Council of Crowns: Rise of the Royals

Chapters

The Power of a Name
The Collective Begins
From Emptiness...

The Power of a Name

3000 years prior to the rise of Nightmare Moon...

The depths of the earth was a place that offered a comforting darkness to those that could not live in the light above. Deep below the flora and fauna of the world above, a frightening number of creatures lived, adapted, and thrived and created a unique ecosystem. From the quiet mole, to the savage diamond dogs, and to the terrifying tatzlwurm, each organism possessed its own abilities and place in the world beneath.

The same could be said for those to whom the underground offered a place to hide between journeys to the surface. This was the case for the insectoid equines that quietly dug their maze of tunnels, trying to keep from drawing the attention of larger predators.

Changelings.

A name that did not exist yet, but an image that had spurred tales of dangerous creatures among those that called the world above home. In truth, they held a parasitic nature toward the budding civilizations of that world, feeding on the emotions of their prey by using their natural ability to mimic appearances of others.

However, they lacked individuality and intelligence. Existing as an extension of their Queen, the drones of the hive knew nothing of thoughts beyond the feral needs of their ruler. This made it easy for the growing villages above warn each other and tell a disguised changeling from the real thing and so the starving queen had become even more feral, turning to foalnapping their prey and draining them into emotionless husks.

The nature of emotion and thought is difficult to predict. Without the intelligence to possess philosophy, no changeling could have guessed what was going to happen on this particular day. Today, a single, hungry drone found himself staring up at the feeding cocoon, mesmerized by its soft glow as he drained the emotions from the equine within.

However... something was different about the taste. Sweeter than usual, twice as filling, and carrying a hint of something... more. It was a subtle thing. So small that one wouldn't be able to detect it unless there was nothing to distract the individual observing it. No outside stimuli... and no thoughts to get in the way.

The drone gave a start, the usual muddied awareness of his mind clearing. He sat there, the pale blue color of his magic fading away as he finished feeding. A moment passed. He took in a breath and the experience shocked him, sending a jolt of surprise through him. It was the first time that he had been aware of the action... and then he did something that no other changeling had done before...

He began to think.

He thought about the sensation of breathing. Then he thought about the way his thoughts entered his mind. Chittering softly, he experienced surprise, excitement, caution, fear, and curiosity in a single moment before gazing up at the pod suspended in front of him. Something was different about the situation and he thought about it in the limited way that his new intelligence allowed.

As he thought about it, he became dimly aware of another changeling entering the small feeding cave... then another... and another. After a moment, eight more changelings had surrounded the pod and begun to feed. An awareness flooded him. The equine within would not survive this many of them consuming his emotions. A bitter thought burned into his mind at the thought that he would not get the chance to taste the strange emotions again.

Thankfully, the reaction of his fellow changelings to their meal gave him something else to focus on. One by one, he watched them suddenly give a start and the room began to fill with a curious energy. Linked by the great hive mind, the drone could feel similar things to what he had gone through when the strange emotions had pulsed inside of him. He slowly turned his head, scanning over them all.

Between the nine changelings present in the cave, they numbered an almost equal number of each caste position. Outsiders would have been stumped to tell each type apart, but between the hive mind and the insider knowledge, he observed them quietly.

Two Infiltrators, both female. Slender in comparison to the others and moving with a more organic grace. Both of them presented a cautious aura, still uncertain about the change or what it meant for those present. They spent days if not weeks disguised as creatures from above and had to avoid the hunting parties that came after them. Their suspicion was justified.

The Warriors, one male and one female, stood stoically but their minds were abuzz with uncertainty, waiting for a compulsion to tell them what to do. Their chitin was much sturdier than other changelings' and they served as a last line of defense if their hive should be discovered, allowing the others to escape. One could easily underestimate them as their forms seemed diminutive, offsetting the true nature of the dense fibers of muscle beneath their shell.

Two Caretakers, one male and one female, took in the sight of the others with unrestrained curiosity. It made sense. Before they were properly grown, many grubs experienced a need to learn and an aptitude for trouble. The fact that the Caretakers were simply rolling with the new situation wasn't out of line for their role with the hive.

Inclining his head, the first drone blinked at his fellow Digger, another male. All of these feelings were new and confusing to them since they spent most of their time expanding the hive or strengthening the structure through various means. They never really had time to experience things so they, like the Warriors, were waiting for one of the others to give an impulse through the hive mind to tell them what to do.

Thus, eight pairs of eyes turned toward the final changeling to have been affected by the meal. She was a Herald, a right hoof of the Queen herself and in hindsight would be the one closest to having these sensations before. The problem was that she was just as confused.

The Herald blinked, probing through the hive mind to them and collecting the experience from their perspective to create a better understanding for herself before sharing it with them. Expressing confusion through their link, she questioned the patterns of thought.

Inclining their heads toward her, the Infiltrators probed back with memories of the world above. Stalking their prey and watching them interact with one another. Due to the nature of their meals, every changeling was born with the inherent ability to sense and read emotions in order to avoid poisonous feelings such as despair or hate. As the memories played out, it became apparent that their thoughts mirrored several instances of interactions that they had observed.

