Humble Beginnings: A Prequelby DarkWingsGirlChaptersAscensionEverything You'll Ever Want to Know About: ChangelingsDesolationThe Fluffy Club: We Probably Shouldn't Have Done That.AscensionAuthor's Note Paragraph breaks=new narrator. If you're not sure who was talking in a certain paragraph, here's the order 1: 3rd person, no character. 2: Tila 3:Odio 4: Somniatis 5: Odio's Note 6: Somniatis 7:Tilo (Not to be confused with Tila) 8: Still Tilo 9:Odio 10:Tilo 11:Tila 12: Odio 13:Somniatis 14:Tilo 15:None 16:Tilo (in fluff form) Ascension 2 AB- Deep within the badlands, all is silent. The winds, normally raging all night, are still. This would normally cause some excitement within the changeling Hive Guillera; however, all is still within as they await their new Queen. "No. This cannot be happening. I'm not ready! Merciful Maker don't take her yet. O' my Queen, Giulia, my friend," cried the now-Queen of the Equestrian Hive. The Medica (2899? They all look the same to me.) just looks on, a touch of pity leaking through her mental shield. It's pathetic how some drones can't even keep up a simple shield. Besides, Queen Amaris doesn't need her pity. She needs a friend, and I'm now the closest she has. With that in mind, I put on my most soothing voice and walk over to pull her against me. The embrace seems to shock her out of her hysterics, but she's still sobbing (Not to mention leaking all over the place, geez). She whimpers my name "Tila..." I shoot a quick message to the Medica to take Queen Gulia's body for the funeral preparation, while asking my pod-mate Tilo to bring me her Majesty's brush and the smallest amount of Nectar we can spare. While we wait, I work on calming Amaris down any way I can. I try rocking her, but she allows a memory of Gulia rocking her as a larvae to leak out, quickly overtaking me (because touching is the only way anything can get past any shield, not because mine is weak!). So I scrap that plan as fast as I can. Oh, I guess that was a longer memory than I thought, Tilo's back. He quietly hands me the brush, planting a quick kiss on our heartbroken friend's head before retreating to the corner of the room, nectar safely housed in a container in his chitin. The poor thing stiffens as I begin to brush her mane, but relaxes after a few strokes. I thank the Moon that Giulia never did this with her, or else I'd never be able to help her. As it is, I allow a few of our most relaxing memories past my shield and Tilo, Bless him, begins to sing her a lullaby, taking advantage of her lack of a shield to slowly enchant his song with his signature sleep magic. I place the brush on the floor before gingerly picking her up and carrying her to her chambers to put her to bed. She's well into a dreamless sleep by now, thanks to Tilo's spell. Speaking of which, Tilo, put the nectar on her nightstand. I tuck her in and communicate to the hive to begin Hibernation until further notice, excluding Medica 2899 and the rest of the First Branch. Tilo summons our group to the room adjacent to Amaris' to discuss the current situation. I cannot express how much the ascension of our Fair and Noblest Queen into the Glorious Heavens has destroyed me. I have no notion as to how I will continue without her Shining Wisdom, and how much our new Queen must ache! I must go to her side immediately, so as to relieve her suffering! All members of the First Branch report to room 8659 immediately Oh. Well alright, but as soon as this is over I will be at Her Holiest Majesty's side! ".... loss... change... love..." All members of the First Branch report to room 8659 immediately "WAAH" thunk Oh dear... Oh dear oh dear.. Queen Gulia.. I can't believe they didn't wake me! I specifically told Odio to wake me if it looked like things were going badly! When I get my hands on him... Hey a note! Dearest, most stunning vision of mine, Sominatis, Please do not hunt me down and hurt me before you read this, I don't wish to suffer unnecessarily. If, at the conclusion of this note, you still wish to kick my flank into the Glorious Night, feel free to do so, as I misjudged your priorities. The reason, my beautiful moon blossom, I did not wake you for her Eternal Majesty's passing, is that you were showing the symptoms of a true vision, and it sounded incredibly dire. Therefore, blah blah blah Adjective blah.... I send a quick message to Odio Glowing eyes and everything? Of course my heart. and quickly proceed to write my dream down. Fortunately I have a knack for remembering my dreams, or else I would have missed my Queen's passing and ascension for naught. Somniatis, we're waiting. Oh, right. Meeting. If I'm being honest here, I have to say that watching Amaris cry was extremely awkward. I've never been good with the whole.. emotion thing, I suppose. Maybe that's why Tila and I work so well together. She's a tough gal, not prone to emotional displays. Her obsession with her shield is definite proof of that. That being said, she isn't without feelings. For me, specifically. It's... awkward to say the least. I only agreed to be her pod-mate because it's kind of expected. I mean, look at Odio and Somni. They're so mushy it makes me gag a little. But back to Tila. She's my best friend, definitely. We're so close, we named ourselves almost the same thing! I know one day I'm going to have to tell her. Maybe after things settle down, I mean, our Queen just died today. Buck! I got distracted. Again. Stupid brain. We've apparently moved into the room across from Amaris' chambers. I wonder wha- All members of the First Branch report to room 8659 immediately well that answers that question. Oh. Oh no. Is she...? "Tila... Are you ok?" I ask softly, hoping with all my heart that she's not doing what I think she's doing. She's sitting on her haunches, with her head bowed. I hear a small sniff and see a drop of fluid fall to the floor. And here we go. Ok Tilo, you can do this. Just go up to her and- I burst into the meeting room, only to have my world utterly obliterated, as if the Mighty Goddess herself had stomped it to oblivion. Our Stoic, Tough as a manticore, Ursa Major, and hydra mixed together, is crying?!?!?!?!?!?. Tilo, the poor oaf, is frozen, looking at me like I'm the last bit of nectar in Guillera. He's never been good with these types of things. I quickly pick up his slack, absolutely rushing to her side to console her. I think better of the rushing part, considering I still have a dent in my chitin from the last time I got.. Ahem.. overexcited in my fervor to provide aid. Instead, I walk as softly as a Providor among their pupae over to her. It takes all my will power, but I remain silent as I sit beside her as wrap my arms around her now quaking body. Tilo is still standing there, looking even more petrified than before. Honestly man! Tilo! Come here and hold her you larva! At this point, my dazzling ray of Divinity has arrived, looking adorably frazzled as is usually the case. She takes about 0.5 seconds to assess the situation before grabbing Tilo and dragging him in front of Tila then promptly sitting on Tila's unoccupied side, mirroring my position so that our forelegs form a circle of comfort around her. I have absolutely no idea what to do now. I'm about as frightened as the entire Hive was when the Night lasted longer than it should and when the mare appeared on the moon. (Now before I say what I did next, I must take a moment to say that I'm normally great under pressure, especially in combat. But this was no fight, not even a test! So I did the first thing that popped into my head.) Standing slowly, I charged up my horn, remembering a scouting trip from a few years ago where we encountered a.. unique mare. I can honestly say I did not expect that. I had been trying my hardest to get my emotions in check when Odio came in. But I loved Queen Giulia as my lifelong mentor. We all studied under her (we being Tilo, Amaris, Odio, Somniatis, and I) but Amaris and I spent the most time with her. I was a little surprised at how quickly Odio sobered after coming in, given his flamboyant nature, but I appreciated his efforts and welcomed his and Somniatis' embrace. I didn't really expect Tilo to do anything, I know he's not good with most displays of emotion. When he charged his horn I was a little apprehensive, seeing as his specialty is in sleeping enchantments. I would have never expected him to do that. What. In. Tartarus. Is. That. Why would. But. I don't. Tilo????? Wow I did not expect that part of the dream to be real. And it seems he