To Cast The Doubt Awayby VigilanceChaptersThe Princess, the Changeling, and the Knight Turned PrinceTime to Focus on Our Pink ProtaganistThe Alicorn's Report to the ChangelingThe Princess, the Changeling, and the Knight Turned PrinceThe Castle grounds were abnormally quiet, even for the middle of the night. Most of the servants had completed their daily tasks and had gone to bed. Add that to the fact that it was Luna’s elusive personal guard patrolling the Castle’s hallways tonight and one would be hard pressed to see another living soul in the central building of Equestria’s government. This did not stop the moon from shining brightly down upon the city below, giving it an ethereal glow to it. There were fewer times Canterlot looked so beautiful. It was the perfect time for a relaxing walk through the Canterlot Castle gardens, as the three figures currently trotting down one of the garden’s walkways knew. One was a tall, fair Alicorn whose coat was colored as the night itself, her mane an exact copy of the stars above. The second, walking next to Princess Luna, was a white-coated stallion with blue-streaked hair. His face was locked into one of concern and determination, even in the soothing presence of his ruler. Shining Armor left his thoughts and returned to his conversation with Luna. “I still think we should pull her out of there, there’s no need for Cadence to be in the Collective anymore.” Luna shook her head and sighed. “Prince-Regent Armor, a month later and still you advocate for this action? Every time your requests have been denied. What are you to gain from continuing this Shining?” “My wife!” The stallion shot back. “She’s been in Changeling hoofs for a month! Isn’t that enough time?!” “Cadence is to stay with Queen Carapace until such time that she relinquishes her bigotry of Changelings.” Luna spoke methodically, as if she was speaking to some politician and not Cadence’s husband. “That is what was decided as her punishment.” “Screw that!” Shining shouted, forgetting his etiquette. “Everypony has their prejudices, no matter how pure they are! It’s a normal emotion, but you’re punishing her for it!” “Must I remind you of her actions, Prince-Regent Armor?” “You actually believe that story?!” Shining responded. “You think Cadence actually tried to harm Chrysalis by hiring a mercenary band, kidnapping her, and then when that failed attacked Ponyville?! It sounds completely insane, like something one of my guards would think up when they’re off-duty and drunk!” Shining stopped and stared at the ground. “It… It couldn’t… Cadence could never…” “The facts are the facts Shining.” Luna said mournfully, placing a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “Those are the details that came right from Cadence’s mouth and her punishment is of her own choosing. We must accept what has happened and simply pray things can return to normal once Cadence comes home.” “I still don’t believe it…” The stallion replied weakly. “I have to find out what really happened to her…” “Do what you must.” Luna said. “If you wish to investigate further I’ll not stop you, though I do think it is a fruitless endeavor.” The Lunar Princess smiled at Shining. “Just make sure you don’t break any laws doing so, okay?” “Right… Of course.” Shining declared. “Very good!” Luna smiled, clapping her hooves together. “Well, this was a nice walk but I must be off. Leadership of the night is needed and I am the mare for the job!” The Alicorn turned her head to the back of Shining and herself. “It’s time to go, come along my insectoid compatriot.” This brought Shining’s attention to the third member of their group. An average looking Changeling stood silently behind the both of them. Shape Shift had become like a lost puppy when Cadence had left. With Chrysalis not in need for servants and focusing much of her attention on Celestia, Shape Shift had begun to follow ponies around at random in an attempt to be helpful with anything he could. Luna had picked him up out of pity about a week ago and he had been serving her ever since. Still, even Shining could tell the Changeling was not as lively as he had been serving Cadence. Don’t worry Shape Shift, I’ll find some way to get her back. Shining furrowed his eyebrows at that declaration. There was no ‘maybe’ about it. It was a promise. ~~~~ As the exchange in the gardens was coming to an end, the pale light of the moon finally began to shine down onto Princess Celestia’s personal balcony and into her private chambers, giving the still awake Alicorn a dim light to survey her surroundings with. Celestia’s bedroom had changed little in the past month. White, gold, and royal blue stood out as the prominent colors, sun symbols still adorned just about everything and every inch was so clean she could eat off of just about anything. Truly, the only thing that had changed was the extra body that now occupied her bed. The hard black chitin of Chrysalis’s back rubbed against Celestia’s soft white underbelly. The Changeling was breathing quietly while she slept, a stark contrast to the rather loud lovemaking the two of them had been participating in not even an hour ago. Celestia could not help but smile at her unorthodox lover and nestle her chin on the top of Chrysalis’s head, secure in her contentment… or so it appeared. Try all she might, Celestia simply could not fall asleep. Every time she tried to nuzzle up to her love and drift off to dream something stopped her. A pawing at the back of her mind, a sickening feeling that had been haunting her for the past month. For the most part the Alicorn could ignore it, especially during the busy bustle of her daytime royal duties. But at times like this, with nothing to distract her, Celestia mind wandered and spouted insults at her. The degrading comments usually varied in wording, but they all focused on one subject: Cadence. The very thought of her adoptive niece and the events that had transpired a month ago made Celestia’s stomach twist into a knot. Deserved or not, the Solar Alicorn blamed herself for what had happened. She should have seen the signs of Cadence’s discomfort with Chrysalis and addressed it. Instead she ignored Cadence’s feelings and allowed her concerns to spiral into a terrible series of events that threatened to destroy the things Celestia loved. The Alicorn chuckled sadly, the realization of how much of a broken record she was had really come on strong this past month. Celestia felt a sob session coming on when a black, hole-filled hoof brushed against her face. Celestia looked down to see the concerned face of Chrysalis staring back at her. “Beating yourself up every night isn’t going to change what happened.” The Changeling gave the Alicorn a half smile. “You have to be strong for Equestria right?” The princess turned her head away from Chrysalis. “Weren’t you asleep?” “You’re a loud restless sleeper.” Chrysalis chuckled. “But with all due seriousness, Celestia, enough is enough with all this moping. Your love’s gotten a weird aftertaste lately and I don’t fancy it.” Celestia shot a look at Chrysalis, who in turned smiled wide and playfully stuck out her tongue. “It isn’t something to laugh about. I failed… as a ruler, an aunt, and a friend. All because of my arrogance and assumptions.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Wow, Luna had told me you and Twilight Sparkle were very alike, but damn did she hit the nail on the head.” The Changeling sat up and embraced her lover. “You worry about every little thing and failure might as well be a debilitating poison even if the failure wasn’t your fault.” “But the failure was mi-…” A Changeling hoof covered Celestia mouth, cutting her off. “You hold some blame, yeah, but so do I, so does Cadence, and I’m pretty sure Discord knew what was going on the entire time. Not everything is because of your inadequacies Celli… despite what you might think.” Celestia sighed. “Knowing that doesn’t help in the slightest. As a princess of Equestria, I must prepare for any eventuality and make up for the failings of others if they impede the country’s safety. I must also protect against the political fallout actions like Cadence’s could cause in case… OW!” The Alicorn flinched as Chrysalis bopped her on the head. “Creators, Celli, you can be so dumb. You try to carry the world on your back but all it does is wear out your knees.” The Changeling rubbed the spot that had received her love-tap. “Calm down for once and at least be happy that there really won’t be many lasting consequences from this.” “You honestly believe everything can go back to some semblance of normal?” Chrysalis nodded. “Yes, Cadence will spend some time with Carapace and hopefully get over her bigotry of Changelings. Once that’s done she come home and you can be a big happy family again.” “So, is Queen Carapace trustworthy? She won’t try anything that might hurt Cadence?” Celestia inquired. Chrysalis nodded. “She might be a straightforward hard-ass on the outside, but beneath that is a cunning schemer. She’ll protect anything that serves her goals. The only problem is…” “What exactly are her goals?” Celestia offered. “Precisely.” Chrysalis agreed. “But it seems that whatever she’s planning, it requires Cadence alive and well. So no need to worry about her.” The Changeling turned to look out the window towards the pale moon. “No… It’s the other Queens you need to worry about.” ~~~~ Chamber of The High Council of Changelings Queen Carapace swished her head in order to get her orange mane out of her eyes. It did not look very dignified for a Changeling Queen but what did she care? She would not act any differently in front of her fellow Queens as she would anywhere else. To do so would mean she cared more about appearances than getting things done, and that was not the case. Speaking of her fellow Queens, Carapace took her eyes off her own mane to stare down eleven pairs of eyes (several of which were staring back in anger). “Well Carapace?!” A Queen with a blue mane shouted. “You’ve yet to answer our questions concerning your ‘guest’.” Carapace had to stop her thought processes for a moment to focus on a fact she found most hilarious. The fact was that most Changeling Queens looked exactly the same save for different colored hair and eyes. So strange, she