The Meeting

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The Earth holds many secrets within its rocky surface: Ancient bones of creatures long past, remnants of lost civilizations, the Diamond Dogs’ tunnels, and pony-sized insects. The Changelings, a race dedicated to secrecy and infiltration, they hold the natural ability to disguise themselves as any creature, while they feed on the emotions of a target.

However, a month ago, that secrecy was shattered. The Changeling Queens all agreed to come out of the shadows and reveal their existence to the ponies, to various degrees.

The Hives were all buried deep underground, and a willing pony has not set hoof inside of them for nearly one thousand years, which is why it came as a surprise when Celestia sent out requests to each of the Queens to meet in Canterlot to discuss opening relations. The Queens all accepted and those that were available made their way to the capital.

“I’m not sure about this, Celestia.” Chrysalis said to the Solar Alicorn as they walked down the halls of the castle, tasting the fear of the nearby guards as they warily eyed the Queen. “This could end very badly should the wrong pony get in.”

“I am well aware of that, Chrysalis.” Celestia replied. “I have no intention of allowing any of my subjects to harm your own.”

“I understand that,” Chrysalis said as they walked into the meeting hall, the round table emblazoned with a sun and moon, “But the fact is I’m still working on rounding up all of the changelings that sided with my daughter. If a pony enters the Hive I would be unable to ensure their safety, since part of our agreement was for me to remain here until the damages were repaid.”

“Chrysalis, I will not push you into this.” Celestia said. “I merely believe that showing the Hives to the common pony may help rebuild the ties we shared.”

“Or they could just cut the rope.” Chrysalis replied, a Caretaker flying up to her. “I’m fine, Glitter.” She said to the Caretaker as it flew back to where it was originally.

“I have said before, you do not need to comply with this, we can leave your hive for when it is a bit safer, I would prefer we set the records straight with the Changelings so that others are not wrongly mistreated.”

“But I…”

“Chrysalis, Apath has already agreed to this.” Celestia replied. “While she has stated she will not allow a Pony to enter her hive, she believes it is the best course of action.”

Chrysalis stood with her jaw hanging open. “Y-You spoke to A-Apath?” She asked, her legs beginning to shake slightly. “You didn’t happen to mention the uh… Incident. Did you?”

“Relax, Chrysalis.” Celestia replied. “Apath assured me she already knew about the invasion, and that she would punish you at a later time.”

Chrysalis gulped. “Uh-huh… yeah…”

Celestia sat in her chair at the end of the table, a large gold and white throne that mimicked the appearance of that in the throne room, a smaller throne of dark blue and purple next to her. “Take a seat, Chrysalis, the other queens should be arriving any minute now.”

Chrysalis nodded and walked over to take her seat beside Celestia, she looked over towards the throne opposite her. “Are you expecting Luna to come to this?”

Celestia sighed. “I’m not sure. I tried to make it close to sundown so she may at least make an appearance, but I doubt that she will come.”

Chrysalis looked out towards the setting sun, the large red orb lay just above the expansive horizon, casting its dying light across the sky and ground. Leaving all of them with a faint orange hue, the clouds all tinted pink. Looking down at the city below, Chrysalis saw the ponies going about their lives, some taking their wives and marefriends out to dinner, a majority of the repairs finished, with only some of the smaller areas broken down. Despite that, the night life of the city was beginning to stir, made evident by one establishment’s blaring lights that shot into the sky.

Chrysalis kept watching the slowly setting sun as the sound of the door opening drew her attention. Standing in the doorway was a red Unicorn, clad in the bright red armor of the Lancers, her Cutie Mark of a black lance pointed upwards. She smiled into the room. “Chrysi! So good to see you not trying to destroy our livelihoods again.”

Chrysalis groaned. “Hello, Pupa…”

The Unicorn walked into the room, two Pegasus Lancers next to her. She turned to the two guards. “It’s alright, boys, you don’t need to keep that up here.”

Both Pegasi were enveloped in red flames before being replaced with two red-eyed, red-winged Changelings. Each of them still wearing their red armor, they both glared at Chrysalis before following the Unicorn over to the right side of the table. “Hope you don’t mind that a couple of my boys decided to join us.” Pupa said sitting down in a chair. “They’re just being defensive of little old me, need all the protection we can get considering.”

Chrysalis turned to Celestia, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I can’t tell if she is referring to herself, or her guards.”

Celestia smiled a little at the thought of anypony trying to attack Pupa, they would be in chains or in a box before they got the chance to draw blood. They don’t call her the warrior Queen for nothing.

“Chrysi, you just be glad I wasn’t in Canterlot when you invaded.” Pupa said, removing her helmet and placing it down on the table, letting her short orange mane become visible. “I would have wiped your flank off the ground faster than you could say ‘Magic Bubble Shield’.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “Sure, keep telling yourself that. We both know you’re only good at close quarters. I would easily overpower you.”

“If you could hit me.” Pupa said tauntingly.

Chrysalis growled a little, lighting her horn. “Care to test that theory?”

Pupa smiled. “Time and place?”

The door opened again as a sky blue Unicorn with a gray mane waked through, red-rimmed glasses on her purple eyes and a manila folder in her magical grip. “Are you two honestly going to have a fight?” The unicorn asked. “Because we are still swamped from that little attack your daughter tried, Chrysalis.” The Unicorn walked over to the opposite side of the table, sitting down and opening the folder. “I’ve also only just cleared Ovi’s daughter. I’m not having another nearly dead Queen in my hospital this month.” She shot both Queens a glowing blue-eyed glare.

Pupa raised her hoof and pointed it at Chrysalis. “She started it!”

Chrysalis shot her own glare at Pupa. “I did nothing of the sort! You are the one that started this!”

“Did not!” Pupa replied.

“You did and you know it!” Chrysalis snarled.

“Prove it.” Pupa said smiling.

The Unicorn looked up from her work and at the two Queens. “Honestly, do we need to separate you two? You are grown Queens for Celestia’s sake, act like it.”

Chrysalis shot another glare at Pupa, who returned it by sticking out her tongue. She then turned to look at the new arrival. “I’m glad to see you here, Cytes. How is Bloodpool holding up?”

Cytes sighed. “He bit another one of my doctors.”

Chrysalis frowned. “I’ll have to have a talk with him when this is all over.”

Cytes nodded as she pulled out a pen and began working on the documents. “If you could also tell Soldier…” She flipped through the folder a bit, “2-8-1 to stop eating the cotton balls, I’d be appreciative.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Have you heard anything from Acari?”

Cytes nodded. “I have, so far no major injuries to report from her Hive, a few have superficial cuts and bruises caused by your daughter, Lockup has the worst of it that I’ve seen.”

Chrysalis was going to speak, but the door was opened again and an undisguised Changeling Queen walked through the doors. Her orange eyes glowing faintly and her wings held out to her side, her normally wild mane was neat and elegant as she stepped into the room.

“I must say, coming out and saying we were changelings must be the best thing to happen to my business.” The Queen walked in and took a seat next to Pupa. “It’s amazing how many mares and stallions come when they know you actually can pleasure them in any way they can imagine.”

“Hello, Ovi,” Celestia said kindly, hiding the slight resentment from her voice. “I see you are doing well.”

Ovi grinned. “Better than I was.” She said happily. “My daughter is doing much better now; she can even still have Nymphs! I was worried I would have to knock up another one of my own stallions to keep the bloodline going.”

Celestia blinked in confusion. “Wait… You…”

“Well, of course, Celestia,” Ovi replied, “I can hardly do my job with an all-important, fragile egg bouncing around in my uterus. Imagine the implications if it accidently accepted the…”

Celestia, Chrysalis, and Pupa all held up their hooves to stop Ovi. “NO! You can stop!”

Ovi blinked at the response. “Oh… Right I forgot this isn’t a personal visit. My mistake.”

Celestia sighed. “As much as I am interested in looking at the biology of Changelings, I would prefer you avoid telling me about your reproductive system… Specifically one so… strange.”

Ovi nodded. “It’s not like the stallions are using it anyway.” She said before getting a shocked look from Celestia. “What?” She said with a shrug. “It’s true.”

Cytes turned to Celestia. “She has a point there.”

Celestia groaned. “Can we move away from this topic, and preferably never touch on it again?”

“Agreed.” Chrysalis replied.

“Ditto.” Pupa said.

“I do hope you haven’t begun without me.” A dark gray Unicorn said as she walked into the room, her graying mane showing the obvious age of the Unicorn. Her bright pink eyes looking directly at Chrysalis, before moving over to Celestia. “I’m sorry for my late appearance, Cold Case decided to hammer me with questions about the past cases of strange light headedness. Thinking they are all connected to Changelings.” The Unicorn walked over to take a seat next to Cytes.

“Greetings, Acari.” Chrysalis said. “I just wanted to say again that I’m sorr-”

“Seven Memory Crystals, Chrysalis.” Acari replied. “Your daughter broke or corrupted Seven Memory Crystals. One of which held the last will and testament of Star Swirl the Bearded.” She glared at Chrysalis. “Need I tell you the expense of that crystal?”

Chrysalis shrunk back. “Well… No. I-I-I’ll make sure you get it ba-”

Acari held up her hoof. “We will discuss it later. Be glad she did not destroy the newest addition to the Royal Collection, or I would have been forced to…”

The door opened again as a member of Chrysalis’s Hive walked in, carrying a bright yellow present with a bright red bow. He cleared his throat to get Chrysalis’ attention. “My Queen, this has arrived for you.”

