Chapters 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.
The walk- No, trot to the cave's entrance took a few minutes as the drone prattled on about their armaments, how many there were, and if they were unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony, which I didn't fully understand the last part. I just felt a grim determination to protect my Drones. We exited the cave, revealing a massive desert. Not a sand-dune desert, but a flat scrubland desert. I heard clopping hooves approaching us.
"Keep behind me" I tell the drones following me. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do, but protecting my drones was a priority.
The ponies trot into view, and I realize what the Drone had meant about unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies... another quick round of 'connect the dots' and I figured magic was a thing here. The ponies had trotted up to us, gloating about catching the 'Queen of the Changelings' off guard and weakened. they were lightly armed, with a poleaxe, a spear, and a sword. Their armor, while shiny and impressive, appeared to be made of gold. I recall Gold is not the best for protection. It was very likely an enchanted alloy or something like that.
"Weakened? I've never felt better. Leave, now... and I will spare your pitiful lives" I reply confidently. I don't know where that came from, but I'd said it and I'm rolling with it.
One pony laughed at me. Actually Laughed. A deep, belly-rolling laughter. "As if. This bounty will be Easy ." He gloated, laughing more, until a green glow grabbed him around the neck and lifted him off the ground. The same green glow emanated from something on my forehead.
He made a noise akin to someone being strangled, because he was. His comrades, shaken momentarily, recovered themselves and charged at me. The pegasus took to the air, while the earth pony thundered towards me.
I smirk, a hateful anger bubbling up from the depths of my mind. "You ponies just made your last mistake." With a jerk, I snapped the Unicorn's neck, and used him as a flail to knock his compatriots to the ground. Stunned, they both lie there for a moment. I stepped past the pegasus, who was writhing in pain, and over to the earth pony.
I saw the Fear in his eyes. We all know the Fear. The one where you know your death is coming, and all you can do now is pray. His face disappeared as I stomped on it, crushing his skull and splattering brain matter everywhere. I tossed the unicorn's corpse aside, and went back over to the pegasus. Who was just now getting up, though there was a blood trail down one of his wings. It looked broken. I looked into his eyes, and hissed menacingly. "Tell your rulers that we do not tolerate raiding parties in our territory. Ambassadors are welcome, but those that bring Death should welcome their own." I broke the Pegasus' other wing, and turned away, causing him to howl in pain. "Leave, and let your rulers know what happened here. Let them know I won't hesitate to kill next time. Or even better." I look over my shoulder at him. "Tell them to come to me themselves. I wish to... talk with them." I grab the dead bodies of the two ponies, and bring them with me back into the caves. I hear the pegasus sobbing as he flees, before the tunnel is sealed and everything is silent again.
I carried aloft the corpses of the two ponies in my magic as I made my way back to the burial chamber, my face locked in a scowl. The changelings I passed by watched curiously, but dared not interrupt for fear of invoking my wrath.
Once I reached the burial grounds, I found the caretaker still busy with his duties. The collection of bodies entrusted to him didn't seem to have gotten much smaller. He noticed I was in the room, and went to approach me, faltering momentarily when he saw the ponies I was carrying.
"My queen, you return so readily, and with fresh remnants of... bloodshed on your hooves. Er, what can this one, uh... do for you?"
"Are you willing and able to bless these ponies to their afterlife?" I ask, my voice flat and emotionless.
"Anything for my queen." He smiled.
"I don't demand you do this as your queen. I ask this of you as a fellow living being." I say, which catches the caretaker off-guard.
"I can bless their spirits... but I do not know the ponies' burial rites." He answered, unsure.
"Could you ensure their bodies keep until our next visitors come, then?"
"I cannot say for sure, since changelings are different than ponies, both magically and physically."
I considered it for a moment. "Dammit... I'll find a way to take care of it then. Thank you, Sir Undertaker." We then return to my royal chambers.
By now, everyling in the hive knew about how their queen had begun to act differently, and some had not liked it very much. Murmurs of dissent spread throughout the ranks.
I couldn't find the mental capacity to care at the moment. I was more focused on brainstorming ways to preserve the bodies of the ponies until more return to take them home. "Mummification? No, they wouldn't understand the actual intent for dismantling the bodies in such a way. Embalming? No, I don't think we have the materials for it. Freezing? It's... Plausible, but it makes the bodies more fragile... Hm... I think... That's what I'm gonna do. Sir Guard!" I called for my loyal guard.
"Yes, My queen? Is there something wrong?" The changeling bounded in almost like an excited puppy who was also ready for a fight.
"No, there is nothing wrong. I was just wondering if there was a way to make a temporary 'closet' of sorts. I really would prefer to keep these bodies from rotting in the hive, and have found a temporary solution."
"Excellent, my Queen. Do you need anything else before I retrieve the construction crew?"
"Do we have any changelings adept in creating objects to cool a room to below freezing temperatures?"
"N-no, b-but some of the ponies in pods may have such an ability." My eyebrows raised at that statement.
"Take me to them." I reply. I glance back at the pony bodies, and with a flick of my horn, I use my magic will the bodies to lower in temperature until they're frozen. "That'll do for now."
The journey to the Pod room was a short one. Upon entering the room, I was met with around 50 pods, most of them with a squirming, yet content-looking, pony in them.