mused. But it was of no concern for the present. Carapace hated being called in for High Council meetings. It was nothing but Changeling Queens arguing over who was the Changeling-est and who should win what disputes. It certainly did not help matters that it was Carapace who was on the spot at the moment, the rest of the Queens not enjoying her bringing an outsider into her Hive. Invade the Crystal Empire and potentially start an international war? Nah that’s fine Carapace whatever. Bring home a houseguest? We will burn you! Carapace sighed, the High Council really needed to get its priorities straight. It was at this moment Carapace noticed a voice yelling at her. “Stop stalling!” A red Changeling Queen cried out. “Your reluctance to answer does not bode well for your case!” Carapace snapped back to the task at hand… and laughed. “Is that so Hexa? I don’t think so, I think it actually helps quite a bit.” Hexa snorted and slammed her front hooves down on her pedestal. “Stop giving us the runaround Carapace or we will…” “Oh right, sorry Hexa.” Carapace shook her head and smiled. “You’re not used to getting runarounds, only giving reacharounds.” Hexa squinted her eyes and clenched her teeth. “How dare you…” “If I had a new Changeling for every time you sucked off a random stranger you picked up in the wastes I’d be able to triple my Hive’s population! It’d be great!” Hexa got up. “Say one more insult, Carapace, one more and see what…” “What will happen?” Carapace asked. “I’ll tell what will happen: I’ll finally have an excuse to wipe your piss stain of a Hive off the face of the earth! Your Hive may be bigger, Hexa, but every one of my Changelings is worth ten of yours.” “That is not true!” Hexa shouted back. “Your Hive is a shadow of what it was under you mother!” Carapace laughed. “At least my Hive had grace to fall from, a virtue sorely lacking from yours I’m afraid.” “Bitch…” Hexa growled. “ENOUGH!” A white-haired Changeling shouted. “We gain nothing from this foolish bickering.” Carapace bowed before Hexa could react. “My apologies Grand Matriarch, I simply wish to defend myself from the allegations thrown at me. “As is your right.” The Grand Matriarch nodded. “Every Queen in the Collective has the right to fairly defend themselves before the Council, no matter the size or condition of her Hive.” The Matriarch shot a look towards Hexa. “Actually…” Carapace started. “Defending myself fairly is what I have issue with. Queen Hexa was the one that wanted this meeting right?” The Grand Matriarch nodded. “Well, it’s clear she holds biased animosity towards me and my Hive. Does that not nullify this meeting?” “To hell with that!” Hexa shouted angrily. “I called this meeting because you fail to bring Chrysalis back to us and instead bring in an outsider as your ‘honored guest’. We are here to punish your inability to follow the Collective’s orders and be an effective Queen!” Her words oozed hate. “I think Hexa's outburst and tone of voice rests my case.” Carapace said calmly. “Hexa cares nothing for justice, only getting petty revenge for whatever reason. Not only that, but aren’t the Hives autonomous? Shouldn’t the actions of one not concern the others unless it overtly affects the Collective?” The other Queens looked at each and nodded. The look on Hexa’s face turned from anger to fear. “No… you can’t be serious! She’s the one who began throwing petty insults at me!” “Yes.” The Grand Matriarch began. “But unlike a proper Queen, you took the bait and lashed out unceremoniously. That being said, insults should not sting if they have no base to build off of.” With that, The Grand Matriarch rose from her seat. “I find this meeting corrupt with the personal feelings of the one who called it. The case is dismissed.” The Grand Matriarch gave Hexa a stern look and took her leave, the other Queens in step. Hexa clenched her teeth and watched them leave, until only she and Carapace were in the room. Turning her head to Carapace she spoke. “So again you win and suspicion towards you is crushed. I don’t know what I expected.” Carapace smiled innocently at Hexa. “You need to know how to play the game my beloved Hexa. Having spies in hostile hives is a good start, though you make it too easy.” Carapace bowed to her friend and began to walk out. “What do you have to gain from this Equestrian princess?!” Hexa shouted to Carapace. “What could she possibly mean to you?” Carapace smiled and looked at the other Changeling Queen. “Why would I tell you now and ruin the surprise? You’ll just have to wait like everyone else and see how it plays out.” Time to Focus on Our Pink ProtaganistThe badlands bordering Equestria were harsh environments. Scorching heat during the day and freezing cold at night, these vast expanses of desert were commonly referred to as hell on Earth. And much like hell, the badlands’ inhabitants were not the kind one would like to meet in a dark alleyway. The Changelings, surprisingly enough, were the badlands’ most tame native species and rarely could they be seen outside their huge cavernous homes (‘seen’ being the key word there). Dug deep into the earth, these massive caves were guarded zealously by their Changeling occupants, against both foreigners and other hives. The species lived up to its reputation as ‘big bugs’ very well. Queen Carapace’s particular hive was on the outskirts of the badlands, concealed under the lake of a rather large oasis. The roof leaked a bit and the tunnels were a little too close to the ground above for an average Changelings’ liking, but the perks greatly outweighed the minor annoyances. Even Changelings needed water to survive and Carapace’s hive took full advantage of that. By selling their water for extra food, the drones of the hive never went a night without a full belly. Was it wrong to capitalize on a scarce, much needed resource and ask for another much needed scarce resource as payment for said resource? Maybe, but it did give Carapace a lot of political clout she would not have had otherwise, so she did not give a damn. Deep within the tunnel system of the Hive, a lone unicorn pony walked with single-minded purpose. She had a rust colored coat accompanied by a grey mane and sporting cyan irises. A slight frown on her face, the mare turned a corner and walked for another two minutes before coming up to a wooden door that looked rotted. Caring little for manners, the unicorn opened the door and stepped into the bedroom of her charge. The pony walked up to the sleeping form currently nestled in bluish sheets and nudged her. “Miss Cadence, it is time to awake from your slumber.” Her voice was annoyingly monotone and devoid of any emotions. As for Cadence, the Alicorn paid no heed and continued to sleep. “Please ma’am, if you do not awake immediately I shall be forced to expunge you from your place of rest in a most undesired manner.” Still Cadence did not move. A passerby Changeling nearly jumped out of its shell when the loud scream crashed through the tunnel. Cadence, the Alicorn of Love, was on the floor rubbing her pink backside and muttering curses towards her servant. “Chitin! What the heck?! You just tried to stick your horn up my…!” The pony bowed. “My apologizes, miss, but as of yet it is the only way I have been able to awaken you on time.” The pony stopped bowing and looked at Cadence with her usual emotionless stare. “I am simply doing my assigned task.” Cadence gave the pony an angry stare down before getting up. “Stop doing that, please, it’s starting to get annoying.” Chitin nodded at the command. “Besides, I demand a proper date before you start sticking your horn in weird places.” The Alicorn chuckled at her vulgar humor. Chitin continued to stare emotionlessly. Cadence sighed. “Shape Shift would have found that funny…” “Apologizes, but I am not Shape Shift.” Chitin bowed in a mournful manner. Cadence gave the disguised Changeling a saddened sigh. She knew all too well how unlike Shape Shift her new servant was. She was just like all the other Changeling drones around with her lack of real individuality and blind obedience to the Hivemind. Even her name was something Cadence had given her. It sounded a lot better than Taskmaster Drone Four-Two-Seven. Cadence wished she did not have a servant in the first place, but Carapace had insisted upon an escort. The Alicorn of Love stretch her legs a bit before walking over to the light leather armor Luna had given her. Grabbing the first piece off the rack and strapping it on she turned to Chitin. “Alright, so what’s my chore list for today?” “Mostly nursing duties, as per the usual.” Chitin spoke as she began making Cadence’s bed. “Other than that the Queen would like you to help with lighting a new tunnel the diggers have started.” Cadence strapped on her armor’s chest piece. “Alright then, let’s go.” ~~~~ Underground Hive Level Seven: Hatchery Four “And that batch should go with Nursing Drone Two-Three-Eight. After that, the newborn larva over there needs to be moved to Nursing Drone Three-Five-Three for feeding.” Chitin read off the tasks while Cadence raced from duty to duty. “Maker it never ends…” Cadence blew out with a heavy sigh. She grabbed the basket hold a number of Changeling eggs and rushed it to Two-Three-Eight. Emptying her basket she ran over to a wiggling pack of newborns. Picking each one up individually and placing them in the basket, the Alicorn of Love huffed her way to Three-Five-Three. Chitin checked the boxes off on the checklist she kept in her mind. Nodding, she spoke. “Excellent, we are ahead of schedule. We might even be able to rest a bit before helping the diggers.” Cadence looked at the Changeling hopefully. “Really? How much of the list are we done?” “We’ve complete twelve of the hundred tasks assigned for the nursery today. You’ve done them in record time Miss Cadence, I applaud you.” “Twelve out of a hundred?” Cadence felt her eye twitch. After another four and a half hours of handling, transporting, and feeding baby Changelings, Cadence plopped down onto the hard nursery floor. “Are we done yet?” “It appears so.” Chitin said. “Very good. We’ve got twenty minutes until we need to be at the tunnel for the diggers. Use it wisely Miss Cadence.” “I think I’ll just sit here for the duration…” Cadence huffed out. Chitin nodded