Chrysalis’ horn lit up as she levitated the box over to her, looking at it. “Thank you, you may go.” The Changeling bowed before backing out of the room.

Chrysalis looked at the package that was no bigger than her own head and levitated the card up to her and began to read it out loud.
Dear Fellow Hive Queens of Equestria,

I must humbly decline the invitation to attend this meeting, I know this is the first time I have responded to any of the attempts to contact us since we broke away/vanished. I have no intention of revealing myself or my Hive at this time. Please accept my humble apologies.

I am glad to hear about the most recent advances that have been made, and I wish you all the best of luck.

~Queen Eupha.

Chrysalis looked up from the letter with a sigh. “We still haven’t managed to find her?”

Acari shook her head. “She is hidden very well; my scouts can’t find any hint of her, her Hive is still abandoned.”

“Perhaps if you had helped a bit instead of planning an attack on the Flaming Wastelands,” Pupa said, propping her hind legs up on the table, “we could have found her.”

“You shouldn’t let Shade hear you say that,” Cytes said. “He grew up there after all.”

“He told me that his home is basically a Flaming Wasteland though.” Pupa replied. “He’d understand.”

Cytes shrugged. “What did Eupha send in the box?”

Chrysalis looked down at it and sighed. “Last time it was a malfunctioning cannon…” Chrysalis took a deep breath and slowly pulled the ribbon, closing one of her eyes just in case.

As the ribbon is finally pulled through, Chrysalis looked at the box curiously when nothing happened. She then pulled the top of the box off to the sound of an explosion.

Chrysalis quickly jerked up at the cannon sound and looked up to see a blue and green party hat on her head. She looked down into the box to see a small cake and note. She picked up the note and opened it, seeing a much more sloppily written message.

Great Job, Chrysi!

I baked this cake in celebration of the fact that you made up with Celestia after that whole Invasion incident and that you finally managed to go back to your old self. Great to have you back! I hope you enjoy the Party Hat Popper™! I put a few more in here. (Warning: Do not point at eyes, ears, mouth, nose, wings, or genitalia.) Have Fun!

~Queen Eupha.

Chrysalis sighed. “So, anypony want cake?”

Cytes looked over the work. “Eupha’s cakes have far too much sugar to be healthy for anyone.”

Acari shook her head. “Diet.”

Ovi shook her head. “I had enough ‘cream pie’ before coming here.” She burped. “Mmm… Pineapples.”

Pupa shifted a little, scooting away from Ovi. “Eh, Why not?” Chrysalis’ horn lit up as a corporeal knife sliced through the cake and levitated the slice over to Pupa.

Celestia looked over the cake. “Hmm… You wouldn’t mind if-”

Chrysalis pushed the cake box over to her while removing the party hat with her magic. “Go nuts.”

Celestia pushed the Cake a little further away from her. “I’ll save it for later.”

Cytes looked over her folder, and then scribbled a note down on a spare paper. “Note to self, prep for Alicorn Sugar Rush.” She mumbled.

The door opened again as a purple-eyed changeling, her eyes that of Amethysts as she walked in, her wings the color of lilacs while her backplate a vibrant violet. “Her Majesty, Queen Tettix, sends her regards.” The Changeling bowed.

“Where is she?” Acari asked. “Didn’t she say she would be here?”

The Changeling stood up. “Apologies Queen Acari, but Queen Tettix had a prior engagement and could not come.”

“What engagement?” Chrysalis asked.

“She is conducting the Prench Orchestra. She did not realize the times overlapped until she was reminded after her practice session.”

“So who are you?” Celestia asked calmly.

“I am just a humble messenger for the Queen.” She said walking up to a seat. “I have the Communication gem with me, once the Queen has finished with her recital, she will contact me.”

Celestia sighed. “Alright, no point in waiting.” Celestia straightened up. “You all know why I called you here.”

“Of course.” Acari replied.

“Well, I wanted to know if any of you would be open to allowing ponies into your hive now?”

Pupa, who had been chewing on the cake, suddenly found the cake hitting the table as her jaw dropped. Cytes poked a hole through a couple of papers on accident, releasing a small angry hiss. Chrysalis looked over at Celestia with wide eyes. “You cannot be serious, Celestia.”

“We only just began to reveal squadrons within the Guards.”

“The ponies would never trust us with their treatment!”

“I must decline, Celestia.”

“TARTARUS NO!” Chrysalis shouted.

Celestia sighed. “I know that this is difficult, and I know a lot of you are against this idea. But I do not mean that you should all open the Hives to everypony.”

“Then what are you suggesting, Princess?” Acari asked. “Such a radical change is bound to cause problems within the Hives, and within your own civilization.”

“I am aware, Acari. That is why I would like to suggest a compromise.”

Pupa swallowed before levitating up the rest of slightly crushed cake. “Then what are you suggesting?” She took another bite of cake. “I mean ehf tah Prifess uf-”

“Pupa, mouth closed when you chew.” Cytes said. “Show at least a little sophistication.” Cytes mumbled

Pupa swallowed loudly as she forced the cake down her throat. “I mean if the Princess of Equestria starts walking into Hives, it could send a bad image to the rest of the ponies.”

“I know what it may look like. However, I have no intention to enter the Hives myself.”

“Then what are you suggesting?” Tettix’s changeling asked.

“I would like permission to let either a single pony, or two of them to enter into each Hive. As a show of trust, and research, she will shadow you throughout the day and see the inner workings of each hive.” Celestia replied. “I know this is a large undertaking, for both you and my student, but I believe it is the best time to open relations.”

Ovi tapped her hooves together. “Well, I may not know who this pony is, but I suppose there isn’t too much harm in having another pony within my hive.”

Cytes sighed. “I suppose there wouldn’t be too much harm…”

Chrysalis shook her head. “I’m not doing it, Celestia.”

Celestia nodded. “Excellent, I am sure that my student will be more than happy to accept this request.”

Chrysalis sighed. “Very well, I suppose we are all agreed then.”

Tettix’s Changeling’s eyes began to glow. “My Queen has finished.” The Changeling pulled a purple crystal from under her leg and touched it with her horn, causing her eyes to turn into cat-like slits. “Sorry for the delay.” The Changeling said. “My messenger has filled me in.” The Changeling placed the crystal on the table. “I am willing to allow this student of yours into the Hive, but she must not disturb my Changelings that are at work.”

Celestia nodded. “I will make sure she is informed.”

Acari cleared her throat. “Now that we are all present, we come to the most difficult portion of this task. Who wishes to go first?”

All of the Queens paused, each one looking around the room waiting for one of them to speak up first. Eventually Ovi raised her hoof. “I suppose that…”

“No.” Celestia said, much to the Queen’s surprise. “Not that I believe you are an incompetent ruler or that your Hive is dangerous, I just… Believe we should start with a less… vulgar hive.”

“One where the common greeting isn’t, ‘Which hole do you want to take?’” Pupa said, pushing the rest of the cake into her mouth.

Ovi turned to look at Pupa, her mouth wide open as she glared at the Unicorn. “We do not ask that!” She said. “First thing is: ‘How do you want it?’ If you are going to insult me, make sure you get it right, Pupa.”

Pupa shrugged.

“Oh come on, one of you have to be available?” Chrysalis said, looking towards each of the Queens.

“I have many duties to attend to,” Acari replied, “both with the court and with my Hive.”

Pupa shook her head. “Busy. Guard stuff.”

Tettix shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I am much too far away to be the first Hive she visits.”

“You said I couldn’t be the first.” Ovi replied. “So don’t look at me.”

All of the Queens turned their eyes to Cytes, who was still scribbling on her paper. She looked up from the folder to see all of the Queens looking back at her, she released a sigh. “Must I?”

“Everypony else is busy.” Pupa replied. “Looks like you won by default.”

Cytes rolled her eyes as her horn lit up, there was a wisp of blue flame in front of her as a small sky-blue crystal fell to the table. She picked it up and held it in her hoof. “A master key, it should allow her into any room in my outposts and the Main Hive. Make sure she doesn’t lose it.” Cytes levitated the crystal over to Celestia.

Celestia grabbed the crystal in her magical grip. “I understand, Cytes; I will make sure that it is returned to you.”

“So, I suppose that I must prepare for Miss Sparkle to come to the Main Hive.” She let out an irritated sigh. “And with Hemo busy looking over Ponyville… I’ll have to entrust Callsign to keep an eye on everything.” She scribbled a note down.

“Out of curiosity,” Pupa said, rubbing a hoof inside her ear. “How far do you want to extend this invitation?”

Chrysalis looked over at Pupa. “You can’t honestly be suggesting we reach out to the other Monarchies are you?”

Pupa shrugged. “I’m just saying, Changelings may be revealed here, but we hardly have the most interesting history.”

“True, but we cannot risk exposing the other Hives, Aburi does that enough on her own…” Acari replied releasing a sigh. “I’m certain Apath has a plan.”

“Indeed she does.” Celestia said. “She merely wants to use this as an experiment of sorts. She is just as curious with the results as we are.”

