A new eraby Spiders Are BaeChaptersNew facesA blossoming hiveSmall VictoriesNew facesNecifera’s hive and brood kept growing by the day, and word of her success and growth seemed to have spread to other hives. Necifera was aware many hives existed in Equestria through Chrysalis, with some being made up of different races of changelings. She noticed that more and more of these different races kept coming to her, wishing to join with differing reasons. Her changelings established a perimeter around the hive where they would patrol for threats and more materials that could help in its expansion. With this defence established, they gathered info on these new changelings that showed up and quickly understood they had also gone rogue or were exiled. The new changelings explained they sensed another queen and longed to follow one again. Necifera welcomed them all, no matter how they looked or how different they were. With her empathetic nature, she sensed these changelings didn’t have any malice towards her or her hive, and, after all, she wished to make allies with the different races of Equestria. These changelings were no exception. That was the reason she fled after all, that was her dream, to show how changelings can live and prosper alongside others. She just needed to start small. It still surprised Necifera, seeing just how much variety there was with each race that came to her. She heard about them from her mother, but the queen never met one once. Those who joined ranged from spiderlings, to nagas and even some that appeared to be a mix of bee and changeling. The first ones who showed up were the spiderlings. They had 8 limbs, and seemed to also have up to 8 eyes. Keeping true with spiders, they had a fairly noticeable abdomen making up the back of their body. They could produce string and use it to make webs. These could be useful to the hive in fortifying structures once they were fully integrated into it. Beelings came next and offered something special. Like bees, they could produce honey, and they could also infuse it with love, not only able to store love for later use and consumption, but also making it taste much sweeter. Their appearance mostly kept the changeling body unchanged, with varying patches of fur throughout their limbs, as well as an abdomen all beelings seemed to have in common. However, some seemed to have 2 additional legs alongside their 4 normal ones. Their method of storing love in honey could prove very useful for the hive in the future. The nagas also had their unique traits. Half snake, half changeling, their body was long, and their variations of black scales shone even in the darkest corners. Their coils provided them with great strength, able to restrain and immobilize prey easily. Their long fangs also seemed to contain potent paralyzing venom. These could be very useful agaisn't external threats. “So, you all came from different hives? You're the first...unique changelings I've seen.” Necifera asked the gathered changelings in the main hall, intrigued. "Still, I would like to hear your stories and experiences you went through." Some of the new arrivals remained silent, while others spoke up. They seemed to share many of the reasons for exile or rogue stories with the changelings that first helped the queen build the hive. Necifera listened quietly and while doing so, she stared at the gathered changelings, noticing how some were clearly on edge and uncomfortable, baring their fangs and hissing at others of the other races. She sighed, before intervening. “I can tell some of you are uncomfortable in the presence of others, but you all came to me and wished to join my hive,” the queen spoke up. “You sought shelter and safety, unity and kinship here. I plan to fulfil that goal,” she paused briefly, before continuing. “Look at the changeling next to you. They may be different, not the same as you, but they find themselves in a similar situation. It’s time to put aside differences. We are all part of one hive now. If the swarm is in disarray, the hive falls. We need to work together and help each other, that is how we can all thrive and survive, as equals, as one,” Necifera proclaimed with determination in her voice. She paused again, allowing her words to sink in on her new subjects. They looked at each other, some smiles creeping up and replacing the hostile glares. Necifera could feel the tension in the hall starting to dissipate. Then she continued. “I will now link each of you to me and my other subjects. This bond will complete your integration into the hive. Are you ready?” All changelings agreed and with that confirmation, Necifera began adding them all to the link, reassuring the ones most hesitant that everything would be fine. Their presence was alien at first, and the process was even more painful than the first time she did it, her magic being pushed to its limit trying to add an unknown race to her link. In the end however, the queen was successful in linking all the new changelings. After the link was established, Necifera consulted with her new subjects of varying forms, and learnt how their hives worked. She began altering areas of her own hive with the help of that information, in order to make them more suitable for these new changelings. The spiderling hives had fairly simple designs, mostly being made up of platforms, pillars and surfaces shaped in ways they could easily cover with web and use it as beds, traps, storage spaces and other applications. The beeling hives seemed to share a lot of similarities with beehives. Most noticeably, they had honeycomb shaped resin lining the walls where they would store their love infused honey. Nagas seemed to share the same hive design as the common changeling, although they seemed to have more smooth surfaces compared to the more jagged design. Necifera, remembering Chrysalis’s teachings about gene splicing and similar magic, was also able to incorporate these new species into her own children as well, having them mix in with the normal drones, workers and guards. It would take some time for the new mutations to take effect however. Still, the hive grew ever stronger. *** Necifera had just finished preparing a new batch of eggs, and gently placed them in the safety and care of the nursery and the drones in charge. “Thank you, my queen, we shall take great care of these eggs.” the nursery drone assured the queen with a smile. Necifera smiled back at them. “I know you will, that is why i trust you with this role” With that task done, Necifera made her way to the main hall on the ground floor of the hive. During this time of expansion, the queen wanted to dig some tunnels underneath it to have extra storage space, and, taking advantage of this wave of different faces joining the hive, she prepared another mutation, one present in her mother’s hive, albeit a rare one. With the knowledge she acquired from Chrysalis, Necifera was able to mutate Behemoths, changelings that were much bigger than the normal drone, and much stronger as well. Multiple thick layers of chitin covered their body, and due to their size and body shape, they either lacked