Probing into the thoughts, the Caretakers pressed upon the feelings and shared their own memories of raising wayward grubs whom had refused to fall in line with their tasks and place in the hive for some time. If what they presented was true, it seemed as if they were learning. Learning what? The Caretakers couldn't comprehend.

Nervous chitters and buzzing of wings filled the small cave as the changelings considered this information. The Herald in particular seemed frightened by the prospect. Without much prompting, memories of “defective” changelings being destroyed by the Queen to ensure that her rule would not be challenged.

To this, the Digger who had eaten the influencing emotions first tilted his head. What did she mean by “challenged?”

The silence through the link was palpable and several long moments passed before the Herald pressed back with an inability to explain. However, if they did not want to be destroyed, it was very important that they not act in any way that was counter to the Queen's impulses. She would attempt to gather information about the defects and search for a cure, but in the mean time, she would keep in contact with them to observe anything new for future reference.

Closing her eyes, the Herald encapsulated their minds, forging a bond that would keep the nine of them together through the hive mind. A shot of fear lanced through her as she realized that what she was doing was technically forbidden... but she couldn't remember why. With that done, she urged them all to return to their duties and to avoid contact with the Queen as much as possible.

While the sun and moon never penetrated this far into the earth, there was always a sensation in the back of his mind that let the Digger know when the time had come for his rotation to dig. Wandering through the twisting maze of tunnels, he passed another of his caste, the one he was taking over for. Years had passed with this being a reoccurring thing and he had never noticed anything off about it.

Today was different.

As he passed his fellow Digger, something about the other changeling's eyes drew his attention. They looked the same as they always had, yet now... they invoked a primal fear in him. It ate at him the entire time he spent in the tunnel, burrowing through the dirt with his hardened hooves. For hours, he agonized over the look and the feeling, trying to find a word for it to explain the fear that pumped adrenaline into his motions for his rotation.

It wasn't until the impulse came down from the Herald that oversaw this section of the hive that he was to take his rest that it hit him. Turning around to gaze at the length of tunnel that greeted him, he gazed into the emptiness lit by the spots of glowing slime that he'd left behind him, the feeling it evoked gave him the feeling again and from somewhere in the back of his mind the sensation named itself...

Empty...

A few days passed without incident, the drone in question continuing to dig and avoid looking at the eyes of the other changelings around him. In that time, he'd come across the other Digger a few times, but the two of them had only acknowledge one another in passing. Still, the brief interactions had soothed the strange feeling in his chest for a moment, allowing him to suppress the fear.

The one thing he couldn't stop was the thinking. Over the days, he'd come to notice a number of things that previously hadn't even gotten a second glance from him in a new light. He'd noticed just how many of his kind wandered the tunnels each day, which had left him considering how he'd never noticed it before. The next was the way that the Queen's impulses, issued through her Heralds, seemed to slide through his mind and then out.

The Queen's orders were absolute. Without question. So why did it feel like he could just choose to not listen? The thought was absurd... yet strangely appealing.

On a more personal level, the drone had begun to notice how... he felt different.... how good that felt. In a hive full of changelings, he had begun to see himself as an individual body. He could still feel the hive mind and the impulses trickling down from the Queen but where the other drones around him just seemed to fade into the link between them all, he had developed a sense of where he ended and the hive mind began.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was certain that this was a taboo but he couldn't understand why... and it didn't fully stop him.

All of this had created a problem though: it felt like he was missing something. All the sensations that he'd been learning to enjoy over the past few days were culminating into something inside of him and needed... something. As his hooves jabbed into the earth before him, shoving dirt to the side and sealing it there with the hardening slime of his hooves, he mulled over it.

The feeling always seemed to intensify whenever he thought about his position in the hive. The idea of being a Digger burned into his mind a sensation of... him. However, it wasn't just him. Most of the changelings he encountered every day were Diggers. He needed something that was... just him.

As he was thinking, he felt his hoof push through a section of dirt into open air. Curious, he softly pinged the Herald in charge of this section with the information and received back that there were no adjacent tunnels in the area. He paused until the Herald fired an impulse to explore the space into him and he finished digging out the tunnel into the space beyond.

The first sensation he became aware of was the vibrant light that assaulted his eyes, causing him to squint and hiss. As his eyes started to adjust, he cautiously looked around for danger. Before him lay a massive cavern, extending far above his head to the source of light. A ray of sunshine peered down into the cavern from a hole in the ceiling. As it extended down, it met with a series of crystal formations that caught and refracted the light, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.

It was... awe inspiring.

However, the Herald would be waiting for a response from him and if they didn't receive anything then they would assume he had been killed and collapse the tunnel. They wouldn't be interested in the visual aspect, so he forced himself to look away from the shining treasures and observed the cavern. The walls had been purposely molded, but there was no sign of anything living here for some time. No scents to suggest that the occupant was simply outside at the moment. It seemed safe and that was what he sent to the Herald.

The Herald replied with a dismissive impulse. If there wasn't a clear and obvious threat, it meant little to the hive unless it could be re-purposed. Of course, the hole in the ceiling was a hazard to the safety of the hive. The tunnel that he'd just dug would be collapsed and other Diggers in the area would be relocated. He was to return to the closest junction immediately.

