//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: The 4000 Year Old Virgin // by Harmlesskitten13 //------------------------------// The ability to reproduce only exists within the Queens of the changeling species. Further, only Queens of Queens can create Lesser Queens, or future Queens of Queens (also known as Greater Queens). There appears to be no discernible pattern as to whether a clutch of eggs will contain a Lesser Queen, Greater Queen, or simply drones. Therefore, most Queens of Queens may lay scores of clutches of eggs, with each clutch containing anywhere between four to five hundred sesame seed-sized eggs, into multiple mates over their exceedingly long life time. The eggs' thin outer membranes will slowly harden over the course of nine to ten months, absorbing both the Queen's previously injected miasma as well as the host body's tissue around them. As the tissue decays, the eggs will eventually rupture the host body, and be placed into nests to fully mature. Only once they have hatched will a Queen of Queens know if she has laid an heir, Lesser Queen, or only drones. Lesser Queens are usually determined by their unique discolorations, which grow brighter over time. Greater Queens are considerably easier to determine, as once hatched, they will seek out and destroy the other larva in an effort to remove any possible competition for future nourishment. Fortunately, a Queen of Queens can only lay one heir in her lifetime, so the probability of future larva being destroyed by their own is extremely low, thus ensuring the survival of the species. - Changelings: Their Physiology and Evolution by Works Cited A flash later, and Twilight found herself in what appeared to be a cavern, brightly lit by what was apparently a type of bioluminescent fungus. As Dominatus carried the Princess in her magic, she took in her surroundings: a large atrium-like room, with what looked like murals on the ceiling. Hallways that split into other hallways. Entrances with strange, unknown letters and words above them. Finally, the three royals stopped at a nondescript door. Opening it, they entered the room, and the eldest sat the alicorn on the bed. As soon as she released her telekinetic grip, Twilight bolted for the door, only to be caught in a magical field. Dominatus let out an airy laugh. "It's always adorable when they run." She placed the alicorn back on the bed, this time encasing her feet in the same green crystal that encased her horn and mouth. Chrysalis walked in behind her mother, and sat at her desk. The Queen of Queens turned around, and stopped in the doorway. Craning her neck to face her daughter, she winked. "Have fun you two!" she cooed. The door closed, and the silence in the room became deafening. Chrysalis sat slouched over at her desk, and she could swear that she could feel the Princess' eyes boring into the back of her skull. Her armor felt stuffy inside the small quarters, and she silently stood up, keeping her back to the alicorn. She removed each plate carefully, and gently put them in their box. Turning around, she discovered that she was correct: Twilight was glaring at her with the fury of a thousand suns. Looking down, then at the Princess, then back down, then finally back to the Princess, she sighed. "Okay, so, it sounds like we may have had some confusion or something." the changeling said, moving from the desk. Twilight only gave an angry grunt in response. "Oh! Right. Sorry." Chrysalis walked over to the bed and plopped down next her captive. She held the pony's head in her forehooves and tilted her own. Twilight's face became more and more melancholic as the changeling moved in close, opening her mouth. It was full of sharp teeth and a long, seemingly prehensile tongue. The alicorn grunted in protest and tried to move away, but the changeling's grip was strong. For a brief moment, their lips met. It was just for a moment, however, as Chrysalis bit hard on the crystal, shattering it. She moved her head back, and spat out the pieces. "Ack! Pbthh! Blech!" Twilight said, shaking her head. "That stuff tastes disgusting!" "Yeah, you get used to it after a while." the Queen said casually. "After what, a millenium?!" the Princess asked, still spitting out shards of the crystal. "...sorta." she replied sheepishly. Again, silence permeated the scene as Chrysalis sat staring at the floor. "So...I feel like we kind of got off on the wrong hoof." "Which