wings or had very small ones and thus could not fly. They also had up to 6 eyes and could see well in the dark, like most changelings. Being covered in armored chitin, they easily mined out rocks with ease and without risk of harm. With their help, the construction of the tunnels at the base of the spire began. The queen passed by where the entrance to these tunnels would be, seeing two of these armored changelings hard at work, alongside some normal ones monitoring and helping them. Seeing how small the drones were compared to the Behemoths made Necifera grin and giggle. She certainly didn’t expect such drastic changes to happen and for new faces to join in when she started her hive, but that just made her even happier and hopeful for the future of her swarm and her dream. A blossoming hiveHer hive grew naturally in order to accommodate all the new changelings that came to live in it. It grew outwards, the petals forming it’s exterior became bigger, and the bulb at its center grew in height. Because of this change, the hive stood out more, and Necifera had to be extra vigilant of any scouts her mother may send. The queen sighed and smiled, pleased as she observed the hive from the outside. She began making her way inside to better see all the recent changes, accompanied by some of her subjects. Two guards with dark red chitin greeted her as she passed, and she in turn, did the same, bowing her head slightly. “My queen, if i may ask, why do you behave so differently from other queens?” A changeling with blue carapace that was accompanying her asked nervously. “Hmm? What do you mean, little one?” Necifera asked without turning towards them. “W-Well, you greeted those guards,” they explained. “And?” The queen asked, slightly amused. “Well....Normally, the queen’s subjects need to show their respect and their loyalty to her, but the queen doesn’t need to do the same...” The queen stopped walking and turned towards the changeling, a smile on her face. “Little one, I do this because I want to. You see, my mother wasn’t the best example, but I didn't let that change who I truly am. This isn’t my hive, this is our hive,” she gestured towards the hive with a fore hoof. “I merely lead and organize everything, I am not a tyrant,” she patted the changeling gently on the head. “I may be taller, but i’m not that different from you or your brothers and sisters,” she kept her smile, turned, and resumed her walk, leaving the little changeling to process what she said. With a little tear of joy running down their face, they leapt up and flew to catch up with the queen as she entered the hive, their hive. The corridors inside changed drastically. The hive became like a maze, very similar to her mother’s. Multiple corridors led to different rooms and areas of it. The paths leading to the different areas also had noticeable signs. Sticky webs lined many of the corridors and tunnels leading to where the spiderlings lived, while a noticeable smell of honey travelled through the corridors and tunnels leading to the beeling’s area. The naga area was the most normal looking of the three, the tunnels connected to them being indistinguishable from the rest, although loud hissing could sometimes be heard echoing in them, as well as some slithering sounds. The main hall was still easily accessible through a corridor in the center, with branching paths leading to the other storage areas and rooms. The queen and her group made their way through the main path and towards the center of the hive. Small ambient lights were installed throughout the hive as well. Made and hung up by resin and a mix of other materials, they emited a dim, comforting light, directly controlled by the queen's magic. Changelings didn’t need any help to see in the dark, but the queen prepared in advance in case another race that couldn’t see well came to visit or even live in the hive. As she arrived in the main hall, she noticed the entrance to the tunnels were finished and open. With them ready to be used, chambers and storage rooms were made inside to further expand the hive’s capacity and space. The queen passed by them and gave a quick glance towards the entrance, pleased at seeing the result and the good work her drones made. Her group disbanded then, each changeling going about their day, all except one. The same changeling who asked her why she acted the way she did stayed by her side, silent. She noticed them and turned towards them. “Something wrong, little one?” she asked calmly as she approached them. “Well..i…My previous queen never treated me with such kindness, not like you do. I feel like I don't deserve su-” They are abruptly interrupted by the queen’s fore hoof under their chin, lifting their head gently to look at her. “Don’t say such things. I love all my subjects, I chose you because I need you. You and your siblings helped me get to where I am. I will be eternally grateful for that. Never doubt yourself, little one, know your welcome here, and know that I love you with all my being. Always remember that.” The little changeling started tearing up and hugged the queen. Necifera wrapped her hooves around them, closing her eyes and sending some positive emotions to make them feel better. After they calmed down, the little changeling thanked the queen and went on about their day, a smile on their face as they flew away. The queen smiled too, happy she could help her subjects in any way. It was her duty after all. Necifera continued her inspection of the remodeled hive, seeing the different “decor” on the walls, rooms and all around the walls. With so much variety now in it, it’s decoration was composed of all kinds of accessories and trinkets made and brought by the different races, which brought immense joy to the queen. She enjoyed seeing so many different changeling races thriving and working together. She made her way up the ramps on the spire, which were improved to allow all kinds of creatures easy access to the other floors. She passed by smaller floors that were also added, mostly to be used as sleeping areas for changelings. Necifera decided to visit the nursery first, which remained the same, but was increased in size to make it easier for different types of changelings to move around and interact with the nymphs and larvae. She made sure to visit with frequency, the young ones needed to get used to her presence, and she wanted to make sure they were healthy as they grew. As Necifera entered, the larvae immediately sought to crawl all over her, as is usual when she showed up. It seemed they already started to form a connection to her, even while still so young. She played with them until they were tired enough to sleep. After helping the nursery drones tuck the little ones to sleep, Necifera left the nursery and made her way to another chamber, the pod chamber. It was also expanded upon, the different changelings in the hive made cocoons with their resin, which ended up making for a colorful collection of pods of different colors. As she saw this, Necifera was quite amused by these transparent colors the pods acquired. As usual, most pods were being used by