Entry # unknown in the record of Queen Naiad, 67th ruler of the Bee-keep Hive.

Queen Naiad had just sent a letter to the Quicksand Hive, in it she explained her plan and asked for there surrender. She was hoping for a quick yes, it would save both Hives an unnecessary battle.

She had one more hope for the day as she walked down to the nursery, among many traditions her people had lost was one she thought would her well to bring back right away. After all if she intended to return the changelings to the old ways then she needed to start making changes right away.

Naiad hesitated at the entrance of her nursery, what she was about do had stopped being done years ago for a reason. It was dangerous, she took a deep breath and stepped inside. Her little Drones stopped working only long enough to glance at her, then went back to what they where doing. Tending the pods took a lot of work, her changelings bustled from one place to another, keeping the eggs moist and at the right temperature.

"HISS!" her voice boomed.

The Drone who had only recently been put in charge of the nursery darted forward "Yes, My Queen?"

"Search the nursery and bring me any Queen eggs you find." Naiad ordered

"Right away My Queen" Hiss saluted and then darted away calling orders to the other workers who scrambled to obey.

Naiad was sure that they thought this was a culling, and she did intend to cull her brood while she was in the nursery but she didn't think she wanted to make a habit of it, Metallic had proven that the Drones, usually classified as to week to carry their weight should at least be given a chance. However her Hive was in a weakened state with barely enough food to support the current population, she couldn't afford to spare resources to any changeling who could not immediately benefit her. Her experiment regarding the Drones like Metallic would have to wait.

She knew that the last culling had not been that long ago, it was still possible that there was at least one Queen egg hiding in the nursery. A Queen egg didn't show any difference from a Drone egg until two weeks after it had been laid, so while unlikely it was possible that there was at least one hiding in the nursery somewhere, maybe one had even escaped Night's notice. It was unlikely but a Queen could hope.

She turned to Metallic who, like always, was right by her side, "Destroy any damaged eggs."

He dipped his head, "As you wish My Queen" and walked away. Trusting that he would take care of the culling for her Naiad sat down to wait.

After a few minutes a young female Drone and a young Male approached her holding a large egg sack with a single Queen egg in it. Both crouched in front of her as a form of submission. The female was the one who spoke "W-We where going to over throw Queen Night, My Queen." she confessed. Naiad was far to happy to actually have a Queen egg than to be upset at its origins, though, the fact that Hiss and Fang where not the only Drones who had sought to over throw Queen Night bothered her a bit.

"Very well," She spoke much more calmly that she felt "Lets just pretend you found it just now."

"Yes, My Queen. Thank you My Queen!" The female ran off, the male followed her. It seemed there was a changeling who valued their life, perhaps Naiad had miss judged her Drones.

A little while latter Hiss came back with a smaller egg sack being supported by two other workers inside where two eggs, both solid black. Naiad had to fight with herself to keep from jumping for joy at the discovery. "Very well done. Is this all of them?"

"Yes My Queen" Hiss replied as the drones set the eggs in front of her.

"Remove all three and lay them in out for me then." she ordered

"Yes My Queen" Hiss responded with a brief glance at the egg sack already laying there, her eyes light with suspicion but she said nothing about it.

Once all the eggs where out in front of her Naiad bent her horn to the first to hatch it.

It grew and cracked, a moment latter a young emerald green Queen was struggling to her hooves, her mane and tail where short and ended in an uneven zigzag.

With only a brief glance at her Naiad turned to the second, she didn't notice that every Drone in the room had stopped to stare, no one had expected her to hatch the eggs. The second hatched a pail pink Queen, she stumbled upright blinking at the world, her main fell like a wave around her and her tail seemed to swirl on its way down, the tip ended just before the ground.

The third was harder as Naiad was growing tired, but after a moment a little brown shelled Queen opened her eyes to the world for the first time, her main looked like it was in a bun, ending in a circular bunch at her neck, and her tail was extremely short.

Naiad glanced at the three of them, thrilled and terrified at the same time. "Welcome to our world my little changelings, we have much to do and little time to do it in. Come." then she spun around and walked the other way hoping that they would find their footing quick enough to follow.

The Little coco colored one caught up to her first following only a step behind her, the other two caught up a moment latter, but the brown one spoke before they could. "This is a very old tradition Queen..."

"Naiad." Naiad spoke simply, they where part of Night's brood and so they had Nigh'ts memories and not her own, she didn't expect them to know her name.

"Queen Naiad." She responded

Naiad spoke again "I intend to return all the Hives to the old way."

"So you do not intend to kill us?" The pink one inquired, she was the tallest of the three the little brown one being the smallest

"I do not" Naiad replied, then she smiled "You will all need names."

They walked for a while and then the little coco one spoke "Cicada I think." she smiled

"And I will go by Katydid" said the pink

Naiad glanced at the emerald Queen only to find that she wasn't looking at the rest of them. Quite the opposite she was walking with her head down and to the side. Naiad trotted in front of her and stopped forcing the young Queen to stop as-well, still she didn't look up, keeping her head down and her face hidden instead. "Look at me" Naiad demanded, suspicion pricked her.

The emerald Queen reluctantly looked up and Naiad was shocked. A thicker jaw line and longer fangs labeled this Queen as male, male changeling Queens where still known as Queens changelings didn't use the term King. A male born with the Queen gene was extremely rare, there was only one alive so far as Naiad was concerned, The ruler of the Predator Hive.

Her young male Queen gave her a very cautious look, Naiad realized he expected her to kill him upon the discovery. Katydid gasped when she picked out the difference between him and the rest of them, Cicada muttered something under her breath.

Naiad's reaction was not what any of them had expected, including herself. After the shock passed she picked him up with her magic and twirled in a circle spinning him around herself while she did. "A male, a brother, how rare, how special!"she sang and then horrify with herself stopped dead in her tracks and dropped him flat on the ground. "Nobody saw that." she said flatly.

"Of course not." Cicada said seriously.

At the same time Katydid replied "Saw what?"

With a light "Good" and a brief check to make sure that they where the only ones in the hall she started walking again. Katydid and Cicada followed her. Naiad called "You'll still need a name!" over her shoulder.

The Male Queen called back "Locust" before running to catch up to her.

And just like that Naiad had three lesser Queens to help run her Hive. If any got too ambitious she would have to kill them but for the moment she was just happy to have someone to relate to.

Author's Note

Yay more "Queens" I'll have pictures of them eventually.

The Pink Queen. Katydid
The Emerald Queen, Locust
The Brown Queen, Cicada