managed to do the impossible, cause my exuberant love to be at a loss for words. Oh hey Tila's not crying anymore! Good job Tilo! I can't believe I just did that. I mean, it worked, but I'm pretty sure Odio was not suggesting I turn myself into a giant pink ball of pony fur. Yep. That's what I did. Sort of. I made my chitin sprout fur, and changed my gender, My fight or flight instincts have officially broken. In order to comfort my pod-mate, I not only changed myself into a ridiculously fluffy pink pony of the opposite gender (and failed), I used all my reserves of power in order to do it. I do believe I'm about to pass out. At least she's ok. The conscious members of the Guillera Hive's First Branch immediately rush into action, each passing a fourth of their reserves into their fluffy fallen comrade, effectively reviving him within seconds of his collapse. They wait anxiously for him to transform back before they realize that he can't. There isn't enough power left among them to revive him safely a second time. "Buck!" Everything You'll Ever Want to Know About: ChangelingsFor Luna, May you always be curious. Before one can evaluate the changelings, they must understand them. Their unique anatomy and intricate political hierarchy have baffled and intrigued the lucky few who are aware of their existence. Let us start with correcting a common misunderstanding. Changelings have free will. They are capable of choosing their fate. I will go into more detail later on. Changelings reside in Hives, each one having a separate government and society, allowing for a little variation. There have been/are 5 Hives recorded, as far as this scholar is aware. Due to their secretive nature, little is known about their history, and few dare to force information from them. As it stands, there could be hundreds of hives unknown to the world. The ones we do know, however, have names. There is only one physical hive in Equestria, called Guillera. Since it’s construction, it has housed two completely different groups of changelings, with about 500 years in between them. That hive’s history would take a whole other book to cover, so I will conclude my description in clarifying that the two groups housed within the structure are being counted as two entirely different hives, as that is what they are. The other three are located in the Griffon (Bellatorem), Crystal (Venustas), and Dragon Empires (Anguis), each founded thousands of years ago, and still functional today. It is estimated that there are roughly one million changelings in the world as of the year 10 of the Age of Magic. Their political systems operate very much like a machine, and do not vary from hive to hive. They all operate on the same semi-democratic matriarchy, with the Queen and her advisors (Each hive has a different term for this group) having almost absolute power. However, each group in the hive has a representative that uses the groups mental connection to represent its comrades better than any known democracy to date. This group meets along with the Queen and her advisors every time a decision that will affect the groups as a whole is made. If an issue only affects some groups, or even just one, the Queen will always call the affected parties to a meeting, where their vote is as important as the Queen’s. If I can just take a minute here to admire/praise their political system, I must say it’s quite possibly the fairest in the world. Even the Royal Sisters cannot achieve such fairness, although their kingdom is much larger than a changeling hive. The hives usually share characteristics with the natives of their hive’s location, making the hives biologically diverse. This is to ensure that they are able to imitate the residents of their country. In this examination, we will be discussing the Equestrian branch of changeling only. With that, we must move on to their anatomy. Changeling anatomy has remained exactly the same throughout time. The first changeling Queen looked exactly like the five present day Queens. However, not all changelings look the same. In fact, three types (Queen, advisor, and drone) have different scientific names. Drones, or novo operarius, vary from group to group, but they all share basic characteristics. There are 20 drones within each group, and anywhere from 5 to 50 groups in a hive. The average drone is about 3 ft high, covered in a hard shell-like material that can handle around 350 lbs of pressure before it cracks. They can have thin translucent wings, although this trait is typically only found in a third of the groups. The same goes for horns, typically a little longer than the average unicorn's, and the rest have neither. This seems to emulate the pony groups, with each variation sporting similar features, and as such, tend to have better success in transforming into their pony counterparts. Their shape shifting ability is the only skill we know of that every type of drone in every group has as soon as they hatch, with the exact same power, no matter the group. Therefore, they share the same limitations. The one that this author finds most interesting is their limitation of speech. While even the least talented drone can perfectly imitate any pony they see, this imitation only extends to outward appearances. Their chitin can shift, expand, change shape, and even sprout fur, but they cannot alter whatever they use to speak (the scientific community has yet to procure an adequate specimen for study, so most of the inner workings of changelings are unknown), and therefore have to be taught how to imitate voices, unless they have an… intimate knowledge of the inside of the pony their copying. This is generally frowned upon. Because of this limitation, most changelings never leave the hive. The functionality of drones has a profound effect on their life cycle. In a phenomena that has completely baffled the scientific community, every single Matrem drone in the hive will lay her eggs at the same time, and the younglings will mature at the same rate, physically. The laying of eggs is commonly celebrated as a holiday within the hive, as most changeling holidays are centered around their stages of life which are as follows: Egg-There are exactly 20 changeling eggs in a laying. 15 of those eggs house the group’s next Operari, while 5 house the next specialized drones. This is the stage where their connections to the hive are formed. It begins with the Matrem forging their connection to the group. This typically occurs 2 weeks before they are actually lain, and as I understand requires no conscious effort from the Matrem. She then spends 3 months teaching them the changeling’s language (which is oddly similar to Zebrican, and spoken in all the hives, possibly suggesting the species originated there, even though there are no known hives in the region) through their mental connection to their group while they continue to develop. Then begins the changeling holiday of Familia, in which their group’s representative drone is responsible for connecting them to the hive mind, and the Queen must visit every single egg in the hive to pull all the connections together, giving her the ability to command the next generation as swiftly and safely as possible. Not much is known about the celebrations, and most “information” is merely speculation or rumor, which does not merit even this little bit of recognition. Larvae-Eggs hatch roughly around 6 months after being lain. During this stage, the young changelings begin to learn the basics of their group’s purpose, as well as magic. Providors usually teach the 15 Operari larvae and the Providor larvae. The other 4 larvae are taught by their elder counterparts. They are considered Larvae until 10 years after their hatching, an occasion marked by their chitin gaining the trademark changeling holes. Pupae-Their training continues, and becomes much more advanced. This is when they begin to learn how to imitate voices (which I’ve been told is extremely comedic), and the Equestrian language. This goes on for another 10 years, until their second set of fangs comes in. Drone-Finally, fully matured and ready to take on the responsibilities of their Elders, whom have served dutifully for 40 years, retire to a much needed rest in the care of a group entirely devoted to them. Not a bad life, eh? Thus we begin discussing the differences among drones. As previously stated, there are 20 Drones in each group. 