"May Love bring us levity of spirit."
-Central tenet of Hive Positivity-
*****

I-I'm scared, why are they nervous? Did the doctor tell them something? Of course he did! But what?

"Why are you scared?" I ask. "Is there something wrong with me?"

They are hesitating.

"There is?! What is it?! Am I going to die!?"

"No! It's not that." Fluttershy hugs me, and the full force of her kindness washes away my worry bit by bit.

The honey... it's delicious.

"We are worried about you; talk to us." Fluttershy's hoof feels nice on my fin. It's too bad soldiers have to shave their manes and tails, I don't think that shifting away hair is that much of a drain... though my reserves are deep...

"I just wanted to help... changelings can't feed each other, and-and I just wanted..." I'm whimpering, but Fluttershy is here, and it doesn't feel that bad.

"I... guess that we should have gotten my brother away first, to lest you rest and heal, instead of questioning you to get him to calm down." I don't know where did Twilight get a spoon.

"I don't know." I say. "I'm- I can't hear the hive, and-and-and..." I'm aware I'm breathing faster, but Fluttershy - bless her heart- has enough calm for the both of us. I think Twilight's ears perked up, but I'm not sure. "I just want to go home and tend to the eggs. I just want my Queen to look at me and tell me I did good."

Twilight sighs.

"Shh." Fluttershy coos. "We are here. You don't have to be lonely."

"Thanks." My voice is weak.

"You don't like silence, right?" I shake my head in response. I hate it. It makes me feel the walls are going to crush me.

"Do you think you can talk a little?" Yes, I recon I can.

"Wh-what about?"

"What kind of stories are there about the Elements?"

"Oh!" Dare I say, I felt a smidgen of happiness. "They were made with the work of the hives of old, when they made the Central Hive, as a means to keep the changelings fed forever. The raw emotion woven into each one granted them a bit of empathy too, and they could choose..."

"The legends say that to wield the Elements meant to have strange powers. Charity has an ability bordering foresight, seeing the paths things may take through time. It's like an ability to let you know just what is needed or what will be needed, before it has to..." Twilight is paying close attention to what I say, I wonder...? Does it even work in ponies? "Seeing the past and understanding what needs arise from it, or the future, to prepare for said needs. Chang- well, apparently anyone in need of the Bearer's help is 'in sight', as it were."

"And... Love?"

"They say it is to be one with Magic itself. Energy and objects, mind and body, the other Elements... all are within reach. It is to be able to understand the bonds between others, pure and beautiful as glistening silver..." Wait, bonds like silver? Ah! "And... and to be able to 'become one' with it to release a shining nova of power..."

I think I could hear a pin drop in here. Mom channeled one of the aspects of the Element, but didn't know how to stop or something.

"I know what Shining Armor and Cadence did back at the wedding."

I- my mind tells me one thing, but I can't believe it.

"A guard, of all ponies, managed to channel Love..."

The door opened.

*****

It could have been a lie.

She could have been trying to hurt him, and sabotage his relationship with his sister.

But... well, if -and what a big 'if' that was- if she was right... where did he go wrong? It had to have been the queen - she was being needy beyond reason, and maybe the stress got to him? He certainly was feeling it now. Each time she clung to him, not just when she was muddling his mind with magic or extracting his energy through the bond of love... each time, and he could not believe he hadn't noticed, but each time she was too rough, squeezing too hard.

Her words and jokes, at the time so melodious and charming that he would laugh with her, now were nothing but vain, vapid comments. She talked too much of herself, of how great she was and... and even when she spoke of how lucky she was to have him it sounded like a declaration of ownership.

He needed to hear the changeling speak again. There was no way she was telling the truth.

*****

Sometimes, when one expresses a desire to be alone, they don't truly mean it, and either want or need a friend that will follow them; others, they need the space or search for the one that could help them on their own.

Shining Armor had been the former the first time, but now he was the latter. He let the mares keeping him company alone, if anypony could ever be alone in a guarded hospital in any case.

"Trouble, sugarcube?" Applejack placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder; the unicorn had been pensive.

"Something Iris said has got me... thinking." She turned to face the farmer and sighed. "Remember, about the Elements? About how the Bearers inspire them?"

"Yeah?" She figured it would be better to let Rarity speak at her own pace; clearly this issue was bothering her.