time are you talking about? When you kidnapped and impersonated my future sister-in-law? Or how about the spell you put on my brother? Or when you left me to die in the Crystal Caverns? Or imprisoned the Princesses? And most of Canterlot? Or when you imprisoned the Princesses and me and my friends? Or now, when you tried to kill me because you lied about this just being a battle?!" Twilight spat out. The changeling scrunched her nose indignantly. "Okay, first of all, all those other times were when I was trying to provide for my hive, you jerk. I was just making sure that they didn't starve! Sue me!" she said in a harsh tone. "But now? This time, it's to make sure that there will still be changelings in the future! And I didn't lie! This was a date! And up until you got all judge-y just now, it's been going well. Seriously, what's your issue? Why all the mixed signals?" "I AM NOT SENDING MIXE-" the Princess shouted, before trying to calm herself with a deep breath. "Okay. Alright. Because apparently there has been some sort of...cultural disconnect, why don't you tell me yourself? What exactly IS combat in changeling culture?" Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow. "...it's a way of gaining dominance over an enemy. What, is it something different in Equestria?" Twilight thought for a moment, then answered. "On the rare times in recent history that it's happened? No, that's exactly why it's occurred." "So, how exactly is there a 'cultural disconnect?'" the Queen asked with air quotes. The Princess opened her mouth to speak, but paused. "...I guess there isn't one. But why did you think that me agreeing to fight you was equivalent to a date instead of gaining dominance?" "Because that's how Queens date. Duh." Chrysalis responded in a mocking tone. "So...every time I've battled a changeling, that was a date to them?" the alicorn asked, the confusion evident on her face. "What? No, that was just a fight." replied the Queen nonchalantly. Twilight sputtered for a moment. "B-but you JUST said that it was!" she declared. Chrysalis gave a questioning look. "Noooo, I said that that's how Queens date. When it's some drone, that's just a battle. Try to keep up." she said flippantly. The Princess groaned. "Are you telling me that there's a difference between drones dating and Queens dating?" she asked. "What? No, I'm not saying that at all. Drones don't date. Seriously, I think I may tell the ones in archives that they were wrong about you being smart." Twilight began to protest, only to be interrupted by Chrysalis continuing. "And by the way? Just assuming that all changelings are alike is pretty racist. We are a proud, diverse species, and we don't have room for that kind of hatred." she said, flicking her snout into the air. The Princess ground her teeth in frustration. "Okay," she said slowly, "for my own...education, would you kindly explain to me what it means in changeling QUEEN culture then?" Chrysalis laughed. "I thought your parents would have taught you about the birds and the breezies by now. Especially since you've already had sex. Or did archives mess that up, too?" Twilight leveled a glare at her captor. "...humor me." With a sigh, the Queen leaned back on the bed. "Fine, whatever. Basically, when a Queen needs a mate, she finds some royal to fight. If the royal proves that they're good enough to be food for her babies, they...do the do. That's it. It's not hard, Sparkle. What, did they not teach that in your fancy schools?" she asked. Twilight sighed bitterly. "No. Surprisingly enough, they didn't spend too much time teaching us about the mating habits of a species that has been our enemy for centuries." The changeling scoffed. "Psh. And they say that our education system is bad. Yours is so much worse." she said. The alicorn began to protest again, only to be interrupted. "Anyway, since you know what's going on, are you willing to help me...populate the planet?" Chrysalis asked, waggling her eyebrows. "...Celestia, no." the Princess responded, contorting her face in disgust. "Oh, come on! You're not even giving me a chance!" the changeling exclaimed, throwing her hooves up in frustration. "I don't OWE you a chance! I don't owe you anything! But I tell you what: I'm willing to forget alllll that just happened if you remove my restraints, and come back with me to Equestria. I'll even get you the best legal council on the continent. On my bit. It