15 of these drones are exactly the same as the ones in their group. Changelings actually use the same language that scientists use when naming a species, so the 15 drones are commonly called Operarius drones. Between groups, there is usually little variance between the average Operari. The 5 specialized drones, however, are completely different within the group, even from each other. Alternatively, each group has the exact same drones, with little to no variance. The 6 types of drones function as followed: Matrem drones (Novo Matrem) are solely devoted to reproduction. They are also charged with caring for its eggs, which, while seemingly simple, is actually one of the most intricate processes in any group. All drones we have recorded are agender, and most tend to be asexual, although this is a personal choice, not biological. Matrem drones reproduce asexually, with a gestation time of around a year. As stated earlier, the Matrem is in charge of the eggs' every need, the most vital of which is forging each eggs' connection to the group. The Matrem relinquishes responsibility of the eggs one week before hatching. Providor drones (Novo Providor) then care for the younglings until they mature completely. Providors are, to put it simply, the teachers of the changeling children. As stated earlier they teach the 15 Operari and Providor larvae and pupae the basics and advanced skills needed to complete their birth assigned assignments. They also provide counsel, care, and comfort to all 20 larvae or pupae within her group. Although I should note that the 4 specialized drones can choose to take over the instruction and care of their successor, and this happens quite often apparently. Reddo drones (Novo Reddo) are the representatives of each group, and are responsible for intimately knowing every drone, larvae, pupae, and egg in their group. They are usually the most proficient of their generation, with a natural ability in both magic and academic endeavors overall. There are no known cases of Reddo drones choosing to leave the Hive of change position. Venator drones (Novo Venator) are responsible for gathering love for its group. This is without a doubt the most dangerous occupation a changeling can have. Understandably, at least one changeling request a change every generation. These changelings are almost always sent on a long term assignment. They build families within the community they choose, make friends, and generally live life as a pony. Since they do not live within the hive, their successors usually go to live with them. As a result, they tend to form homosexual relationships, or claim infertility. Venator drones are always instructed in pony anatomy, so as to be able to Nutrire drones (Novo Nutrire) take the love the Venators bring and turn it into nectar, which is a sort of ambrosia to them. All changelings typically only need 1/3 of a cup a week, depending on the amount of magic that is used. Nutri make sure every drone in the group is healthy, forever adjusting their rations. Operarius drones (Novo Operarius) do the hard labor of the hive, and tend to be much more vigorous and occasionally abrasive. The Operari can be called upon in times of crisis to protect the hive. At this point I can return to the subject of a changeling’s will. While the 20 drones are born and raised within their group, they are allowed to choose. This is understandably rare, as most changelings have a deep love and loyalty to their group. A pupae is given the choice of changing their group before the beginning of their advanced training, and again after becoming a fully matured drone. They are also given the option of leaving the Hive, although this is a much more difficult process (and much rarer). In order to leave the Hive, the drone must pass an exam of their magical abilities, and then undergo extensive training in the ways of the country they live in, as well as magical training if they didn’t meet the qualifications of the exam in order to be admitted leave. This process is carried out by the Queen herself, as leaving is actually considered to be an act of bravery and courage. There is usually a ceremony held for the departing drone, that supposedly rivals the Grand Galloping Gala of Equestria and lasts for an entire week. Now, we move on to the 5 changelings in the hive. The Queen and her advisors. I have yet to state the name of the advisor group, for one reason. As I said earlier, there have been two hives recorded in Guillera. The most recent hive was in fact Queen Chrysalis’, which was disbanded after her defeat in Canterlot. She ironically dubbed her advisors her Royal Guard. The second was a hive as ancient as Celestia herself, which fell only two years after Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon was banished. It’s speculated that most of the hive starved as a result of Nightmare Moon’s rebellion killing the Venators of the hive. It is said that its Queen and her First Branch survived but no records exist to back the rumor up. Each advisor group consists of 4 changelings (I do not believe they belong under the same classification as drones) with unique abilities that are passed on from their successor. These abilities do not differ within the hive, but each hive’s advisors are different. The First Branch’s advisors were ranked, an odd but understandable arrangement as the Leader (Novo Dux) had the most magical prowess and the extraordinary ability to replace the Queen in the event of her and her successor’s deaths, or the extremely rare case of a Queen that endangered the hive. This trait would have been useful in Chrysalis’ hive, however only the First Branch could do it as far as we know. Next in rank was the Laetita (Novo Laetita) who, through processes which I don’t even understand, can reproduce with any species and was able to imitate voices and languages. The First Branch as a whole, could reproduce with ponies through.. ahem “traditional” means. Ironically, they cannot reproduce with each other. 3rd in rank (and in my heart) is the Empathia (Novo Empathia) who was able to manipulate emotion. However, he could not force anyone to love him. Because of their sensitivity to emotion, Empathi make up almost the entirety of Guillera’s arts. Be it painting, literature, sculpting… The Queen’s chambers are filled with murals, statues, even furniture made by past Empathi. The most brilliant thing about them, are that they look exactly the same as the day were made. It’s speculated that the Empathi poured so much of their unique magic into their works that it made them immortal. And finally, the Vates (Novo Vates) were gifted with dreams that told of the future. They were usually quiet souls although their temper was legendary. Most of the Vates’ were absent minded or easily distracted. Besides that, not much else is known. There are no records of Chrysalis’ Royal Guards, and my sole attempt to pry any information other than their name from her caused her to ignore me for an entire year. This concludes our time together, may you cherish this information as much as I. Yours truly, Gentle Listener Author's Note Welp, it's 11:30 and I have school in the morning. Hope you enjoy this. DesolationI don't want to be awake. I wish I could just stay in the cold familiarity of Tilo's sleep spell. But I have a duty to the remaining members of the hive, and my friends. It's been two years since all 43 of our Venator drones went missing, at the absolute worst time in their cycle to do so. The eggs had just been lain, and our Elders had all been killed by the rotting sickness only weeks before, when the mareshadow had appeared on the moon and the Night became dull. Never in our history have we seen such a disaster. Queen Giulia decided to send the previous First Branch to find some news of the missing Venators the week my friends (then still the Second Branch) were scheduled to ascend. We combined their celebration with the send off, in order to conserve energy until the Branch fixed the problem. It was as gay as all our other holidays, yet there was a tension in the air as my friends said their goodbyes to their mentors. Weeks went by with no word from the Elder Branch, but we still had faith them. It took an entire year of no communication with the group before we realized they weren't coming back. Everything happened very fast at that point. Our Elder drones were the first to go, despite their caretakers' best efforts. Soon groups began dropping like flies. We were not idle during this time. Giulia and I held council seemingly nonstop, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. There were no easy options. We could