My guard spoke up to me quietly. "Since you seem to no longer be the queen you once were, let me remind you of a few things. One, Our hunger is endless. Two, Our diet consists of emotions. Positive ones are more healthy and more filling. Negative emotions will send us into a frenzy. Three, We've mainly been getting fed by the pony in the very back. He's a strange one, he is. Most ponies are exhausted after feeding only 10 of us, but he can feed nearly half the hive before he shows any signs of running out."
"Fascinating" I murmur. "Does the process... harm them?"
"Not in the strictest sense, no. Overdrawing from a pony will instead draw from their life force, but we've perfected the process and this amount of ponies is just enough to keep us all fed, thanks to the 'fountain' back there. Or, it was. With our reduced numbers, we seem to currently only need the good one, and a hoof-full of others as backup... Do you have any intent to sire another brood, my queen?"
I shake my head. "It already seems troublesome just keeping all of you in line" I reply jokingly, unwittingly transmitting this across the link as well, sending the dissenters into a panic. "Hold on, what?" I say aloud. 'you guys need to stop that and calm down. I don't want to have to punish you for interrupting my thoughts, but I will.' I send over the Hive-link. As they calm down, I send another message. 'Thank you. I already have enough to deal with, I don't need you throwing a wrench into the gears.'
"Where were we?" I turn back to my guard, who had stiffened into attention.
"Sir Guard? Are you well?" I ask him curiously. After a moment, he snapped out of it and turned to me.
"Er, yes. I'm perfectly capable of continuing to be your chaperone and guide. Apologies for any worry I may have caused you, My Queen." He answered. I felt there was still something on his mind, but didn't feel like pressuring him, either physically or mentally.
"No, it's quite alright. I understand that circumstances are quite abnormal lately. I'm mostly just thankful you haven't begun to be troublesome like the other 'lings, and have actually aided me in learning about what is to be my new life."
We stood in silence momentarily before I remembered why we were here. "Oh, yeah. We came here to see if any pony here knew of standard pony burial rites."
"Ah, yes. And as a changeling queen, you are able to read into the fantasies of those in pods when you feed. It... may not appeal to you at this current time. I do not know how you would view it."
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I feed. Let alone if my moral preferences will allow it." I say. I look around at the pods again, trying to brainstorm some more.
After a moment, I think I may have thought up another idea to try. "Sir Guard, I wish to return to my royal chambers now. And have the pony bodies be brought there, as well as a few of our builders."
With a curt nod from the Guardling, we were on our way back to my room.
We arrive in my chambers at the same time as the builders and remains were arriving. "Ah, excellent. No waiting needed. Let's begin."
I had the builders make a rudimentary coffin, which I aided in refining and smoothing. After that was done, I looked over the bodies some more. The drones watched me curiously.
I lit my horn, channeling arcane energies through it as I attempted to enact my will into being. A tendril of green-tinted energy snaked down from my horn and towards the remains. The tendril touched one of the remains, and it flashed momentarily. I then did the same with the other body. I panted slightly as mana exhaustion crept into the borders of my mind. Magic is harder than I thought.
"Alright, I hope that works. Their remains are locked in time until I decide otherwise... I think... Let's get them into the coffins. They should last until-" I said. Until I was interrupted by a feeling of alarm. The only message I could gather from the feeling was of the night and day.
They were here. It hasn't even been four hours since the attempted raid.
I quickly trotted through the hive, calmly directing all of my changelings away from the entrance. I wasn't scared to face the Diarchs, but I was scared my changelings could get hurt. All the while, my guard was trying to keep up with me and the two coffins I was carrying aloft in my magic.
By the time I had arrived at the entrance, the Diarchs were already waiting, heavily armored up and looking to be armed to the teeth, as well as their own guardsponies. I sigh in irritation. I could even feel their anger, hurt, and desire for vengeance against me.
I skid to a stop about 30 paces from them, and place down the coffins, which they eye warily.
"Surrender. We have you outnumbered and out-armed." They announce loudly, lowering their poleaxes. I give them a look of tired irritation.
"I will not surrender. I will not entertain any notion of hostility or subjugation. What I will entertain is calm, rational discourse. And here are the ponies your little raiding party lost." I slide the coffins closer to the duo with my magic. "Again. Calm, rational discourse between three intelligent beings with regrets and experiences aplenty." I say simply. I channeled magic through my horn at such a slow rate, they didn't see any glow come from it. Non-glow that powered a shield in case any of them tried to attack. I doubted it would last long, but it would buy me some time.
"This was a quick response, too. It is nice to know that I'm not the only one that cares for their subjects." I say in the silence that grew.
"What art thee planning?" The dark one asked.
"The honest answer? Very little. Plans often fail before they bear fruit. I like to react to circumstances according to their importance. This was a very important circumstance to bear witness to and be present for." I reply honestly.
"What do you want?" the white one asked.
"I want to not be killed on this day, or any day in the near future. The other thing I want is for my hive to not be demolished any time soon. Little else is important to me at this time."
"Why did you let Captain Swift Wings escape?"
"Oh, he was a captain? That means that those three were on a top secret military operation to either destabilize my hive or have another reason to call war on us. Very clever, trying to make us look worse than we already look." I give them a knowing smile. "And I mean that as a compliment. No one wants to wage war without justifiable reason. Though, I'm sure you have all the reasons in the world to annihilate us. We steal love, we kidnap ponies and probably replace them, we probably appear intimidating to you. The list can go on."
