the sun had it out for us today, boys. Gods above, it feels like I've been overcooked!"
>Her husband was stepping out of the chariot as she came within a few feet of it
>He threw back his hood, revealing a sweating, weary face
>"I'm going to have to remember to send a strongly-worded letter to the snake oil saleswoman that they call the Princess of the Sun. A proper complaint might turn down the temperature a bit," he said, looking around the room
>When his gaze settled on his queen he smiled
>This, in turn, caused Chrysalis to smile as she snatched a jug of water and an empty glass from a passing servant
>Filling the glass, she stepped forward, offering it to her husband
>"Thank you very much, my dear," the king said, leaning toward her so that he could grab both the jug and the glass
>Closing his eyes, he poured the glass of water over his head before tossing it over his shoulder and bringing the jug to his lips

>Chrysalis's smile widened, the tip of her horn glowing to catch the glass so that it didn't shatter on impact
>She waited patiently as Anonymous chugged the water with all of his might
>In a matter of moments the water was gone, both in the human's belly and all over his cloak, shirt, and pants
"Do you feel better, by king?" she asked
>Anonymous let out a sigh, passing the now empty jug to an awaiting servant
>"Very much so, my dear," he said with a sigh, leaning down and wrapping his arms around his queen
>Chrysalis, without a second thought, returned the hug
>She shivered as her husband's love passed over her in waves
>Sweet and pure, she knew it was all for her and she love it
>Her grip tightened around him as he kissed her cheek sweetly
"So, was Labyrinthia to your liking?"
>Anonymous's cheek brushed against her neck as he nodded
>"I have never been to a place with so many fantastic cheeses," he told her, smiling. "If I did not have you and my little lings I would move there immediately and spend the rest of my days fat and constipated."
>The queen snorted
"I give you my condolences then. Such a life sounds like a wonderful one," she said playfully, lightly nudging her husband before pulling him down so that his head was resting on her wither
>Anonymous sighed, nuzzling her
>Chrysalis sighed in turn, planting a kiss on his temple
"...It is very good that you have returned home, my king. The hive is... lonely without you."
>"The lands of the Minotaurs may be the very place of Eden, but I wouldn't trade it for a second of you and my little lings."
>The king planted a kiss on his queen's neck
>"I missed you too, my love."
>For the next several moments, all around the king and queen faded away
>The only thing that the two were aware of was the little bubble that they had placed around themselves, one with kisses and caresses and nuzzles and love

>It wasn't until Chrysalis had nuzzled every part of Anonymous's body--that was appropriate to do so in public of course--, and his love for her had left her feeling as though she were about to burst did she let go of him
>With one last nuzzle, she took a step back, looking up at him with a bright and happy smile
"So what has my king gotten me on his travels to distant lands?" she asked. "Some silly nick-nack? An artefact of great power? Some exotic cheeses?"
>For a brief second, Anonymous's smile wavered
>Nervousness and hesitance began to mix into the air, and it wasn't just from her husband
>It came from each of the guards that had been sent to watch over her husband, and even with the scouts that had been sent to escort him
>She flinched in surprise when she finally noticed it, looking around the cavern just as a group of guards were hauling something unusually large from the chariot
>Whatever it was was hidden in a large duffel bag, but Chrysalis knew that body shape from anywhere
>There was an Equestrian in that bag
>She could see a short, stubby horn trying to poke its way through the bag
>She could also see a pair of wings pressing up against the fabric
>This wasn't just an Equestrian
>This was an alicorn
>This was a princess
>Eyes widening, Chrysalis looked back at her husband, who smiled weakly
>"Yes... About that my dear..."