try to send the remaining First Branch out, but the chance was too great. They're our last defense against whatever was out there killing our comrades. Looking back, we were both influenced by the fear and paranoia that had settled over the hive. I think, despite everything, the one who suffered the most was Somniatius. She was the only one who could find out what happened, but the only dreamvision she had, 8 months after the Elder Branch and Venators were declared dead, was of the Nightmare. It took her weeks to recover from her vision. She wouldn't leave her room, wouldn't eat, and from the screams we could hear every few days told us she was having nightmares. Only Odio was allowed to see her, and every time he came out he just said she needed some time. Yesterday, about 2 months after the Nightmare, Queen Giulia locked herself in Somniatius' room. I have no idea what happened in there, but when she came out she ordered us to never speak of the Nightmare again. I had been standing outside of Somniatius' room when the Queen emerged, and I caught a glimpse of Somni in her bed, sleeping soundly. I dare not broach the subject, even now that I am Queen... Ah yes, that's what I'm trying to avoid. Oh well, there's not stopping it now. I must work through this if I am ever going to take up my responsibilities. Everything seemed a little better that day, now that we knew Somni was going to be alright. It was a small comfort, but we took what we could get. That changed, however, when Queen Giulia collapsed not an hour after her intervention with Somniatius. You see, the Queen loved her subjects very, very much. She could name every single Drone, Pupae, Larvae, and Egg to have ever been in her hive, and had talked to each of them in depth at least once in their lifetimes. So when we lost 80% of our population in the course of two years, she became desperate. She once told me her greatest fear was being alone. I believe it's this fear that caused her to go to such extreme measures for Somniatius. She knew that if anyone was going to survive, it would be the First Branch and I. We were young, strong, and still relatively healthy, until Somniatius had her Nightmare. As I stated before, she refused her daily ration of nectar. Odio managed to force feed her enough to keep her alive but she became emaciated and was quite literally on the brink of death. And so, when Giulia healed her mind, she also gave her enough strength to live. Which was apparently all of her remaining power. So she died. I became Queen. I cried alot. Tilo put me to sleep, and now here I am. A Queen. I have dallied long enough. I must put the past behind me and act swiftly if my remaining subjects are to survive. I will not let them suffer any longer. The Fluffy Club: We Probably Shouldn't Have Done That.Alright, time to get up. I’ll just call the group in and sta- Wait. They just came in. This is odd… They never come in my room if I’m not up. Maybe something happened. What if more drones died? Oh no I gotta get up and- “So… How long was this spell supposed to last?” They’ve surrounded my bed. I can’t pass a chance like this up. I’ll just wait for them to be sure I’m sleeping peacefully then.. Heh. “Only eight hours. She should be awake right now. Maybe she’s just pretending?” No I’m not! Shush Tilo! Nothing to see here. Just a peacefully sleeping matriarch. I’m not planning on jumping up and scaring you in a second. “Well she needs to keep on pretending, because we still have to figure out what to tell her.” I knew something happened! This is more important than scaring them. “Tell me what, Odio?” Ah. I love that pause when they know they’re in trouble. “Um. Nothin. Keep your eyes shut. Go back to sleep?” Alright, they wouldn’t say that if it was serious… I’ll bite. “You’ve got five minutes, then I’m getting up. Got it?” …. “Yes’m.” I’m pretty sure they’ve moved away from my bed-to the left corner of my room, by Galius’ Spring Fresco, if their whispering indicates anything-so I take a moment to stretch and sit up, with a bit of eye rubbing for good measure. The whispering stopped. They must be ready, but I’ll wait for them to say something just in case. “Alright… Open your eyes. Just don’t scream ok?” I’m a bit scared but alright…. . . . Whaa? “Well. This is not what I expected to wake up to. What happened to you guys?” ~~~~~Tilo~~~~~~~ Ok, so she didn’t scream, that’s a good sign. Although her head’s tilted almost 90 degrees. That’s some neck flexibility right there. Alright, now to explain in a calm manner… “TilawascryingandIdidn’tknowwhattodosoIpanickedandtriedtoturnintothatfluffypinkponyfromtheAtismissionbutIdidn’thaveenoughpowerandIpassedouthalfwaythrough” Ok, not so calm then. Big breath then tell the rest. “GASP~ThenIwasreallyemberassedsoTilatriedtocopymewithoutthepassingoutandactuallydiditandOdioandSomnifeltleftoutsoOdiochangedhertoaslightlyfluffymixwithpolkadotsthatmatchhereyesandsheonlyhadenoughpowertochangehimpinktomatchhersonowwehaveverylittlepowerandweprobablyhaveamonthbeforewe’recompletelyoutsowereallyneedtothinkofaplanandyou’renotallowedtodoanythingweallagreed.” There. Now to sit down for a second, that really winded me. “...Why can’t I join the fluffy club?” ~~~Tila~~~ Honestly I expected this. She’s not gonna let it go either, I can see it in her eyes. I swear this famine is making us lose our minds. Fine. I’ll send her something equally fluffy and ridiculous. “Hehehehehehehehheheheheh” And now our most respected ruler’s mane and tail are rainbow colored. Great. ~~~Amaris~~~ “Thank you guys. I really didn’t know how I was gonna handle today, but this definitely cheered me up, even if it was an accident.” They release a string of comforting words and pile around me on the bed, making a fluffy group cuddle pile. Kinda like we did as larvae. But we really need to figure out our plan. “Alright, all jokes aside, we need a plan. Now. We know we can’t stay. We don’t know what will happen if we leave, but maybe the danger’s passed, whatever it was. Thoughts?” Tila straightens a bit and, as expected, is the first to speak up. Tilo will follow, then Odio, then Somni. Sometimes Odio and Somni just speak at the same time in that freaky way they can. Even with the hive mind, synchronized talking is weird and hard to do. “I second that. I propose we go to Canterlot, and ask the Sun for refuge. No lies, straight truth.” Well that’s not exactly what I had in mind but… I think we can make it there. I know Tila put the remaining drones to sleep, with the exception of the Medic treat Giulia’s body… I’ll think about that in a second. “While I would normally be against that, I think that’s the only thing we can do. None of us have enough power to shift. We’ll have to walk through the city like this. In order to do that, we’ll have to talk to the first guard we see. Prove we mean no harm. They won’t realize how malnourished we are, since ponies don’t get holes in them when they starve, but we can prove it. Somehow. We’ll have to.” “We agree.” Like I said, creepy. Alright, no sense dallying. Time is precious. No time to pack, or hover. We’ll burn Giulia’s body, wake the drones, and head out. It’ll take about 3 days… We’re going to lose at least 20 more, unless I can think of something fast… What would Giulia do? Suddenly I’m transported back to my larvaehood. Giulia and I are in her private lunar garden, the one filled with the odd statues. Yes, and she’s telling me that her predecessor used to love to play with the statues. I couldn’t comprehend how anyone could play with them, they were huge! Twice the height of my Queen! Then she did something amazing. With her beautiful smooth horn touching one of the statues in the style of a Queen, she started to force magic into it. She began explaining what she was doing aloud, which she only did when teaching me something only I needed to know! She said she was imagining the stone, every contour and curve, but the size of a pebble. Then she said to herself, “Be what I know you to be.” And suddenly, the statue was tiny! I could see it in the dip of the bottom of her hoof, and it looked exactly like one of the pieces we used to play… What was the game called? Class? Cress? Cheese? I think that’s it. The game of Cheese. And she said to me, “Amaris, my darling. Remember this. If something doesn’t fit, make it. If a load is too heavy, lighten it. Imagine what you want it to be. Demand it be exactly that. And you, my dearest one, will be able to move mountains.” I can’t believe I forgot that. But I was so small… I know what I have to do. Author's Note I said I wasn't gonna make a chapter today, but I did.