He deflated, feeling a sinking sensation in his abdomen. A part of him had been wanting to further observe the way that the crystals shone as they reminded him of the pod that had started his sense of self. However, if he didn't want to be labeled as defective, he would need to follow the impulse.

Turning back to look at the crystals again, he let his eyes roam over them once more, committing the sight to memory. As he did so, he noticed a strange rock formation amid the vibrant lights. It stuck out due to the dark, simple color of it and he approached it, leaning his head down for a closer look.

It was black as a slime-less tunnel yet the surface held its own unique shine. Reaching out with one hoof, he touched the smooth, cool surface of the rock and couldn't help but see how similar the color was to his own chitin. Looking around at the crystals around him as they shone in the sunlight, a sense of kinship with the stone filled him and a word came unbidden to his mind...

Onyx

At first, it held no meaning other than a specific series of noises but the more he focused on it, the more meaning appeared in his thoughts. Soon, a stray thought forged itself into his mind: this rock was unique and was different enough to be itself... like himself. It had given him something...

I am Onyx

A name. A label that was only for him and meant only him. Onyx bowed his head reverently to the glossy, dark stone as something slid into place within himself. After a moment, he raised his head and turned away, knowing that he would never return to this place but knowing that he would not need to. He had everything he needed from this place. As he moved through the tunnel and collapsed it behind him as he went with sharp cracks of his hooves, Onyx smiled...

It was a few weeks after the feeding incident that the Herald whom had been affected contacted them all, calling them all to the same feeding chamber where it had all began. The pod had been removed following the death of the equine within and replaced with a fresher one. However, the changelings present ignored it for the moment as the Herald paced back and forth between them.

The Herald was nervous and took a few moments to reach out to them through her connection to explain. Most changelings were unaware of all the things that they ingested when feeding but could recognize emotions that were filling and emotions that made them feel more hungry. Each emotion held a sense of the prey's thoughts and feelings and could affect a changeling based on what it was.

The pony that had been in the previous pod was an elderly earth pony that had been foalnapped from a small village not far from the hive. Despite how weak his body had been, his emotions had been much stronger than others in the village and lead the infiltrators grabbing him to feed the hive. As best the Herald could gather without drawing the Queen's attention was that the pony must have been... introspective and that feeling had passed through his emotions into the changelings gathered.

The general question that poured out of them was simple. What happens to us now? The Herald was quick to put up the solution she'd discovered: undergo a purge in order to get the emotion out of their systems so they could go back to being normal before the Queen began to pick up on the stray thoughts from them. They had been lucky to avoid detection thus far, most likely thanks to the fact that they had avoided being together and blending into the hive mind for the moment but every passing second was a chance to be found out.

The answer was simple, so... why was there a reluctance from all of them?

Onyx sat there, gazing around the group and sensing the general air of dissatisfaction with the idea. It even came from the Herald. She was supposed to be the right hoof of the Queen and enforce her will upon the hive. Ultimately, it seemed as if each of them was waiting for one of the others to step forward either way. None of them wanted to be the one responsible if things went sour, but not a single changeling present wanted to purge... yet none of them understood why. They also didn't understand why what they had experienced was wrong... or how they knew it was wrong.

Tapping his hoof against the floor of the cave, Onyx looked into himself, sifting through his feelings over the weeks since the feeding. He was... unsatisfied. Not with his position in the hive or the feeling of being one with the hive. However there was something that made him shift and feel... ill at the idea of going back to the way he was before... like the other drones...

Empty...

He hadn't meant to express the sensation across the link the Herald had formed and he flinched as the others turned to look at him in confusion. He tried to retreat back into himself until the Herald prompted him to explain. So he shared. He shared the experience of looking into the eyes of other drones and feeling like something was missing from them. It was a thought that, in hindsight, the others were quick to share. Then he shared his thoughts as he entered the crystal cavern until it came to the point where he'd chosen his name.

Onyx... I am Onyx. I... want to be me. Onyx.

The admission filled his with a sense of purpose and power like he'd never felt before and the other changelings took a step back, shock and awe flowing from them. The emotions boiling within him resonated across their link and after a moment of hesitation, the others began to revel in the echo. They each began to look around, their thoughts become sharper and more complex.

Sensing this, Onyx perked up and gave a small inquiry: Names?

The question startled them all. They looked around nervously, a feeling of deep taboo echoing from the deepest parts of their minds. However, with Onyx as the example, it wasn't long before they began to respond.

Chirp, responded the male Caretaker. It was the first noise he heard from the grubs he took care of. A call that pulled his attention to them.

Blue, the female Caretaker followed, the small bubble of appreciation for the wonderful color of a changeling's eyes filling her thoughts.

Aegis, The female Warrior, choosing the purpose of her role that reminded her why she was strong.

Fang, her male counterpart added cautiously. His weapon of choice when defending the hive.

Stone, his fellow Digger finally chimed in, taking the moniker of the thing it gave him the greatest sense of accomplishment to dig through.

Shadow, one of the Infiltrators submitted. Her greatest ally in the world above.

Silence, the other Infiltrator, referring to the other ally of their caste.