won't cost you a thing, and you probably won't even get the stone sentence!" Twilight offered. Chrysalis shook her head. "Heck no! There's no way I'd last in prison! They'd pass me around like currency in there!" "Are you sure?" the Princess continued. "You might even get one of those private prison cells! It'd be nice! You'd have your own bed, your own sink, and maybe even your own library! And the best part is, you'd be alone! Nopony would bother you about interpersonal nonsense that has nothing to do with you, and you wouldn't have to go to the other end of the world to make some angry wackos stop yelling at each other...doesn't that sound like paradise?" she said, her voice getting more distant as the sentence ended. The Queen leaned away from her beloved. "Uh...no. Not really. And to be honest, that's not that far from what I have now." "It sounds good to me." Twilight grumbled. "Annnnnyway, look, how about a deal?" Chrysalis asked. "Just give me a chance. If you're still not convinced to jump my chitin, I'll let you go, and I'll leave you alone. For, like, a year." "Counter offer: you don't try, you let me go, and we go back to Equestria together so you can face justice for your crimes." she replied with a deadpan stare. "...I liked mine better. Pleeeeeease?" the Queen whined, fluttering her eyelashes. Twilight looked into the changeling's whimpering face. She was about to refuse again when a thought struck her. "Well...maybe if you get this crystal off me." she said, quickly darting her eyes around to find an easy exit. "Uh, no. I may not know dating, but even I know that you'll just run the second I remove those. Just give me a chance to work my magic, Sparkle." Chrysalis replied with a wink. She tuned out her kidnapped's protests as she began to strategize her next moves. Okay, okay. What do nerds like? Uh...fantasy? Sci-fi? Wait! Roleplaying! She'll be BEGGING me for it then! Alright, what kind of RP? Hmm...she's been talking a lot about how I'm still under arrest. Ooooo. Yeah. Just like '21 Hump Street!' Easy! "Are you even listening to me?! I told you that this isn't happ-" Before Twilight could continue her legalese-laced tirade, Chrysalis cleared her throat, changed into a sock-wearing light pink pony with a purple mane, and began speaking in a higher pitch. "Oh, please officer! Please don't take me to jail! I'd do anything, and I mean ANYTHING to avoid it!" she said, draping herself over the captured Princess. Twilight furrowed her brow in disbelief. "Whoops! One of my socks fell off!" "Please stop." "And another! Oh no! You've seen me indecent! I suuuuure hope you don't use your position of authority to take advantage of lil' 'ol me!" Twilight grimaced. "Please stop, you're making me uncomfortable." she said, trying her best to lean away. "Oh! What if you think I'm carrying illegal substances? You might have to do a DEEP cavity search to find them! You might even have to use your fat, thick nightstick to-" "OKAY, PLEASE STOP YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT! THIS IS WEIRD!" Twilight yelled, shutting her eyes. The pink pony's face went neutral, and Chrysalis returned to her original form. "...what? What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up. Twilight opened her eyes, and stared incredulously at the changeling. "First? WHAT WAS THAT?! Second? I'm a mare, not a stallion! Using 'nightstick' innuendo is barking up the wrong tree. Third? There's a really annoying police officer in Ponyville with the name 'Nightstick,' so that just makes me think of him more than anything else. Fourth? WHAT WAS THAT?!" The Queen cocked an eyebrow. "...RP, duh." the changeling replied in a mocking tone. "RP? What in the wide world of Equestria is 'RP?'" she asked. "...role-playing?" Chrysalis snorted. Twilight scrunched her nose in confusion. "Like what Spike, Big Mac, and Discord do when the castle's empty?" she said. "I've never seen them do anything like THAT." "Wow, three at once? That'd be so hot." the changeling replied, before lifting her eyes in thought. "Also, who knew Discord was gay? Or at least bi. And wait, isn't your dragon a baby? That's disgusting! You know, you should be going after those two instead of me! They're real monsters! Who does that to kids?!" "What are you even talking about?" Twilight begged. "Role-playing! You just said you knew what it was!" Chrysalis said. "I do! But what you did was weird! Actual role-playing is where you pretend to be somepony else and you-" Suddenly, it dawned on her, and her mouth made an 'o' shape. "Oh. Oooooooooohhhh. Oh! OH GROSS! YOU'RE DISGUSTING!" she shouted. The changeling threw her forehooves up in defense. "Hey, I'm not the one who lets two grown adults do things to a baby dragon, ya freak!" Twilight sputtered for a moment. "I-I don't! That's not what it is! They're literally playing a game! You know! 