“Very well.” Acari replied. “We can discuss further details at a later date, and preferably an earlier time.” Acari looked out at the Sun as it finished sinking below the horizon. “I have quite the trip home, and much to do.”

Cytes nodded. “I need to get this paper work finished before I can head to the Main Hive,” She pointed the pen at Chrysalis. “I expect Bloodpool to be docile as a kitten when I get back, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis nodded. “I’ll talk to him. But he always loved causing pain, so I’m not sure how much I can do.”

“He draws blood again, I’m going to sedate his jaw.” Cytes said, pushing herself up and walking towards the door. “I assume he still wants to complain about whatever it is he rants about.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Yeah… I’ll definitely talk to him.”

“Good.” She said, closing the folder in her magic. “I expect to meet Twilight soon.” She said as she walked through the door.

“WELP!” Pupa said, pushing off the table. “I got stuff that needs doing. I’ll see you tomorrow, Princess.”

“Very well, you are dismissed, Lance.”

Pupa gave a salute and raised her hoof at a ninety-degree angle, both of the Changelings next to her disguised themselves as Pupa grabbed her helmet and put it on. The three of them walked out of the room.

Acari stood up. “I need to get to the Hive, I need to try and recover the memories.” She shot Chrysalis another glare before walking back towards the door.

Ovi stood up. “Well, I spent enough time here.” Her horn lit up and she looked at a clock. “I need to be in Las Pegasus in an hour. Somepony ordered the Royal Treatment, and it seems like they brought friends.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Go get ‘em, Ovi.” She said as Ovi walked towards the door. She was enveloped in orange flames as she was replaced with a black and orange Pegasus.

“Farewell, Princess.” Ovi said, giving a wave before walking down the hall.

Chrysalis sighed as Ovi left, then looked over at Tettix. “So where is your messenger staying?”

“That is none of your business, Chrysalis. She will return to the Hive if you must know. Speaking of which, the Nymphs have an art display. I should be in attendance. Farewell.” Tettix said as the Changeling’s eyes widened back to their normal appearance. She grabbed the crystal and walked out of the room.

As the door closed behind her, Chrysalis placed her head in her hooves. “Oh Morphi, they hate me…”

“Oh, I’m sure that they don’t mind.” Celestia replied.

“Acari wants to kill me for letting Ceymi do that…” Her horn lit up as she removed her crown. “Honestly… Tettix is the only one who might be indifferent. Ceymi hurt the others.” She rubbed her head. “My daughter is more trouble than I thought she would be… Was that what I was like at her age?”

Celestia shook her head. “You were almost killed, so you passed that stage without much trouble.”

Chrysalis groaned. “I really hope that I can pay Acari back for giving me another chance… To think she broke one of the Ancient laws…”

“I know that it is hard, but they will eventually forgive you.”

Chrysalis sighed. “I just want my Hive to be fine.” She said. “This whole incident has caused a lot of struggle for me.”

Celestia sighed. “I know. We will work on repairing the ties later. Get some sleep. You’ve been working yourself half to death trying to find them all. Relax a little.”

Chrysalis nodded. “I’m waking up first thing to find them. I know they are somewhere. I need to find them, before they die.”

Celestia looked at the Queen, she had watched her working nearly day and night to scrounge up the missing pieces of her Hive. Every Changeling was important to her, a way to try and fix everything. She had a few times in the short week she had been here, where the Caretakers came to her for help. “I promise, Chrysalis, I will send some guards to check the locations you narrowed it down to, we will find them.”

Chrysalis nodded and then yawned. “Yeah… I should probably sleep…” She grabbed her crown and stood up before she began to walk around the table, heading to the door. As she pushed it open, she turned back to Celestia. “Tell Luna to stop looking in my dreams, it’s creepy.”

Celestia chuckled and nodded. Chrysalis released another yawn and turned to walk back towards her quarters.

Celestia looked out towards the last lights of the Sun. Celestia smiled. “My faithful student, I hope you are prepared for this.”

Medical Hive

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Twilight was very nervous; sure she had gotten the privilege to see Cytes before, it had only really been a small window of time and inside of a smaller outpost. Now, Twilight was going to be with her for an entire day and inside of the Main Hive! When she had gotten the letter, she had to stop herself from practically shoving the entire Library’s worth of paper into her saddle bags.

She had simply been sitting in the library, sorting through the books that had been messed up during the attack to make sure everything was in its proper place, when Spike had come downstairs holding a letter from Celestia.

“Twilight, were you expecting a letter from Celestia?” The young dragon said as he walked down the stairs, a letter clutched in his claws.

Twilight was busy levitating large stacks of books and sorting them onto the shelves they belonged in. When the young dragon walked down, she continued to sort the books. “No, I wasn’t. What does it say?”

Spike unrolled the letter and cleared his throat. “‘My Faithful Student, yesterday I met with the Queens that reside within Equestria. The meeting was to determine the opening of Hives to the common pony. Of course, there were complications with the plan, but I came up with a compromise. I spoke with the…’ Yadda, yadda, yadda… Ah, here we go. ‘It is with great pride that I inform you that the Queens have allowed you the great honor of visiting the Hives to learn about how they operate. The first Hive you shall visit is the Medical Hive near Vanhoover. And…’ Twilight?”

Twilight was sitting in the middle of the room, all of the books floating in the air still. “Twilight, are you…”

The books all fell to the ground as Twilight turned around, a large smile on her face. “Ohmigosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!” Twilight grabbed the letter in her magic and pulled it out of Spike’s grip. “It says here that she wants me to write about the Queens' personalities and what I think about them and…OH, Spike this is amazing! Think of what we could learn! Think of what this could mean!”

“Does it mean that I get to stay here?” Spike asked, already knowing the answer.

“Of Course not, Spike!” Twilight said, levitating over her saddlebags. “I need you there to help me catalogue everything!” She started levitating over stacks of paper, Quills, inkwells, notepads, cameras, a number of various test tubes, goggles, and other things. “Oo… Do you think I’ll forget something, I don’t even know what to bring! What do you bring to meet the leader of an entire civilization? Are there any taboos I need to worry about? What if I say something wrong?”

“TWILIGHT!” Spike shouted, knowing it was the only way to get her attention. “Don’t you think you are taking this a little bit too far?”

Twilight blinked and looked back at her Saddlebags, bulging out from the amount of materials she had stuffed into them. She gave a small nervous chuckle. “Maybe I went a little overboard…”

Spike crossed his arms and raised an eye brow.

“Okay, a lot overboard.” Twilight sighed. “But I don’t want to mess this up, I’ll be the first pony to enter the Hives in one thousand years! It’s such an honor and I don’t want to forget anything!”

Spike shook his head. “This is also the first time the Changelings are letting a pony into their Hive, if we start taking measurements and testing everything about them, it might just irritate them.”

Twilight thought that over, while she did want to know absolutely everything, but Changelings were a more stealth race, perhaps it would be better to leave some things hidden for now. Despite how much Twilight was going to want to know. “Alright, Spike. You talked me out of it.”

“Does that mean I get to stay here?” He asked hopefully.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “No, Spike. You get to take the pictures.” Twilight replied, levitating a camera up to the young Dragon. Spike sighed and took the camera.

Twilight smiled and turned her eyes back to the letter. “It says here that Celestia would be sending the key to us shortly after… Spike have you…?”

Spike’s cheeks puffed up as he let out a burp, the green flames releasing a blue spark that fell to the ground as a blue cone-shaped gem. “I guess this is the key.”

Twilight looked over the letter and then at her saddlebags, emptying them out with her magic. “I should probably pack a little less…”

And now, she was sitting on the train to Vanhoover, her saddlebags full of writing supplies and luckily not bulging. Spike was sitting next to her, looking at the blue gem in his claws. They had been on the train for a couple hours, and judging from the changing climate, they were nearing their destination.

Vanhoover was a city up by the northern regions of Equestria, where it snowed quite frequently without Pegasi intervention. Twilight had been racking her brains for a reason why a group of insects would actually set up their livelihood in such a climate. All she came up with was some kind of natural resistance to it, but that didn’t seem right.

Twilight was making a mental list of all of the questions she would ask Queen Cytes, ranging from her Hive, to culture, to history, to why the Hive’s all separated. Along with her physical list of questions she would ask, she felt ready for almost anything.

As she felt the train beginning to slow down, she looked out towards the train station. There were a few ponies on the train to Vanhoover with her, but none that had stayed on as long as her.

“Are we expecting anypony to meet us?” Spike asked looking over the few faces that were in the crowd. “Or do we need to walk somewhere?”

Twilight levitated Celestia’s letter up to read over it again. “It says we should have somepony waiting for us… I’m just not sure as to who.”

Spike looked back out towards the crowd. “Maybe it’s the one holding the sign that says ‘Twilight’ on it?”

Twilight looked out towards the station, sure enough, there was a green Pegasus holding up a sign that said ‘Twilight’ on it, the Pegasus mare was flying above the heads of some of the other ponies to ensure Twilight saw the sign. “That might be a good start.”

Spike hopped onto Twilight’s back as the two of them walked off of the train and into the cold Vanhoover air. She walked up to the green Pegasus mare as she landed, her light blue mane left to sway on its own. “Are you Twilight Sparkle?” She asked as she and Spike walked up to her.

“That’s me.” Twilight replied, extending a hoof. “Are you here to take me to Sapphire?”