Then finally, as one, the group turned to look at the Herald. There was a sense of finality to it, as though her name would be the tipping point across the line of taboo. Despite the fear that grew stronger with each given name, the Herald was not contacting the Queen as her instinct told her to. Instead, she pushed the impulse down and swallowed as she thought.

Then, with a weak thought, it came: ...Hope

With her choice, her new namesake swept through them all. None of them could truly understand the significance of what they had done but it didn't matter in the end. What mattered was that the first and longest step had been taken. They had become... something... and the link held by Hope strengthened. Whatever came next, they would work together like changelings should.

Which was the last sense they had before a group of warriors stormed into the cave and surrounded them, hissing and spitting violently. Cowed by the show of aggression, they watched in horror as another Herald stepped in, glowering down at them disdainfully. The impulse came forcibly across the greater hive mind.

They were going to see the Queen...

The Collective Begins

Fear and anger.

These were the two emotions presence in the group of changelings marching their way into the center of the hive. Surrounded by Warriors that hissed and snapped their jaws if the group tried to drag their hooves, Onyx and his new friends were being marched toward their doom. This was something that they knew beyond the shadow of a doubt and they were doing all they could to stall their journey.

The Infiltrators were looking around, their shifty eyes trying to find some way to escape while the rest were resigning themselves to the fate that awaited them in the Queen's chambers. Descending into the parts of the hive that only the Warriors and Heralds of the hive had ever seen before, Onyx took in the sight of the tunnels themselves. Being some of the original paths, they had been crafted over centuries of the Queen's life and bore the marks of such construction. Nameless Diggers, now long gone, had taken great care in making these wide tunnels and shaping them to have a jagged, haunted look. A final defense meant to play on the fears of the creatures above if they got this far.

Made to terrify surface dwellers and yet now they held the same effect on him...

The gathering could feel the Queen's presence long before they every came in sight of her. She existed as an oppressive weight that burdened their thoughts the closer they came to her, trying to squash the growing sensation of self-awareness they had begun to experience... and she could sense their resistance.

Her attention fell upon them like the hive itself had collapsed around them, suffocating them and making every step feel as though their limbs weighed more and more. A deep, animalistic rage poured from her in a flood and Onyx felt his heart stop for a moment before the impending wrath as it bore down on them from up ahead. In numbers that he couldn't comprehend, the eyes of the hive turned upon them and the Queen's rage refracted through countless bodies that had become aware of them.

He was alone before a fury that burned through his veins like fire. How did he dare to be apart. To be different and step into a realm that he had so little understanding of? To defy the will of the Queen and be an extension of her will?

These thoughts were raging through his mind as they were finally shoved forward into the grand chamber of their ruler. Massive and lit with the pale light of changeling slime, the entire structure made him aware of how small he was in the grand scheme of the world... and then there was her. A titanic form of chitin, the ancient Queen towered over them like an angry goddess. One of her mighty hooves could have crushed him into paste without a thought and craning his neck, he found himself looking up toward the creature that decided every little motion he'd taken since the day he'd hatched.

Beneath a tangled mass of web-like growth that formed a facsimile of a mane, two green orbs stared down through the darkness toward him. This was something different than the drones he'd observed for the past few weeks in silence. A distinct disk of emerald sat within the frame of each of her eyes and centered even more still was the oval abyss that threatened to consume him in the fires of pure ferocity. This... this was the Queen.

She invaded his thoughts like a fang to his brain, the impulse forming like a demand for information. He was just a simple Digger; he held no chance in withholding what she wanted from her as his mind spilled out the answers instinctively. In the same moment, the flood of thoughts and feelings draining into the Queen's demand were not just his own.

The others bled their experiences into the void of the hive mind and the hive gnashed at them for their disobedience. In the end, they were not so different. Each of them, from Chirp to Hope, had been filled with a sense of longing. Searching. Then came the inevitable: a desire to escape. To explore the world and themselves.

SACRILAGE!!

The impulse was a force like the sky had fallen upon them and the nine rebellious changelings fell to the floor under the metaphysical weight. Onyx could barely breathe. He was defective and must be destroyed. If only the Queen would let him stand so he might throw himself into the final embrace of whichever changeling would be his killer as penance for his stupidity! He was alone and would die a lonely death!

...Not...Alone...

It was not his thought. It wasn't the Queen's either. Amid the storm of hate, another mind touched his. Pulled him closer and sheltered him as best it could.

Hope...

The Herald was in agony, yet something within her was stronger than the rest of them. She pulled them in through their connection and took the brunt of the Queen's wrath as she attempted to crush their minds beneath her will. It would buy them a few precious seconds to be together in this final act of defiance.

However... they were not ready to die yet.

Joined together in the mind of the Herald, the multitude of thoughts became a ringing chorus of ideas.

Pain, not good! Shouted the Caretakers over the roaring Queen. Holding strong! Stronger together! Declared the Warriors, their bodies rising in response to their shared mind and used their strength to reinforce the Herald's mind. Within the greater hive mind of the Queen, a shiver of something... cold rippled across them all before her wrath doubled its assault against them, bent on destroying them down to the last thought.