changelings to sleep in, their sleeping bodies clearly visible curled up inside the comfortable suspended bed. She still hoped they would continue to be used for this purpose only. If any prey were to be captured however, Necifera would make sure they wouldn't be mistreated. Not wanting to disturb any of her sleeping subjects, the queen quietly left the chamber. She began making her way towards the top of the spire, towards her throne room. Due to the bulb's external growth, where the queen's chambers were located, it became quite spacious, but still relatively empty. Necifera greeted her two throne guards who bowed out of respect, eliciting a smirk and a nod from her, before entering the throne room. She moved towards her throne, and placed a hoof on it. "We've come so far, evolved so fast. Would you be proud of me mother, even after all I've done to you?" She asks herself, whispering. “Your lessons are what allowed me to survive and succeed. I will be eternally grateful for everything you've done for me, even if I let you down in the end," she softly affirms, wiping the few tears that started forming in her eyes. After calming herself down, she decided to get some rest in her personal chambers, now composed of a fairly large bed and a lot of trinkets offered to her by her different subjects, who she cherished dearly. She practically flopped on the bed half asleep, just about ready to drift into the realm of dreams, when she was abruptly startled awake by a message sent to her via the link. Her hive guards told her a changeling with a purple mane calling herself Nymph came to see her. "N-Nymph? What are you doing here?" Necifera muttered to herself, wide eyed and disbelief in her voice. Small Victories"Would you look at that, you actually did it! You've forsaken your role as heir to the throne, fled the hive, and still survived long enough to become a full grown queen. And you have your own hive too," Nymph said with a gleeful but mocking tone. "What are you doing here? H-How did you find our hive?" Necifera asked, a mix of fear and annoyance in her voice. "Why so dismissive? Didn't you miss me? It was very easy to find, you know." Nymph responded with a smirk before taking on a more somber tone.”Your security is lacking, sister. Or should I treat you like mother now?" Necifera narrowed her eyes and bared her fangs. ”Have you come here just to mock and threaten me? I kept my promise, I will bring us together. Tell me why did you come here right now.” “Calm down sister, I'm outnumbered after all, I wouldn't be able to harm a single ling. You don’t need to worry about me revealing the location of your hive to our mother either.” Necifera kept her gaze fixed on the purple maned changeling. “Why should I believe you?” “Because I'm not going back,” Nymph explained. “What? Why?” Necifera asked, caught off guard by the answer. “Things haven’t been the same after you fled. Mother became more agitated, no doubt because of your actions. The hive is stable, but tension rose and many drones fled as well,” Nymph revealed. The anger in Necifera’s expression and voice faded quickly. “I see… It wasn’t my intention. I knew she would be extremely upset, but knowing her, it would pass quickly, or so I thought. But, why did you decide to leave too?” “I remembered what you said, and, I admit, I was worried about you. I wanted to see how you were doing or even if you were alive at all,” Nymph smiled. “I’m happy to see you’re ok. And congratulations on forming your very own hive. I see mother has taught you well, my queen,” she bowed before Necifera. “Eh?” Blurted out Necifera, confusion in her voice. “Oh, come on, you should know how this works by now. I want to join your hive,” Nymph said without hesitation. “I appreciate your concern and I thank you for checking on me, but are you sure? You're willing to abandon mother that fast? How will she react to your treason in her current state?” “Listen, before you left you told me you were going to show how we can live in harmony with the other races. I also want to be able to live freely, without needing to hide all the time. You know how mother is, she is stubborn. We need to show her how we can fulfill that dream of yours, the hard way. Without a hive, she is weak. Once she inevitably finds your hive, she will not be able to ignore your power and influence. She will see you as a threat, yes, but given how well you're doing now, something tells me you would be able to handle yourself.” Necifera pondered for a moment before replying. "I see what you mean, i just hope i don't have to hurt her when the time comes,” she sighed and looked at Nymph. “Very well sister, just like many have before, and just like many will in the future, you may join my hive," Necifera proclaimed proudly while placing a fore hoof on Nymph’s back. "It's good to have you here Nymph, sorry for the hostility earlier." "Don't worry about it, you were just watching out for your hive after all, and I didn't necessarily act nicely either,” Nymph gave a small grin. “Speaking of which, you seriously need to increase your security. The entrance is way too open." "We've got scouts at the edges of the swamp, we can see any threat coming and prepare in advance. And, on the matter of security and caution, what about your link, is it still active?" "The link is there, but don't worry, I've used a spell to block it," Nymph tapped her horn, causing a faint purple ring circling it to appear and flicker momentarily. "It's still there, but it's getting weaker every second I'm away from the hive, and mother cannot interact with it in any way. Being a queen yourself, you can help me get rid of it and replace it with your own link. You already have a link, right?" “Yes, and it’s holding strong. All my subjects are linked to me.” “Good,” Nymph gave an approving nod. “And what about food? Surely you must have some form of sustenance to be able to make so much progress.” Necifera smiled. “Well, dear sister, I developed my own method of hunting, and all my subjects have adapted to it. We found a small pony village nearby and have been infiltrating it ever since. With stealth and hypnosis, we have kept a stable love supply without the ponies suspecting a thing.” Nymph seemed surprised and impressed. “Really? I never thought you had it in you. And how did you go about setting up this feeding method?” Necifera explained how the hive had been feeding off of these ponies. The drones were careful to pick lone targets, and they would hypnotize their prey with what they learned from their queen, getting their sustenance that way while making sure to not take too much. This would make it so other ponies wouldn’t get suspicious and would also allow their oblivious prey to recharge quickly for the next feeding. In some rare cases, they needed to replace ponies in order to learn more about the area, and the real pony would be kept safely asleep inside the pods they made, having pleasant dreams to help the extraction of emotions while they slept. It wasn’t as bad as the queen thought after all. However, Necifera also revealed another plan to Nymph. She didn’t want to keep