The Mare looked Twilight up and down, her purple eyes casting a curious look at Spike. “Well, you certainly fit the description I was given.” She said. “Though do you have the key?”

“Right here.” Spike said as he reached into his small backpack and pulled out the crystal. The mare looked at it as her eyes flashed blue, the crystal responding to the change with a light glow.

The mare nodded. “Alright, just had to be sure. Cytes would put me on night shift if I brought the wrong pony to her.” She shivered. “Night shift is weird… Anyway, if you would just follow me.”

The mare began walking away from the station as the train pulled out, heading further north. “So my name is Deep Sleep, I’m here to lead you to the Hive.”

“Good to meet you, Deep Sleep,” Twilight replied. “This is Spike.”

Deep Sleep smiled at the Dragon. “Nice to meet you, Spike. Hope you don’t mind the weather too much; we get hit by a nasty cold spell this time of year, always makes my job harder when I’m off duty.”

Twilight nodded. “So about how far out is the Hive?”

Sleep looked back at her. “Far? What do you think we are going to walk all the way to the Hive’s main entrance? That would take days with the way the weather is going.”

“Oh… Then I guess that…”

“We’re just going to the Hospital.” Sleep replied, pointing up at the building, the universal Red Cross symbol on the building signifying its use. “Vanhoover General, established by the Medical Queen herself, Queen Cytes, sees over three hundred and ninety four thousand patients a year.”

Spike raised the camera and took a picture of the building, while it wasn’t much to look at, the sheer size of the hospital was something to admire. “So the Hive is in there?”

Sleep chuckled. “No. Don’t be silly. It’s underneath it.” She said nonchalantly. “If I remember correctly, the Hive’s tendril is only about a mile down.”

“Then how are we supposed to get there?” Spike asked. “Unless there is a giant hole in the middle of the Hospital, it would be pretty obvious.”

“Silly Dragon.” She patted Spike on the head. “We have our methods.” She said, walking towards the Hospital.

Twilight followed her, just making small talk until they entered the Hospital. It looked about the same as Canterlot General, only on a much larger scale. There were a few more ponies working at the reception desk, with one or two Changelings alongside them, ponies walked around the room and looking up, Twilight could see another floor right above them.

Sleep led them up to the reception desk, up to one of the Changeling receptionists. “Morning, 48.”

The Changeling look up at them. “Sleepy! Good to see you again.” The Changeling said, turning her attention to Twilight. “Oh, hello, Miss Sparkle and Mister Spike. I hope the trip wasn’t too boring.”

“Oh no it was fine.” Twilight replied, giving a smile.

“48, make sure security knows we’re coming. Don’t want to be held up with that mess.”

48 nodded. “I’ll make sure to get the message to them. Will you be staying for dinner, Sleepy?”

Sleep shrugged. “I’m not really sure, the Queen may just put me on Anesthesia duty again, it all depends on how the day goes.”

“Well if you are free, O-P-D 43 is planning a little party in the Hive, you’re free to come.” She leaned in. “I heard tell that he’s finally going to propose to ‘You Know Who’, but if he asks, you didn’t hear it from me.” She said quietly.

“About time.” Sleep replied. “I’ll talk to you later, 48.”

Sleepy began to walk past the reception desk, heading down a hall. “So can anypony just walk into the Hive?” Twilight asked.

“They can certainly try.” Sleep replied. “All of us took the Hippocratic oath, well, almost all of us.”

“Uh… Almost all?” Spike asked.

“Defenders.” Sleep replied. “They keep us safe. And they don’t care about others’ well being. They like to keep our Hive safe, and they keep out those that aren’t allowed. They never take the Hippocratic oath, they will kill if need be.”

“Have they?” Twilight asked.

“Well… Not that I’m aware of. They are essentially the Soldiers of our Hive. But since we are so small, we don’t need them as much. But they are still essential.”

Twilight swallowed. “Well… That’s interesting…” Twilight’s horn lit up as she pulled up a notepad and quill, writing on it.

They continued their walk until they came to a door labeled ‘Basement’, the door looked like it should be locked, but the knob had a strange looking keyhole. Sleep pulled a blue crystal out from under her wing and held it up to the keyhole, there was a slight magical hum before the crystal stopped glowing and Sleep put the crystal back under her wing.

Sleep pulled open the door and motioned for Twilight to follow. As she stepped into the door, she noticed that there was a slight blue glow coming from the ceiling. “Well, come on, we’ve got to meet with the Queen.”

Twilight snapped to look back at Sleep. She followed her down a flight of stairs and came to… A basement. Not sure what I expected…

It was exactly what you would expect, a basement with a few janitorial supplies, and a few supply boxes. “Are you sure this is where the Hive is?”

Sleep sighed. “Yes, Twilight, I think I know where my home is.” She looked back at Twilight. “Just put up a magical shield. Do not ask why.”

Twilight looked back at Spike, who shrugged, before putting up a magical shield around herself.

Sleep watched Twilight put up the shield before walking towards a blank stone wall on the far side of the room. “Anesthesia Drone 28, requesting permission to enter.”

“Permission granted.”

Sleep turned back to Twilight. “This is why I told you to put the shield up…”

Twilight cocked her head, as Sleep stepped to the side as a bright beam fired from the wall, hitting Twilight’s shield and surrounding the purple barrier, a few seconds later, the beam ceased and a door was placed where the beam had fired.

“Neat, huh?” Sleep replied. “Little knockout spell we Anesthesia Drones rigged up, with a little help.” Sleep motioned to the door as it was opened and two Changelings wearing blue armor walked through, their eyes a sky blue color as they both looked at Twilight with a glare. Between their two blue wings was a dusty purple backplate.

“Relax, boys, the Queen wants her as a special guest. This is Twilight Sparkle, personal student to Princes Celestia…”

The two guard’s wings flared open.

“Alright… Fine…” Sleep turned to look at Twilight. “They just need to search you, both of you, for any kind of weapons.” She sighed.

The two Changelings walked up to Twilight and lit their horns, a wall of magic spread over her, washing slowly over her body. One of the Guards stopped as it reached Spike’s bag, its horn beginning to glow red.

“Spike?” Twilight asked. “What is in there?”

“Nothing you don’t know about.”

Twilight went through a mental list of what she had packed, before mentally facehoofing. “The Lab kit! I forgot to remove the lab kit from your bag. They must be picking up on the scalpel.”

Sleep walked up to the two Guards. “Hey! Pain-Brains! The Queen ordered that Twilight be allowed to pass.”

One of the Guards put their hoof on Twilight’s chest. “If I find you even attempting to harm anyone within the Hive,” He raised his hoof to his neck and slid it across. “Got it?” He said bearing his fangs.

Twilight gulped. “Uh-huh…” She said nervously.

The Changeling Guards both walked back through the door, followed by Sleep and then Twilight. As they all stepped through the door, it faded into the wall.

“Sorry about them.” Sleep said, being covered in a blue flame and replaced with her changeling form. “They are super defensive, but they will only attack if there is a legitimate threat to the Hive. So just… don’t do anything aggressive.”

“Noted…” Twilight said, writing down on the notepad. “So… What do you do around here?”

“I didn’t tell you?” Sleep asked. “Well, I’m an Anesthesia Drone. When I’m a pony, I’m an Anesthesiologist at the Hospital. I’m skilled with knockout spells and work to help keep ponies from seeing the Hive. That little spell hooked up to the door was made by us Anesthesia Drones, with a little help from the Queen.”

Spike looked around the room. “So, where is this entrance to the Hive? So far all I see is a barren room.”

“Just wait, little guy.” Sleep said. “We’re almost there. We have to keep it under wraps in case somepony gets through the Defenders and the spell. It is just up here.”

Twilight followed Sleep a little bit further before coming to something she did not expect. “A sapphire?”

Standing at the end of the hall, was an enormous sapphire, easily taking up the height of the small hallway. She could almost feel Spike drooling at the sight of such an enormous gem.

“It’s beautiful.” Twilight said. “But what is it?”

Sleep smiled. “Why don’t I show you?” She walked up to the gem and put her hoof on it.

As if reacting to the hoof’s touch, the crystal began glowing a faint blue. The gem began to glow brighter and brighter before letting off a flare of magic. Twilight covered her face with a hoof to shield it from the blast. When she looked back, Sleep was gone.

Twilight looked back at it fearfully. “Deep Sleep?” She said, slowly walking up to the crystal, before she got close to it, the crystal began to glow again and instinctively Twilight put up a shield around herself. When the glow died down Sleep was standing in front of her.

“You coming or what?” Sleep asked.

“How… How did…?”

“Just put your hoof on the crystal,” Sleep said, “And it works its magic and teleports you to the receiver. Now you want to go to the Hive or what?”

Twilight looked at the gem, unsure about the safety of it. She looked over at Sleep, who waved her hoof in front of her face.

“Oh, Cytes! That fear.” She walked up to Twilight. “It’s perfectly safe. Now just put your hoof on the crystal, and stop stinking up the place.”

Twilight shied back. “Sorry… Forgot that you guys could smell that…” She sighed and looked at the gem. She walked up to it, and slowly raised her hoof to it, as the lavender hoof connected with the clear blue surface, she saw the surface of the crystal begin to glow, growing stronger and stronger. She tried to pull her hoof away experimentally but found that her hoof seemed glued to the crystal, she tugged a little more before the glow shot out from the crystal.