Too strong. Must retreat. Cautioned Silence. Queen knows. Will follow, Shadow added, must vanish from her knowing. If only it could be that simple. The Queen always “knew.” There was no way to be unseen by their Queen. One way... Hope's whispering thought came to them all and each of them understood in a single instant through the intimate interaction.

So they all took a deep breath... and severed themselves from the Queen's hive mind.

The sudden quiet was deafening as the rage of their ruler and their fellow drones fell away. Ears ringing, Onyx fought the urge to curl up and shiver in fear at the sensation of being alone. His entire life, the hive had been there, filling his mind with the impulses of the Queen and the sensory information shared between all the changelings of the hive. Now there was only his own, limited view... and the gentle nudging of Hope's mind, urging them to rise and escape. His own will gone, Onyx could only follow the impulse of the one of them that hadn't gone silent from the change. He wasn't the only one as the rest of them rose to turn and follow Hope as she ran.

Whatever effect the severing had upon them seemed to be intensified among the changelings still connected to the Queen. She herself had reeled back as though struck and hissed at the ceiling while the once unified hive-members stumbled and fell out of their way easily enough as Aegis and Fang instinctively moved in front of Hope, using their heavier bodies to muscle through. Onyx could feel the others clinging to the shared mind Hope and pulled them into desperately, just as he did.

Where go? Fang inquired rapidly. Confusion filled the group as their eyes snapped back and forth between adjoining tunnels in their panic filled run. It was the first time that Onyx had started to understand how much the hive relied on the plethora of knowledge available to them through the hive mind. While the others were beginning to become frantic, Stone and he pushed forward the information that every Digger knew: they layout of the hive's tunnels. It was likely that any creature not in possession of that would wind up wandering up and down dead-end tunnels designed to stall invaders.

Rushing headlong through the paths committed to memory, the shared mind came to a conclusion: they needed to leave the hive entirely if they did not want to be destroyed. The Queen, however, had other ideas. A shrieking roar of hatred sounded through the tunnels and it didn't take the connection to the hive mind to understand that every drone in the hive would be out for their blood now. The Infiltrators were quick to point out that there would be no way to get out of the hive through the normal paths once the drones were coordinated again while the Warriors expressed an inability to fight such numbers.

Then Onyx remembered back a few weeks. To a cave full of crystals and the rock from which he had taken his name. It was a strange feeling to suddenly interject and give an impulse of his own. It was even more strange to feel the thought resonate within his fellow changelings as the group turned away from their current path and dove toward the quieter tunnels of new excavations. Unfortunately, the were not quite abandoned.

Rounding a junction toward their destination, a hive Warrior stood before them, baring their fangs and hissing angrily as they no doubt informed the closest Herald of their position. The minor lag between relays was the group's salvation as Aegis and Fang lowered their heads and charged forward, catching the dependent thinker in their rush and tossing him over the group with a flick of their heads. They picked up the pace, knowing that soon these tunnels would be swarming with drones looking to kill them all.

Finally coming to the spot where once there had been a tunnel, Onyx instinctively pulled Stone's attention to the spot where the dirt didn't match and began to dig with two bodies like neither of them had done before. Dirt exploded beneath their hooves as the two of them put years of mastery to work, fueled by the spiking adrenaline in their veins. Twirling together in an unconscious duet of motion, they packed and shoved dirt to the side, forgoing the usual hardening slime in favor of making a quick, temporary tunnel.

The hisses and pounding of hooves from behind them lent strength to their hooves as Onyx reached backwards with his mind, leaving Stone to coordinate their bodies moving forward. Latching onto one of the stronger-bodied Warriors, he pushed the knowledge of tunnel collapsing into them and caused them to lash out at the weakened dirt. With a swift connection of hoof to dirt, they dropped the passage behind them, hopefully slowing their pursuers enough to allow for escape.

For a few terrifying moments, it seemed like they had veered off course at some point until a surge of hope came from Stone as the two Diggers pushed forward in the vibrant crystal cave. Pulling his mind back closer to his own body, he drew the attention of the group upwards toward the whole in the ceiling. Most of them balked at the height, having never flown before but it was time for the Infiltrators to shine. Pressing information into their fellows, they coordinated the bodies and spread their wings, buzzing them rapidly as they rose into the air and darted for the opening.

Upwards the rose and slid into the open sky beyond the hive.

Freed to observe his surroundings, Onyx couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of colors that presented themselves to him. As they flew upwards, he became aware of the tall pine trees that greeted them with lively greens and vibrant browns. All around them, small creatures startled by their ascent scurried away. Higher and higher into the air they flew, the single mind formed of many consciousnesses steered toward putting as much distance between themselves and the murderous hive behind them. With luck, the Queen would recall her drones once they were safely beyond the reach of her hive mind.

The problem was that besides the Infiltrators, the rest of them could only fly so far on their untested wings. It didn't stop them from feeling the wind on their faces and see a world that stretched so much further than they could have every imagined. Beneath them, the woods stretched on for miles until they could just make out the edge of it and the small twirl of smoke that marked the village beyond.