'Ogres and Oubliettes?' There's nothing like that in there!" The Queen giggled with a snort. "Wow. You're ALL nerds, aren't you?" she asked. The Princess began to reply, only for her response to be cut off by a loud knocking at the door. "Dang it. Hold that thought, babe. I'll be right back." Chrysalis said, getting up from the bed. The Princess scrunched her nose. "...'babe?'" The changeling opened her door with a huff. "Somebody better be dead, because I'm kind of in the middle of som-" She stopped as she noticed the face behind the door. "Hello, dear. I'm just checking to see how things went! I know the first time's kind of awkward and fast, but it gets better, I promise!" Chrysalis looked behind her at the still bound-Princess on her bed, then discreetly stepped into the hallway and closed the door. "It, uh...it hasn't happened yet." Her mother immediately took on a look of disapproval. "Why not? What is taking so long? It's nature! Don't think, just let your body's natural urges take over!" she complained. Her daughter let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm getting her in the mood! I'm...working my magic on her! And that takes a while!" Her mother rolled her eyes. "No it doesn't. She's either in the mood or not. Do you even know what you're doing?" she asked. Chrysalis was about to respond, when her mother cut her off. "What am I saying? Of course you don't. Not at least if all you know is pornography. Look, you have ten minutes to get this done, before I go in there and do it FOR you!" Her daughter flinched at the thought. "...you wouldn't." Looking at her mother, she understood a terrible truth. "...you would." "You became able to breed over two thousand years ago. I think I've been patient enough. You have ten minutes, and when I return, I'd better see a severed head. Do you understand me, young lady?" she said in a threatening tone. Suddenly, Chrysalis felt numb. "Yeah. Ten minutes. It'll be off." At that, her mother's face brightened, and she patted her daughter's head. "Good girl. Now have fun, and just let nature do its thing! You'll be so happy when you do!" And she walked off, leaving a very confused, somewhat terrified daughter in the hallway. Chrysalis turned around, slowly opened the door, and entered back into her bedroom. Unsurprisingly, Twilight was still sitting there. The Queen put on as best a smile she could, and clopped her hoof on the floor. "Uh...so! You, uh, you ready to get your groove on?" The alicorn gave a confused look. "Good grief, no." she retorted, rolling her eyes. "Come on! Just give me a chance! I'll even turn into that orange pony you like!" Chrysalis begged, locking the door behind her. "I know you've got a thing for her, and since it would probably never, you know, actually happen with her, I'm the next best thing!" Twilight furrowed her brow at the remark. "Excuse me?! It could happen!" The changeling responded with a smirk, which only served to anger the Princess more. "It could!" "Look, why don't you just quit lying to yourself, and let me do my thing? Ten minutes, in and out!" Twilight gagged a little, and turned away. "Again with the faces! Why always the faces?" Rolling her eyes, the alicorn turned to face Chrysalis as the changeling walked over to her bookshelf, and began rifling through the records. "Because you apparently have the memory and social awareness of a fig, let me spell it out for you: one, I have not agreed to mate with you. I have done nothing but the opposite of agree. And given that a consensus must be agreed upon by all parties before the commencement of such activities is required, what you'd be doing is incredibly ethically wrong and highly illegal. Two, referring to mating as 'in and out' is only slightly more arousing than saying 'let's go hump behind that dumpster.' Third, and most importantly, I refuse to mate with you! Now or ever! Let me go!" "Ah ha! There it is! I knew it was here somewhere!" Chrysalis declared, lifting up a record. "Now THIS