As the glow encompassed her, her snout pulled her forward into the crystal. Instead of hitting a solid wall, it is more like being thrust head first into a strong current, quickly pulling her along through a winding course. She had closed her eyes as the glow became blinding, but deciding there would be nothing wrong with it, she opened her eyes.

What she saw was a spinning vortex of sensory overload, various colors, all swirling together and making only the shadow of images before flashing to something else. She felt her head beginning to feel tight as the images flooded her mind. After a few seconds, she felt all pressure relieve itself as she was covered in a bright light and found herself inside a black room, her eyes blurring as her mind tried to comprehend what she had seen.

She saw another two bright flashes from the corner of her eye, and chose to stay on the ground. There was a bottle of some purple liquid that was levitated in front of her face and shook a little. She saw a Blue eyed changeling walk in front of her eyes and open its mouth, miming drinking the liquid.

Twilight opened her mouth and felt the bottle placed into her mouth, she felt the strange substance enter her mouth, the consistency of molasses alongside the taste of what Twilight thought was fermented fish guts, the taste alone almost made her gag reflex go into overdrive, but it was pushed down by the strange substance. When she managed to swallow it, she saw the bottle pulled from her mouth as her vision cleared.

As soon as she was able to see straight, she stood up and saw Sleep come back with another bottle of pink liquid. “Here, this will help drown out the taste.”

Twilight grabbed it and began to drink the liquid, feeling the sweet substance dance across her tongue, purging the foul taste from her mouth. “Oh, Celestia! What was that stuff?”

Sleep pulled the bottle away and put a stopper in it. “Well, the purple stuff is a strong reorientation potion, mixed with a little bit of a potion designed to enhance motor skills within a pony. We use it to help those who try to open their eyes when using the teleporter gems.” She levitated the pink liquid over to a shelf with a variety of colorful liquids. “I could tell the instant I saw your eyes.”

Twilight raised her hoof to her eye instinctively. “What happened to it?”

Deep Sleep closed her own eyes before snapping them open as the iris spun around, flashing in a whirlpool of colors, the pupils rapidly dilating as it contracted to pinpricks and expanded wildly. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Cytes… Been a while since I did that.” She held her head with a hoof.

“Is there anything we should be looking out for?” Spike asked, looking back at Twilight. “In case the symptoms come back?”

“Oh yeah…” Sleep grabbed a small vial hanging by the wall, full of green slime. “This will help if the eyes begin swirling again. It tastes like curdled milk.”

Twilight looked at the green slime. “Let’s just hope we aren’t going to need it…” She cleared her throat. “So uh… Where are we?”

Sleep smiled. “Well!” She said happily, she walked over to the door at the far end of the room. “Why not take a look?”

Twilight and Spike walked over to the door as Sleep pulled open the door. Twilight felt her jaw drop at what she saw.

She was looking over a railing; below her was a large complex of rooms and hallways. All of them were covered with a blue membrane while Changelings flew around the complex, any number of them holding clipboards and various pieces of medical equipment. Looking straight down, Twilight saw what looked like the bottom of the complex, a number of Changelings sitting there. All looking up at a large magically charged board that was displaying an image of Queen Cytes.

As Twilight looked around, she heard what sounded like an intercom system turning on. “Attention all Defenders, be aware that Twilight Sparkle has entered the Hive. She is not to be antagonized during her stay. That is all.”

Sleep walked up to her, a small smile on her face. “Welcome to the Medical Hive, Twilight.” She patted Twilight on the back. “How’s it feel to be the first pony to look at it?”

Twilight was still looking around this undoubtedly small section of the Hive, thinking about what the full size of the complex must be like if this was merely a tendril of the Hive. “It’s amazing…”

Spike raised the camera and took a couple of pictures of the surrounding complex. “How is everything lit up down here?”

“Excellent question!” Sleep replied. “All the light you see here is being produced by the very emotion we feed on.” She paused and blinked a couple of times. “Oh, Minotaur Muscles! I almost forgot to get you to Cytes!” She grabbed Twilight by the hoof and began to sprint down the halls, Spike grabbing onto Twilight’s tail and just barely managing to hold on.

The surprisingly strong Changeling whisked Twilight along the halls of the Hive. Getting only a few looks at the other Changelings as she was rushed down the hall.

“Hey, Sleep, what are you…?”

“NoTimeCytesUnicornNow!”

The Changeling watches the two of them run. “Okay…”

Twilight would have liked to slow down, at least a little, she wasn’t feeling one hundred percent, and running through an unknown location with no way she was going to be able to find her way out if she didn’t have help.

When she was finally able to slow down, Sleep was breathing heavily and put her hoof on a wall. “I…Can’t… Run… That… Whew…” She said breathing hard, her wings buzzing slightly. “Listen… I… Put… Just…” She let out a long breath. “Just give me a second.”

Twilight stood up and let Spike climb onto her back. She looked around to see where they were, not that she figured it would do any good, but she looked through a membrane/window to see a group of blue eyed Changelings standing around a gray earth pony, all of them looking at the Earth pony as it was laying unconscious. “I thought I was the first pony in here?”

Sleep took another deep breath. “Well, no. You are the first willing pony to ever come down here.”

Twilight pointed at the pony. “Then who’s that?”

Sleep looked into the room. “Ah, Miss Felt. Well… She had a nasty run in with a Changeling; she has been out for a long time, we are hoping Acari has a way to fix her… Until then, she’s just another Shell.”

Twilight looked at the pony, her mind working to think of something that might help. When a very particular word in that description caught her sensors. “Another?”

Sleep nodded. “We have twenty three of them here. All the same way.” Sleep sighed. “Alright, I’m good. Let’s get out of here, I hate it here…”

Twilight looked back at Miss Felt before sighing and following Sleep. A little bit further down, a small group of Changelings were talking to each other before one of them noticed Sleep. “Hey, Sleep. How was… the…” The Changeling saw Twilight and looked at the two of them. “Uh… Sleep?”

“Hey, guys.”

“Uh… Is there a pony behind you, or have I been breathing in the wrong gas in the hospital?”

“No, you’re fine, Doctor.” Sleep replied. “Though you could do with less caffeine in your system.”

The Changeling shrugged. “Eh, it’s my weakness.”

“So, Sleep, you coming to O-P-D 43’s party later?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Sleep said with a smile. “Cause I’m ready to throw off the old calm concentration act.” She said.

“Well, hopefully the Queen sees it that way.” The Changeling replied. “See you around, 28.”

“You too.” Sleep said. “Come on, Twilight”

Twilight followed Sleep while Spike took a few pictures here and there. Eventually they came to a large door, at the top of the frame was an engraving with a stethoscope and syringe crisscrossing on top of a red cross. There were two Guards outside the door, they both shot Twilight and Sleep a glare before lighting up their horns and opening the door.

Sleep and Twilight both walked into the throne room to see Cytes herself sitting at the far end of the hall, sitting at a large throne, the symbol of her Hive over her light blue crystalline throne. She was levitating several pieces of paper up with a small desk having been summoned in front of the throne so that she could write. As the doors opened, she looked up.

“Ah, Miss Sparkle.” She said calmly, her perfectly curved horn lighting up and making the papers and desk vanish. “You are a little late. Knowing you I thought you would burst through the room practically dragging Deep Sleep.”

“She actually dragged me…” Twilight said rubbing the back of her neck. “Wait… I’m late!”

“By about twenty three point eight nine seconds.” Cytes replied. “Now then, I know that we had a bit of a discussion earlier, but I believe that we should start anew?”

Cytes walked down from her Throne, her body only slightly smaller than Chrysalis. Her strange membranous mane was pinned up into a bun. Her dusty purple backplate extended to create three blue stripes under her stomach. The key feature of this hive, which Twilight noted before, was the fact that unlike most other Changelings, Cytes’ horn and wings held no degradation, no holes were prevalent throughout a majority of her body. Her mane and tail were perfectly cared for and she looked down at Twilight with her sky blue eyes and a smile. “Nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle, it is an honor to welcome you to my home.”

“The honor is all mine, Your Majesty.” Twilight replied with a bow. “I’m so glad that you and the other Queens gave me the chance to do this.”

“It is for the betterment of both our societies.” She sighed. “Though I wish that I had another couple weeks to sort everything out…” She mumbled. “I am willing to answer any questions you may have about the Hive and its denizens. Though I must inform you I have an appointment in an hour.” She looked over at Sleep. “Anesthesia Drone 28, I am giving you the rest of the day off. Do try not to break anything.”

Sleep practically hoof-pumped the air before bowing to Cytes. “You know how to contact me should you need it.”

“Go and have fun, Sleep, I know you want to.” Cytes replied.

Sleep backed out of the room, leaving Twilight, Spike, and Cytes to talk. “So, Twilight, how have you been enjoying the Hive?”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting my first reaction to be the taste of fish guts.”

Cytes shook her head. “Sleep gave you the Counter Agent, correct?”

Spike lifted the small vial. “Right here.”

“Good, I was afraid of having to transport you to the emergency wing.” Cytes replied. “As long as that is taken care of, shall we begin with a few of your questions?”