Chirp chimed in, a curiosity to see the home of the stallion that had changed their states of being. The feeling resonated within the group, but was tempered by the caution of the Infiltrators and Warriors about needing to lay low for a while and the Caretakers reminding them that they would need to feed relatively soon. Taking charge of the collective, Hope placed their priority on finding a safe place to rest and recover from their escape, already feeling the strain in their wings.

Using nine sets of eyes, they scouted the winding woodland, tracing sections of a river running through the area until a clearing at the edge of the river made itself known to them. The half circle of soft grass gave them a good spot to land and thus the changelings returned to the ground. As his hooves touched the grass, he jumped slightly at the springy mass and watched the other permanent under-grounders do the same, much to the amusement of the Infiltrators.

Testing it beneath his hooves, Onyx only partially paid attention as Hope tested the air with her mind. Satisfied that they were outside of the impulse range of the hive, she quickly instructed the two Diggers to make a small place to rest and it wasn't long before a small tunnel had been dug and reinforced a little ways back from the bank and a sleeping space had been widened at the end for them all. Even with the sun still shining just beyond their hovel and curiosity burning in their veins, their bodies were exhausted at this point.

Curling up within their shelter, there was a moment of pause as a thought bounced between them: did they return to themselves to sleep? The thought of being alone inside of their own minds was a daunting prospect at this point and frightened the more skittish changelings in the group. In the end, the nine equines chose to go with the majority feeling of needing the companionship with the Infiltrators caving in after the fear resonated across the connection.

Settling their bodies down to sleep, the group began to seek comfort in each other and the multitude of thoughts roaming from each of them. Onyx could only consider that the situation felt like a large step for a few moments before exhaustion claimed him and he drifted away among the instincts and ideas of his fellow rebels...

From Emptiness...

When Onyx opened his eyes, an internal sense that had been growing over the past month told him that something was out of place. Scrunching his nose and yawning softly, he noted that the day had given way to night and left only a scarce amount of starlight to see by. Of course, this was more than enough for the eyes of a Digger that had spent his entire life in next to no-light conditions and he made out the slumbering forms of his companions as they snoozed softly.

Turning his attention inward, he took stock of himself and tried to identify the feeling of change. The connection to his little group was still strong and he could feel the stray dreams coursing through the changelings around him so that wasn't it. It was like an itch at the back of his mind as he stood up and stretched before moving toward the entrance to the small den. Pausing at the opening, he lifted his nose and sniffed at the air to get a sense for the creatures nearby.

Onyx blinked. That... wasn't a Digger's instinct. Not only that, but he was also able to recognize that it wasn't. Craning his neck to look back, the confused changeling lightly probed the minds of his group and noted that each of them was still asleep. They wouldn't be able to push their knowledge and instincts into him, but what he'd just done was definitely an Infiltrator's instinct... and the clarity that he held for that thought was much clearer than his mind had been yesterday.

Still... something was missing...

Moving out of the den, Onyx looked up toward the sky and sat on his haunches. The night sky... was different than the day sky. Darker, like the depths of the earth, but spots of light had taken up residence there. Surrounding the pale disk of the moon, they shone like exposed gemstones and Onyx found himself entranced by their light. They were so small when compared to the moon... like how small he was when compared to the Queen. They were so vast in numbers, just like the changelings that served the Queen. Separate and shining with their own lights...

Sitting there with only the soft rustling of wind and flowing stream to break the silence, Onyx let his thoughts roam again to the stallion that had unwittingly started all of this. A deep, intense curiosity was building in his gut and causing him to want to see more of the stallion's home and try to understand the feeling that had come from feeding upon his emotions. Hope had told them that the emotions they fed on could carry states of mind with them into the changelings consuming them but Onyx couldn't understand. The Herald had said that the old stallion was introspective... what did that mean? How did it factor into their new minds?

A spark of awareness across the group's link alerted him that Hope was stirring. Her mind brushed across his to determine where he was and it wasn't long before she came to sit next to him. She could feel that he was troubled by something and in return he could feel the same confusion of self from her. Quietly, he continued to stare up at the stars as he shared the thoughts he'd been having over the last few minutes. Hope observed his thoughts, a spike of surprise coming from her as she fell into thought.

Extending a questioning thought, Onyx turned his head to look at her and she met his gaze for a moment before shaking her head. He didn't get a chance to press her for the reason behind her surprise due to the others slowly starting to rise and ping their own thoughts across the connection. One by one, they crawled up from the den and blinked the last vestiges of sleep from their eyes as they noticed Onyx and Hope sitting next to the river.

Gathering together once more, the nine of them looked around at each other, a sense of having no direction pouring from them all. It was the first time in the entirety of their lives in which they were not immediately put to work as soon as their eyes opened. All around them, the peaceful scenery stretched on and, despite knowing that the darkness was home to unseen predators, the changelings could just sit and look.

It was Chirp that finally broke the stalemate, quietly observing that the ponies that they fed on lived in places like this. Perhaps by watching them, the nine of them could try and figure out where to go from here and maybe discover the reason behind the sensations that each of them were feeling more and more with each passing day. With no better plans coming forth, they agreed and stood, starting to move with the Infiltrators at the front of the group since they had knowledge of where the nearest village was.