"Waiteth a minute. Thee just did want to stall for time so thee couldst setteth up an ambush!" the dark one cried.
"Luna, your old equestrian is showing." The white one pointed out
"WE KNOWETH!" the dark one, apparently called Luna, shouted back.
I raised my eyebrows at their little back and forth. "I already told you, I have no hostile intent. If I did, you would have already ended my life. I am incapable of naught but the least powerful of spellcasting or martial prowess. I am unarmed, non-hostile, and offering that which I have never considered to this date, as before I was not who I am now."
"And what are you now?" The white one asked warily.
"Nothing you would believe if I told you... Unless you were willing to humor me in a more in-depth rational discourse at an agreed-upon location of neutrality." I shoot back, feeling clever.
Author's Note
90% of this chapter came to me tonight in a rush of inspiration. I apologize if the quality isn't to snuff or if there are too many pop-culture (or other) references. When the story flows, you gotta grab it by the horn, amirite? Lemme know what you think in the comments, please.
I'll amp up the excitement and references, or tone down the madness and memespeak, all depending on feedback. But expect next chapter to both come slowly and flow calmly. Celestia and new Chrysalis need to have a smart conversation, diplomacy style.
Anti-Arachnophobia
The white Alicorn taps her chin in thought. "Hmm... How about we take care of this right here and now? No better time than the present, you know!" She chuckled lightly.
"Honestly, I would love to, but with a new issue just now cropping up, and tensions still very high, I believe it best to leave the diplomacy until a more... opportune span of time." I respond, having received a message over the hivemind about some kind of containment breach. "You know where we live, so send a message sometime. Now, I must politely, yet firmly ask you to leave, mostly for your own safety. Something about containment, and the Underhive. Now shoo. A drone will escort you out. I look forward to hearing from you in the future."
As one of my drones led the ponies out of the impromptu meeting room, I turned my attention to the messages frantically being relayed across the- 'Ugh, it needs a name besides the hivemind... Whatever... I'll brainstorm on that later.'
"Lead me to the containment breach" I call over the connection, and a drone quickly jumps to my side and begins leading me down into the depths of the hive, towards the Underhive.
On the short trot to the underhive, I try to absorb as much information as possible about it. It was simply just a massive cave system stretching a damn good few miles under the deepest parts of the hive, and it was inhabited by all kinds of creepy crawlies. Eugh. Giant bugs and insects, humongous rats(you might even say they were rodents of a very unusual size), and even some creatures that, when described to me, I had nothing I knew from common mythology or otherwise that they resembled.
They regularly tried to break down through what the previous inhabitor of myself thought was a good idea to install instead of just caving the whole place in to block it off; a door. A very heavy door, but still a door. I definitely facehoofed at that.
As we approached the breach, sounds of fighting, magic, and yelling gradually got louder. "Shit, this place is FUBARed, isn't it?" I asked rhetorically as the door came into view. "How many losses so far?"
"None yet, but definitely some close calls and near-fatal injuries. What do you plan to do, My Queen?" A drone who was probably some kind of lead medical staff, piped up.
I resisted the urge to say the most important first part of a funny phrase that came to my head, and replied simply with. "I shall tidy up." I say with a slight posh accent. Using mana to will-force a few sabers into existence, I funnel a little more mana into my body, muscles, and mind, mildly enhancing my strength and reaction times. The sabers were barely within the definition of a saber, merely being curved blades that I made sure had sharper than razor-sharp edges. "Drones, retreat. I will handle this."
Very quickly, the majority of my drones backed out of the fight as they were afforded openings, and I leveled the sabers at the approaching beasties. Their numbers were high, but my protective desire grew with each moment. I carefully measured my mental strain. "Ah, who am I kidding? I can afford at least 4 more." With a slight strain, I summoned four more of the curved blades, and lowered them all. "You guys should back up. I don't want to have to worry about collateral damage." I warn.
Channelling a hint more mana, I leap forward with a burst of speed, and with a flurry of spinning blows that would make a weeaboo jealous, I dispatched the first, second, and third 'row' of beasts with minimal effort. I grinned wildly, insect and rodent gore being splattered across the walls and even hitting the ceiling.
I let out a mad cackle, and looked up at my next challenger; a ridiculously huge spider. The rest of the creatures had backed off and made a ring around me and what might be the attack's leader. "Damn, you're a biggun, ain'tcha?"
"Chrysalis, you fool. I felt your magics all the way in the Depths. You've gone against the ancient accord. For your betrayal, I will have your head." The spider surprisingly responded.
"Oh, you mean the accord with old Chrysalis that allowed your little meat-scraps to climb up to our home and attack us? Yeah, no. Even if I knew of such a thing, I wouldn't allow your little under-freaks to keep testing our defenses like it sounds like you were doing." I barked back. "In fact, I believe I have a new Accord for you." I grinned madly as my horn glowed a sickly green with effort; I bent mana to my will, dredging up a lost memory of my past.
Above the spider, what I could recall as a mid-1990s Honda Accord fell from the ceiling of the cave, landing on the spider and stunning it. "A HONDA ACCORD!" I screeched in laughter as I charged the spider, spreading my blades out so they attacked the spider's legs first. "It may be a little used though. Owned by a teenager for most of the 2010s, with two hundred thousand miles on it!" I yell, giggling as the spider flopped and flailed, most of its legs cut off cleanly at the first joint.