Twilight jolted upright before her horn lit up as she pulled out a rolled up scroll from her bag. “Right, sorry. Sorry. I should have been more ready, I mean you are probably so busy and…”

Cytes’ horn lit up as Twilight began to calm herself. “Relax, Miss Sparkle, I have cleared a majority of my schedule for the day, and I only have a few small duties to attend to today, as it normally is when I’m not working at the Hospital.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Right, don’t panic…” She unrolled the list as it fell to the ground and rolled to a stop in front Cytes’ hooves. “Sorry…” She cleared her throat. “Well, first question: What made you decide to establish a Hive in Vanhoover?”

“Socialized Medicine.”

Twilight blinked. “Huh… That… Actually makes sense.”

Cytes nods. “Ponies are more willing to come to the hospital when it won’t blow up their budget.” Cytes watched as Twilight looked over her questions.

“Well, I suppose that my next question would be: How long did this Hive take to build?”

Cytes tapped her chin. “Hmm… A very interesting question.” Cytes replied. “Come, walk with me, I’m sure it would fascinate you more than just looking around my Throne room.” She walked past Twilight and towards the hall, quickly Twilight jumped up and put away her questions.

“So… How long?” Twilight asked as she caught up to the Changeling Queen.

“As I said, it is an interesting question, if you are asking how long it took to build this particular hive, it took us almost five decades to get this Hive up and running how you see it now.” She replied. “We decided to stake out our Hive here since it is far enough away from the others, yet close enough that we can come to the aid when needed.”

Cytes continued to walk, a group of Doctors waved at her. “If you mean how long my Hive has been operating, long before the rule of Celestia, my ancestor, High Queen Heloma, was the first and last Medical High Queen.”

“Why was that?” Twilight asked, writing down on her note pad while Spike took some more pictures of the Hive around them.

“Well, it turns out that a High Queen that specializes in Medicine is not exactly the best, especially when the lack of a Medical Hive causes the growth of the most destructive virus to Ponykind.” Cytes sighed. “The Cutie Pox was later obliterated after she transferred the power to Chrysalis’ ancestor, Queen Karamantis.”

“How many Hive Queens are there?” Twilight asked.

“As of this moment?” Cytes replied, pausing. “Well, there is a single High Queen for each and every Territory. I only know of Apath, but they are considered the most powerful and respected Queens in the world.”

Twilight quickly wrote that down. “What makes these High Queens so powerful?”

Cytes stopped. “Good question.” She replied. “I’m not sure.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked confused.

“The truth is, the High Queen’s power is transferred from one to the other it is a closely guarded secret amongst the Queens, so even if I had that knowledge, I could not reveal it to you.”

Twilight frowned a bit. “Oh… Well then…” She went through her list of questions in her head. “Who is O-P-D 43?”

“Optometry Drone 43. You see Twilight, a majority of my Hive is dictated through medical studies. Every one of my Changelings studies the field of medicine they wish to work in and are on their own on that front. As such, a majority of the sub divisions of my drones have rather long complex names. Because of that, they all came up with a system of quickly recognizing the job and status of a drone.” Cytes’ horn lit up as a paper appeared in front of her. “For instance, O-P refers to the study of Optometry, while the ‘D’ at the end refers to the fact that particular drone has achieved his Doctorate.” She levitated the sheet down to Twilight. “It is a little complex to the untrained mind, but it is rather simple once you understand it.”

Twilight looked over the list. “What about Ortho?”

“Ah, Therapy Drone 22. She is doing well in Ponyville I assume? Regardless, she is one of the Drones that do not need an extended title. The shortened titles are for the Doctors or those that hold positions which demand shortening.” Cytes replied. “As is true of most other…”

A Changeling wearing a lab coat flew down to Cytes, a clipboard in his hooves. “My Queen, I thought you should be told that the Surgeons are ready for inspection.”

“Excellent.” Cytes replied. “Tell them I will be there shortly.” The Changeling nodded and flew back through a tunnel. “Would you be interested in seeing a group of my Changelings at work?”

“Um… Okay. I guess you can decide. You are the Queen after all.”

Cytes nodded. “Now then, I do hope you are not squeamish.”

Beep. Beep. Beep

“Scalpel.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

“You are getting a little close there…”

“I can see that.”

Beep. Beep.

“You should really back out of there.”

“I know what I’m doing…”

Beep. Beeeeeeeep. Beep.

“Doctor, we should really be clo-“

“Just one more…”

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE….

The Doctor groaned as he pulled the scalpel from the cadaver.

“I told you, Clear Cut.” His assistant said. “We should have closed up the wound.”

He sighed. “Yeah. I thought we had more time.”

The speaker system started up. “Then maybe you should take precautions to ensure it does not happen.”

The Doctor cast his gaze up towards the Observation deck, looking down on the practice surgery was Queen Cytes, her hoof pressed against the intercom button with the Lavender Unicorn next to her.

“Open Heart Surgery is nothing to play with, you must remember, a patient dying is Malpractice. You will have to change professions.”

“Understood, My Queen. If I could ask, what of the others?”

“A majority of them passed this test, granted many of them were close calls, but the monitor never dropped below stable levels. You will retake this test once I believe that you can handle it. Now go and clean yourself off.” Cytes took her hoof off the intercom.

The group of Changelings below bowed before walking out of the room. Once they were gone, Cytes turned to Twilight. “What was your question again?”

“I wanted to know what you personally studied before becoming Queen.”

“Ah yes. Well, at first I studied Changeling medicine before I moved onto Biochemistry, then slowly worked my way to Surgery, then I went on to study the various other facets my job demands. Having an extended life span helps in that regard.” Cytes sent a signal out to a few Changelings to help clean up the Cadaver.

“Now would you mind telling me how old you are?”

Cytes let out a laugh. “Not at all, Twilight. I’m Seven Hundred and twenty three. I ascended to the throne Five hundred years ago after the passing of my mother, Queen Cornea.”

Twilight nodded as she wrote down the information. She looked back over to the door hoping to see Spike returning from the mission she sent him on, with the permission of Cytes. She allowed Spike to go and take a few pictures of the nursery and Hatchery with the help of a Caretaker. “Well, not that I couldn’t figure this out on my own, but what does your Hive do for Equestria?”

Cytes chuckled. “What don’t we do for Equestria?” Cytes looked down at the practice Chamber as a Changeling was stitching up the hole in the Cadaver, they had so few of those left they began magically mending them to have more. “Well first and most obvious, we help with the discovery and expansion of medical remedies be they magical or physical. We also help promote long lives for ponies, since that in turn means more resources for us. When Equestria goes to war, my Medics are the first to volunteer for the front lines, and my Defenders get a little bit of a… Boost.”

“Meaning what?” Twilight asked.

Cytes smiled. “Have you heard of the Horse Berserkers?”

Twilight nodded. “They were ponies that did psychedelic plants and drugs before battle.”

“And they were said to be able to feel no pain, almost like a gift from the Gods?” Cytes shook her head. “The Defenders are like berserkers, whenever we enter battle, they are the first to move in, aided by an ancient spell, that inhibits their nerves responsible for feeling pain and hooking it up to the Dopamine centers of the brain.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Essentially making them into walking pain sponges…” Cytes nodded. “That… That’s amazing!”

“It is the last resort we have, next to releasing the Cutie Pox virus again.”

Twilight’s eyes grew to the size of dish plates. “You have that?”

Cytes smiled.

“Welcome to the Hazard Lab.” Cytes said. Both of them now wearing white HAZMAT suits as they passed through the disinfection station’s glass. “This is where we chronicle and preserve a sample of every disease since Queen Pathos established this center.”

Twilight looked around the room, unlike the rest of the hive; the area was a pure sterile white, the blue glow replaced almost fully with magical fluorescents that didn’t let a single Shadow be created for the pathogens to hide. Around the chamber, Changelings wearing the HAZMAT suits were looking over vials and a variety of different potions that ran throughout the lab. If Twilight wasn’t absolutely sure that something would go wrong, she would have already run up to look at everything.

“Here we analyze old and dangerous pathogens to determine weakness for current variants, our Doctors work around the clock to analyze the potential dangers of these viruses getting out now.”

Cytes walked over to a large metal door and pulled it open with her magic, beckoning Twilight inside. When she walked in, she saw a long hallway, shelves along the walls and stretching for an absurdly long distance down the cavern, both shelves held a large assortment of glass jars, a label under each one. Cytes stepped inside and closed the door.

“The Halls of Plague as we like to call them.” Cytes said. “The last of every deadly strain of disease held at the absolute lowest point of the Hive, behind a sealed door and preserved within magically sealed jars. Cytes walked up to a very dusty old jar. “This is the last strain of the 101-P Strain of Cutie Pox, it was one that only really affected ponies, and was practically ineffective against Changelings, then this nasty bugger showed up.” Cytes lifted another jar. “203-C, a dangerous strain that not only hit Ponies, but Changelings. Caused us to go absolutely insane around here. 24/7 we were working to crack this one. When we finally did, Pathos practically shrieked when she managed to kill it.”

Twilight looked at the two strains. “What else do you have here?”

“Well!” Cytes said. “We’ve got West Anubian flu, Luna’s Curse, we even have a couple pathogens from fossils.”

The door at the end opened. “Queen Cytes, we should remind you that this area is to be renovated and the magical seals reapplied today, it may not be the smartest idea to keep young Miss Sparkle here much longer.”