this strategy up, eventually they would be found. So, after thinking about it for a while, she decided she would reveal herself to them. “WHAT? Are you insane? Revealing ourselves would be the worst decision ever!” Nymph protested. “Calm down, if it doesn’t work out, we can erase their memories about us easily,” The queen reassured her, which calmed Nymph down slightly. “Are you sure this will work? Remember what’s on the line.” “I know, I know. Listen, Nymph. You believed in me back in mother’s hive and look where we are now. Can you believe in me again?” Nymph remained silent for a while before she locked her purple eyes with Necifera’s glowing red and smiled. “Yes, my queen. I believe in you and I'm with you.” *** The next day, early in the morning, Necifera walked out of the woods connecting the swamps and the pony village together. She walked slowly, undisguised. The moment she came into view, many ponies immediately panicked and began fleeing or hiding in their homes. Some, however, perhaps intrigued or braver than most, stood their ground. Necifera, stopped at the edge of their village, sighed, and began her speech. "Do not be alarmed, ponies. I do not seek conflict. I come to you to humbly request an alliance. Me and my swarm have made our home nearby recently, and have been feeding off of your village to sustain ourselves," Necifera revealed without hesitation, her calm and soft words still shocking and scaring many ponies, but catching the attention and curiosity of others, as well as some glares."I reveal this to you now, because i believe that in order for us to trust and potentially live alongside each other, we cannot lie behind backs. I also want to ask, to those of you who are angry because we have fed on you, have you noticed anything bad happening lately?" Many ponies started whispering among themselves, some previously hiding now joining in, before almost all shook their heads."As I assumed. We do not seek to harm you as I said, and we made sure that your lives were not in any danger during our subtle feedings. We are just trying to survive and we are willing to offer protection from outside threats, as well as safe passage to our hive in return for this alliance between our races. If you wish, you may also come and live in our hive. I promise you, no harm shall come to you, and like this, we no longer need to hide and steal from you in any way, and can instead share our resources. What do you say about our offer? Can changelings and ponies live in harmony?" Silence fell for a moment once the queen finished her speech. Then some ponies moved forward slowly and began questioning her on some details of her offer. She answered all their questions with patience and sincerity, glad they seemed to be trusting her. After some back and forth, the ponies asking her questions excused themselves and began talking with each other. Necifera merely waited, silent, anxious and unmoving, like a fragile statue. After what felt like hours of whispering and nervous glances towards her, they finally addressed her directly. To her immense relief, they agreed with her plan to form an alliance, but with a few exceptions. They would allow the queen’s changelings to freely visit, but they couldn’t yet stay at the village if they wanted to. It sounded reasonable, better to wait awhile and get used to the change before allowing changelings to live among them. Necifera agreed with the terms laid out and promised that she would uphold her side of the deal, hoping the ponies would do the same. With the alliance formed, she bid the ponies of the village farewell and made her way back towards her hive. It was easier and went better than Necifera thought. And with another small victory, she got closer to her dream. *** The next few days after the alliance was formed, changelings began visiting the village, slowly at first to help the ponies get used to their presence. The ponies seemed to adapt quickly and were very welcoming, even if some were still a bit hesitant, but even those eventually grew used to it. They also began visiting Necifera’s hive and were impressed at it’s design and size. They were even more surprised at the sheer number of different changelings they found inhabiting the hive, as well as the generosity and kindness each offered. With their friendship bonds strengthening every day, ponies and changelings kept interacting with each other more and more, and the ponies soon began allowing changelings to live in their village. They gave love freely, while the changelings offered products to use, made by the different races in the queen’s hive, which helped with the work the ponies did daily. Necifera noticed that in addition to the love her hive was receiving, she could feel herself get stronger, as the kindness and compassion between the races grew more and more. It seemed like she was benefiting from this union in more ways than she thought. Their food reserves became plentiful because of this, and all achieved without harming any of the ponies. The ponies also seemed to grow a liking and increasing interest in learning more about the changelings in the queen’s hive, and some began moving in to live in it. She allowed it of course, and worked on making comfortable chambers for each. “Yet again, you did it!” Nymph proclaimed as she entered the throne room. “You actually managed to make ponies and changelings live in harmony with one another.” The purple maned changeling was promoted to an alpha with the help of the queen’s blessing and magic after she joined the link. Necifera knew Nymph well, and she trusted her abilities and loyalty once she chose a side or goal. Nymph’s status as an alpha was showing through her increased height as well. She was now taller than most normal drones and stronger too, and was the second in command after the queen, staying by her side most of the time. “This is just the start, but I must admit, a very good one,” Necifera affirmed, smiling while looking at the activity outside her hive through a window. Then she sighed. “Now we just need to do the same with the rest of Equestria,” she says, chuckling. “Don’t push yourself so much, small victories are always good news. Take this time to rest, you earned it, trust me,” Nymph reassured the queen. “Yeah...I think you're right. You’ve been quite the moral support Nymph, thank you for that.” “It’s the least I could do, after you not only allowed me to join your hive and link, severing mother’s with so much precision I barely felt it, but you also made me an alpha. Such an honor needs to be repaid in some way.” “I’m glad you're happy with your current position, sister, my alpha. You may leave now, go get some rest and free time for yourself.” Nymph bowed before the queen and began making her way out of the throne room. “Thank you, sister, my queen.” Necifera nodded in acknowledgement before heading to her personal chambers, laying down on her bed and drifting off to sleep, pleased with herself. Her hive was even bigger and healthier after this new development and Necifera couldn’t help but smile as she slept. She was proud of everything she accomplished so far, and she didn’t plan to stop now.