AscensionAuthor's Note Paragraph breaks=new narrator. If you're not sure who was talking in a certain paragraph, here's the order 1: 3rd person, no character. 2: Tila 3:Odio 4: Somniatis 5: Odio's Note 6: Somniatis 7:Tilo (Not to be confused with Tila) 8: Still Tilo 9:Odio 10:Tilo 11:Tila 12: Odio 13:Somniatis 14:Tilo 15:None 16:Tilo (in fluff form) Ascension 2 AB- Deep within the badlands, all is silent. The winds, normally raging all night, are still. This would normally cause some excitement within the changeling Hive Guillera; however, all is still within as they await their new Queen. "No. This cannot be happening. I'm not ready! Merciful Maker don't take her yet. O' my Queen, Giulia, my friend," cried the now-Queen of the Equestrian Hive. The Medica (2899? They all look the same to me.) just looks on, a touch of pity leaking through her mental shield. It's pathetic how some drones can't even keep up a simple shield. Besides, Queen Amaris doesn't need her pity. She needs a friend, and I'm now the closest she has. With that in mind, I put on my most soothing voice and walk over to pull her against me. The embrace seems to shock her out of her hysterics, but she's still sobbing (Not to mention leaking all over the place, geez). She whimpers my name "Tila..." I shoot a quick message to the Medica to take Queen Gulia's body for the funeral preparation, while asking my pod-mate Tilo to bring me her Majesty's brush and the smallest amount of Nectar we can spare. While we wait, I work on calming Amaris down any way I can. I try rocking her, but she allows a memory of Gulia rocking her as a larvae to leak out, quickly overtaking me (because touching is the only way anything can get past any shield, not because mine is weak!). So I scrap that plan as fast as I can. Oh, I guess that was a longer memory than I thought, Tilo's back. He quietly hands me the brush, planting a quick kiss on our heartbroken friend's head before retreating to the corner of the room, nectar safely housed in a container in his chitin. The poor thing stiffens as I begin to brush her mane, but relaxes after a few strokes. I thank the Moon that Giulia never did this with her, or else I'd never be able to help her. As it is, I allow a few of our most relaxing memories past my shield and Tilo, Bless him, begins to sing her a lullaby, taking advantage of her lack of a shield to slowly enchant his song with his signature sleep magic. I place the brush on the floor before gingerly picking her up and carrying her to her chambers to put her to bed. She's well into a dreamless sleep by now, thanks to Tilo's spell. Speaking of which, Tilo, put the nectar on her nightstand. I tuck her in and communicate to the hive to begin Hibernation until further notice, excluding Medica 2899 and the rest of the First Branch. Tilo summons our group to the room adjacent to Amaris' to discuss the current situation. I cannot express how much the ascension of our Fair and Noblest Queen into the Glorious Heavens has destroyed me. I have no notion as to how I will continue without her Shining Wisdom, and how much our new Queen must ache! I must go to her side immediately, so as to relieve her suffering! All members of the First Branch report to room 8659 immediately Oh. Well alright, but as soon as this is over I will be at Her Holiest Majesty's side! ".... loss... change... love..." All members of the First Branch report to room 8659 immediately "WAAH" thunk Oh dear... Oh dear oh dear.. Queen Gulia.. I can't believe they didn't wake me! I specifically told Odio to wake me if it looked like things were going badly! When I get my hands on him... Hey a note! Dearest, most stunning vision of mine, Sominatis, Please do not hunt me down and hurt me before you read this, I don't wish to suffer unnecessarily. If, at the conclusion of this note, you still wish to kick my flank into the Glorious Night, feel free to do so, as I misjudged your priorities. The reason, my beautiful moon blossom, I did not wake you for her Eternal Majesty's passing, is that you were showing the symptoms of a true vision, and it sounded incredibly dire. Therefore, blah blah blah Adjective blah.... I send a quick message to Odio Glowing eyes and everything? Of course my heart. and quickly proceed to write my dream down. Fortunately I have a knack for remembering my dreams, or else I would have missed my Queen's passing and ascension for naught. Somniatis, we're waiting. Oh, right. Meeting. If I'm being honest here, I have to say that watching Amaris cry was extremely awkward. I've never been good with the whole.. emotion thing, I suppose. Maybe that's why Tila and I work so well together. She's a tough gal, not prone to emotional displays. Her obsession with her shield is definite proof of that. That being said, she isn't without feelings. For me, specifically. It's... awkward to say the least. I only agreed to be her pod-mate because it's kind of expected. I mean, look at Odio and Somni. They're so mushy it makes me gag a little. But back to Tila. She's my best friend, definitely. We're so close, we named ourselves almost the same thing! I know one day I'm going to have to tell her. Maybe after things settle down, I mean, our Queen just died today. Buck! I got distracted. Again. Stupid brain. We've apparently moved into the room across from Amaris' chambers. I wonder wha- All members of the First Branch report to room 8659 immediately well that answers that question. Oh. Oh no. Is she...? "Tila... Are you ok?" I ask softly, hoping with all my heart that she's not doing what I think she's doing. She's sitting on her haunches, with her head bowed. I hear a small sniff and see a drop of fluid fall to the floor. And here we go. Ok Tilo, you can do this. Just go up to her and- I burst into the meeting room, only to have my world utterly obliterated, as if the Mighty Goddess herself had stomped it to oblivion. Our Stoic, Tough as a manticore, Ursa Major, and hydra mixed together, is crying?!?!?!?!?!?. Tilo, the poor oaf, is frozen, looking at me like I'm the last bit of nectar in Guillera. He's never been good with these types of things. I quickly pick up his slack, absolutely rushing to her side to console her. I think better of the rushing part, considering I still have a dent in my chitin from the last time I got.. Ahem.. overexcited in my fervor to provide aid. Instead, I walk as softly as a Providor among their pupae over to her. It takes all my will power, but I remain silent as I sit beside her as wrap my arms around her now quaking body. Tilo is still standing there, looking even more petrified than before. Honestly man! Tilo! Come here and hold her you larva! At this point, my dazzling ray of Divinity has arrived, looking adorably frazzled as is usually the case. She takes about 0.5 seconds to assess the situation before grabbing Tilo and dragging him in front of Tila then promptly sitting on Tila's unoccupied side, mirroring my position so that our forelegs form a circle of comfort around her. I have absolutely no idea what to do now. I'm about as frightened as the entire Hive was when the Night lasted longer than it should and when the mare appeared on the moon. (Now before I say what I did next, I must take a moment to say that I'm normally great under pressure, especially in combat. But this was no fight, not even a test! So I did the first thing that popped into my head.) Standing slowly, I charged up my horn, remembering a scouting trip from a few years ago where we encountered a.. unique mare. I can honestly say I did not expect that. I had been trying my hardest to get my emotions in check when Odio came in. But I loved Queen Giulia as my lifelong mentor. We all studied under her (we being Tilo, Amaris, Odio, Somniatis, and I) but Amaris and I spent the most time with her. I was a little surprised at how quickly Odio sobered after coming in, given his flamboyant nature, but I appreciated his efforts and welcomed his and Somniatis' embrace. I didn't really expect Tilo to do anything, I know he's not good with most displays of emotion. When he charged his horn I was a little apprehensive, seeing as his specialty is in sleeping enchantments. I would have never expected him to do that. What. In. Tartarus. Is. That. Why would. But. I don't. Tilo????? Wow I did not expect that part of the dream to be real. And it seems he managed to do the impossible, cause my exuberant love to be at a loss for words. Oh hey Tila's not crying anymore! Good job Tilo! I can't believe I just did that. I mean, it worked, but I'm pretty sure Odio was not suggesting I turn myself into a giant pink ball of pony fur. Yep. That's what I did. Sort of. I made my chitin sprout fur, and changed my gender, My fight or flight instincts have officially broken. In order to comfort my pod-mate, I not only changed myself into a ridiculously fluffy pink pony of the opposite gender (and failed), I used all my reserves of power in order to do it. I do believe I'm about to pass out. At least she's ok. The conscious members of the Guillera Hive's First Branch immediately rush into action, each passing a fourth of their reserves into their fluffy fallen comrade, effectively reviving him within seconds of his collapse. They wait anxiously for him to transform back before they realize that he can't. There isn't enough power left among them to revive him safely a second time. "Buck!"
