The buzz of the Hive was felt through the structure itself, and even though her chambers had extra thick walls, and extra thick doors and windows, it still took some getting used to.

Even so, as nostalgic and calming as it could be at times, Rarity—or Purity as she was known here—was currently engaged in a highly demanding, supremely important, absolutely significant activity which required her full attention and was therefore imperative to bring to a satisfactory conclusion.

She removed the purple scarf and wrapped the yellow one on, for the fiftieth time.

“I just don’t know, darling,” she said, frowning slightly. “I like how the yellow brings out the shine in my exoskeleton, but it clashes a bit with my mane… dark green and yellow aren’t traditionally a good match, but the purple one, while reminiscent of my pony mane, seems… underwhelming.”

She floated the purple scarf next to the yellow one. “You know, sister, I have been thinking about all you said in needing love to survive, but I do feel like I get enough from my sister, fans and friends. Even you give me some love and my nieces are nice to me too… I don’t believe that it would be a real problem, even if I… didn’t grow taller. I mean, not that being naturally taller would be a bad thing, why I could model more easily my own line of clothes and I wouldn’t have to look up to meet Fleur eye-to-eye, and certainly a slimmer look might be a little more appealing? I have been hitting the fruit bats lately...” her eyes brightened. “And I could use a taller look to make clothes for Saddle Arabians and have a clearer idea of what it would look like! Not that being a changeling I can’t change myself but, au naturale does have that je ne sais quoi.”

She looked over at Chrysalis, who didn’t answer, before sighing and looking back at the mirror.

“I know you’re worried, but a few hundred years? That’s a lot of time for a pony. I would live a full life, spent with my loving extended family… what else could anypony want?”

She turned to look at Chrysalis, who didn’t move or acknowledge her, merely sticking to looking out the window.

Rarity frowned. “Chrysy, it’s not polite to ignore me! I know I take my time with this, but as Princesses or rather Queens, we must present ourselves in ways that are alluring, chic and beautiful! It’s just as important as ordering troops, or international relations! Why, imagine if Princess Celestia arrived at the Griffon Empire with a shaved mane!”

She shivered, but the lack of answers from Chrysalis made her pout. “Are you even list—” she was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Excuse me…”

Rarity pulled the door open with her magic. “Hello, I’m afraid we’re…” she stopped and stared at Chrysalis, who was holding up a plate of Fruit Bats and two cups full of hot chocolate. “Wh-abuh…”

Chrysalis smiled. “Settled for the yellow one, eh? Good, we can finally go do something productive.”

Rarity bristled. “Productive! This is highly productive!” She paused to munch on a fruit bat and swallowed before continuing. “And why are there two of you?”

“Two of…” Chrysalis blinked and looked past Rarity at herself, sitting next to the window. “Oh. Sis, that’s not me anymore.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Chrysalis managed to look slightly embarrassed. “Well… you were taking so long I molted.”

“I did not take that long!” Rarity snapped. “And you shouldn’t leave discarded exoskeletons lying around for anypony to find! Imagine what they could do with them!”

Chrysalis smirked. “I’ll have you know that some of my biggest changeling fans have my previous moltings as altars in their caves.”

Rarity blinked. “That… is disturbing.”

“But their love tastes soooo goood!”

“So what are these plans that you insist are more important than changeling chic?” Rarity asked after their meal was done and the Hive's reserves of Fruit Bats were declared dangerously low again.

Chrysalis pondered, staring at her empty cup for a few moments. “Remember what I said about needing the love of a Hive to survive?”

“Yeees?”

“I have recently discovered that, Queen Apocrita of the Northern Hives is close to passing away…”

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, yes!” Chrysalis nodded, grinning evilly. “And her Hive will die if another is not found.”

“Oh my,” Rarity delicately cleaned her mouth with a napkin. “That’s terrible! What are they going to do? Are you planning on helping them?”

Chrysalis stared at Rarity for a long time. “Okay, I’m going to let you think about where I’m going with all of this.”

Rarity frowned. “You want to get the queen a suitor?”

Chrysalis smacked her face on the table. “No,” she muttered. “We’re going to make you their Queen.”

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed. “Oh.” She stated immediately after. Then her eyes widened. “Oh…”

“And,” Chrysalis waved her hoof around to emphasize her point. “I already told her that you accept.”

“When did you even do that?!”

“While you were deciding on the scarf…”

“I did NOT take that long!”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.

“B-besides,” Rarity stammered, beginning to panic. “Why would you even do that? I have absolutely NO experience being a Queen!”

“But you need a Hive,” Chrysalis insisted. “And I want to help you get it. No sister of mine is going to starve to death within two hundred years on my watch!”

“Two hundred years?”

“I figure it’ll take you that long to get a handle on it,” Chrysalis explained, waving her hoof dismissively. “It only took me about twenty, but, well…”

“Well, what?”

Chrysalis’ eyes drifted to the yellow scarf.

“I DID NOT TAKE THAT LONG!”

Author's Notes:

Um... I dunno if I should write one this time around.