I will the blades to rejoin me at my sides, and give one a look-over. "Damn, gonna keep these in the mental reserve. Absolutely lethal! " I turn my attention back to the spider, which was hissing in pain as it tried to move, to no avail.
"I don't need no fuddy-duddy ancient arachnid telling me what to do with my life. My life is my own. Just like how yours is over... unless you can prove yourself not worthless."
"You absolute imbecile," The spider hissed, still flopping around a little. "Do you not remember anything? We were protecting you from what lay deeper! Do you not remember The Unlimited? Or the Depth-Floggers? Or any of the other Megarachnids, like myself?"
"Firstly, if this fight is anything to go by, does it look like we need protecting? Secondly, seeing as how you're a Megarachnid, as you so called yourself... What prevented you from turning on us, like you currently just tried to do? I doubt an honor system is that profound or powerful. No, this needed to happen. So that the creatures of the Underdark learn the lesson of NOT FUCKING WITH ME! " I screech as I take flight, lining myself up over the arachnid's head and grabbing a blade in a solid magical hold.
I then flip myself over and freefall, letting the sword guide me towards my target; the top of the spider's head, roughly in the center of the many eyes. The blade landed true, piercing through the thick keratin, and continuing on. With a powerful kick, I drive the blade even deeper in, forcing my momentum into the blade to lessen the damage of falling. The blade disappeared through the spider's exoskeleton, and the spider writhed and screeched, but quickly went silent as its brainstem was severed cleanly.
"You don't fuck with my hive," I spat on the spider, and fluttered down to the ring of creatures around the now-dead spider. "So... Whatcha waitin' for? A threat of harm? Get back the fuck down into your hole, cretins, before none of you do." For good measure, I bared my teeth. Just as quickly as the alarm had been raised, the creatures bounded off into the dark.
"Good riddance. Prep this location for immediate clearing and tunnel deconstruction. All access points are to be destroyed and made impossible to cross. The Underhive is to be sealed. I won't stand for any more breaches." I barked orders as I walked back to the shattered door, where numerous dumbstruck changelings were watching me.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked, oblivious to the shocked looks on everyling's faces.
As Celestia was being escorted out of the hive by an uneasy-looking changeling, her baffled mind was racing, having completely been caught off guard by the character that Chrysalis now wielded. 'Her personality was all over the place. She spoke like a scholar. She was seemingly only interested in peace, yet there was an unspoken edge to her words, as if she was ready to attack at a moment's notice, or more accurately, retaliate. And she was aggressively diplomatic. Not to mention very unaware of the danger she had been in, or possibly just ignorant.'
As they were walked out and the changeling quickly returned into the hive, Luna spoke up. "Didst we just get escorted away from our rightful retaliation by being baffled to silence? And do we feel less certain of just who this Chrysalis is?"
"I... believe that is what happened, sister dearest. What I am unsure of is if Chrysalis was being genuine or if her words were just silver-tongued lies to get us to trust her. But, why the massive personality change? She was ready to subjugate all of Equestria to further her agenda when she defeated me. This is highly uncharacteristic of the ambitious soul I remember Chrysalis being."
"Were... Were we possibly tricked to be so easily escorted out? My mind was... a little fuzzy in there..." Luna asked, sounding unsure and a little bit anxious.
"I... am not sure, Luna." Celestia replied, realizing that she had felt the same. The sensation was still there, as well. Just muted and far away now.
"As much as my princesses would like to get to the bottom of this mystery, I suggest that we return to Canterlot to ensure that the families of the deceased ponies get their bodies back." The pony squad's captain spoke up, breaking the concerned silence.
"Is there something on my face?" I asked. I sat down and used a hoof to wipe off my muzzle. It came back with flecks of bug guts and bits of flesh. "Ah, I guess there is. Hoo... I feel tired... Can someone lead me back to my room so I could take a bath? And a nap?" I chuckle lightly, feeling woozy. A changeling I recognize steps forward. "Ah, its you. Y'know, I still haven't gotten your name."
"Follow me, my Queen. I will assist you in returning to your chambers to recover." The familiar drone asserted. "A healing pod will be prepped and our stores cracked open to assist in your recovery."
"... Alright, but I still want your name... And why am I so exhausted all of a sudden?" I stumble slightly, following the drone. My voice felt thick, and my head was starting to ache.
"You... really don't know, do you?... You really aren't the same Chrysalis. Chrysalis wouldn't allow herself to experience such extreme mana fatigue, plus she knows all our names through the Aetheria."
"Aetheria?" I repeat, my mind growing fuzzier by the minute. "Mana fatigue? I still have plenty of mana. Watc-" I light my horn to cast a spell, but my thoughts are interrupted with a pounding headache. "Mmmh... Message received, then. Ouch. Lesson learned today... What I wouldn't give for some ibuprofen right now."
"I-bee-what?" My drone asked, sparing me a glance.
"N-nothing... Memories I no longer need." I reply, starting to think of how I remembered these random things from what I believe was my old life. 'Stress reaction? Adrenaline response?... God forbid, comedic timing ?'
"Man, this is gonna eat me up until I either figure it out or get too irritated to keep trying to figure it out." I think aloud.
"What is that, My Queen?"
"How the fuck did I end up remembering these random things from what I think might have been my past life...Nothing for my loyal underlings to worry about, though. That place was hell." I rack my brain some more, but nothing becomes obvious or apparent. The rest of the walk was spent in silence.