and left the nursery; there were some other tasks she needed to fulfill. Cadence watched Chitin leave before falling back into her thoughts. She did this often nowadays and it offered her a lot of comfort in this otherwise foreign environment. The Alicorn’s thoughts wandered to Equestria, as they often did. She wondered what Aunt Celestia or Aunt Luna was doing. She wondered what adventures Twilight and her friends had gotten into the past month. Most of all, however, the mare wished she could see her husband. The mere thought of Shining Armor was enough to bring a tear to her eye. Cadence quickly stopped herself from crying, she would not cry with the Changelings watching. Still, the Alicorn longed ever so much to be back at the Crystal Empire, secure in the strong arms of her beloved. She missed Shining Armor and the rest so much that at times it was hard to bear. She cursed herself often for her own stupidity. It was her own damn fault she was here and she knew it. Her bigotry, though debatably understandable, had cost her so much. She wanted nothing more than to cast it away, to be as accepting as an Alicorn of Love should be. But even now, a month later, every time she saw Chitin undisguised or mostly any other Changeling a knot twisted in her stomach. A voice in the back of her mind told her they needed to die. It told her to tear off the inhibitor ring on her horn and lay waste to their evil. The voice was always so convincing… Cadence knew it would be so easy to crush this Hive if she used her… “NO!” Cadence screamed aloud, catching the attention of the nearby Changelings. One of the nursing drones, One-Three-Nine, walked up to her and transformed into a zebra mare in a flash of green. “Miss Cadence, is something the matter?” Cadence looked at the transformed Changeling with a look of fear at first. It quickly subsided into appreciation. The nursing drones were some of the only Changelings Cadence could stand for extended periods. There was an abundant, selfless kindness to them that Cadence had not expected to find in a Changeling Hive. “I… No, I was just thinking of something. Thank you though.” The Changeling nodded and left to attend to the young. Cadence let her head rest in her hooves. “What’s wrong with me?” Cadence asked herself quietly. She knew that having prejudice was a normal pony emotion. Every pony, nah every sentient being that had ever lived, had some prejudice towards something else. It was not wrong to feel that way; at times it was an unconscious thing. But what Cadence felt was different. It was bigotry on a whole new level of insane. Without her emotions running wild Cadence could see that now… but it scared her even more. It was because of this that what became a punishment for her transformed into a zealous desire. She would beat this feeling and return home a pony worthy of the title Alicorn of Love. “Cadence? Are you ready to get going?” The mentioned mare jumped in surprise from the quick interruption of her thoughts. Turning, Cadence was met with Chitin’s blank face and emotionless aura. The Alicorn nodded to her Changeling. “Yeah… sure.” Bidding farewell to the nursing drones, Cadence and Chitin made their way to the tunnel that led to the newest expansion to Carapace’s Hive. Cadence had found herself regularly delegated to either moving rocks with her magic or providing assistance as a magical lantern, her magic being much stronger than the Changeling’s. When the duo reached the tunnel Cadence decided to have a snack while Chitin went over the orders again with the diggers. The Alicorn of Love found it odd that the Changelings insisted on verbally repeating commands sent over the Hivemind to each other. Queen Carapace had told the mare it was just a part of drone culture and held significance only to the Changelings involved. Munching on an apple and watching with interest, Cadence wondered how this little ritual started. The Alicorn would not get the chance to ponder long, the orders were repeated and the drones readied for the task. Cadence finished up her apple just as Chitin reached her and prepared her magic for lengthy output. Chitin could tell instantly that Cadence already knew what she was supposed to do and simply stepped aside for the Alicorn to enter the dark tunnel behind the diggers. Once the lights from the already illuminated tunnels began to fade, Cadence ignited her horn. The blackened passageway lit up with a light blue glow. After a few quick chitters in their native language the diggers went to work. Cadence simply sat down towards the middle of the tunnel and watched the Changelings work. The Alicorn was still unsure how the Changelings could be so good at digging with their hoof-like appendages. But they were and within an hour the tunnel had expanded tenfold in most directions. “Very good. We should be done with the forward digging soon.” Chitin remarked as she strode up beside Cadence. “Then we can begin the outward digging and make this a proper chamber. The Queen will be very proud of our work today.” “Speaking of Carapace.” Cadence said. “Where is she? Usually she’s come by to make sure I haven’t killed any drones yet.” “Queen Carapace is currently away attending a High Council meeting.” Chitin responded immediately. “She will return later.” “Why is she meeting the Council?” Cadence asked. “She doesn’t hold them in high regard from what I heard. ‘Excluding the Matriarch, there isn’t an iota of brain matter between the bunch of them’ is how I believe she put it.” “Regardless, one does not simply turn a deaf ear to the High Council.” Chitin looked away from her Alicorn charge. “To do so is… not advised.” “Duly noted.” Cadence replied. “But you have no need to worry about the Council for the moment… not if our Queen has anything to say about it.” ~~~~ Carapace lowered her head to the large pool of water and took a swig of water in a vain attempt to drown out the annoying voice ringing in her ear. She really wished it would work… “How could you goad Hexa like that?! I mean I know that usually all she does is blow hot air but from what I heard she is really getting behind this and is not going to be intimidated to stop! Oh Carapace, you treading on loose sand here!” Throwing her head up and gulping the last drops of water down, she turned to the Changeling Queen next to her. “Bree? Please, for the love of the Creators, shut up! I know what I’m doing.” The cyan colored mane of Queen Bree of the Changelings waved back and forth as the mare shivered uncontrollably. “But… But… Hexa…” “Is a whore that couldn’t lead a proper military campaign unless it involved screwing her enemies to death.” Carapace snorted. “She just a big nuisance is all.” Bree sighed heavily and scoped out the room to ensure they were alone. “But if she’s poking around too much she might find out about the plan. And… And if she finds out what you’re trying to do then… URK!” The Changeling jumped as Carapace shoved a hoof in her mouth. “She won’t find out and it's about time for you to stop being a pushover. Grow some chitin and stand up for yourself! You know you could kick her ass halfway across the badlands.” The Queen removed her hoof from Bree’s mouth. “I don’t like it when we fight amongst ourselves. I’d rather we all strive towards the same thing instead of hoard everything individually.” Carapace rolled her eyes. “Congratulations, you’re an idealist, for all the good it does you.” The Changeling turned and began to walk out of the underground waterhole. “I’m going back to my Hive now, I expect you to do the same got it?” Bree nodded at the statement. “Good.” The Changeling replied as she walked out. “I’ve got preparations to make.” The Alicorn's Report to the Changeling“I must say that was an excellent day of work Cadence.” Chitin nodded to herself as the two strode down one of the Hive’s many cavernous hallways illuminated in a gooey green glow. “In fact, I think we might have that new chamber complete ahead of schedule.” “Fantastic…” Cadence groaned, her neck sore from have to hoist it up for so long in an uncomfortable position. “Nothing like being a glorified lantern.” “You did a wonderful job regardless of your own personal feelings.” Chitin replied. Cadence gave the Changeling a have lidded look of annoyance. “Gee… thanks.” It bugged the Alicorn more than anything that Chitin was able to speak exactly like Princess Celestia: she could be completely monotone, but was still able make others react as if she had used emotions. Cadence really despised that way of talking for reasons not even she understood. After another few minutes in silence the two passed into the main chamber of the Hive, a massive cavern that made the grandest ballroom in Canterlot Castle look small. The cavern could most likely hold the entirety of the main plaza at the Crystal Empire inside of it, Cadence had noted once. Drones buzzed noisily this way and that, darting in and out of roughly carved holes in the wall. Changeling taskmaster drones could be seen at varying levels of the cavern screeching out orders to lesser Changelings. Cadence had believed it to be a scene of utter chaos, but Carapace had assured her that was not the case. In fact the Queen boasted that her Hive was one of the most organized in the Collective. Seeing as how Cadence had only been to Carapace’s hive she could not prove or refute that statement, so she took the Changeling for her word. Looking around at the near perfect inner workings of the Hive Cadence felt a question form. She had been reluctant to ask it for fear of causing an offense, but it gnawed at the back of her head. So she turned to Chitin. “I have a question Chitin.” “I shall answer what I can.” The Changeling returned. Cadence gulped, really hoping it did not create friction. “How much… uh… individuality do Changelings have? Are you all really stuck in one huge hivemind with every Changeling knowing everything the others do?” Chitin’s eyes hoisted themselves to the ceiling, thinking for a bit. This was indeed the million-bit question. Other than being love sucking bugs, the thing most other sapient beings feared about Changelings was that every drone was just a walking shell for the grand hivemind with no individuality once so ever. Finally, Chitin came up with an answer. “Firstly, what is