"How... how am I supposed to do that? I mean, I spend countless hours working on dresses, and all those gems I use? I could donate-" She was interrupted by a strong hoof around her pulling her towards her friend.

"Ah. Ah get it - you don' feel like yer generous enough." Applejack said, shoulder to shoulder with the other mare. Seeing her nod, she continued. "That's a buncha hooey."

"Now listen to me." Applejack raised her other foreleg to stall her response. "You can give an' give 'till yer nuthin' more than a beggar... but that ain't th' path of a friend. And th' Elements are for friends, right?"

She got a confused look in return.

"That's one thorny path, Rare, like a martyr. Who in th' hay is gonna follow you like that?" Applejack smiled. "Sure, yer gonna inspire ponies, but yer gonna separate yerself from regular folk, no matter how much yah get close to them."

"I... am afraid I don't follow."

"Inspirin' one of th' Elements... Ah figure it'll be more like lettin' folk know they can be generous without makin' such drastic stuff. Sure, seems like we got chosen fer bein' cut from 'nother cloth, as you'd say..." This drew a small chuckle from the designer, encouraging Applejack to keep going. "... but while that might mean we're special, that don't mean we gotta dump everythin' and be a concept; that only happen in Twi's weird game books, and it never goes well for them."

"Thank you, darling."

"No problem. Just remember, yah can be special by bein' the best dang friend one can hope ta have. Bein' a pony more real than any other - one that y'all can see an' say 'Ah wanna be just like that'. That is what inspirin' means."

*****

"What is wrong with the guards?" Shining asked, full of contempt, and he's very upset.

Great, just what I needed.

"I've heard about the training." I respond. I figure that there is no harm in telling him - not like this is something that can be corrected in a day. "I heard of your little 'test'." I can't inject enough venom in that word.

"Endearing yourself to a little object or pet, then..." Ugh! Just the memory makes me taste vile!

"Hmph! So what? Every guard makes that test."

"And that is the reason Equestrian pony guards are the most susceptible to mental magic of all the races in all the nations." I still feel I need to spit out the foul thoughts!

Curious, now Shining Armor is feeling... pride and relief?

"Now I know you are nothing but a liar." He says... is this why the Queen keeps saying that hate is dangerous? I just want to knock his teeth out. "The guards are trained in mental-"

"Emotionally."

"Our control-"

"Thick walls mean nothing if there is a broken window." I feel a headache incoming. "I don't know much about warfare and tactics, and I don't know if you could have retaken the city after it fell, but I know that your..." Focus. Strength. You can say it, Iris. "... that 'pre-breaking' of the guards, while it produces functional soldiers, able to function in harsh situations... well, there is a reason why guards were being taken left and right. Six mares, six civilian mares put up more of a fight than scores of guards! And they were not the only ones!"

"W-what do you mean?" Twilight asked; she's looking between the both of us worriedly.

"They make a bond... then they make each pony soldier sacrifice it so that they won't freeze up if there comes the time they have to kill." I still feel shivers. "They violate or at least reject every single base principle of magic with that. That... that willingness to betray their bonds, and for orders, of all things, makes me wonder how on the Pit did those two trust each other enough to use magic on the level of an Element like that."

Hmm... Shining Armor is thinking again. Wait, is that Celestia I'm feeling? No, that's just her magic - she might be spying.

"Bah! Just leave, Shining. Magic is Love is Magic, and if you don't value the things that you let into your heart, then I don't want to talk to you. Come back if you manage to fix your head." I try to sink myself onto the covers, but Fluttershy is hugging me and I can't move that much. "I'm going to sleep."

I hear uneven steps. Maybe Shining is going to pass out, that'd make it up for nearly killing me twice in quick succession.

A nap won't hurt.

Author's Note

That 'embody a concept' thing that 'never goes well' from Twilight's 'weird game books' is (in this case) a reference to Exalted, where the Primordials, creators of the world, embody the things they represent to the detriment of everything else. Anything that falls outside of their purview... they can't think like that.

The machine one can, but only because he's been practicing for ages, and even then, he sucks at it.

Well, seldomly, the betrayal one won't betray someone... betraying his own nature.

This one is shorter because I'm putting in a lot of breaks, and I might as well release something. I've been having a bad series of days, and I shouldn't wait that long to release chapters.