As we approached my chamber doors, a few thoughts I deemed important occurred to me. "The pod will not be necessary. If I am to be a fair, just, well-rounded, and intelligent leader, I must learn from my mistakes. I will allow myself to suffer through my recovery. Any 'lings injured in today's skirmish will be permitted time in a healing pod, dependent on the severity of their injuries. Instead, I shall meditate on today and see if I can remember anything about the Megaspider."
"Megarachnid," The drone corrects me. I roll my eyes and sigh in slight irritation.
"Yeah, whatever floats his now-sunken boat." I settle on my bed and lay in the most comfortable position my body allowed me. "You're dismissed. Thank you."
The drone bows and exits the room, the door closing with an unpleasantly loud booming sound, which caused me to wince.
"Gawd, that was too loud for this fuggen headache..." I complain to nopony in particular as I lay my head down. "A nap should suffice for now. I'll meditate when I wake up... No, wait. I still need a bath. Eugh, blood and bug guts."
I quickly hop off the bed and almost casted magic to clean the bed before I remembered that I didn't want to do that right now. "Alright, shower. Shower, shower, shower... Where's the shower?" I wander through an open arch to a connected room, which appeared to have a smooth basin in it.
"That's not-... Is it?" I think aloud, before realizing I'm talking to myself and mentally kicking myself for it. "Is there some kind of spigot somewhere? Or would it be a faucet? Hm... A thought for later."
I felt around 4 presences approaching me from the other side of a closed door I spot. 'Strange, my 'lings don't give me these sensations.' The door swings open, and in walk three pony mares and a stallion, causing my eyes to widen slightly in surprise. 'Hm! Ponies.' I idly make a mental note.
"Greetings, My Queen" A mare steps forward, addressing me in a way I wasn't fully prepared to hear. I watch them carefully, raising an eyebrow at them. "We were already briefed on your... Ahem, new identity , and wished to meet this new you, as well as swear fealty to your service. We were subservient under... Well, you, before the recent wedding incident. If you'll allow us, we will service you however you see fit."
"Hm... Well... For now, all I'd like is a nice, long soak in a bath of some sort. Maybe a massage later. Oh, and I accept your fealty. Welcome back." I give them a small smile, then look back at the basin. "Would you help me figure this out? I'm just about as knowledgeable as a newborn drone, but hopefully smarter."
The stallion stamps a hoof twice, and a spigot pops out of the ground at the edge of the basin, ejecting water into it.
"Ah, flush-fit appliances, with color-matching. Fancy, but sometimes it can run into issues if not installed properly. Whatever. Thank you again. For now, all I ask is that you stick around and keep me from drowning if I fall asleep." I ramble.
The first mare, who appears to be a higher rank than the others and the one in command of my four-pony troupe, nods and steps closer to the basin. "Understood, your highness. We will not fail you."
I wanted to put a stop to their extreme level of seriousness in such matters, but I was lacking the drive to do so, my bath calling to me.
Not long after I had settled into the basin and found a comfortable spot to lounge, the three mares stepped in as well. Two of the mares positioned themselves so that I could lean against them and not submerge myself if I fell asleep. The third mare had begun to tenderly wash the parts of myself that I wouldn't have been surprised to be unable to reach on my own due to my new hooves.
"Damn, first day and I've already cried over the death of changelings I never knew, killed at least two intelligent beings, started negotiations for peace, and killed a bunch of monsters. Now I'm getting bathed by ponies that swore fealty to me, as they had to Old Chrysalis." I mused quietly to myself. "I really need to stop talking to myself..."
'Chrysalis. That name left a bad taste in a lot of beings mouths, and mine isn't so happy to say it either, considering her track record before me... I should consider taking up a new one. I'm not the same changeling queen, I'm better . Evolved, so to speak. Or maybe even... 'Emerged from my Chrysalis'' I chuckled for a moment, before I realized how terrible that sounded and cringed.
"... Are you well, My Queen? You pulled away," The mare cleaning me said submissively, backing away. "Have I dissatisfied you or caused you pain?"
"Er, d-don't worry. Just thought something dumb. Nothing you have done to wrong me." I responded. Jeez, I need to get used to lording over what's essentially a whole army. I thought of something else and leaned my head back, looking at the stallion outside the basin, who was standing stiffly just outside the rim.
"Hey, dude pony. Could you, like, fetch my advisor? I'm not of a fully sound mind right now and would like to discuss a few things for his input on them."
"I am always close enough to respond immediately to your calling, My Queen." I hear from the doorway to my room. I turn my head around to spot the changeling in question. He got closer to the side of the basin I was in so that we wouldn't have to speak more loudly than necessary.
"Ah, good. I've been thinking of... rebranding, in a sense. And a thought that occurred to me was... I'm probably due for a name change."
"Oh? Why is that, My Queen? Does your name not instill fear into our enemies?" The changeling responded confidently, and somewhat ignorantly, though I couldn't blame him.
"Yes, but that's sort of the problem. I'm very much not who I used to be. And being tied to this name will not do my image any good if I am to be successful in... let's say, 'long term integration'. Make sense?"
The changeling looked contemplative for a second. "Hrm... yes... yes, I can see how that might become problematic... If you desire to deceive our enemies to get into their good graces, a new name would surely help."