considered individuality and what isn’t is subject to cultural aspects. By your standards, no I suppose Changelings have little in the ways of individuality. By our standards it is a much different story. Does that sufficiently answer your question?” “I suppose…” Cadence replied sadly. A more through explanation would have been nice, though even explain it I doubt I’ll be able to understand Changeling individuality. “Good.” Chitin said. “Now then we should…” The Changeling stopped dead in her tracks. Her fake ears twitched and her eyes darted this way and that in contemplation. “Scratch that Miss Cadence, it appears Queen Carapace will return soon and wants to speak with you.” The Changeling made a one-eighty. “Come. We need to hasten to her chambers so we may be there when she arrives.” “Can’t I get something to eat from my room first?” The Alicorn groaned, her stomach already moaning for food. “No time. She wants a report on your progress immediately. Let’s go Miss Cadence, time is wasting.” Cadence made an angry whine before turning and following the Changeling to the hallway that led to the Queen’s chambers. ~~~~ Queen Carapace stifled a yawn as she landed at the border between the desert and the green of her oasis. What a bore politics were. Well, Changeling politics anyway. Even as Carapace strode to meet the outer watch she couldn’t deny how much she loved dealing with other species. She knew all the tricks and playbooks Changeling society had to offer and what had been a slight challenge in her youth transformed into a walk in the park she could do with her eyes closed. That was why when the old foreign negotiator had died a young Carapace had nearly hurt herself flying to the Council to volunteer to become the next one. Whether it was talks at a table or battles with a blade, the variety of challenges posed by different species always made Carapace’s heart flutter. It was one of the reasons that her current machinations bored her so much. Internal affairs sucked. Turning her focus back to the real world, the Changeling Queen nodded to her outer watch that stood diligently at the entrance to the hive as she passed. The hot desert heat gave way to cool dampness and the bright light degraded to sickly green. The Queen walked passed her many buzzing Changeling children and made a beeline for her chambers. If Chitin had followed her orders correctly, Cadence should be waiting there for her weekly report. Navigating the tunnels and holes that had been her home since birth, Carapace had no trouble getting to her chambers. Though they were technically private, there was no real need for a door on a regular basis and instead a simple wide-open arch separated the hive and Carapace’s room. As she approach, Carapace could hear the familiar voice that was Cadence’s. “Please Chitin, I know my way around. Just let get something to eat real quick and I’ll be back before Carapace gets here.” “No. Her Majesty commanded you be here when she returns. You can eat when your report is finished.” The pink Alicorn groaned. “Very well.” “It shouldn’t take that long.” “Agreed.” Carapace stated as she walked into the chamber. Chitin lowered herself to the ground at the sight of her Queen. Cadence also bowed, though to a lesser extent. Carapace chuckled. “I must say Cadence, you’ve gotten politer each time you’ve given your reports. That bodes well.” Carapace walked past the two and sat in a rounded bed that rested at the far wall of the chamber. Lying down on her belly in a very regal manner, Carapace motioned for the two to come closer. “So Cadence, time for your report. It’s the same as usual. Chitin, please begin.” The Changeling leader put on her neutral, diplomatic face. Chitin nodded and began to list off the chores and activities Cadence had taken part in (ensuring to designate which ones the Alicorn had volunteered for and those she had to be forced to do). Next she repeated comments that a different assortment of Changelings had said about her behavior. Carapace listened to each word carefully. The Queen was looking for any sign of improvement on Cadence’s behavior, but also reading between the lines. Cadence had been able to fool Celestia and a great many others during her attempted framing of Chrysalis, so she could easily be faking her behavior. Still, it could be very hard to spot the underlining emotions behind certain actions at times and there was no ethical way for the Queen to know what was going on in Cadence’s mind. Chitin ended on a high note, calling Cadence a great boon to the hive. Cadence blushed slightly on that remark. Carapace gave a toothy grin, “Well it certainly seems that you are improving Cadence. At this rate, you might be even be eligible to return to Equestria sooner rather than later.” The pink mare’s face brightened at that. “You think so?” Carapace smiled. “Of course. Remember, this retreat of yours is simply to get you to tolerate Changelings and it appears that goal is within your reach.” Cadence couldn’t believe it, the very thought of being able to return to Equestria, to her friends and family, so quickly created a happiness in her stomach so intense she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. Good, I can finally leave this wretched place… The Alicorn’s eyes widened and her entire body stiffened as that thought ran through her mind. The voice was hers, no doubt, and it was filled with contempt. It was the same train of thought she had in the nursery, the feeling of desire to crush the Changelings. The Alicorn was able to keep in check most of the time and Cadence was constantly thanking her princess lessons in keeping etiquette. She might be able to stop herself from vocalizing her darker thoughts, but there was almost no way to stop them from floating about in her mind. It was a painful realization at times for the Alicorn of Love; knowing she was the one with the dagger behind her smile. “Cadence?” “Huh?” The Alicorn jumped out from her mind and looked at the Changeling in front of her. What a disgusting creature… No! No, ignore it Cadence told herself. “I’m sorry, what is it Queen Carapace?” “I simply wish to know your own personal opinion on your ‘condition’. Do you believe that you’re no longer a bigot in regards to Changelings?” Just say yes. I want to leave this place, go back to Shining and Twilight, and never see another one of these monsters ever again… Cadence swallowed. “No, I think I still need a little bit more time to fully ensure that I’m cured.” Carapace raised an eyebrow at Cadence’s last word. Shrugging, Carapace raised herself up from her seat. “Very well then, you’ll stay here for another month and we’ll see how it goes.” Cadence nodded. The voice in the back of her mind scolded her but she kicked it down. Lying about her feelings was the reason she was here in the first place and would only cause her issue in the long run. No, she’d take the long way to her freedom and return to Equestria with a new lease on life. “You are both dismissed, go and get something to eat Cadence.” The Alicorn bowed. “Thank you. Good day Carapace.” “To you as well.” Carapace replied. The Queen watched as the two left. Turning, Carapace found herself impressed. Beings could go their whole lives trying to rid themselves of bigotry and never succeed. Cadence, for the most part, was shrugging it off like it was nothing more than a pesky mosquito. “Though I guess the Alicorn of Love would be extremely forgiving then. It would make so much sense.” Carapace spoke aloud for no real reason. With Cadence's report over with and not much need for the Queen for the rest of the day, Carapace decided this was an excellent time to work on some of her more... private machinations. Walking to the far left wall of her chamber, Carapace placed her hoof in an inconspicuous indent on the normally smooth wall. The indent lit up and the magics inside of it ignited. A small click sound told the Queen the illusion spell was now active, keeping her secret safe. Magic grabbed ahold of the wall moving it aside to reveal another room. Stepping inside with all the command of a hardened military leader, Carapace eyes fell upon the huge map table that dominated the enclosed space. Scanning over it once more, the Queen weighed her options. “Hmmm… another month, bothersome but not unexpected really.” Carapace’s fangs glinted in the dim light of the room as she smiled. “I can’t have this backfire now can I?” The Changeling tapped the spot of the map marked Equestria, one of the few countries that bordered the badlands. “No, I certainly cannot allow this part to fail. Feel honored Cadence, you’ll be the last piece of this puzzle of mine.” The Queen’s smile widened significantly. “And it certainly helps that the precious few who can stop me won’t know what hit them…” ~~~~ Canterlot, The Royal Palace Shining Armor opened the thick oak double door and stepped into an all too familiar room. Hearts and pink everywhere, this was definitely the private chambers of the Alicorn of Love Princess Cadence, Shining’s beloved wife. Shining looked around and lost himself to sweet memories. The times he and Cadence had spent together in this room were some of the best times of his adolescent life. At one time walking into this room was a calming experience and filled the stallion with no small amount of happiness. Now, it felt like a slap to the face. Walking past the bed and out towards the balcony. Night had set in and all of Canterlot was blanketed in Luna’s beautiful darkness. The moon, currently in a crescent shape, glowed dimly compared to the twinkling stars all around it. Shining was going to start his investigation here, in his beloved’s room. The stallion had been given the details and explanations of what had happened to his wife… but he did not want to believe. There had to be a reason for Cadence’s actions besides hatred or things perhaps it was not Cadence’s doing at all. Shining wanted to believe, with all his being, that Cadence could never do something as heinous as what she had been accused of. The stallion was not stupid though; he knew that it was possible. Still, he wanted to find out for himself. Turning back to the room to start looking around the stallion made himself a promise. He would find out what happened on his own and after he did -whatever was the truth- he’d be there for Cadence… No matter what force stood in his way.