New facesNecifera’s hive and brood kept growing by the day, and word of her success and growth seemed to have spread to other hives. Necifera was aware many hives existed in Equestria through Chrysalis, with some being made up of different races of changelings. She noticed that more and more of these different races kept coming to her, wishing to join with differing reasons. Her changelings established a perimeter around the hive where they would patrol for threats and more materials that could help in its expansion. With this defence established, they gathered info on these new changelings that showed up and quickly understood they had also gone rogue or were exiled. The new changelings explained they sensed another queen and longed to follow one again. Necifera welcomed them all, no matter how they looked or how different they were. With her empathetic nature, she sensed these changelings didn’t have any malice towards her or her hive, and, after all, she wished to make allies with the different races of Equestria. These changelings were no exception. That was the reason she fled after all, that was her dream, to show how changelings can live and prosper alongside others. She just needed to start small. It still surprised Necifera, seeing just how much variety there was with each race that came to her. She heard about them from her mother, but the queen never met one once. Those who joined ranged from spiderlings, to nagas and even some that appeared to be a mix of bee and changeling. The first ones who showed up were the spiderlings. They had 8 limbs, and seemed to also have up to 8 eyes. Keeping true with spiders, they had a fairly noticeable abdomen making up the back of their body. They could produce string and use it to make webs. These could be useful to the hive in fortifying structures once they were fully integrated into it. Beelings came next and offered something special. Like bees, they could produce honey, and they could also infuse it with love, not only able to store love for later use and consumption, but also making it taste much sweeter. Their appearance mostly kept the changeling body unchanged, with varying patches of fur throughout their limbs, as well as an abdomen all beelings seemed to have in common. However, some seemed to have 2 additional legs alongside their 4 normal ones. Their method of storing love in honey could prove very useful for the hive in the future. The nagas also had their unique traits. Half snake, half changeling, their body was long, and their variations of black scales shone even in the darkest corners. Their coils provided them with great strength, able to restrain and immobilize prey easily. Their long fangs also seemed to contain potent paralyzing venom. These could be very useful agaisn't external threats. “So, you all came from different hives? You're the first...unique changelings I've seen.” Necifera asked the gathered changelings in the main hall, intrigued. "Still, I would like to hear your stories and experiences you went through." Some of the new arrivals remained silent, while others spoke up. They seemed to share many of the reasons for exile or rogue stories with the changelings that first helped the queen build the hive. Necifera listened quietly and while doing so, she stared at the gathered changelings, noticing how some were clearly on edge and uncomfortable, baring their fangs and hissing at others of the other races. She sighed, before intervening. “I can tell some of you are uncomfortable in the presence of others, but you all came to me and wished to join my hive,” the queen spoke up. “You sought shelter and safety, unity and kinship here. I plan to fulfil that goal,” she paused briefly, before continuing. “Look at the changeling next to you. They may be different, not the same as you, but they find themselves in a similar situation. It’s time to put aside differences. We are all part of one hive now. If the swarm is in disarray, the hive falls. We need to work together and help each other, that is how we can all thrive and survive, as equals, as one,” Necifera proclaimed with determination in her voice. She paused again, allowing her words to sink in on her new subjects. They looked at each other, some smiles creeping up and replacing the hostile glares. Necifera could feel the tension in the hall starting to dissipate. Then she continued. “I will now link each of you to me and my other subjects. This bond will complete your integration into the hive. Are you ready?” All changelings agreed and with that confirmation, Necifera began adding them all to the link, reassuring the ones most hesitant that everything would be fine. Their presence was alien at first, and the process was even more painful than the first time she did it, her magic being pushed to its limit trying to add an unknown race to her link. In the end however, the queen was successful in linking all the new changelings. After the link was established, Necifera consulted with her new subjects of varying forms, and learnt how their hives worked. She began altering areas of her own hive with the help of that information, in order to make them more suitable for these new changelings. The spiderling hives had fairly simple designs, mostly being made up of platforms, pillars and surfaces shaped in ways they could easily cover with web and use it as beds, traps, storage spaces and other applications. The beeling hives seemed to share a lot of similarities with beehives. Most noticeably, they had honeycomb shaped resin lining the walls where they would store their love infused honey. Nagas seemed to share the same hive design as the common changeling, although they seemed to have more smooth surfaces compared to the more jagged design. Necifera, remembering Chrysalis’s teachings about gene splicing and similar magic, was also able to incorporate these new species into her own children as well, having them mix in with the normal drones, workers and guards. It would take some time for the new mutations to take effect however. Still, the hive grew ever stronger. *** Necifera had just finished preparing a new batch of eggs, and gently placed them in the safety and care of the nursery and the drones in charge. “Thank you, my queen, we shall take great care of these eggs.” the nursery drone assured the queen with a smile. Necifera smiled back at them. “I know you will, that is why i trust you with this role” With that task done, Necifera made her way to the main hall on the ground floor of the hive. During this time of expansion, the queen wanted to dig some tunnels underneath it to have extra storage space, and, taking advantage of this wave of different faces joining the hive, she prepared another mutation, one present in her mother’s hive, albeit a rare one. With the knowledge she acquired from Chrysalis, Necifera was able to mutate Behemoths, changelings that were much bigger than the normal drone, and much stronger as well. Multiple thick layers of chitin covered their body, and due to their size and body shape, they either lacked wings or had very small ones and thus could not fly. They also had up to 6 eyes and could see well in the dark, like most changelings. Being covered in armored chitin, they easily mined out rocks with ease and without risk of harm. With their help, the construction of the tunnels at the base of the spire began. The queen passed by where the entrance to these tunnels would be, seeing two of these armored changelings hard at work, alongside some normal ones monitoring and helping them. Seeing how small the drones were compared to the Behemoths made Necifera grin and giggle. She certainly didn’t expect such drastic changes to happen and for new faces to join in when she started her hive, but that just made her even happier and hopeful for the future of her swarm and her dream.