"I... never said anything about deceiving... Anyway, have any of our infiltrators arrived from being recalled yet?"
"The infiltrators were... never sent out after our defeat. So, you never made such an order, though they are here."
"Bring a few here, would you? I have some questions I'd like to ask them."
"I have called you forth so that I may inquire upon matters that will not leave this room, under threat of strict punishment." I begin, addressing the changeling infiltrators before me. "You are among the changelings tasked with exploring the world and acquiring the necessary energies so our survival is... More likely. If you are beholden to the belief that ponies are our lessers because they are our prey, you are dismissed. My apologies for wasting your time summoning you from whatever task you may have been occupied with."
I give the five drones before me a firm stare, and without a word, two of them give a bow and quickly exit the room. I don't speak until they have left the room.
"Excellent. We're headed in the direction I'd like to go with this meeting, I feel. To be clear, you three believe that ponies are not our lessers; they are more than that. Correct?"
"Whatever our queen wants, she will get." Two of the three drones before me piped up simultaneously.
"Oh, you must have misunderstood me. I'm referring to your personal, private feelings about the ponies, not what you think I want to hear. Again, what are your opinions on ponies in relation to us as changelings?"
"Ah, this is isn't the kind of meeting I thought it'd be. Give me a task and I'll do it; but this is not within my interests to continue this meeting with the rest of you. My queen." Another changeling bowed to me respectfully, and turned to leave.
"Thank you for participating. I will ensure you have as many tasks as you desire, as soon as I'm done with these two." I respond. I then look back at the remaining two drones. They both looked slightly uncomfortable, but for different reasons.
"Please forgive Pharynx for his attitude. He's always been highly motivated and task-driven, though he isn't always the best at polite conversation." The left drone spoke up. I focused on him.
"And he's an infiltrator? With that attitude?" I asked with a little skepticism.
"Well, not exactly... But he did better than most of the hive thought he would when he did go out to gather Love."
"Ah, not really the intimacy, but the business-like attitude, I think. He knows what he wants, so he aspires to get it. A go-get-'em attitude... But what about you? What are your thoughts on the ponies?"
"Well... It's kinda difficult to explain. Pardon my partial failure to do the job of gathering Love I had been given under Chrysalis... But I was also gathering intel on certain ways that ponies do things. And I've been... experimenting."
"Ooh, do we have a researcher on our ha- er, hooves?" I grin. "Well then, little researcher...What have your experiments discovered?"
"W-well... So far... I-its only a theory... But... I've taken a pony as a mate..."
I gag slightly at the use of such a word. "Eugh, we need a better term for that... Calling someone your 'mate'... It doesn't sound-... Its too informally formal. 'Boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' were so much easier where I think I remember being from... 's dumb." I then chuckle sheepishly. "Oops, sorry for the interruption. You may continue."
The drone is momentarily perplexed at my interjection, but regathers himself and continues. "The intensity of Love gathered was... Immense, to say the least. Though... That pony may now be a security risk at some level. He knew I was a changeling before we attacked Canterlot... I... I kept this information from Chrysalis, and she didn't question where I got such massive stores of Love. Up to that point, I was probably the least-successful Infiltrator in the entire hive."
"You son of a bitch." The right drone remarked, staring at him. Her tone wasn't angry, it was impressed. "We all wondered how the hell you could have increased your effectiveness essentially overnight. A lot of us older drones were glad you were simply able to pull your weight."
Apparently the right drone suddenly remembered whos presence she was in and quickly blurted out an apology. "A thousand pardons, my queen. Its just... too easy to be casual around this... new you."
"Ohmygosh you're adorable. You're even blushing. Augh, you're all just so cute!" I gush without thinking, putting my hooves up to my cheeks. "Shit, sorry. I... God, you guys really are so adorable how you admire me so deeply. I'm so not used to such open reverence. So weird to me. Buuuut-"
I remove my hooves from my cheeks and point them at left drone. "Again, back to you. Sorry."
"W-well... I've done the math... And with at least 4 more infiltrators turning to permanent relationships with ponies instead of one-night stands or... frankly, undesirable outcomes... we'd be gathering enough love to easily thrive on, instead of having barely enough to survive off of. Though, our now-reduced numbers makes that relationship requirement be..." The left drone seems to think for about ten seconds. "Two drones. Really only one, but Its good to have some extra insurance"
"So that means we need to get you, specifically, back out into the world, and back to your boyfriend." I smile. "The others, though? Well... the first two that left... they need either to be 'shown the right way' or... well, I'll deal with it when I deal with it. But I can assure you, until their mindsets about ponies are improved... They ain't leaving the hive as infiltrators."
I turn to the drone on the right. "So... what about you? How do you see the ponies?"
"Permission to respond with a short anecdote?" She asks, and I nod. "Well... I was out on a rather strange sub-mission while tracking down my primary target. I had been disguised as... a pegasus, yeah. A griffon had approached me and asked if I'd like to work for some bits and had a stronger stomach for death than the average pony. I asked if we were fighting anything, and she responded with 'no, we're going hunting.' She just wanted someone to watch her back to make sure the more hostile wildlife wouldn't get her by surprise. Her reason for hunting? Irrelevant to me until later. Skipping forward to the first kill of the trip... She was... Strangely respectful of our prey. She appeared to comfort the animal momentarily, before efficiently dispatching the beast with a single thrust of her hunting knife while continuing to comfort it until it perished. It was there that I learned my lesson."