The Princess, the Changeling, and the Knight Turned PrinceThe Castle grounds were abnormally quiet, even for the middle of the night. Most of the servants had completed their daily tasks and had gone to bed. Add that to the fact that it was Luna’s elusive personal guard patrolling the Castle’s hallways tonight and one would be hard pressed to see another living soul in the central building of Equestria’s government. This did not stop the moon from shining brightly down upon the city below, giving it an ethereal glow to it. There were fewer times Canterlot looked so beautiful. It was the perfect time for a relaxing walk through the Canterlot Castle gardens, as the three figures currently trotting down one of the garden’s walkways knew. One was a tall, fair Alicorn whose coat was colored as the night itself, her mane an exact copy of the stars above. The second, walking next to Princess Luna, was a white-coated stallion with blue-streaked hair. His face was locked into one of concern and determination, even in the soothing presence of his ruler. Shining Armor left his thoughts and returned to his conversation with Luna. “I still think we should pull her out of there, there’s no need for Cadence to be in the Collective anymore.” Luna shook her head and sighed. “Prince-Regent Armor, a month later and still you advocate for this action? Every time your requests have been denied. What are you to gain from continuing this Shining?” “My wife!” The stallion shot back. “She’s been in Changeling hoofs for a month! Isn’t that enough time?!” “Cadence is to stay with Queen Carapace until such time that she relinquishes her bigotry of Changelings.” Luna spoke methodically, as if she was speaking to some politician and not Cadence’s husband. “That is what was decided as her punishment.” “Screw that!” Shining shouted, forgetting his etiquette. “Everypony has their prejudices, no matter how pure they are! It’s a normal emotion, but you’re punishing her for it!” “Must I remind you of her actions, Prince-Regent Armor?” “You actually believe that story?!” Shining responded. “You think Cadence actually tried to harm Chrysalis by hiring a mercenary band, kidnapping her, and then when that failed attacked Ponyville?! It sounds completely insane, like something one of my guards would think up when they’re off-duty and drunk!” Shining stopped and stared at the ground. “It… It couldn’t… Cadence could never…” “The facts are the facts Shining.” Luna said mournfully, placing a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “Those are the details that came right from Cadence’s mouth and her punishment is of her own choosing. We must accept what has happened and simply pray things can return to normal once Cadence comes home.” “I still don’t believe it…” The stallion replied weakly. “I have to find out what really happened to her…” “Do what you must.” Luna said. “If you wish to investigate further I’ll not stop you, though I do think it is a fruitless endeavor.” The Lunar Princess smiled at Shining. “Just make sure you don’t break any laws doing so, okay?” “Right… Of course.” Shining declared. “Very good!” Luna smiled, clapping her hooves together. “Well, this was a nice walk but I must be off. Leadership of the night is needed and I am the mare for the job!” The Alicorn turned her head to the back of Shining and herself. “It’s time to go, come along my insectoid compatriot.” This brought Shining’s attention to the third member of their group. An average looking Changeling stood silently behind the both of them. Shape Shift had become like a lost puppy when Cadence had left. With Chrysalis not in need for servants and focusing much of her attention on Celestia, Shape Shift had begun to follow ponies around at random in an attempt to be helpful with anything he could. Luna had picked him up out of pity about a week ago and he had been serving her ever since. Still, even Shining could tell the Changeling was not as lively as he had been serving Cadence. Don’t worry Shape Shift, I’ll find some way to get her back. Shining furrowed his eyebrows at that declaration. There was no ‘maybe’ about it. It was a promise. ~~~~ As the exchange in the gardens was coming to an end, the pale light of the moon finally began to shine down onto Princess Celestia’s personal balcony and into her private chambers, giving the still awake Alicorn a dim light to survey her surroundings with. Celestia’s bedroom had changed little in the past month. White, gold, and royal blue stood out as the prominent colors, sun symbols still adorned just about everything and every inch was so clean she could eat off of just about anything. Truly, the only thing that had changed was the extra body that now occupied her bed. The hard black chitin of Chrysalis’s back rubbed against Celestia’s soft white underbelly. The Changeling was breathing quietly while she slept, a stark contrast to the rather loud lovemaking the two of them had been participating in not even an hour ago. Celestia could not help but smile at her unorthodox lover and nestle her chin on the top of Chrysalis’s head, secure in her contentment… or so it appeared. Try all she might, Celestia simply could not fall asleep. Every time she tried to nuzzle up to her love and drift off to dream something stopped her. A pawing at the back of her mind, a sickening feeling that had been haunting her for the past month. For the most part the Alicorn could ignore it, especially during the busy bustle of her daytime royal duties. But at times like this, with nothing to distract her, Celestia mind wandered and spouted insults at her. The degrading comments usually varied in wording, but they all focused on one subject: Cadence. The very thought of her adoptive niece and the events that had transpired a month ago made Celestia’s stomach twist into a knot. Deserved or not, the Solar Alicorn blamed herself for what had happened. She should have seen the signs of Cadence’s discomfort with Chrysalis and addressed it. Instead she ignored Cadence’s feelings and allowed her concerns to spiral into a terrible series of events that threatened to destroy the things Celestia loved. The Alicorn chuckled sadly, the realization of how much of a broken record she was had really come on strong this past month. Celestia felt a sob session coming on when a black, hole-filled hoof brushed against her face. Celestia looked down to see the concerned face of Chrysalis staring back at her. “Beating yourself up every night isn’t going to change what happened.” The Changeling gave the Alicorn a half smile. “You have to be strong for Equestria right?” The princess turned her head away from Chrysalis. “Weren’t you asleep?” “You’re a loud restless sleeper.” Chrysalis chuckled. “But with all due seriousness, Celestia, enough is enough with all this moping. Your love’s gotten a weird aftertaste lately and I don’t fancy it.” Celestia shot a look at Chrysalis, who in turned smiled wide and playfully stuck out her tongue. “It isn’t something to laugh about. I failed… as a ruler, an aunt, and a friend. All because of my arrogance and assumptions.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Wow, Luna had told me you and Twilight Sparkle were very alike, but damn did she hit the nail on the head.” The Changeling sat up and embraced her lover. “You worry about every little thing and failure might as well be a debilitating poison even if the failure wasn’t your fault.” “But the failure was mi-…” A Changeling hoof covered Celestia mouth, cutting her off. “You hold some blame, yeah, but so do I, so does Cadence, and I’m pretty sure Discord knew what was going on the entire time. Not everything is because of your inadequacies Celli… despite what you might think.” Celestia sighed. “Knowing that doesn’t help in the slightest. As a princess of Equestria, I must prepare for any eventuality and make up for the failings of others if they impede the country’s safety. I must also protect against the political fallout actions like Cadence’s could cause in case… OW!” The Alicorn flinched as Chrysalis bopped her on the head. “Creators, Celli, you can be so dumb. You try to carry the world on your back but all it does is wear out your knees.” The Changeling rubbed the spot that had received her love-tap. “Calm down for once and at least be happy that there really won’t be many lasting consequences from this.” “You honestly believe everything can go back to some semblance of normal?” Chrysalis nodded. “Yes, Cadence will spend some time with Carapace and hopefully get over her bigotry of Changelings. Once that’s done she come home and you can be a big happy family again.” “So, is Queen Carapace trustworthy? She won’t try anything that might hurt Cadence?” Celestia inquired. Chrysalis nodded. “She might be a straightforward hard-ass on the outside, but beneath that is a cunning schemer. She’ll protect anything that serves her goals. The only problem is…” “What exactly are her goals?” Celestia offered. “Precisely.” Chrysalis agreed. “But it seems that whatever she’s planning, it requires Cadence alive and well. So no need to worry about her.” The Changeling turned to look out the window towards the pale moon. “No… It’s the other Queens you need to worry about.” ~~~~ Chamber of The High Council of Changelings Queen Carapace swished her head in order to get her orange mane out of her eyes. It did not look very dignified for a Changeling Queen but what did she care? She would not act any differently in front of her fellow Queens as she would anywhere else. To do so would mean she cared more about appearances than getting things done, and that was not the case. Speaking of her fellow Queens, Carapace took her eyes off her own mane to stare down eleven pairs of eyes (several of which were staring back in anger). “Well Carapace?!” A Queen with a blue mane shouted. “You’ve yet to answer our questions concerning your ‘guest’.” Carapace had to stop her thought processes for a moment to focus on a fact she found most hilarious. The fact was that most Changeling Queens looked exactly the same save for different colored hair and eyes. So strange, she mused. But it was of no concern for the present. Carapace hated being called in for High