A blossoming hiveHer hive grew naturally in order to accommodate all the new changelings that came to live in it. It grew outwards, the petals forming it’s exterior became bigger, and the bulb at its center grew in height. Because of this change, the hive stood out more, and Necifera had to be extra vigilant of any scouts her mother may send. The queen sighed and smiled, pleased as she observed the hive from the outside. She began making her way inside to better see all the recent changes, accompanied by some of her subjects. Two guards with dark red chitin greeted her as she passed, and she in turn, did the same, bowing her head slightly. “My queen, if i may ask, why do you behave so differently from other queens?” A changeling with blue carapace that was accompanying her asked nervously. “Hmm? What do you mean, little one?” Necifera asked without turning towards them. “W-Well, you greeted those guards,” they explained. “And?” The queen asked, slightly amused. “Well....Normally, the queen’s subjects need to show their respect and their loyalty to her, but the queen doesn’t need to do the same...” The queen stopped walking and turned towards the changeling, a smile on her face. “Little one, I do this because I want to. You see, my mother wasn’t the best example, but I didn't let that change who I truly am. This isn’t my hive, this is our hive,” she gestured towards the hive with a fore hoof. “I merely lead and organize everything, I am not a tyrant,” she patted the changeling gently on the head. “I may be taller, but i’m not that different from you or your brothers and sisters,” she kept her smile, turned, and resumed her walk, leaving the little changeling to process what she said. With a little tear of joy running down their face, they leapt up and flew to catch up with the queen as she entered the hive, their hive. The corridors inside changed drastically. The hive became like a maze, very similar to her mother’s. Multiple corridors led to different rooms and areas of it. The paths leading to the different areas also had noticeable signs. Sticky webs lined many of the corridors and tunnels leading to where the spiderlings lived, while a noticeable smell of honey travelled through the corridors and tunnels leading to the beeling’s area. The naga area was the most normal looking of the three, the tunnels connected to them being indistinguishable from the rest, although loud hissing could sometimes be heard echoing in them, as well as some slithering sounds. The main hall was still easily accessible through a corridor in the center, with branching paths leading to the other storage areas and rooms. The queen and her group made their way through the main path and towards the center of the hive. Small ambient lights were installed throughout the hive as well. Made and hung up by resin and a mix of other materials, they emited a dim, comforting light, directly controlled by the queen's magic. Changelings didn’t need any help to see in the dark, but the queen prepared in advance in case another race that couldn’t see well came to visit or even live in the hive. As she arrived in the main hall, she noticed the entrance to the tunnels were finished and open. With them ready to be used, chambers and storage rooms were made inside to further expand the hive’s capacity and space. The queen passed by them and gave a quick glance towards the entrance, pleased at seeing the result and the good work her drones made. Her group disbanded then, each changeling going about their day, all except one. The same changeling who asked her why she acted the way she did stayed by her side, silent. She noticed them and turned towards them. “Something wrong, little one?” she asked calmly as she approached them. “Well..i…My previous queen never treated me with such kindness, not like you do. I feel like I don't deserve su-” They are abruptly interrupted by the queen’s fore hoof under their chin, lifting their head gently to look at her. “Don’t say such things. I love all my subjects, I chose you because I need you. You and your siblings helped me get to where I am. I will be eternally grateful for that. Never doubt yourself, little one, know your welcome here, and know that I love you with all my being. Always remember that.” The little changeling started tearing up and hugged the queen. Necifera wrapped her hooves around them, closing her eyes and sending some positive emotions to make them feel better. After they calmed down, the little changeling thanked the queen and went on about their day, a smile on their face as they flew away. The queen smiled too, happy she could help her subjects in any way. It was her duty after all. Necifera continued her inspection of the remodeled hive, seeing the different “decor” on the walls, rooms and all around the walls. With so much variety now in it, it’s decoration was composed of all kinds of accessories and trinkets made and brought by the different races, which brought immense joy to the queen. She enjoyed seeing so many different changeling races thriving and working together. She made her way up the ramps on the spire, which were improved to allow all kinds of creatures easy access to the other floors. She passed by smaller floors that were also added, mostly to be used as sleeping areas for changelings. Necifera decided to visit the nursery first, which remained the same, but was increased in size to make it easier for different types of changelings to move around and interact with the nymphs and larvae. She made sure to visit with frequency, the young ones needed to get used to her presence, and she wanted to make sure they were healthy as they grew. As Necifera entered, the larvae immediately sought to crawl all over her, as is usual when she showed up. It seemed they already started to form a connection to her, even while still so young. She played with them until they were tired enough to sleep. After helping the nursery drones tuck the little ones to sleep, Necifera left the nursery and made her way to another chamber, the pod chamber. It was also expanded upon, the different changelings in the hive made cocoons with their resin, which ended up making for a colorful collection of pods of different colors. As she saw this, Necifera was quite amused by these transparent colors the pods acquired. As usual, most pods were being used by changelings to sleep in, their sleeping