Cytes nodded. “Of course, we should go. Spike should be waiting for us back in the Throne Room.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay then.”

Twilight and Cytes left, as they stepped through the glass separating the Hazardous area from the safe area before entering the Hive. The glass slid behind them as a beam of magic flooded over the two of them, ensuring the viruses did not escape. After the wave flooded over them a few times, they walked to the other side of the chamber, the change instant. The sterile white walls replaced with the standard gray of the inner Hives. The Magical Fluorescents replaced by similar looking bulbs with blue energy flowing through them.

“I must say, I haven’t been in there for quite a few years. Every time I look at it, the chambers remind me just how dangerous my Hive could be.” Cytes shook her head. “Good thing there is almost no chance of anypony managing to get down here to steal any.”

Twilight nodded as they walked down the chamber, a number of blue membranes dividing this section from much of the Hive. As Twilight looked around, she realized a rather basic question she forgot to ask in her time here. “What emotion do you primarily feed on?”

“Gratification, Appreciation, a little bit of Nervousness, Acceptance, take your pick.” Cytes replied. “In a pinch we can charge up on fear, but it tastes absolutely horrid and I would never condone such behavior.” She said as they walked up to the Blue teleportation Gem.

As both of them touched the gem, Twilight felt the yanking on her snout and this time kept her eyes closed. When they reappeared, she was only slightly disorientated and had a bit of a headache. “When did you start using these Gems?”

Cytes tapped her chin. “Well, actually we discovered their abilities under my Mother.” She replied. “They are extremely useful for keeping the Hive sections safe. The Hazard lab is buried ten miles below the rest of the Hive, the only way in or out is with the crystal, same with the Quarantine center. Without the gems, there would be a constant risk of releasing those Pathogens, at least now we can contain the spread should it ever occur.”

Twilight nodded. “Now, you mentioned that not all of your Changelings work in Hospitals. What did you mean by that?”

Cytes waved at a few of the Changelings around the area. “Well, it is true that I employ my own Changelings as well as Pony Doctors, sometimes I simply cannot, those Changelings are then sent to find a place they can gather or live. Many times they find small villages that are too far from a Hospital to go should something happen, and take the place of a medicinal pony. They are responsible for something like… Thirty nine percent of all gathered emotion for my Hive.”

Twilight scribbled on her notepad. “So, out of curiosity, just how much of the Hive have I actually seen?”

Cytes paused. “Hmm… A good question. If I had to guess, you haven’t even seen half of the Hive yet. You haven’t even seen the Psychiatric training ward, Therapy training, Nursery, Changeling medical Ward, and a large host of other chambers.”

Twilight blinked. “Yikes…”

Cytes’ horn lit up as a clock appeared in front of her. “And sadly, it seems as though we are nearing the end of the day.” Cytes sighed. “I must apologize, I realize that the Surgical training took much longer than I expected…”

“No it’s alright. It was rather fascinating to see how a Changeling would operate on other Changelings. Though I think I could have gone without the close up view of a Changeling’s biology.”

“Yes… 34 does need to get better at controlling her nerves… Those spasms have been vexing us for years.”

“Well, I certainly am glad for the chance to see the Hive, and though I didn’t get to see all of it, I certainly am glad to say that I had fun learning about everything.”

Cytes smiled. “I’m glad that you enjoyed yourself.” She reached up and took off her red-rimmed glasses. “Are there any more questions you wish to ask?”

“Yes actually. How do you get Bits?”

Cytes stopped. “Hmmm…. You wish to know how we can pay for not one, but two hospitals' worth of supplies without drawing attention to ourselves.”

Twilight nodded.

“Well, alongside the pay given to us by the ponies, my Harvesters go and collect rare medicinal plants that we then sell for Bits. Flowers, weeds, fruits, a few exotic animal parts, we collect them and sell them around Equestria. We get a fairly good amount of bits from that alone. However we can enlist the help of Ovi should we ever require it, we are on fairly good terms, and she has far too many bits to know what to do with.”

Twilight wrote down on the notepad, but restrained herself from asking about Ovi’s Hive, she would save that for later. “So how do you keep track of everything?”

“Communication Drones keep us all in contact; Callsign is the designated Communication Drone for Canterlot, or my personal Secretary. Generally it is the job of Communication Drones to ensure that I am told about any serious threats, though for the most part, I stay away from that.”

Twilight nodded and wrote down her response. “So… This is more a curiosity, I know that your mother was Queen Cornea, but who was your father?”

“My father was a Drone by the name of Papillitis. He worked alongside my mother while she tested out the teleportation gems.” Cytes replied. “From what she told me, they fell in love shortly after getting the crystal to be used as a Communication link, before they set them up throughout the Hive. Not long after, I was laid. Then later I hatched from my eggshell.”

“Now something I’ve been curious about…” Twilight said. “How do Princesses differ from the standard Drone?”

“Well, there isn’t too much difference. Slight Aesthetic changes such as the Royal Stripes and the ability to grow a natural mane. However the real change lies within our bodies, not just any Changeling can grow into a Queen. They must be either birthed from a Queen, or fed enough Emotion both as an embryo and a pupa to help it develop the strength and capacity needed to become a Queen.”

Twilight scribbled everything down. “Darkblaze mentioned that it was possible, but I was still curious about the reproductive cycle.”

“Well, the trouble really arises in the stages before birth, when the mother must gorge on the required emotion to ensure the child becomes a Queen. Often the loss of a Queen has enormous health complications for the next few Generations. The reason why we hold Princesses and Queens highly is for the purpose of keeping us from that fate. Hives have been nearly wiped out by this failing before, and I refuse to allow it to happen while I am Medical Queen.”

Twilight nodded. “I can completely understand. It sounds absolutely horrible to lose a leader and then have to handle all of those Changelings that are trying to scrounge up enough food to keep themselves alive…”

“It puts a strain on all of us.” Cytes sighed. “However we must not forget that the loss of a Hive is a devastating one. I have only heard tell of such a fate befalling the Hives, I hope to never live long enough to see one fall like that.”

Twilight sighed. “It would be like losing Celestia…”

Cytes nodded. “However, if she were to die, everyone would mourn. The Hives of Equestria have close ties to Celestia, were she to pass, then we would lose that connection.”

“I do have a question though, have any Hives died out that you know of?” Cytes suddenly stopped walking as Twilight continued on for a few more steps. She stopped and turned back to look at the Queen. “Queen Cytes?”

Cytes let out a sigh. “I choose not to answer that question.” She said with a deadpan. “I would prefer you not touch on that subject again.”

“Oh… Alright…”

A Caretaker flew to Cytes from a small tunnel. “My Queen, do you require something?”

“Yes… I do… Please contact Shadow Drone 4 in Canterlot. I need to speak with him. Tell him to meet me in my office. That is all.”

The Caretaker nodded and flew back into the Tunnel.

Cytes put her glasses back on. “Is there anything else you wish to ask me?”

Twilight looked over her notes. A large portion of her questions had been answered during either their walks, or the lengthy surgical test session. “Yes, what do you and your Changelings do for fun?”

Cytes looked over her glasses. “Fun?” She replied. “Well, I consider the simple gratification to be more than enough of a reward… Though, I am not really the public type…” Cytes sighed. “My job demands a lot, and as the Medical Queen, I must be ready at any time should my services be required.” She tapped her chin. “Though, if you truly wish to learn how my Changeling enjoy their time, then I suppose you can always go to Optometry Drone 43’s party tonight…”

Twilight looked up at Cytes. “Is that… safe? I mean I know that Changelings aren’t as bad as when Chrysalis attacked Canterlot but…”

Cytes rolled her eyes. “They will do nothing rash, a few may take a small nibble of emotion from you, but they will do nothing to harm you. It would go against their oath and against my own laws. But if you wish, I will put a Defender alongside you to ensure nopony does anything.”

Twilight shook her head. “No… It’s alright… I’m just… Well, getting used to everything still.”

“Understandable, though you have to remember something very important,” Cytes leaned in to Twilight. “I’m not Chrysalis. I am still Sapphire, the mare who helped you study Biology when you were but a Foal. I would not allow a single Changeling of mine to harm you.”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah… Sorry, I may be excited to learn about Changelings, but since I found out just what they can do…”

“Twilight, not a single Changeling Queen would dare use this offer to hurt you. Doing so would cause Celestia and the other Queens to take aggressive actions to ensure it will not occur again.” Cytes replied. “None of us would doom our Hives to such a fate.”

Twilight looked down at the ground beneath her hooves. “I… I’d love to see it.”

Cytes smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Now is that all you wanted to ask me?”

Twilight looked over her notepad. The entire packet had been covered with notes and scribbles, short hand and cursive, every square inch was covered, on every side of each individual page. She pulled out her scroll of questions, each one already asked, all but a single question. “Who did you fall in love with?”

Cytes chuckled. “Well, that is for me and Princess Hemo to know, and her to disclose when she thinks it is necessary.” Cytes smiled and walked down the hall. “By the way, you should scratch out that question, most Queens will take that pretty poorly.”

Twilight looked down at the list and blushed, before taking her quill and scratching out the question. “So… How do I get to the party?”

Cytes continued to walk. “Well, first we should pick up Spike, I doubt he would be interested in the dusting tomes within my Throne Room.”