Council meetings. It was nothing but Changeling Queens arguing over who was the Changeling-est and who should win what disputes. It certainly did not help matters that it was Carapace who was on the spot at the moment, the rest of the Queens not enjoying her bringing an outsider into her Hive. Invade the Crystal Empire and potentially start an international war? Nah that’s fine Carapace whatever. Bring home a houseguest? We will burn you! Carapace sighed, the High Council really needed to get its priorities straight. It was at this moment Carapace noticed a voice yelling at her. “Stop stalling!” A red Changeling Queen cried out. “Your reluctance to answer does not bode well for your case!” Carapace snapped back to the task at hand… and laughed. “Is that so Hexa? I don’t think so, I think it actually helps quite a bit.” Hexa snorted and slammed her front hooves down on her pedestal. “Stop giving us the runaround Carapace or we will…” “Oh right, sorry Hexa.” Carapace shook her head and smiled. “You’re not used to getting runarounds, only giving reacharounds.” Hexa squinted her eyes and clenched her teeth. “How dare you…” “If I had a new Changeling for every time you sucked off a random stranger you picked up in the wastes I’d be able to triple my Hive’s population! It’d be great!” Hexa got up. “Say one more insult, Carapace, one more and see what…” “What will happen?” Carapace asked. “I’ll tell what will happen: I’ll finally have an excuse to wipe your piss stain of a Hive off the face of the earth! Your Hive may be bigger, Hexa, but every one of my Changelings is worth ten of yours.” “That is not true!” Hexa shouted back. “Your Hive is a shadow of what it was under you mother!” Carapace laughed. “At least my Hive had grace to fall from, a virtue sorely lacking from yours I’m afraid.” “Bitch…” Hexa growled. “ENOUGH!” A white-haired Changeling shouted. “We gain nothing from this foolish bickering.” Carapace bowed before Hexa could react. “My apologies Grand Matriarch, I simply wish to defend myself from the allegations thrown at me. “As is your right.” The Grand Matriarch nodded. “Every Queen in the Collective has the right to fairly defend themselves before the Council, no matter the size or condition of her Hive.” The Matriarch shot a look towards Hexa. “Actually…” Carapace started. “Defending myself fairly is what I have issue with. Queen Hexa was the one that wanted this meeting right?” The Grand Matriarch nodded. “Well, it’s clear she holds biased animosity towards me and my Hive. Does that not nullify this meeting?” “To hell with that!” Hexa shouted angrily. “I called this meeting because you fail to bring Chrysalis back to us and instead bring in an outsider as your ‘honored guest’. We are here to punish your inability to follow the Collective’s orders and be an effective Queen!” Her words oozed hate. “I think Hexa's outburst and tone of voice rests my case.” Carapace said calmly. “Hexa cares nothing for justice, only getting petty revenge for whatever reason. Not only that, but aren’t the Hives autonomous? Shouldn’t the actions of one not concern the others unless it overtly affects the Collective?” The other Queens looked at each and nodded. The look on Hexa’s face turned from anger to fear. “No… you can’t be serious! She’s the one who began throwing petty insults at me!” “Yes.” The Grand Matriarch began. “But unlike a proper Queen, you took the bait and lashed out unceremoniously. That being said, insults should not sting if they have no base to build off of.” With that, The Grand Matriarch rose from her seat. “I find this meeting corrupt with the personal feelings of the one who called it. The case is dismissed.” The Grand Matriarch gave Hexa a stern look and took her leave, the other Queens in step. Hexa clenched her teeth and watched them leave, until only she and Carapace were in the room. Turning her head to Carapace she spoke. “So again you win and suspicion towards you is crushed. I don’t know what I expected.” Carapace smiled innocently at Hexa. “You need to know how to play the game my beloved Hexa. Having spies in hostile hives is a good start, though you make it too easy.” Carapace bowed to her friend and began to walk out. “What do you have to gain from this Equestrian princess?!” Hexa shouted to Carapace. “What could she possibly mean to you?” Carapace smiled and looked at the other Changeling Queen. “Why would I tell you now and ruin the surprise? You’ll just have to wait like everyone else and see how it plays out.”
Time to Focus on Our Pink ProtaganistThe badlands bordering Equestria were harsh environments. Scorching heat during the day and freezing cold at night, these vast expanses of desert were commonly referred to as hell on Earth. And much like hell, the badlands’ inhabitants were not the kind one would like to meet in a dark alleyway. The Changelings, surprisingly enough, were the badlands’ most tame native species and rarely could they be seen outside their huge cavernous homes (‘seen’ being the key word there). Dug deep into the earth, these massive caves were guarded zealously by their Changeling occupants, against both foreigners and other hives. The species lived up to its reputation as ‘big bugs’ very well. Queen Carapace’s particular hive was on the outskirts of the badlands, concealed under the lake of a rather large oasis. The roof leaked a bit and the tunnels were a little too close to the ground above for an average Changelings’ liking, but the perks greatly outweighed the minor annoyances. Even Changelings needed water to survive and Carapace’s hive took full advantage of that. By selling their water for extra food, the drones of the hive never went a night without a full belly. Was it wrong to capitalize on a scarce, much needed resource and ask for another much needed scarce resource as payment for said resource? Maybe, but it did give Carapace a lot of political clout she would not have had otherwise, so she did not give a damn. Deep within the tunnel system of the Hive, a lone unicorn pony walked with single-minded purpose. She had a rust colored coat accompanied by a grey mane and sporting cyan irises. A slight frown on her face, the mare turned a corner and walked for another two minutes before coming up to a wooden door that looked rotted. Caring little for manners, the unicorn opened the door and stepped into the bedroom of her charge. The pony walked up to the sleeping form currently nestled in bluish sheets and nudged her. “Miss Cadence, it is time to awake from your slumber.” Her voice was annoyingly monotone and devoid of any emotions. As for Cadence, the Alicorn paid no heed and continued to sleep. “Please ma’am, if you do not awake immediately I shall be forced to expunge you from your place of rest in a most undesired manner.” Still Cadence did not move. A passerby Changeling nearly jumped out of its shell when the loud scream crashed through the tunnel. Cadence, the Alicorn of Love, was on the floor rubbing her pink backside and muttering curses towards her servant. “Chitin! What the heck?! You just tried to stick your horn up my…!” The pony bowed. “My apologizes, miss, but as of yet it is the only way I have been able to awaken you on time.” The pony stopped bowing and looked at Cadence with her usual emotionless stare. “I am simply doing my assigned task.” Cadence gave the pony an angry stare down before getting up. “Stop doing that, please, it’s starting to get annoying.” Chitin nodded at the command. “Besides, I demand a proper date before you start sticking your horn in weird places.” The Alicorn chuckled at her vulgar humor. Chitin continued to stare emotionlessly. Cadence sighed. “Shape Shift would have found that funny…” “Apologizes, but I am not Shape Shift.” Chitin bowed in a mournful manner. Cadence gave the disguised Changeling a saddened sigh. She knew all too well how unlike Shape Shift her new servant was. She was just like all the other Changeling drones around with her lack of real individuality and blind obedience to the Hivemind. Even her name was something Cadence had given her. It sounded a lot better than Taskmaster Drone Four-Two-Seven. Cadence wished she did not have a servant in the first place, but Carapace had insisted upon an escort. The Alicorn of Love stretch her legs a bit before walking over to the light leather armor Luna had given her. Grabbing the first piece off the rack and strapping it on she turned to Chitin. “Alright, so what’s my chore list for today?” “Mostly nursing duties, as per the usual.” Chitin spoke as she began making Cadence’s bed. “Other than that the Queen would like you to help with lighting a new tunnel the diggers have started.” Cadence strapped on her armor’s chest piece. “Alright then, let’s go.” ~~~~ Underground Hive Level Seven: Hatchery Four “And that batch should go with Nursing Drone Two-Three-Eight. After that, the newborn larva over there needs to be moved to Nursing Drone Three-Five-Three for feeding.” Chitin read off the tasks while Cadence raced from duty to duty. “Maker it never ends…” Cadence blew out with a heavy sigh. She grabbed the basket hold a number of Changeling eggs and rushed it to Two-Three-Eight. Emptying her basket she ran over to a wiggling pack of newborns. Picking each one up individually and placing them in the basket, the Alicorn of Love huffed her way to Three-Five-Three. Chitin checked the boxes off on the checklist she kept in her mind. Nodding, she spoke. “Excellent, we are ahead of schedule. We might even be able to rest a bit before helping the diggers.” Cadence looked at the Changeling hopefully. “Really? How much of the list are we done?” “We’ve complete twelve of the hundred tasks assigned for the nursery today. You’ve done them in record time Miss Cadence, I applaud you.” “Twelve out of a hundred?” Cadence felt her eye twitch. After another four and a half hours of handling, transporting, and feeding baby Changelings, Cadence plopped down onto the hard nursery floor. “Are we done yet?” “It appears so.” Chitin said. “Very good. We’ve got twenty minutes until we need to be at the tunnel for the diggers. Use it wisely Miss Cadence.” “I think I’ll just sit here for the duration…” Cadence huffed out. Chitin nodded and left the nursery; there were some other tasks she needed to fulfill. Cadence