Queen

I slowly came to, lying on cold, rough stone. My body felt lighter and heavier at the same time. I cracked my eyes open, and noticed I was in a cave. My body felt wierd, and I was really hungry. I tried to stand up, and stumbled. There was an exclamation of surprise, and something skittered over to me. My eyes were still blurry, and I hadn't fully woken up yet.

"My Queen, We didn't expect you to awaken so soon! We've brought you back to the Badlands hive so you could recuperate after our expulsion from Canterlot. Are you okay?" The figure said, in a voice that had an odd reverb effect attached to it. My ears had heard gibberish, but my brain auto-corrected for me.

I blinked, and tried to focus on the figure helping me stand. But I didn't stand how exactly I was intending or expecting. I was standing on all fours, and it felt... Different, but comfortable. It felt right.

"Er, w-wha... What happened?" I replied in a slightly more reverbed voice as I stood up. I also sounded more feminine than I remember. I was going to ask where I was, but the figure had already answered for me.

"Prince Consort Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were able to repel us with their Love. Our invasion has failed." The creature standing before me answered. My eyes sharpened further, and I realized the creature before me was a shocking specimen to look at. "W-what the fuck are you?"

The creature balked at that. "W-what do you mean, My Queen? I-I am your loyal Protean Guard, commanded by you personally to be in your Guard-Ling troop."

And then I looked at myself. "What the fuck am I?" I held up my arms, examining my body. Where my hands and fingers were... is now a stub.

No... A hoof. Jet black and glossy, and interspersed with random holes up my arms. I sit down and lean my upper half up to look at my belly. It had several neon lime green bands going around it. My legs were also replaced with hooves, and my joints bent at odd angles compared to what I was familiar with.

"A-are you well, My Queen?" I felt a buzzing of concern from him, but also from inside my head, and it was slowly spreading through a network of other individuals I felt in my head as well.

"Er, w-what?... Ne-never better..." I reply as I look over my new body in confusion, as well as a rising curiosity. I stood back up again, and something buzzed behind me. I glanced behind me and saw two fascinatingly large insectoid wings.

"... Huh... Look at that." I murmur. I felt my sense of hearing shift around as I looked around. It was almost involuntary, but I could control it to a degree.

The... The drone before me was looking at me expectantly, but also worriedly. I didn't know how, but I could taste it, and it reminded me of a taste that was bad, but had good intentions. Somehow.

"... Do you need anything from me, My Queen?"

"I... don't think I am who you think I am... At least, in mind. But... I guess I'm willing to take up the mantle of ruling over you all." I reply sincerely.

A word occurred to me; Changeling. And with a quick mental game of 'connect the dots', things started falling into place.

The changeling before me cocked its head. "My Queen? What do you mean?"

"It... It doesn't matter. I need to tend to the matters of my... Lings?... What happened after our failed invasion? Did we return here immediately?"

"Yes, as soon as we saw that you were incapacitated, we immediately took it upon ourselves to return you to the Badlands Hive, My Queen." The Changeling replied, almost sounding like he was giving a military debrief. He continued speaking. "After we were ejected from Canterlot, we suffered casualties in the hundreds. A third of your drones have perished, My Queen. Apologies for breaking bad news."

"O-oh... W-well... Have their bodies all been able to be recovered?" I ask, my heart hurting for the perished changelings. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember anything too important from before I woke up.

The Changeling looked slightly shocked. At what, I did not know. "Er, y-yes My Queen. They are proceeding through the burial rites... Do you wish to... preside over the Rites?" The drone asked. He hurriedly added, "My Queen."

I walked along numbly, not really feeling anything, but also feeling everything. I tried so hard to feel a sense of loss, or pain... but there was nothing. and Everything. All the drones that parted around me... I felt their pain. Yet I still felt nothing.

The guard led me to the burial chambers, and stood by the 'door' while I approached the line of carts full of dead changelings that were getting sorted, identified, blessed, and then buried.

The room was massive. It wasn't very tall, only about 2 or 3 'Me's' tall, but it went on for as far as I could see, in all directions. There were pillars set up every so often. An older, war-torn-looking drone approached me. "Ah, What a blessing I have received to bask in your presence, My Queen." He said. A few flashes of memories in my mind, then, nothing. "What brings you to the realm of this lowly caretaker of the dead?"

"Uhm... C-could... May I... Watch the proceedings for a little while?" I reply hesitantly, hoping to feel something for these changelings.

No... not these changelings... My changelings. The drone looked at me funny for a moment, then straightened himself. "I don't see why not, My Queen." He smiled at me heartwarmingly and went back to helping bury the dead.

It started out slow. A slight tightness in my throat. Misty eyes. A sniffle or two. Weak knees. A growing tightness in my chest. A tear falling. A sob.

And I collapsed, starting to cry in earnest. I bawled my eyes out, mourning for that which I did not know any more, or never will know again. I didn't even notice when I fell asleep, nor when my guard came running.

I awoke again, this time on a plush bed. I yawned, and looked around. Still the same dimly lit cave, still the same quadruped body, still the same network in the back of my mind. I sucked up my emotions, and bottled them up, knowing I can't get back to... wherever I was from. "No need to cry over things I have no control over..." I murmur. I hear skittering again, and the same guard drone from earlier approached me.

"My Queen, are you okay? You passed out." He exclaimed.

I waved him off. "Thank you for checking on me... I'm... I'm just tired..."

Another drone burst in the door. "My Queen, Scouts have reported Ponies approaching the Hive!"

I give him a look, and slip out of the bed. "Alright, and?"

"We are enemies with Ponies, remember?!" The Drone cried out. I gave him a look, and waved him off. "Take me to meet them. I need to see this shit for myself." I murmured the last part to myself.