She seemed to be deep in an older memory of the past, and looked a little shaken by what she had been told by the griffon. "She told me that those who live off the land like herself always respected their prey, because the prey was the only sustenance they had. Without it, she, and others like her, would not survive. A sacrifice of something great... to something greater."
With that, the right drone bowed her head. "With that lesson, I changed how I gathered Love. Before... I tracked them, subdued them, used them... and left them, as I believed they were less than us. But now? Now, I do it right. All we need to fix the infiltrators... Is the right lesson."
"Oh, I can assure the both of you... Infiltrator reform is coming. Along with a much-needed name change. By the way, what are your names?"
The left drone spoke up first. "I'm Thorax, and this is-
The right drone cut thorax off. "Ocelia. I was the best damn Infiltrator in the hive until this guy started cheating." She chuckled.
"Well, Thorax and Ocelia... The two of you are now Heads of the newly-formed Collector branch of this hive. And henceforth, the Infiltrator branch has been dissolved. Unfortunately, Ocelia will need to stay in the hive until the panic from the Canterlot invasion fades some more. Thorax, you are free to depart for your boyfriend and assure him you survived and maybe even try to convince him changelings have changed. If he still wishes to have you, continue with your job of Love collection so that we may continue to thrive in the near and far future. You are both dismissed."
After my meeting with the newly promoted Collection Bureau leaders, I retired to my chambers again, contemplating all I've learned and what the future may hold for what is now my species. I began to murmur to myself, thinking aloud.
"I'm the leader of what's called a 'Changeling Hive', a shapeshifting, insectoid subspecies of equine, of which there appear to be four other breeds, three of which are the most dominant breeds. Regular ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, and the seemingly rare Alicorn variety.
Earth ponies, as I've gathered over the hive-link, are generally both stronger and more in tune with nature than the other two, though there are always outliers. Earth ponies also seem to be the most numerous in the more rural towns and hamlets, but are just at home in more city-esque landscapes.
Unicorns have the fantastical ability to summon forth their essence in the form of magic manipulation. They're generally more frail, although they are also generally more intelligent than the other two primary breeds. Unicorns also generally congregate in larger cities such as Canterlot, though there's a certain... insufferable attitude about most of the unicorns there...
Pegasi are obviously able to fly. These pegasi use latent magic abilities to both reduce their weight while flying and can manipulate cloud cover to a degree with that same latent ability, though their methods feel... inefficient. They love living in the sky, building their homes out of compacted clouds.
The rarest subspecies is the Alicorn, a mystical combination of all three primary subspecies. Currently three are known to exist. The Princess Celestia, the Princess Luna, and the one I personally haven't met, thought the old me has, Princess Cadance.
Celestia holds dominion over the sun, Luna over the moon, and Cadance holds power over... Love? Strange, though I'm pretty sure I've heard of weirder affinities. Cadance is also the only one who has willingly gotten married, though it was nearly prevented due to this body's previous resident. I'd assume Cadance will have a severe fight or flight reaction if she ever sees me or another changeling without proper explanation of what happened to ... well, Me.
Changelings, on the other ha- er, hoof... are able to adopt the appearance and abilities of any of the primary subspecies, with an affinity to magic in any form, but only the old me has ever imitated an Alicorn. This ability comes at a somewhat steep cost. Our primary sustenance is, as strange energy sources go, the power of Love. And our appearance is essentially designed to intimidate and sink into darkness, which ruins our image with the common pony, and also makes love collection in our natural forms difficult. Hence the future redesign of our hive's aesthetics.
So far in this new life, I've successfully maintained command for over a day, met the two most powerful beings on the continent to prevent them from annihilating us for past transgressions that I personally had no hoof in, killed intelligent beings... eugh, should have kept myself in check a little better... stopped an underhive uprising with some... lets say, questionable methods, wept for lings I knew nothing about, just barely began a complete overhaul of the entire hive into something I can feel okay with leading... hrm, what else?"
I tapped my chin in thought.
"Oh! I abolished the dated Infiltrator branch of the hive, and rebranded it as the Collector branch.
Oh shit. Umm... Has Thorax left yet? He, uhh... Really shouldn't actually leave yet. I... got too excited, and wasn't thinking fully... Hrm... should I... contact him over the hive-link? I'm pretty sure I can do that.
Thorax? Come in, Thorax. Is this thing on? Am I transmitting?
A voice, Thorax's voice echoed in my head.
"I hear you loud and clear, My Queen. Did you need me for something?"
"Ok, good, this does work. A-and I'm not broadcasting to the entire hive, am I?
"I believe it's just me, My Queen."
"Good. Anyway, I need you to actually come back... I wasn't thinking things through all the way when I sent you out earlier. We still gotta let Equestria cool down some more before your boyfriend can see you yet. Sorry."
"I understand perfectly, My Queen. Ar-Tee-Bee now.
"Ar-tee-bee...? Oh, yeah. Duh. C'mon, dude, you're smarter than that." It takes me a second to understand, but when I do, I give myself a gentle bop to the forehead.
"Alright, a loyal underling has been saved...Now what? Do I have nothing but free time now?... I shouldn't have free time...oh, I could meet the leaders of the Hive Branches... Yeah, sounds like a good plan. I hope..."