will definitely set the mood!" She set the disc on the phonograph, unplugged her headphones, and set the needle. "Were you even listening to ANYTHING I just said?!" Twilight demanded indignantly. The changeling nodded her head absentmindedly as she walked back over to her desk, and opened a manila folder. "Yeah, yeah, something about humping dumpsters or whatever." Moments later, the room was filled with the calm, gentle sounds of angry punk rock. Chrysalis bobbed her head along as she scanned the contents of the folder, then turned around. Taking on a lustful smile, there was a flash, and the changeling was replaced by Applejack. Or rather, something similar to Applejack. Twilight couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but even if she hadn't seen it happen right before her eyes, she could tell that this wasn't her beloved orange friend. Something was off. And yet, it felt...comforting. Familiar. It was a disturbing feeling. "Hey there, Sparkle." came a husky country accent. "Ya know, I don't think I ever told you this, but you're all I think about." The alicorn looked the other way. "Give it up, Chrysalis. It's not going to work especially after I just saw you change into her." she replied, refusing to look the impostor in the face. "Aw, c'mon now, sugarlump. You know that just ain't true." 'Applejack' replied, sidling up to the Princess. She nuzzled the purple pony's neck, and Twilight took a shuddering deep breath. She's not Applejack. She's not Applejack! She's an evil changeling Queen who wants to murder you and implant her eggs in your corpse! She's not Applejack! Keep it together! She doesn't even sme- The Princess bit the inside of her cheek for a moment, then spoke. "Chrysalis, I know it's you. And I still refuse to mate with you, even if you look a little bit like her." The orange 'pony' looked up at Twilight with shimmering green eyes and a confident smirk. "...'sat right, sugarlump? 'Cus it's just me, Applejack. Your best friend." This caused the purple pony to violently shake her head. "No! You're not Applejack, now stop it! This isn't happening! And besides, you're not even doing it right!" The doppelganger quirked its head to the side, and the voice matched its original owner. "What do you mean I'm 'not doing it right?'" she asked. Twilight stared up at the ceiling. "I'm not answering until you return to your original form." With a roll of its eyes, 'Applejack' flashed back to Queen Chrysalis. "There. Better?" Chancing a look down, Twilight gave a slight, curt nod. "Much. Look, that was more...ghoulish than anything else." The Queen scowled in response. "Yeah, right. You're just mad because I know how to get in between your legs now." she replied indignantly. The alicorn furrowed her brow in anger. "Excuse me, you do not! Your Applejack impersonation was all wrong!" she hissed. Chrysalis tried, and failed, to suppress a victorious grin. "Psh. I got it right, and now you're all hot and bothered. Just admit it: I'm good." she retorted, puffing out her barrel. "Not even close, bug-butt! For starters, Applejack doesn't call ponies 'sugarlump!' It's 'sugarcube!' 'Sugarlump' sounds like a veiled insult to some dullard! 'Sugarcube' sounds like 'sugar' and 'cute,' which is what makes it charming! Also, she has never called me 'Sparkle!' Only you do that! And stop doing that, because it's incredibly disrespectful! She calls me 'Twi!' Finally, that is NOT the way she sme-wait. Why am I telling you that? Why am I telling you any of this?" Twilight asked to nopony in particular. Chrysalis giggled in response. "Because you secretly want to mate with me. You just don't want to admit it!" she said in a sing-song voice, her grin ever-widening. The flustered princess growled in frustration as she continued her tirade. "And you know your biggest problem? Applejack gives me butterflies in my stomach when I see her. When you try to be her, all you do is make my skin crawl. Even when you look like her, and sort of sound like her, I can still tell you're not her. Why do you think I was able to instantly tell you weren't Cadance? Because despite it being a natural ability of your kind, you somehow just can't blend in! Anyone who knows the pony you're imitating knows that you're not them! And do you know why? Because you are the creepiest thing I have ever known in my entire life! And seeing how I've faced some of the weirdest things that the Everfree Forest