watched Chitin leave before falling back into her thoughts. She did this often nowadays and it offered her a lot of comfort in this otherwise foreign environment. The Alicorn’s thoughts wandered to Equestria, as they often did. She wondered what Aunt Celestia or Aunt Luna was doing. She wondered what adventures Twilight and her friends had gotten into the past month. Most of all, however, the mare wished she could see her husband. The mere thought of Shining Armor was enough to bring a tear to her eye. Cadence quickly stopped herself from crying, she would not cry with the Changelings watching. Still, the Alicorn longed ever so much to be back at the Crystal Empire, secure in the strong arms of her beloved. She missed Shining Armor and the rest so much that at times it was hard to bear. She cursed herself often for her own stupidity. It was her own damn fault she was here and she knew it. Her bigotry, though debatably understandable, had cost her so much. She wanted nothing more than to cast it away, to be as accepting as an Alicorn of Love should be. But even now, a month later, every time she saw Chitin undisguised or mostly any other Changeling a knot twisted in her stomach. A voice in the back of her mind told her they needed to die. It told her to tear off the inhibitor ring on her horn and lay waste to their evil. The voice was always so convincing… Cadence knew it would be so easy to crush this Hive if she used her… “NO!” Cadence screamed aloud, catching the attention of the nearby Changelings. One of the nursing drones, One-Three-Nine, walked up to her and transformed into a zebra mare in a flash of green. “Miss Cadence, is something the matter?” Cadence looked at the transformed Changeling with a look of fear at first. It quickly subsided into appreciation. The nursing drones were some of the only Changelings Cadence could stand for extended periods. There was an abundant, selfless kindness to them that Cadence had not expected to find in a Changeling Hive. “I… No, I was just thinking of something. Thank you though.” The Changeling nodded and left to attend to the young. Cadence let her head rest in her hooves. “What’s wrong with me?” Cadence asked herself quietly. She knew that having prejudice was a normal pony emotion. Every pony, nah every sentient being that had ever lived, had some prejudice towards something else. It was not wrong to feel that way; at times it was an unconscious thing. But what Cadence felt was different. It was bigotry on a whole new level of insane. Without her emotions running wild Cadence could see that now… but it scared her even more. It was because of this that what became a punishment for her transformed into a zealous desire. She would beat this feeling and return home a pony worthy of the title Alicorn of Love. “Cadence? Are you ready to get going?” The mentioned mare jumped in surprise from the quick interruption of her thoughts. Turning, Cadence was met with Chitin’s blank face and emotionless aura. The Alicorn nodded to her Changeling. “Yeah… sure.” Bidding farewell to the nursing drones, Cadence and Chitin made their way to the tunnel that led to the newest expansion to Carapace’s Hive. Cadence had found herself regularly delegated to either moving rocks with her magic or providing assistance as a magical lantern, her magic being much stronger than the Changeling’s. When the duo reached the tunnel Cadence decided to have a snack while Chitin went over the orders again with the diggers. The Alicorn of Love found it odd that the Changelings insisted on verbally repeating commands sent over the Hivemind to each other. Queen Carapace had told the mare it was just a part of drone culture and held significance only to the Changelings involved. Munching on an apple and watching with interest, Cadence wondered how this little ritual started. The Alicorn would not get the chance to ponder long, the orders were repeated and the drones readied for the task. Cadence finished up her apple just as Chitin reached her and prepared her magic for lengthy output. Chitin could tell instantly that Cadence already knew what she was supposed to do and simply stepped aside for the Alicorn to enter the dark tunnel behind the diggers. Once the lights from the already illuminated tunnels began to fade, Cadence ignited her horn. The blackened passageway lit up with a light blue glow. After a few quick chitters in their native language the diggers went to work. Cadence simply sat down towards the middle of the tunnel and watched the Changelings work. The Alicorn was still unsure how the Changelings could be so good at digging with their hoof-like appendages. But they were and within an hour the tunnel had expanded tenfold in most directions. “Very good. We should be done with the forward digging soon.” Chitin remarked as she strode up beside Cadence. “Then we can begin the outward digging and make this a proper chamber. The Queen will be very proud of our work today.” “Speaking of Carapace.” Cadence said. “Where is she? Usually she’s come by to make sure I haven’t killed any drones yet.” “Queen Carapace is currently away attending a High Council meeting.” Chitin responded immediately. “She will return later.” “Why is she meeting the Council?” Cadence asked. “She doesn’t hold them in high regard from what I heard. ‘Excluding the Matriarch, there isn’t an iota of brain matter between the bunch of them’ is how I believe she put it.” “Regardless, one does not simply turn a deaf ear to the High Council.” Chitin looked away from her Alicorn charge. “To do so is… not advised.” “Duly noted.” Cadence replied. “But you have no need to worry about the Council for the moment… not if our Queen has anything to say about it.” ~~~~ Carapace lowered her head to the large pool of water and took a swig of water in a vain attempt to drown out the annoying voice ringing in her ear. She really wished it would work… “How could you goad Hexa like that?! I mean I know that usually all she does is blow hot air but from what I heard she is really getting behind this and is not going to be intimidated to stop! Oh Carapace, you treading on loose sand here!” Throwing her head up and gulping the last drops of water down, she turned to the Changeling Queen next to her. “Bree? Please, for the love of the Creators, shut up! I know what I’m doing.” The cyan colored mane of Queen Bree of the Changelings waved back and forth as the mare shivered uncontrollably. “But… But… Hexa…” “Is a whore that couldn’t lead a proper military campaign unless it involved screwing her enemies to death.” Carapace snorted. “She just a big nuisance is all.” Bree sighed heavily and scoped out the room to ensure they were alone. “But if she’s poking around too much she might find out about the plan. And… And if she finds out what you’re trying to do then… URK!” The Changeling jumped as Carapace shoved a hoof in her mouth. “She won’t find out and it's about time for you to stop being a pushover. Grow some chitin and stand up for yourself! You know you could kick her ass halfway across the badlands.” The Queen removed her hoof from Bree’s mouth. “I don’t like it when we fight amongst ourselves. I’d rather we all strive towards the same thing instead of hoard everything individually.” Carapace rolled her eyes. “Congratulations, you’re an idealist, for all the good it does you.” The Changeling turned and began to walk out of the underground waterhole. “I’m going back to my Hive now, I expect you to do the same got it?” Bree nodded at the statement. “Good.” The Changeling replied as she walked out. “I’ve got preparations to make.”
The Alicorn's Report to the Changeling“I must say that was an excellent day of work Cadence.” Chitin nodded to herself as the two strode down one of the Hive’s many cavernous hallways illuminated in a gooey green glow. “In fact, I think we might have that new chamber complete ahead of schedule.” “Fantastic…” Cadence groaned, her neck sore from have to hoist it up for so long in an uncomfortable position. “Nothing like being a glorified lantern.” “You did a wonderful job regardless of your own personal feelings.” Chitin replied. Cadence gave the Changeling a have lidded look of annoyance. “Gee… thanks.” It bugged the Alicorn more than anything that Chitin was able to speak exactly like Princess Celestia: she could be completely monotone, but was still able make others react as if she had used emotions. Cadence really despised that way of talking for reasons not even she understood. After another few minutes in silence the two passed into the main chamber of the Hive, a massive cavern that made the grandest ballroom in Canterlot Castle look small. The cavern could most likely hold the entirety of the main plaza at the Crystal Empire inside of it, Cadence had noted once. Drones buzzed noisily this way and that, darting in and out of roughly carved holes in the wall. Changeling taskmaster drones could be seen at varying levels of the cavern screeching out orders to lesser Changelings. Cadence had believed it to be a scene of utter chaos, but Carapace had assured her that was not the case. In fact the Queen boasted that her Hive was one of the most organized in the Collective. Seeing as how Cadence had only been to Carapace’s hive she could not prove or refute that statement, so she took the Changeling for her word. Looking around at the near perfect inner workings of the Hive Cadence felt a question form. She had been reluctant to ask it for fear of causing an offense, but it gnawed at the back of her head. So she turned to Chitin. “I have a question Chitin.” “I shall answer what I can.” The Changeling returned. Cadence gulped, really hoping it did not create friction. “How much… uh… individuality do Changelings have? Are you all really stuck in one huge hivemind with every Changeling knowing everything the others do?” Chitin’s eyes hoisted themselves to the ceiling, thinking for a bit. This was indeed the million-bit question. Other than being love sucking bugs, the thing most other sapient beings feared about Changelings was that every drone was just a walking shell for the grand hivemind with no individuality once so ever. Finally, Chitin came up with an answer. “Firstly, what is considered individuality and what isn’t is subject to cultural aspects. By your standards, no