"After the fiasco that was Princess Cadence's wedding, I don't doubt that some of us are going to be severely punished for failing our queen." A large, scarred drone's gravelly voice reverberated through the door.
"Yes, well, we all did the best we could. There was no possible way any of us knew we'd be sent flying to the farthest reaches of Equestria due to, of all things, a Love explosion. There are no previous records of anything like that ever happening before. I'd argue it wasn't fully our fault, if only to keep our lives intact." Another drone with a lighter voice responded.
"What's bothering me the most right now is how she's making us wait. Under the right circumstances, the silence before a battle is the best part. The calm before an execution?" The first drone shivered. "Always hated it."
With an internalized smirk, I barged through the door, and quickly blurted out, "Always hated what?"
I made a gleeful mental note that at least 3 of the 5 drones in the room were so startled, they fell out of their seats. I let out a chuckle, and took myself a seat at a free spot at the meeting table.
"Thank you for assembling on such short notice. And I'm sorry, but I just had to take advantage of a perfect moment."
I look at the 5 drones seated before me. "I believe introductions are in order due to a development that took place sometime between our expulsion from Canterlot and myself returning to consciousness. I may still be Queen Chrysalis in outward appearances, but the being before you is actually somepony completely different up here." I point at my head with a hoof.
"Any questions directed at me will not be answered at this time. I still have very limited memory of what I can only call my 'previous life'. Instead, I have much to ask you, and much to ask of you."
The drones looked relieved, but I could easily read the concern from at least two of their faces.
"Starting out... Who are you and What branch do you command? We start from my left, and go around the table. You first." I point at the burly, scarred drone.
"High Eschator Aedron, My Queen. I command what little combat forces remain after our... failure." The large, scarred drone replied, his voice gravelly and rough.
"Master Medicior Pyxilin. Im in charge of keeping our drones patched up and healthy, as well as overseeing putting them to rest once their time comes, be it early or not."
"Lead Consensor Dreevil, Your Highness. I keep count of... Well, everything about the hive that involves counting. Active pods, the population census, energy stores, et cetera. You get the idea."
"Senior Intelijennt Madarn. I keep track of all the drones that keep tabs on our... well... Food. I have agents in every major city, in every faction we're aware of. Even Klugetown."
"Hallow, Me is Thaunk. Me is called-ed Prime bildabol. I like raisins."
"Is he...?" I give the other four branch heads a concerned look.
"Thats... just the way he is. He's the best at what he does, and he at least understands paperwork. Somehow." Aedron spoke up, giving Thaunk an embarrassed but pitying look.
"Well... Alright, then. Umm... Report in, I guess? Gimme the information you would normally give me, or something." I give Thaunk a pained look, then turn back to the others.
"Verbal report of High Eschator Aedron, delivered directly to the Queen. Our fighting forces are all but lost. We number at just over 300 in the entire hive. Injured drones have been trickling in, but the flow has all but gone dry. We barely could contain the Underdark attack, we are not prepared if the Equestrians come to strike us down in our current state."
"Understood. I'm coming up with a solution, but I have no idea if it will work, and not much faith it'll actually succeed. But I gotta try." I respond to Aedron.
"The injured drones have overfilled even our reserve medical rooms. We could go from just over 300 drones to less than 200 if we can't get the injured some fresh energy to heal with within a month." Pyxilin reported.
"On the note of love energy stored... We've hit our reserve reserves. We'll start to starve off within the next couple weeks, even with heavy rationing in effect, if we can't bring in some more soon. Any you could spare would assist greatly." Dreevil reported
"Equestria has practically begun rioting in the streets, hunting down changelings out of fear. My agents' identities are solid, but that can change even as we talk right now. The changeling detection spell they've developed is basic, but easily able to become better with the right insight. I'm told the ponies have captured at least 3 drones since the love blast. None have yet perished, but they're hardly fed, not on any fault of the ponies. Distrust and hate run rampant." Madarn reported.
"All jobs done! Gib job, I work." Thaunk reported.
"Well, besides good ol' Thaunk here... Its as I expected. Gone to shit. And of course, with me knowing as little as I know about too many things, I'm the one left to pick up pieces of anything I can still salvage. Nobody is getting punished. But we need plans. And plans for if those plans succeed or fail. And possibly plans for if those plans succeed or fail. Ugh, I already regret learning these things you all have told me. Except you, Thaunk. Good job. You are dismissed, unless you believe you can help?" I said.
Thaunk just shrugged. Suddenly the door burst open, to my amusement.
"You dunderhead. I was all the way on the other side of the hive by the time I got the alert about you meeting the branch heads." Ocelia growled in irritation. I responded with a sly smile and a chuckle.
"How casual of you," I grin playfully, "to refer to me in such a manner. But I am sorry. I don't think your presence was necessarily required ... Especially seeing as how you were personally appointed by me not even an hour ago. I hope the previous branch head wasn't too upset with you because of my decision."
"Nah, she'd been wanting to swap branches for years. Plus, she's been getting on in seasons, and her input's been slowing. I don't blame her for wanting to slow down just a little, though." Ocelia replied.
"... I gotta ask, my queen. I've read the reports of your... interjection into the Underdark attack. What was that strange carriage you summoned to attack the spider? It looked... fascinating. Very strange, too. Not even mentioning the near-insane ramblings you were exchanging with the spider." Pyxilin hesitantly piped up.
Ho boy, here we go.