Shadow and Silence took the time to instill as much as they could into their fellow changelings about the ponies and the things to do to avoid being noticed. The ponies that were their most common prey came in three variations, but they focused on the images of very base looking equines with more earthy tones to their coats. Earth Ponies. Larger on average than the other two variations, these ones made up for lack of flight or magic by being impressively powerful. A growing foal of this kind was strong enough to stand hoof-to-hoof with a Warrior drone in terms of raw strength.

The weakness was that this strength went to their heads. Most were convinced that they could overpower any problem with strength of limb and were susceptible to illusions and mind manipulation, which made them easy prey for quick infiltrators. Of course, if they were alert, the stubborn nature of their race could easily repel the magic of changelings.

Their emotions also tended to be very benign, but quite filling to the average drone and that was something that they needed if they didn't want to starve to death within a couple weeks. Of course, that wasn't a desired outcome, so the non-Infiltrators quickly processed the information being given to them.

By the time that all of them felt up to the task of stalking prey, they had reached the edge of the forest and just beyond they could see the soft glow of firelight. The village was little more than a cluster of maybe twenty buildings that had been erected hastily and reinforced over time with lumber from the woods. Even from the distance between the trees and the closest home, Onyx could sense the flow of unconscious emotions flowing from the ponies that called this place home. Swallowing reflexively, he turned to look at Hope, seeing her as the closest thing to a figure of authority as they had.

Hope was having a similar reaction and quickly asked the Infiltrators to do what they do best. Shadow and Silence all but vanished into the darkness and if they hadn't been connected to he link between them, Onyx was sure that he would have no idea where they had gone. After a few minutes of silence, the two of them sent back a signal that they were in position and the rest of them slowly let their minds slip closer to those of the Infiltrators to see what they were looking at.

As their vision was shared, the group saw that the village was built in a rough circle and was lit by torches set up near the entrances to the huts. While most of the ponies calling this place home were asleep, a few of them were wandering on patrol around the village. Immediately, the Warriors noted that the trio were not moving in a particular pattern and pointed out the various holes in their movements which prompted Shadow and Silence to sneak further into the village, staying out of the torchlight as much as they could.

Peering into homes, they saw families of ponies within each hut, usually an elderly pony or two, two adults, and somewhere between four and five foals with three of them missing an adult at the moment. Each one of them gave off their own unique emotions and Silence would move in to get a taste of them while Shadow stood watch. A variety of emotions were twisting together from the sleeping equines and the changelings were making note of which houses had the most filling emotions. Hope was quick to point out that with only nine of them, they couldn't afford to foalnap any of them and draw their ire; they would have to feed and go.

Everything was going smoothly until a filly in one of the homes stirred with a spike of fear as Silence turned to leave. Thinking quickly, the Infiltrator dove into the darkest corner of the hut and froze just as the filly began to cry. It didn't take long for the noise to wake the mare nearby and she lifted her head, fumbling gently with one hoof to lightly pull the filly in close. As the changelings watched through the Silence's eyes, the mother began to speak softly to her foal. Curiosity spiked from Chirp and Blue and they lightly prodded the Infiltrators to share their knowledge of the pony's language so they could see how the mare would soothe the fearful youngster.

“What's wrong, little one?” The mother asked in a gentle, tired tone. She was obviously eager to calm the younger pony and get back to sleep before the crying woke the other foals in the room. For her part, the filly turned her head into her mother's side, sobbing relentlessly as she babbled for a moment. Eventually, with some coaxing from the mare, the nonsense turned into words and the changelings listened intently from Silence's hiding spot.

“I had the bad dream again... about grandpa getting dragged away by the monsters...” The changelings tensed, an uneasy feeling growing in them, “g... grandpa can fight them off right? He'll come home? I miss him...”

“I do too, little one... Grandpa is... he's strong,” the mother struggled, obviously not willing to dash the filly's hopes, “it... may take some time, but we'll be reunited again... now, come... let's go look at the stars until you're ready to sleep again.” The two rose and exited the hut and Silence soon slipped out as well, rejoining Shadow and retreating back to the group. A quiet stretched between them as the changelings digested what they had just heard.

As their bodies sat in a circle, staring at the ground, a division formed within their link. A heavy, cold, almost painful sensation was welling up within the Caretakers and Diggers while the Infiltrators and Warriors were becoming confused by the feeling coming from their fellows. Those feeling... weak for some reason could only relay the information that Hope had given them before leaving the hive that the stallion who had started their situation and how they were certain that the “grandpa” that had been mentioned... had been that same stallion.

Shadow was quick to ping back that it was the law of nature for them to feed and how it was necessary. Still, the conversation had affected some of them, the Caretakers in particular. Back and forth the emotions shot across the link. Hope, acting as the anchor, stamped her hoof to give them pause. A compromise. They would need to feed, but she couldn't deny how... horrible the feelings that the Diggers and Caretakers had were. They would feed, but do so separately so as not to drain any one pony too much and to avoid drawing attention to their activities.

Even the stubborn Warriors could see the logic in her thoughts and an agreement was reached between them. Like dark thoughts, they spread into the small village using the the knowledge held by Shadow and Silence and slipped into the huts that had been scouted. As the village ponies slept, the changelings fed quietly and filled their bellies with the positive energy that resided in those having pleasant dreams.

