Project Starburst

"You betrayed us." Cloud Prism said, as the group headed towards the mountain path. "We put our faith in you, and all along you were a changeling."

"Which, technically, means I didn't betray you, since I'd have to be on your side to begin with." Golden Luck pointed out from the back of the group, where she was watching all of the ponies, Rainbow Dash and Cloud Prism most of all. "Now, keep quiet and keep moving on."

Rainbow leaned into Cloud. "You know, if we bolt right at her, even without our wings, we can probably take her down. We'd have to be fast, though, before the ponies caught on." she whispered, glancing around at their escort. "What's with that, anyway...?"

Cloud looked around at the ponies who were falling in line with Golden Luck, thinking. "I don't know." he finally muttered back. "Could be coerced, could be some kind of spell. I don't want to hurt them until we know more."

Rainbow growled, annoyed. "Well, what are we going to do, just let them take us to their base?" she asked. "I'm going to go for it. You can follow me if you want." she crouched down, ready to make her move, when the group stopped in front of a cave. A few changelings came out, looking them over.

Golden Luck nodded at the group. "I've brought in a few ponies, including one of the heroes of Ponyville. I'll be taking them in myself. Carry on with the mission."

The Changelings nodded and stepped aside, allowing the ponies to enter the cave. The bare stone only lasted a few steps, though, before it opened up into a massive chamber. Changelings and ponies were walking about, taking to each other, or working on various tasks, including dozens of pods dangling from the ceiling. Not a few of them had shadowy shapes in them that were perfectly still. Green goo covered the walls, and even stuck to a few of the ponies coats.

"Keep on moving." Golden Luck urged, before turning to the ponies who had captured Rainbow, Angel, Spiral, Cloud, and Greymane. "And you all get back to work. We're on a bit of a timetable here, got it?"

With a nod, the ponies split off, two of them headed out of the cave again while the others went to attend to various other tasks. Golden Luck moved up next to the captives, leading them through the cave. "Don't look so grim. You have my assurances that everything will be okay soon."

They reached a small tunnel, following it to another large room. In that room, there was a large, green throne, and on that throne, there was a large changeling.

"Mind Shade, very well done." Chrysalis praised, standing up and approaching the group. "This is an excellent turn of events after some very bad news." she stroked a hoof over Rainbows chin, pulling back when the pegasus tried to bite her.

"What bad news would that be, my Queen?" the changeling who they had known as Golden Luck asked; it seemed as if her name was a part of her disguise as well, a disguise that melted away once more as she stood before Chrysalis.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle has erected a barrier around her castle." Chrysalis said, a hint of irritation in her tone. "She must have found out about us. And we were so careful about it, too. Not that it matters, soon we'll have enough ponies to accomplish our goals." Here, she smiled, looking over the assembled ponies. "More so now that you five will be joining us."

Rainbow Dash growled. "Whatever you've been doing, it won't work!" she spat, glaring at the Queen; she seemed about ready to charge at her.

"What are your goals?" Greymane asked, putting a hoof in front of Rainbow. "This seems like a lot of work for someone who just wants to feed on love."

Chrysalis chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh no. This is about so much more than love now. Though of course, having all of these devoted ponies isn't exactly hurting matters. This is about my rightful place as ruler of Equestria, about spreading the Hive. In fact..." she smiled broadly, her horn glowing. "Why don't I show you?"

A flash came from Chrysalis' horn, washing over all five ponies. A moment later, they could hear a distinct buzzing sound, and they all looked around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Oh, don't bother. It's all in your heads. The voice of the Queen filled their minds at the same time, causing them to look back at her. Chrysalis was smirking as she looked down at them, horn still glowing. In all your heads at the same time, to be exact.

Angel's eyes widened, and she looked back at the others.

That's right, Angel Grace. I'm using a Hive Mind on these ponies. It's really delightful; the more ponies who devote themselves to me, the stronger I get and the more ponies I can affect. The buzzing sound was getting louder as Chrysalis went on, starting to drown out the thoughts of the captured ponies.

As it got louder, thoughts and images started to trickle into their heads, confirming what Chrysalis had told them. She'd been taking ponies for weeks now, turning them into loyal servants of the Hive. With their love feeding the Changelings, she was able to recover quickly, and prepare for the next phase of her plan: with an army of devoted ponies at her side, she'd attack Canterlot once again, imprisoning the Princesses, except for one. She was planning on using Cadence to make the entire land love Changelings! Already, there were a couple dozen ponies who had been taken by the Hive, and once Ponyville was secure, they would be put into pods to be drained of every last drop of love and will. With Ponyville loyal to the Hive, the Princesses would hesitate to strike, and that would be their undoing.

Mmm, so I see. Twilight's been working on a project of her own, has she? So she already suspected. Chrysalis' amusement passed through the Hive Mind. Oh yes. You're able to see my mind, and I'm able to see into yours. That's the beauty of a Hive Mind. Now, I think it's about time you all let me do the thinking for you, my new drones.

The buzzing grew louder and more intense, and then...it all stopped. Everything stopped, leaving their minds still. A moment later, their heads were filled with overwhelming truth. They must serve the Hive. They must obey the Queen. They were...a part of the hive.

The struggle slowly slipped from their expressions as they succumbed to the Hive Mind, and Chrysalis laughed as she felt each pony fall under her power. She directed them to their new roles, then sat back on the throne, the smirk still on her face. Soon, Twilight's knowledge and power would be hers to command, and nothing would stand in her way.