has to offer, that's saying something! And even forgetting all the horrible things you've done to my family, my friends, and Equestria, everything about you disgusts me: from your ratty mane to the holes in your body to your caterwauling voice! There is nothing, no, make that LESS than nothing that makes you or anything about you even remotely attractive to me! And you never will be!" Twilight huffed and puffed as she finished her diatribe. Chrysalis' once-triumphant smile had faded, and her breathing had become quick and ragged. "Okay, I get it; you're upset right now. You've finally realized that this farmpony doesn't want you, and you're...lashing out. I get it. I really do. But maybe if you just let me do my thing, you'll feel better." the Queen replied brusquely. She was trying to keep as even and calm a tone as possible, but this was proving to be harder than expected. "Just how is BEHEADING me going to make me feel better?!" As the changeling opened her mouth to respond, a knock at the door caught both their attentions. Before Chrysalis could raise from the bed to discover who was interrupting her personal time, it burst open. "Congratulations on losing your virg- wait. Seriously?!" bellowed an angry motherly voice. The young Queen jumped up with a start. "Mom! I thought you said you'd give me ten minutes?! It hasn't been ten minutes!" Dominatus glared at her daughter with an increasingly-deepening frown. "You're right; it's been fifteen. And her head is still attached to her body." she stated matter-of-factly. Chrysalis rubbed the sides of her head with a sigh. "Y'know, MOM, maybe the fact that you keep barging in isn't exactly helping things?" she replied, her voice beginning to waver. "I don't see how it could hurt the situation at this point. What, do I actually have to show you how it's done?" the elder royal retorted with a snort. "Not if you ever want me to be able to sle-" "Have you even injected your miasma yet?" Dominatus interrupted, causing her daughter to let out a low growl. "I would, if you could give me five seconds!" she answered through gritted teeth. She could feel a twitch coming to her eye. Her mother tsked. "Maybe you have some sort of issue. Perhaps it's E.K.S.-related. We never did take you to the royal physician, did we?" Chrysalis tried to reply, only to be cut off by her mother yet again. "That would certainly explain a lot though, wouldn't it? Your lack of ambition, your pitiful excuse for a sex drive, maybe even that weird lesion on your rear inner thigh." The younger Queen shook her head in disbelief. "Mom...do you plan this? Like, just ALL of this? Do you just spend your whole blipping day planning ways to embarrass me? Because THAT would explain a lot!" she exclaimed. Her mother either wasn't listening or didn't care, as she continued her monologue. "Because I certainly know that absolutely none of your sisters ever had this problem. Ever." Chrysalis' ears pricked up at the last comment. "Come to think of it, I don't think that any of the Succedaneum clan has ever had any of the problems you've had." With that, the younger royal stamped her hoof as hard as she could, releasing an ear-piercing 'clack' on the stone floor. "THAT. IS. IT! I am SICK of you comparing me to my stupid sisters! It's always 'Occultatum did this' and 'Casus conquered that!' I. AM NOT. MY SISTERS!" she screamed, gesturing wildly. Her mother responded with an indignant stance. "Well, obviously you're not! Otherwise you would have given me an heir by now!" "Is that all I am to you?! Just some, what? Larva delivery service?!" Chrysalis shouted, her eyes narrowing in anger. "Again, obviously not, seeing as you've never actually done that for me. As I recall, practically every member of this family has except you." her mother replied venomously. Despite her efforts, the Queen of Queens could feel her composure slipping. "OH, and you just LOVE throwing that in my face, don't you?! Every time we meet, that's ALL you ever talk about! It's never 'Hey Chrysalis, how are you?' It's always 'Hey Chryssi," she spat out the nickname, "here's a list of all your failures! Here's how you'll never be as successful as your sisters! Here's how you'll never be good enough!" the young royal could feel the tears welling in the corners of her eyes, but she didn't care. "Well, you know what? I'm DONE taking your abuse! I'm DONE dealing with your nonsense, and if that means the end of