bodies clearly visible curled up inside the comfortable suspended bed. She still hoped they would continue to be used for this purpose only. If any prey were to be captured however, Necifera would make sure they wouldn't be mistreated. Not wanting to disturb any of her sleeping subjects, the queen quietly left the chamber. She began making her way towards the top of the spire, towards her throne room. Due to the bulb's external growth, where the queen's chambers were located, it became quite spacious, but still relatively empty. Necifera greeted her two throne guards who bowed out of respect, eliciting a smirk and a nod from her, before entering the throne room. She moved towards her throne, and placed a hoof on it. "We've come so far, evolved so fast. Would you be proud of me mother, even after all I've done to you?" She asks herself, whispering. “Your lessons are what allowed me to survive and succeed. I will be eternally grateful for everything you've done for me, even if I let you down in the end," she softly affirms, wiping the few tears that started forming in her eyes. After calming herself down, she decided to get some rest in her personal chambers, now composed of a fairly large bed and a lot of trinkets offered to her by her different subjects, who she cherished dearly. She practically flopped on the bed half asleep, just about ready to drift into the realm of dreams, when she was abruptly startled awake by a message sent to her via the link. Her hive guards told her a changeling with a purple mane calling herself Nymph came to see her. "N-Nymph? What are you doing here?" Necifera muttered to herself, wide eyed and disbelief in her voice.
Small Victories"Would you look at that, you actually did it! You've forsaken your role as heir to the throne, fled the hive, and still survived long enough to become a full grown queen. And you have your own hive too," Nymph said with a gleeful but mocking tone. "What are you doing here? H-How did you find our hive?" Necifera asked, a mix of fear and annoyance in her voice. "Why so dismissive? Didn't you miss me? It was very easy to find, you know." Nymph responded with a smirk before taking on a more somber tone.”Your security is lacking, sister. Or should I treat you like mother now?" Necifera narrowed her eyes and bared her fangs. ”Have you come here just to mock and threaten me? I kept my promise, I will bring us together. Tell me why did you come here right now.” “Calm down sister, I'm outnumbered after all, I wouldn't be able to harm a single ling. You don’t need to worry about me revealing the location of your hive to our mother either.” Necifera kept her gaze fixed on the purple maned changeling. “Why should I believe you?” “Because I'm not going back,” Nymph explained. “What? Why?” Necifera asked, caught off guard by the answer. “Things haven’t been the same after you fled. Mother became more agitated, no doubt because of your actions. The hive is stable, but tension rose and many drones fled as well,” Nymph revealed. The anger in Necifera’s expression and voice faded quickly. “I see… It wasn’t my intention. I knew she would be extremely upset, but knowing her, it would pass quickly, or so I thought. But, why did you decide to leave too?” “I remembered what you said, and, I admit, I was worried about you. I wanted to see how you were doing or even if you were alive at all,” Nymph smiled. “I’m happy to see you’re ok. And congratulations on forming your very own hive. I see mother has taught you well, my queen,” she bowed before Necifera. “Eh?” Blurted out Necifera, confusion in her voice. “Oh, come on, you should know how this works by now. I want to join your hive,” Nymph said without hesitation. “I appreciate your concern and I thank you for checking on me, but are you sure? You're willing to abandon mother that fast? How will she react to your treason in her current state?” “Listen, before you left you told me you were going to show how we can live in harmony with the other races. I also want to be able to live freely, without needing to hide all the time. You know how mother is, she is stubborn. We need to show her how we can fulfill that dream of yours, the hard way. Without a hive, she is weak. Once she inevitably finds your hive, she will not be able to ignore your power and influence. She will see you as a threat, yes, but given how well you're doing now, something tells me you would be able to handle yourself.” Necifera pondered for a moment before replying. "I see what you mean, i just hope i don't have to hurt her when the time comes,” she sighed and looked at Nymph. “Very well sister, just like many have before, and just like many will in the future, you may join my hive," Necifera proclaimed proudly while placing a fore hoof on Nymph’s back. "It's good to have you here Nymph, sorry for the hostility earlier." "Don't worry about it, you were just watching out for your hive after all, and I didn't necessarily act nicely either,” Nymph gave a small grin. “Speaking of which, you seriously need to increase your security. The entrance is way too open." "We've got scouts at the edges of the swamp, we can see any threat coming and prepare in advance. And, on the matter of security and caution, what about your link, is it still active?" "The link is there, but don't worry, I've used a spell to block it," Nymph tapped her horn, causing a faint purple ring circling it to appear and flicker momentarily. "It's still there, but it's getting weaker every second I'm away from the hive, and mother cannot interact with it in any way. Being a queen yourself, you can help me get rid of it and replace it with your own link. You already have a link, right?" “Yes, and it’s holding strong. All my subjects are linked to me.” “Good,” Nymph gave an approving nod. “And what about food? Surely you must have some form of sustenance to be able to make so much progress.” Necifera smiled. “Well, dear sister, I developed my own method of hunting, and all my subjects have adapted to it. We found a small pony village nearby and have been infiltrating it ever since. With stealth and hypnosis, we have kept a stable love supply without the ponies suspecting a thing.” Nymph seemed surprised and impressed. “Really? I never thought you had it in you. And how did you go about setting up this feeding method?” Necifera explained how the hive had been feeding off of these ponies. The drones were careful to pick lone targets, and they would hypnotize their prey with what they learned from their queen, getting their sustenance that way while making sure to not take too much. This would make it so other ponies wouldn’t get suspicious and would also allow their oblivious prey to recharge quickly for the next feeding. In some rare cases, they needed to replace ponies in order to learn more about the area, and the real pony would be kept safely asleep inside the pods they made, having pleasant dreams to help the extraction of emotions while they slept. It wasn’t as bad as the queen thought after all. However, Necifera also revealed another plan to Nymph. She didn’t want to keep this strategy up, eventually they would