Everything You'll Ever Want to Know About: ChangelingsFor Luna, May you always be curious. Before one can evaluate the changelings, they must understand them. Their unique anatomy and intricate political hierarchy have baffled and intrigued the lucky few who are aware of their existence. Let us start with correcting a common misunderstanding. Changelings have free will. They are capable of choosing their fate. I will go into more detail later on. Changelings reside in Hives, each one having a separate government and society, allowing for a little variation. There have been/are 5 Hives recorded, as far as this scholar is aware. Due to their secretive nature, little is known about their history, and few dare to force information from them. As it stands, there could be hundreds of hives unknown to the world. The ones we do know, however, have names. There is only one physical hive in Equestria, called Guillera. Since it’s construction, it has housed two completely different groups of changelings, with about 500 years in between them. That hive’s history would take a whole other book to cover, so I will conclude my description in clarifying that the two groups housed within the structure are being counted as two entirely different hives, as that is what they are. The other three are located in the Griffon (Bellatorem), Crystal (Venustas), and Dragon Empires (Anguis), each founded thousands of years ago, and still functional today. It is estimated that there are roughly one million changelings in the world as of the year 10 of the Age of Magic. Their political systems operate very much like a machine, and do not vary from hive to hive. They all operate on the same semi-democratic matriarchy, with the Queen and her advisors (Each hive has a different term for this group) having almost absolute power. However, each group in the hive has a representative that uses the groups mental connection to represent its comrades better than any known democracy to date. This group meets along with the Queen and her advisors every time a decision that will affect the groups as a whole is made. If an issue only affects some groups, or even just one, the Queen will always call the affected parties to a meeting, where their vote is as important as the Queen’s. If I can just take a minute here to admire/praise their political system, I must say it’s quite possibly the fairest in the world. Even the Royal Sisters cannot achieve such fairness, although their kingdom is much larger than a changeling hive. The hives usually share characteristics with the natives of their hive’s location, making the hives biologically diverse. This is to ensure that they are able to imitate the residents of their country. In this examination, we will be discussing the Equestrian branch of changeling only. With that, we must move on to their anatomy. Changeling anatomy has remained exactly the same throughout time. The first changeling Queen looked exactly like the five present day Queens. However, not all changelings look the same. In fact, three types (Queen, advisor, and drone) have different scientific names. Drones, or novo operarius, vary from group to group, but they all share basic characteristics. There are 20 drones within each group, and anywhere from 5 to 50 groups in a hive. The average drone is about 3 ft high, covered in a hard shell-like material that can handle around 350 lbs of pressure before it cracks. They can have thin translucent wings, although this trait is typically only found in a third of the groups. The same goes for horns, typically a little longer than the average unicorn's, and the rest have neither. This seems to emulate the pony groups, with each variation sporting similar features, and as such, tend to have better success in transforming into their pony counterparts. Their shape shifting ability is the only skill we know of that every type of drone in every group has as soon as they hatch, with the exact same power, no matter the group. Therefore, they share the same limitations. The one that this author finds most interesting is their limitation of speech. While even the least talented drone can perfectly imitate any pony they see, this imitation only extends to outward appearances. Their chitin can shift, expand, change shape, and even sprout fur, but they cannot alter whatever they use to speak (the scientific community has yet to procure an adequate specimen for study, so most of the inner workings of changelings are unknown), and therefore have to be taught how to imitate voices, unless they have an… intimate knowledge of the inside of the pony their copying. This is generally frowned upon. Because of this limitation, most changelings never leave the hive. The functionality of drones has a profound effect on their life cycle. In a phenomena that has completely baffled the scientific community, every single Matrem drone in the hive will lay her eggs at the same time, and the younglings will mature at the same rate, physically. The laying of eggs is commonly celebrated as a holiday within the hive, as most changeling holidays are centered around their stages of life which are as follows: Egg-There are exactly 20 changeling eggs in a laying. 15 of those eggs house the group’s next Operari, while 5 house the next specialized drones. This is the stage where their connections to the hive are formed. It begins with the Matrem forging their connection to the group. This typically occurs 2 weeks before they are actually lain, and as I understand requires no conscious effort from the Matrem. She then spends 3 months teaching them the changeling’s language (which is oddly similar to Zebrican, and spoken in all the hives, possibly suggesting the species originated there, even though there are no known hives in the region) through their mental connection to their group while they continue to develop. Then begins the changeling holiday of Familia, in which their group’s representative drone is responsible for connecting them to the hive mind, and the Queen must visit every single egg in the hive to pull all the connections together, giving her the ability to command the next generation as swiftly and safely as possible. Not much is known about the celebrations, and most “information” is merely speculation or rumor, which does not merit even this little bit of recognition. Larvae-Eggs hatch roughly around 6 months after being lain. During this stage, the young changelings begin to learn the basics of their group’s purpose, as well as magic. Providors usually teach the 15 Operari larvae and the Providor larvae. The other 4 larvae are taught by their elder counterparts. They are considered Larvae until 10 years after their hatching, an occasion marked by their chitin gaining the trademark changeling holes. Pupae-Their training continues, and becomes much more advanced. This is when they begin to learn how to imitate voices (which I’ve been told is extremely comedic), and the Equestrian language. This goes on for another 10 years, until their second set of fangs comes in. Drone-Finally, fully matured and ready to take on the responsibilities of their Elders, whom have served dutifully for 40 years, retire to a much needed rest in the care of a group entirely devoted to them. Not a bad life, eh? Thus we begin discussing the differences among drones. As previously stated, there are 20 Drones in each group. 