I suppose Changelings have little in the ways of individuality. By our standards it is a much different story. Does that sufficiently answer your question?” “I suppose…” Cadence replied sadly. A more through explanation would have been nice, though even explain it I doubt I’ll be able to understand Changeling individuality. “Good.” Chitin said. “Now then we should…” The Changeling stopped dead in her tracks. Her fake ears twitched and her eyes darted this way and that in contemplation. “Scratch that Miss Cadence, it appears Queen Carapace will return soon and wants to speak with you.” The Changeling made a one-eighty. “Come. We need to hasten to her chambers so we may be there when she arrives.” “Can’t I get something to eat from my room first?” The Alicorn groaned, her stomach already moaning for food. “No time. She wants a report on your progress immediately. Let’s go Miss Cadence, time is wasting.” Cadence made an angry whine before turning and following the Changeling to the hallway that led to the Queen’s chambers. ~~~~ Queen Carapace stifled a yawn as she landed at the border between the desert and the green of her oasis. What a bore politics were. Well, Changeling politics anyway. Even as Carapace strode to meet the outer watch she couldn’t deny how much she loved dealing with other species. She knew all the tricks and playbooks Changeling society had to offer and what had been a slight challenge in her youth transformed into a walk in the park she could do with her eyes closed. That was why when the old foreign negotiator had died a young Carapace had nearly hurt herself flying to the Council to volunteer to become the next one. Whether it was talks at a table or battles with a blade, the variety of challenges posed by different species always made Carapace’s heart flutter. It was one of the reasons that her current machinations bored her so much. Internal affairs sucked. Turning her focus back to the real world, the Changeling Queen nodded to her outer watch that stood diligently at the entrance to the hive as she passed. The hot desert heat gave way to cool dampness and the bright light degraded to sickly green. The Queen walked passed her many buzzing Changeling children and made a beeline for her chambers. If Chitin had followed her orders correctly, Cadence should be waiting there for her weekly report. Navigating the tunnels and holes that had been her home since birth, Carapace had no trouble getting to her chambers. Though they were technically private, there was no real need for a door on a regular basis and instead a simple wide-open arch separated the hive and Carapace’s room. As she approach, Carapace could hear the familiar voice that was Cadence’s. “Please Chitin, I know my way around. Just let get something to eat real quick and I’ll be back before Carapace gets here.” “No. Her Majesty commanded you be here when she returns. You can eat when your report is finished.” The pink Alicorn groaned. “Very well.” “It shouldn’t take that long.” “Agreed.” Carapace stated as she walked into the chamber. Chitin lowered herself to the ground at the sight of her Queen. Cadence also bowed, though to a lesser extent. Carapace chuckled. “I must say Cadence, you’ve gotten politer each time you’ve given your reports. That bodes well.” Carapace walked past the two and sat in a rounded bed that rested at the far wall of the chamber. Lying down on her belly in a very regal manner, Carapace motioned for the two to come closer. “So Cadence, time for your report. It’s the same as usual. Chitin, please begin.” The Changeling leader put on her neutral, diplomatic face. Chitin nodded and began to list off the chores and activities Cadence had taken part in (ensuring to designate which ones the Alicorn had volunteered for and those she had to be forced to do). Next she repeated comments that a different assortment of Changelings had said about her behavior. Carapace listened to each word carefully. The Queen was looking for any sign of improvement on Cadence’s behavior, but also reading between the lines. Cadence had been able to fool Celestia and a great many others during her attempted framing of Chrysalis, so she could easily be faking her behavior. Still, it could be very hard to spot the underlining emotions behind certain actions at times and there was no ethical way for the Queen to know what was going on in Cadence’s mind. Chitin ended on a high note, calling Cadence a great boon to the hive. Cadence blushed slightly on that remark. Carapace gave a toothy grin, “Well it certainly seems that you are improving Cadence. At this rate, you might be even be eligible to return to Equestria sooner rather than later.” The pink mare’s face brightened at that. “You think so?” Carapace smiled. “Of course. Remember, this retreat of yours is simply to get you to tolerate Changelings and it appears that goal is within your reach.” Cadence couldn’t believe it, the very thought of being able to return to Equestria, to her friends and family, so quickly created a happiness in her stomach so intense she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. Good, I can finally leave this wretched place… The Alicorn’s eyes widened and her entire body stiffened as that thought ran through her mind. The voice was hers, no doubt, and it was filled with contempt. It was the same train of thought she had in the nursery, the feeling of desire to crush the Changelings. The Alicorn was able to keep in check most of the time and Cadence was constantly thanking her princess lessons in keeping etiquette. She might be able to stop herself from vocalizing her darker thoughts, but there was almost no way to stop them from floating about in her mind. It was a painful realization at times for the Alicorn of Love; knowing she was the one with the dagger behind her smile. “Cadence?” “Huh?” The Alicorn jumped out from her mind and looked at the Changeling in front of her. What a disgusting creature… No! No, ignore it Cadence told herself. “I’m sorry, what is it Queen Carapace?” “I simply wish to know your own personal opinion on your ‘condition’. Do you believe that you’re no longer a bigot in regards to Changelings?” Just say yes. I want to leave this place, go back to Shining and Twilight, and never see another one of these monsters ever again… Cadence swallowed. “No, I think I still need a little bit more time to fully ensure that I’m cured.” Carapace raised an eyebrow at Cadence’s last word. Shrugging, Carapace raised herself up from her seat. “Very well then, you’ll stay here for another month and we’ll see how it goes.” Cadence nodded. The voice in the back of her mind scolded her but she kicked it down. Lying about her feelings was the reason she was here in the first place and would only cause her issue in the long run. No, she’d take the long way to her freedom and return to Equestria with a new lease on life. “You are both dismissed, go and get something to eat Cadence.” The Alicorn bowed. “Thank you. Good day Carapace.” “To you as well.” Carapace replied. The Queen watched as the two left. Turning, Carapace found herself impressed. Beings could go their whole lives trying to rid themselves of bigotry and never succeed. Cadence, for the most part, was shrugging it off like it was nothing more than a pesky mosquito. “Though I guess the Alicorn of Love would be extremely forgiving then. It would make so much sense.” Carapace spoke aloud for no real reason. With Cadence's report over with and not much need for the Queen for the rest of the day, Carapace decided this was an excellent time to work on some of her more... private machinations. Walking to the far left wall of her chamber, Carapace placed her hoof in an inconspicuous indent on the normally smooth wall. The indent lit up and the magics inside of it ignited. A small click sound told the Queen the illusion spell was now active, keeping her secret safe. Magic grabbed ahold of the wall moving it aside to reveal another room. Stepping inside with all the command of a hardened military leader, Carapace eyes fell upon the huge map table that dominated the enclosed space. Scanning over it once more, the Queen weighed her options. “Hmmm… another month, bothersome but not unexpected really.” Carapace’s fangs glinted in the dim light of the room as she smiled. “I can’t have this backfire now can I?” The Changeling tapped the spot of the map marked Equestria, one of the few countries that bordered the badlands. “No, I certainly cannot allow this part to fail. Feel honored Cadence, you’ll be the last piece of this puzzle of mine.” The Queen’s smile widened significantly. “And it certainly helps that the precious few who can stop me won’t know what hit them…” ~~~~ Canterlot, The Royal Palace Shining Armor opened the thick oak double door and stepped into an all too familiar room. Hearts and pink everywhere, this was definitely the private chambers of the Alicorn of Love Princess Cadence, Shining’s beloved wife. Shining looked around and lost himself to sweet memories. The times he and Cadence had spent together in this room were some of the best times of his adolescent life. At one time walking into this room was a calming experience and filled the stallion with no small amount of happiness. Now, it felt like a slap to the face. Walking past the bed and out towards the balcony. Night had set in and all of Canterlot was blanketed in Luna’s beautiful darkness. The moon, currently in a crescent shape, glowed dimly compared to the twinkling stars all around it. Shining was going to start his investigation here, in his beloved’s room. The stallion had been given the details and explanations of what had happened to his wife… but he did not want to believe. There had to be a reason for Cadence’s actions besides hatred or things perhaps it was not Cadence’s doing at all. Shining wanted to believe, with all his being, that Cadence could never do something as heinous as what she had been accused of. The stallion was not stupid though; he knew that it was possible. Still, he wanted to find out for himself. Turning back to the room to start looking around the stallion made himself a promise. He would find out what happened on his own and after he did -whatever was the truth- he’d be there for Cadence… No matter what force stood in his way.