As Hope gave the signal to fall back towards the woods, Onyx found himself sneaking past the familiar hut that held the little filly who had cried for her grandfather. He paused, hearing the subtle shift of chitin and he nosed around the entrance to peer inside. The filly and her mother had returned to sleep, cuddled close together against the slight chill in the air and standing over them was Blue. She peered down at the filly, her mind closed off from the connection to the others and Onyx found himself closing off as well, feeling that this moment he was witnessing... it was... private. It was... Blue.

Moving one hoof carefully, the Caretaker gently brushed a strand of mane out of the filly's face and seemed to be intently studying her face. Moving to one side of the hut, Onyx turned his head to make sure that the patrolling stallions weren't near enough to spot Blue by chance and stood ready to warn her if they came close.

His ear twitched slightly as a soft noise reached them. Within the hut, Blue folded her ears, dripping of the dark, vile feeling that had crept into them earlier. Her lips parted and a soft breath came from her before she did something that changelings had never needed to do: she spoke.

“I'm.... ssssorry... little... one.”

The sleeping filly made no motion to show that she'd heard anything and none of the other ponies roused at the quiet apology. Blue turned, creeping out of the hut to Onyx's side, sensing him there and the two of them looked at each other. For the first time, they didn't need a connection to understand one another and giving voice to his thoughts suddenly felt more profound than any trading of information or feelings over the hive mind or connection.

“Not... your... fault.” Onyx struggled to get out, the strange motion of his mouth to form words causing him to falter.

“Before... fed... without... feeling,” Blue countered, ears drooping, “we... owe... Grandpa...for...us...”

Onyx felt his own ears mirror the Caretakers and once more, he looked up into the sky. The stars above seemed to peer down at him as the two of them began to quiet trek back towards the forest. Seeing the glowing lights that looked so similar, the difference in size and brightness pulled a thought out of him. Turning toward Blue, he asked, “Us... what is... us? We... the same... but... different... here..” Reaching up he tapped his head lightly with one hoof.

Another stretch of quiet invaded the walk as they noticed the rest of their group gathering near the treeline. Blue's eyes looked over them and she spoke up, “When sleep... minds change,” she tilted her head to indicate their companions, “since feeding... minds like... hatchlings... taking in thoughts,” she paused, turning to put a hoof on Onyx's shoulder to bring him to a stop and look him in the eyes, “Onyx... not us... not others. First to say... I. Why?”

It was a simple question... so why did it feel like seeking the answer was like staring into a deep abyss? Down in the darkness, he could feel something staring up at him and waiting for his answer. The pit within himself only served to remind him of the empty look within the changelings still under the sway of the Queen not far away....

Looking into Blue's eyes, Onyx spoke as honestly as he could, “Every day... dig... listen... do as told. Again and again... until dead. Saw it in other Diggers... nothing... here,” he pointed to his eyes, “Grandpa... fill emptiness with... something... final moments... look into empty Diggers... Infiltrators... Caretakers... Warriors... and Herald... as we drain... connecting for food... he...”

Onyx hissed, clenching his eyes and quickly bringing his hooves to his head as a line of thought shot through his mind... and the world around him faded into darkness...

It was a memory... one he didn't remember having, yet he couldn't stop it from surging upwards from a subconscious piece of him. Floating helplessly into the dark, Onyx was staring forward, unable to turn his head away. There in front of him a light appeared... drawing closer.

The soft, orange glow outlined a figure that grew more tangible the closer it game. An old stallion with a simple brown coat and fully gray mane and beard peered at him with a sad expression. The stallion was aware of his death drawing closer. Onyx was sure of this... yet his expression and sadness were for somepony else... no... something else. The one who peered at him and he stared back at.

“Grandpa” stared into an endless void that consumed all before it and felt himself being pulled in. Nine dark shapes sat before him, illuminated by rancid green as they pulled something from him and his life faded. Sadness... for them...

“It must be terrifying... knowing that you are together and yet there is nothing any of you can do to avoid your fate... bound by a will that is not your own and not even knowing it. I, at least, know how this ends and where I go from here... the young fear death while old stallions like me only know that something is waiting for us... but you... you don't even get a satisfaction in knowing anything...”

Movement in the dark drew the stallion's attention. One of the figures, a younger one if its size meant anything, flicked an ear as if listening. Grandpa chuckled, a small smile gracing his muzzle as he stepped through the darkness, following the tugging sensation that yanked at his very soul until he stood just before the chitin-clad youngster. The world seemed to stand still as he looked into the empty eyes looking behind him... at the place that he had left his body.

“Aye... you're a monster, alright... but I've seen that motion in my grandfoals... the motion of somepony that wants to know but doesn't understand where to start... well, look well, young one... you might learn something...”

The old stallion turned away, inclining his ears toward a soft, chiming melody and in a moment that could only be observed in the trivial time between thoughts, the world flared with a vibrant flash of rainbow colors. Connected so intimately at the end to a stallion who had nothing left to hide from the world, nine changelings were touched by a force they could neither explain or even comprehend...

...and nine sets of empty eyes filled...