be found. So, after thinking about it for a while, she decided she would reveal herself to them. “WHAT? Are you insane? Revealing ourselves would be the worst decision ever!” Nymph protested. “Calm down, if it doesn’t work out, we can erase their memories about us easily,” The queen reassured her, which calmed Nymph down slightly. “Are you sure this will work? Remember what’s on the line.” “I know, I know. Listen, Nymph. You believed in me back in mother’s hive and look where we are now. Can you believe in me again?” Nymph remained silent for a while before she locked her purple eyes with Necifera’s glowing red and smiled. “Yes, my queen. I believe in you and I'm with you.” *** The next day, early in the morning, Necifera walked out of the woods connecting the swamps and the pony village together. She walked slowly, undisguised. The moment she came into view, many ponies immediately panicked and began fleeing or hiding in their homes. Some, however, perhaps intrigued or braver than most, stood their ground. Necifera, stopped at the edge of their village, sighed, and began her speech. "Do not be alarmed, ponies. I do not seek conflict. I come to you to humbly request an alliance. Me and my swarm have made our home nearby recently, and have been feeding off of your village to sustain ourselves," Necifera revealed without hesitation, her calm and soft words still shocking and scaring many ponies, but catching the attention and curiosity of others, as well as some glares."I reveal this to you now, because i believe that in order for us to trust and potentially live alongside each other, we cannot lie behind backs. I also want to ask, to those of you who are angry because we have fed on you, have you noticed anything bad happening lately?" Many ponies started whispering among themselves, some previously hiding now joining in, before almost all shook their heads."As I assumed. We do not seek to harm you as I said, and we made sure that your lives were not in any danger during our subtle feedings. We are just trying to survive and we are willing to offer protection from outside threats, as well as safe passage to our hive in return for this alliance between our races. If you wish, you may also come and live in our hive. I promise you, no harm shall come to you, and like this, we no longer need to hide and steal from you in any way, and can instead share our resources. What do you say about our offer? Can changelings and ponies live in harmony?" Silence fell for a moment once the queen finished her speech. Then some ponies moved forward slowly and began questioning her on some details of her offer. She answered all their questions with patience and sincerity, glad they seemed to be trusting her. After some back and forth, the ponies asking her questions excused themselves and began talking with each other. Necifera merely waited, silent, anxious and unmoving, like a fragile statue. After what felt like hours of whispering and nervous glances towards her, they finally addressed her directly. To her immense relief, they agreed with her plan to form an alliance, but with a few exceptions. They would allow the queen’s changelings to freely visit, but they couldn’t yet stay at the village if they wanted to. It sounded reasonable, better to wait awhile and get used to the change before allowing changelings to live among them. Necifera agreed with the terms laid out and promised that she would uphold her side of the deal, hoping the ponies would do the same. With the alliance formed, she bid the ponies of the village farewell and made her way back towards her hive. It was easier and went better than Necifera thought. And with another small victory, she got closer to her dream. *** The next few days after the alliance was formed, changelings began visiting the village, slowly at first to help the ponies get used to their presence. The ponies seemed to adapt quickly and were very welcoming, even if some were still a bit hesitant, but even those eventually grew used to it. They also began visiting Necifera’s hive and were impressed at it’s design and size. They were even more surprised at the sheer number of different changelings they found inhabiting the hive, as well as the generosity and kindness each offered. With their friendship bonds strengthening every day, ponies and changelings kept interacting with each other more and more, and the ponies soon began allowing changelings to live in their village. They gave love freely, while the changelings offered products to use, made by the different races in the queen’s hive, which helped with the work the ponies did daily. Necifera noticed that in addition to the love her hive was receiving, she could feel herself get stronger, as the kindness and compassion between the races grew more and more. It seemed like she was benefiting from this union in more ways than she thought. Their food reserves became plentiful because of this, and all achieved without harming any of the ponies. The ponies also seemed to grow a liking and increasing interest in learning more about the changelings in the queen’s hive, and some began moving in to live in it. She allowed it of course, and worked on making comfortable chambers for each. “Yet again, you did it!” Nymph proclaimed as she entered the throne room. “You actually managed to make ponies and changelings live in harmony with one another.” The purple maned changeling was promoted to an alpha with the help of the queen’s blessing and magic after she joined the link. Necifera knew Nymph well, and she trusted her abilities and loyalty once she chose a side or goal. Nymph’s status as an alpha was showing through her increased height as well. She was now taller than most normal drones and stronger too, and was the second in command after the queen, staying by her side most of the time. “This is just the start, but I must admit, a very good one,” Necifera affirmed, smiling while looking at the activity outside her hive through a window. Then she sighed. “Now we just need to do the same with the rest of Equestria,” she says, chuckling. “Don’t push yourself so much, small victories are always good news. Take this time to rest, you earned it, trust me,” Nymph reassured the queen. “Yeah...I think you're right. You’ve been quite the moral support Nymph, thank you for that.” “It’s the least I could do, after you not only allowed me to join your hive and link, severing mother’s with so much precision I barely felt it, but you also made me an alpha. Such an honor needs to be repaid in some way.” “I’m glad you're happy with your current position, sister, my alpha. You may leave now, go get some rest and free time for yourself.” Nymph bowed before the queen and began making her way out of the throne room. “Thank you, sister, my queen.” Necifera nodded in acknowledgement before heading to her personal chambers, laying down on her bed and drifting off to sleep, pleased with herself. Her hive was even bigger and healthier after this new development and Necifera couldn’t help but smile as she slept. She was proud of everything she accomplished so far, and she didn’t plan to stop now.