the changelings, so be it! I. DON'T. CARE." she shouted, ending with a hateful nod. Dominatus flinched at the last remark. "EXCUSE ME?! You don't care?! You don't care about continuing the species, you don't care about millennia of traditions, you don't care about the tens, nay, HUNDREDS of thousands of lives that depend on you NOT messing up the most simple of instinctual acts?! HOW THICK ARE YOU?! And maybe, just maybe, I WOULD remind you of your many victories...IF YOU HAD ANY! But you don't! All you do is sit around, listening to music and eating our love! And every time you've tried some sort of get-love-quick scheme, it's blown up in your face! And every time I offer to help, you act like the petulant child you are and refuse it! It's time to face facts, Chrysalis," she spat out the name, "you are a teenager trapped in an adult's body! You act like one, you think like one, and you get results like one! If you think that I'm 'abusing you,'" she emphasized with air-quotes, "then you obviously don't understand the necessities of motherhood, and so you're obviously not even ready for it. Maybe if you grew up, just a little, you'd realize that it's time to start acting your age! And then, perchance, I would treat you like the adult you SHOULD be!" Dominatus' barrel was heaving, and all she could see is red. "So until you start acting like a mature Queen, I will continue treating you like the filthy little mud grub you are! Because that is all you will ever amount to! I can't even believe I thought you could be capable of something as simple as mating, when your entire life has been nothing but a ceaseless, never-ending string of failures! And if a Queen is her legacy, then that's all you are, and that's all you'll ever stay!" Silence filled the room, save for the heavy breathing from both combatants. Chrysalis' mouth sat agape, unable to respond. Coming down from her angry high, her mother's eyes widened as she realized the implications of what she had just blurted out. She opened her mouth to apologize, but was cut off by her daughter. "Fine. J-just fine." she choked out through a stream of tears. "If that's all I am to you, then I see no reason for me to stay here. Goodbye. Have a good life." she replied bitterly, pushing past her mother. Dominatus turned to stop the Queen, but before she could respond, the door slammed in her face. The elder royal slumped down with a defeated sigh and stared at her hooves. "...great job, Dom. You managed to estrange the future of the changeling species, and more importantly, your daughter. Some Queen of Queens you turned out to be." She snorted. "Maybe Mom was right. I really don't think before I act, do I? Guess it's hereditary." she quietly chastised herself. With a shake of the head, she picked herself up, and gripped the doorknob in her magic. "So..." came a small voice. The sound caused the Queen of Queens to shriek and whip around. Princess Twilight Sparkle, still encased in crystal, sat on the bed. "SON OF A BEETLE-MUNCHING ANTEATER! Are you still here?!" she yelped, clutching her barrel. "Unfortunately, yes." the little alicorn replied cynically. Before the Queen of Queens could respond, there was an urgent knocking at the door. She cleared her throat, arched her back, and opened the door. "So, come back to apol- Alpha-6820? What is it?" The drone gave a terse bow. "My Queen of Queens! Queen Chrysalis of the Badlands Hive has left the Hive without your approval. Shall we track her?" That's not surprising. Dominatus thought with a frown. Despite my poor choice of words, she DOES act like a teenager in these situations. "No, that will not be necessary, Alpha-6820. Queen Chrysalis..." her eyes darted back and forth as she struggled to think up an excuse. "Queen Chrysalis is on a royal fact-finding mission, and having additional drones nearby could jeopardize it. She will return in due time." With that, the drone bowed again and left. She'll be fine. Once she cools off, she'll come back, and we can have a more...civil conversation. Turning to face her prisoner, she masked her melancholic look with her long-perfected, tried-and-true Queenly demeanor, complete with a motherly smile. "Well, my dear, it appears that my daughter...needs some time to herself. What say the two of us get better acquainted in the meantime, eh?" she offered, adding a sinister giggle at the end. Picking up the alicorn in her magic, the two left the room.