15 of these drones are exactly the same as the ones in their group. Changelings actually use the same language that scientists use when naming a species, so the 15 drones are commonly called Operarius drones. Between groups, there is usually little variance between the average Operari. The 5 specialized drones, however, are completely different within the group, even from each other. Alternatively, each group has the exact same drones, with little to no variance. The 6 types of drones function as followed: Matrem drones (Novo Matrem) are solely devoted to reproduction. They are also charged with caring for its eggs, which, while seemingly simple, is actually one of the most intricate processes in any group. All drones we have recorded are agender, and most tend to be asexual, although this is a personal choice, not biological. Matrem drones reproduce asexually, with a gestation time of around a year. As stated earlier, the Matrem is in charge of the eggs' every need, the most vital of which is forging each eggs' connection to the group. The Matrem relinquishes responsibility of the eggs one week before hatching. Providor drones (Novo Providor) then care for the younglings until they mature completely. Providors are, to put it simply, the teachers of the changeling children. As stated earlier they teach the 15 Operari and Providor larvae and pupae the basics and advanced skills needed to complete their birth assigned assignments. They also provide counsel, care, and comfort to all 20 larvae or pupae within her group. Although I should note that the 4 specialized drones can choose to take over the instruction and care of their successor, and this happens quite often apparently. Reddo drones (Novo Reddo) are the representatives of each group, and are responsible for intimately knowing every drone, larvae, pupae, and egg in their group. They are usually the most proficient of their generation, with a natural ability in both magic and academic endeavors overall. There are no known cases of Reddo drones choosing to leave the Hive of change position. Venator drones (Novo Venator) are responsible for gathering love for its group. This is without a doubt the most dangerous occupation a changeling can have. Understandably, at least one changeling request a change every generation. These changelings are almost always sent on a long term assignment. They build families within the community they choose, make friends, and generally live life as a pony. Since they do not live within the hive, their successors usually go to live with them. As a result, they tend to form homosexual relationships, or claim infertility. Venator drones are always instructed in pony anatomy, so as to be able to Nutrire drones (Novo Nutrire) take the love the Venators bring and turn it into nectar, which is a sort of ambrosia to them. All changelings typically only need 1/3 of a cup a week, depending on the amount of magic that is used. Nutri make sure every drone in the group is healthy, forever adjusting their rations. Operarius drones (Novo Operarius) do the hard labor of the hive, and tend to be much more vigorous and occasionally abrasive. The Operari can be called upon in times of crisis to protect the hive. At this point I can return to the subject of a changeling’s will. While the 20 drones are born and raised within their group, they are allowed to choose. This is understandably rare, as most changelings have a deep love and loyalty to their group. A pupae is given the choice of changing their group before the beginning of their advanced training, and again after becoming a fully matured drone. They are also given the option of leaving the Hive, although this is a much more difficult process (and much rarer). In order to leave the Hive, the drone must pass an exam of their magical abilities, and then undergo extensive training in the ways of the country they live in, as well as magical training if they didn’t meet the qualifications of the exam in order to be admitted leave. This process is carried out by the Queen herself, as leaving is actually considered to be an act of bravery and courage. There is usually a ceremony held for the departing drone, that supposedly rivals the Grand Galloping Gala of Equestria and lasts for an entire week. Now, we move on to the 5 changelings in the hive. The Queen and her advisors. I have yet to state the name of the advisor group, for one reason. As I said earlier, there have been two hives recorded in Guillera. The most recent hive was in fact Queen Chrysalis’, which was disbanded after her defeat in Canterlot. She ironically dubbed her advisors her Royal Guard. The second was a hive as ancient as Celestia herself, which fell only two years after Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon was banished. It’s speculated that most of the hive starved as a result of Nightmare Moon’s rebellion killing the Venators of the hive. It is said that its Queen and her First Branch survived but no records exist to back the rumor up. Each advisor group consists of 4 changelings (I do not believe they belong under the same classification as drones) with unique abilities that are passed on from their successor. These abilities do not differ within the hive, but each hive’s advisors are different. The First Branch’s advisors were ranked, an odd but understandable arrangement as the Leader (Novo Dux) had the most magical prowess and the extraordinary ability to replace the Queen in the event of her and her successor’s deaths, or the extremely rare case of a Queen that endangered the hive. This trait would have been useful in Chrysalis’ hive, however only the First Branch could do it as far as we know. Next in rank was the Laetita (Novo Laetita) who, through processes which I don’t even understand, can reproduce with any species and was able to imitate voices and languages. The First Branch as a whole, could reproduce with ponies through.. ahem “traditional” means. Ironically, they cannot reproduce with each other. 3rd in rank (and in my heart) is the Empathia (Novo Empathia) who was able to manipulate emotion. However, he could not force anyone to love him. Because of their sensitivity to emotion, Empathi make up almost the entirety of Guillera’s arts. Be it painting, literature, sculpting… The Queen’s chambers are filled with murals, statues, even furniture made by past Empathi. The most brilliant thing about them, are that they look exactly the same as the day were made. It’s speculated that the Empathi poured so much of their unique magic into their works that it made them immortal. And finally, the Vates (Novo Vates) were gifted with dreams that told of the future. They were usually quiet souls although their temper was legendary. Most of the Vates’ were absent minded or easily distracted. Besides that, not much else is known. There are no records of Chrysalis’ Royal Guards, and my sole attempt to pry any information other than their name from her caused her to ignore me for an entire year. This concludes our time together, may you cherish this information as much as I. Yours truly, Gentle Listener Author's Note Welp, it's 11:30 and I have school in the morning. Hope you enjoy this.
DesolationI don't want to be awake. I wish I could just stay in the cold familiarity of Tilo's sleep spell. But I have a duty to the remaining members of the hive, and my friends. It's been two years since all 43 of our Venator drones went missing, at the absolute worst time in their cycle to do so. The eggs had just been lain, and our Elders had all been killed by the rotting sickness only weeks before, when the mareshadow had appeared on the moon and the Night became dull. Never in our history have we seen such a disaster. Queen Giulia decided to send the previous First Branch to find some news of the missing Venators the week my friends (then still the Second Branch) were scheduled to ascend. We combined their celebration with the send off, in order to conserve energy until the Branch fixed the problem. It was as gay as all our other holidays, yet there was a tension in the air as my friends said their goodbyes to their mentors. Weeks went by with no word from the Elder Branch, but we still had faith them. It took an entire year of no communication with the group before we realized they weren't coming back. Everything happened very fast at that point. Our Elder drones were the first to go, despite their caretakers' best efforts. Soon groups began dropping like flies. We were not idle during this time. Giulia and I held council seemingly nonstop, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. There were no easy options. We could try to send the remaining First Branch out, but the chance was too great. They're our last defense against whatever was out there killing our comrades. Looking back, we were both influenced by the fear and paranoia that had settled over the hive. I think, despite everything, the one who suffered the most was Somniatius. She was the only one who could find out what happened, but the only dreamvision she had, 8 months after the Elder Branch and Venators were declared dead, was of the Nightmare. It took her weeks to recover from her vision. She wouldn't leave her room, wouldn't eat, and from the screams we could hear every few days told us she was having nightmares. Only Odio was allowed to see her, and every time he came out he just said she needed some time. Yesterday, about 2 months after the Nightmare, Queen Giulia locked herself in Somniatius' room. I have no idea what happened in there, but when she came out she ordered us to never speak of the Nightmare again. I had been standing outside of Somniatius' room when the Queen emerged, and I caught a glimpse of Somni in her bed, sleeping soundly. I dare not broach the subject, even now that I am Queen... Ah yes, that's what I'm trying to avoid. Oh well, there's not stopping it now. I must work through this if I am ever going to take up my responsibilities. Everything seemed a little better that day, now that we knew Somni was going to be alright. It was a small comfort, but we took what we could get. That changed, however, when Queen Giulia collapsed not an hour after her intervention with Somniatius. You see, the Queen loved her subjects very, very much. She could name every single Drone, Pupae, Larvae, and Egg to have ever been in her hive, and had talked to each of them in depth at least once in their lifetimes. So when we lost 80% of our population in the course of two years, she became desperate. She once told me her greatest fear was being alone. I believe it's this fear that caused her to go to such extreme measures for Somniatius. She knew that if anyone was going to survive, it would be the First Branch and I. We were young, strong, and still relatively healthy, until Somniatius had her Nightmare. As I stated before, she refused her daily ration of nectar. Odio managed to force feed her enough to keep her alive but she became emaciated and was quite literally on the brink of death. And so, when Giulia healed her mind, she also gave her enough strength to live. Which was apparently all of her remaining power. So she died. I became Queen. I cried alot. Tilo put me to sleep, and now here I am. A Queen. I have dallied long enough. I must put the past behind me and act swiftly if my remaining subjects are to survive. I will not let them suffer any longer.
The Fluffy Club: We Probably Shouldn't Have Done That.Alright, time to get up. I’ll just call the group in and sta- Wait. They just came in. This is odd… They never come in my room if I’m not up. Maybe something happened. What if more drones died? Oh no I gotta get up and- “So… How long was this spell supposed to last?” They’ve surrounded my bed. I can’t pass a chance like this up. I’ll just wait for them to be sure I’m sleeping peacefully then.. Heh. “Only eight hours. She should be awake right now. Maybe she’s just pretending?” No I’m not! Shush Tilo! Nothing to see here. Just a peacefully sleeping matriarch. I’m not planning on jumping up and scaring you in a second. “Well she needs to keep on pretending, because we still have to figure out what to tell her.” I knew something happened! This is more important than scaring them. “Tell me what, Odio?” Ah. I love that pause when they know they’re in trouble. “Um. Nothin. Keep your eyes shut. Go back to sleep?” Alright, they wouldn’t say that if it was serious… I’ll bite. “You’ve got five minutes, then I’m getting up. Got it?” …. “Yes’m.” I’m pretty sure they’ve moved away from my bed-to the left corner of my room, by Galius’ Spring Fresco, if their whispering indicates anything-so I take a moment to stretch and sit up, with a bit of eye rubbing for good measure. The whispering stopped. They must be ready, but I’ll wait for them to say something just in case. “Alright… Open your eyes. Just don’t scream ok?” I’m a bit scared but alright…. . . . Whaa? “Well. This is not what I expected to wake up to. What happened to you guys?” ~~~~~Tilo~~~~~~~ Ok, so she didn’t scream, that’s a good sign. Although her head’s tilted almost 90 degrees. That’s some neck flexibility right there. Alright, now to explain in a calm manner… “TilawascryingandIdidn’tknowwhattodosoIpanickedandtriedtoturnintothatfluffypinkponyfromtheAtismissionbutIdidn’thaveenoughpowerandIpassedouthalfwaythrough” Ok, not so calm then. Big breath then tell the rest. “GASP~ThenIwasreallyemberassedsoTilatriedtocopymewithoutthepassingoutandactuallydiditandOdioandSomnifeltleftoutsoOdiochangedhertoaslightlyfluffymixwithpolkadotsthatmatchhereyesandsheonlyhadenoughpowertochangehimpinktomatchhersonowwehaveverylittlepowerandweprobablyhaveamonthbeforewe’recompletelyoutsowereallyneedtothinkofaplanandyou’renotallowedtodoanythingweallagreed.” There. Now to sit down for a second, that really winded me. “...Why can’t I join the fluffy club?” ~~~Tila~~~ Honestly I expected this. She’s not gonna let it go either, I can see it in her eyes. I swear this famine is making us lose our minds. Fine. I’ll send her something equally fluffy and ridiculous. “Hehehehehehehehheheheheh” And now our most respected ruler’s mane and tail are rainbow colored. Great. ~~~Amaris~~~ “Thank you guys. I really didn’t know how I was gonna handle today, but this definitely cheered me up, even if it was an accident.” They release a string of comforting words and pile around me on the bed, making a fluffy group cuddle pile. Kinda like we did as larvae. But we really need to figure out our plan. “Alright, all jokes aside, we need a plan. Now. We know we can’t stay. We don’t know what will happen if we leave, but maybe the danger’s passed, whatever it was. Thoughts?” Tila straightens a bit and, as expected, is the first to speak up. Tilo will follow, then Odio, then Somni. Sometimes Odio and Somni just speak at the same time in that freaky way they can. Even with the hive mind, synchronized talking is weird and hard to do. “I second that. I propose we go to Canterlot, and ask the Sun for refuge. No lies, straight truth.” Well that’s not exactly what I had in mind but… I think we can make it there. I know Tila put the remaining drones to sleep, with the exception of the Medic treat Giulia’s body… I’ll think about that in a second. “While I would normally be against that, I think that’s the only thing we can do. None of us have enough power to shift. We’ll have to walk through the city like this. In order to do that, we’ll have to talk to the first guard we see. Prove we mean no harm. They won’t realize how malnourished we are, since ponies don’t get holes in them when they starve, but we can prove it. Somehow. We’ll have to.” “We agree.” Like I said, creepy. Alright, no sense dallying. Time is precious. No time to pack, or hover. We’ll burn Giulia’s body, wake the drones, and head out. It’ll take about 3 days… We’re going to lose at least 20 more, unless I can think of something fast… What would Giulia do? Suddenly I’m transported back to my larvaehood. Giulia and I are in her private lunar garden, the one filled with the odd statues. Yes, and she’s telling me that her predecessor used to love to play with the statues. I couldn’t comprehend how anyone could play with them, they were huge! Twice the height of my Queen! Then she did something amazing. With her beautiful smooth horn touching one of the statues in the style of a Queen, she started to force magic into it. She began explaining what she was doing aloud, which she only did when teaching me something only I needed to know! She said she was imagining the stone, every contour and curve, but the size of a pebble. Then she said to herself, “Be what I know you to be.” And suddenly, the statue was tiny! I could see it in the dip of the bottom of her hoof, and it looked exactly like one of the pieces we used to play… What was the game called? Class? Cress? Cheese? I think that’s it. The game of Cheese. And she said to me, “Amaris, my darling. Remember this. If something doesn’t fit, make it. If a load is too heavy, lighten it. Imagine what you want it to be. Demand it be exactly that. And you, my dearest one, will be able to move mountains.” I can’t believe I forgot that. But I was so small… I know what I have to do. Author's Note I said I wasn't gonna make a chapter today, but I did.