Twilight nodded, and Cytes’ horn lit up, in a flash of light, they were outside of Cytes’ Throne room, the Defenders outside remaining stoic throughout the entrance, which was rather impressive. They didn’t even flinch! Twilight remembered the first time Celestia teleported her into the Throne room, the two Guards on duty would always at the very least flinch from it, These guys must be good at this…

The two Guards lit up their horns and opened the door. Inside the Throne Room, Spike looked over at the Door, next to him was a Changeling that looked up at the door and smiled.

“Nursery Drone 34, I assume everything went well?”

“Oh, Spike was just an Angel,” 34 said. “He didn’t hurt any of the Nymphs and he was absolutely wonderful for the Foals.”

Spike walked up to Twilight. “They were so cute Twilight. They were just these small white squishy foals. Fluttershy would have loved to see them. They made this really cute sound that was kind of like a buzz and click… Not that I… Think they’re cute or anything.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and rubbed Spike’s head. “Sure you didn’t. After all, you’re a big, strong Dragon, you would never think anything was cute.”

Spike pushed the hoof away and puffed out his chest. “That’s right.”

Twilight giggled. “Well, would the big, strong Dragon like to go to a Changeling Party?”

Spike looked up at her. “Are you sure that is safe?”

“Oh, I’m sure it will be fine.” Twilight replied. “Queen Cytes said that none of them would try anything. Though, if you don’t want to I’m sure they would understand.”

“And miss a chance like this? Nah.” Spike replied. “Pinkie’s been dying to find out what a Changeling party is like; you know she and Surprise want to throw all of them a party.”

Twilight snickered. “Yes I remember. So where is this party going to take place?”

Nursery Drone 34 looked over at them. “Are you talking about O-P-D 48’s party?”

Twilight nodded. “You know it?”

The Drone smiled. “What drone doesn’t by this point? It’s been the talk of the Hive recently. Everypony has been waiting for it for weeks! It’s going to be held up in the Recreation Wing. I can show you if you want.”

Twilight smiled. “That would be great, thank you.”

Cytes looked at the two of them. “I should warn both of you, I know that Twilight is a grown Pony, however the drinks and food that will be served at this party will be fine, for Changelings. Should either of you ingest them, there could be negative effects. You will feel an overdrive in your emotional matrix before it burns itself out, leaving you unable to feel that emotion. I warn you now, ingesting a large quantity of it could permanently damage your mind, leaving you unable to feel that emotion permanently.”

Twilight looked at her shocked. “That… Could actually happen?”

Cytes nodded. “Be careful little pony, I do not want to explain to Celestia why her personal student is now a rather aggressive and blank intellect.”

Twilight nodded. “I’ll be careful.” She said. “So… Anything else I need to watch out for?”

“Nothing I cannot help reverse.” Cytes replied. “Remember, should you come across any form of food or drink that you are not familiar with, do not try it. Nursery Drone 34, I am entrusting you with this Mare’s life.”

34 bowed. “Thank you my queen. I will ensure nothing bad happens to her.”

Cytes nodded. “Now, enjoy yourself. I must return to my duties.” Her horn lit up as a stack of papers appeared in front of her. “I have to look over the recovery of those few patients left, and ensure that Bloodpool is docile. As well as keep my eye on Shade’s recovery.”

Twilight nodded and looked over at Spike. Spike raised the Camera and took a picture of Queen Cytes. “Thank you.”

Cytes smiled back at the two of them. “I do hope you enjoyed the day within my Hive, I await to hear how the others fared.”

Twilight smiled back. “I’ll be sending my report to Celestia once I’m done here.”

Nursery Drone 34 looked up at a clock and let out a small buzz. “Come on Miss Sparkle, we’re going to be late for the party! The Recreation wing is five floors above us!”

Twilight’s ears only caught one word of that sentence. “Late!” She grabbed Spike in her magic and plopped him down on her back before grabbing Drone 34 by the tail and dashing out of the room.

Cytes shook her head. “There’s the Twilight I remember…” She said with a small snicker. “Well, at least I can work now.”

Twilight was barreling down the halls, Spike gripping onto her mane in a desperate attempt to stay on her back. Nursery Drone 34 was just trying to keep her face off the ground as she was dragged through the Hive quickly.

“Miss Sparkle! I understand your fears of being late, but do you know where we are going?” 34 shouted over the galloping Unicorn.

“You said it was Five floors up!” Twilight said through the Changeling’s tail. “That’s where I’m going!”

“Twilight! Don’t you think we should let the Changeling lead us there?”

“We are going to be late if I slow down Spike.”

Both Spike and 34 sighed in disbelief. The Changeling buzzed her wings to pull herself off the ground, and in a wisp of blue flame, her tail vanished, she flew in front of Twilight and dug her Hooves into the ground. “Miss Sparkle, I insist you stop galloping inside the Hive. You passed the stairway already.”

Twilight dug her hooves into the ground and stopped herself, beginning to blush. “Sorry…”

Drone 34 sighed as she transformed her tail back. “We should be able to make it perfectly on time so long as we move at a brisk pace.”

Twilight nodded. “Lead the way.” She said as Drone 34 walked back from where Twilight pulled her. “So what is your name?”

“My name is Light Heart, I don’t get out of the Hive much… But I like it here, this is my home.” Light Heart walked over to a door and pushed it open, inside was a black staircase. The top and side of each step held small blue crystals in it, along with the blue fluorescents. “Just climb up here and we should be there in no time.”

Twilight looked over the stairway, then a question came to her. “Why do you have stairs?”

Light Heart looked back. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you can fly. Not only that, but Changelings can climb on walls, so why would you need to have stairs inside of the Hive?”

Light Heart nodded. “I can understand the confusion. However as I’m sure you can imagine, some Changelings prefer to stay on the ground, some don’t like flying around, causing traffic and such. However, we planned the Hive with Ponies in mind as well. You never know what kind of injuries a Changeling could get, and no idea whether ponies will need entrance to the Hive. It is better to be prepared.”

Twilight nodded. “Well, that makes sense…” She said taking steps up the crystal imbedded steps. “Why the crystals?”

“They glow in case the Emotional Lights fail, so ponies won’t fall and hurt themselves.”

Twilight looked at the crystals. “But what keeps these lit?”

“The Emotion in the air!” Heart replied. “Our hive is practically saturated with emotion; the Crystals are powered by it. So long as we live in the Hive, the crystals will always have power.”

“So you save on needing to gather energy…”

“By using our own emotions to power the gems.” She replied. “Now, just keep following me and we should make it just in time.”

Twilight nodded as she followed Heart through the stairway and subsequent hallways before making it to a section with the words ‘Recreation’ placed above the double doors. Passing by a few of the chambers, Twilight was surprised that they seemed rather empty, more like lounges than anything else.

“So Light Heart, what do you guys do for fun?” Twilight found herself asking.

“Oh, I know it doesn’t look like too much here, there aren’t very many of us that are restricted to the Hive, so often we only really need a lounge or two around the Hive wards. This is just the place to come when we need to relax away from patients.” She replied. “You always know it’s a rough day when Cytes herself comes around here. Usually she can take the stress, you know that the day must have been Tartarus if she is in here.”

“But… Why would they be having a party in here, it just looks like a bunch of lounges.”

“That’s because we haven’t gotten to the good part yet.” Heart replied. “It is just up here.”

Twilight looked back at Spike, who shrugged. They continued to follow Heart for a few minutes, looking as the Lounge rooms slowly changed, getting covered and having a few less pieces of furniture in them.

Twilight kept following until they came to a couple of large metal doors. “Here we are!” Heart said, walking up to one of the rooms. “And we should have gotten here with plenty of time to spare.” Heart pushed open the door. “Take a look.”

Twilight looked through the door and saw a number of Changelings flying around the room, putting up a few streamers in the large chamber, the size itself reminded Twilight of the Canterlot Castle’s Party Room, except this time… Hopefully it would stay intact…

Looking around the rest of the chamber, she saw a number of groups of Changelings standing around, a majority of them talking amongst themselves. A smaller group was placing various bowls of food and a strange looking bowl of blue gelatin. “Light Heart!”

“Deep Sleep!” Light Heart said, opening her hooves to give the drone a friendly hug. “How have you been? You’ve been in Winnyapolis for so long!”

Deep Sleep pulled Light Heart into a hug. “It’s great to see you again. I was kind of worried when I got called to Cytes’ office; I thought I was going to get chewed up for killing a patient or something! I was so relieved it was just about me coming to Vanhoover. Oh, hi Twilight. Didn’t see you there.”

“You two know each other?” Twilight asked looking between them.

“Sure do!” Sleep replied. “Me and Heart here have been best buds since Basic training!” She looked back at the Nursery Drone. “You still helping with those Nymphs?”

Heart nodded. “You still boring ponies to sleep?”

Sleep laughed. “Oh Cytes, I missed you. Guess it would have been weird for you not to show up.”

“Why’s that?” She asked curiously.

“Oh… I know how much you love parties.” Sleep looked back. “There’s the stallion of the hour!”

Another Changeling walked up to the group. “Glad to see you could make it Heart.” He said. “Wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Well, I almost didn’t find out, everypony has been really quiet about it, I only found out a few days ago.”

“Well maybe if you spent less time with the Nymphs.” Sleep replied.

“It’s my job, Sleep.” Heart replied. “I can’t just abandon the Nymphs. Cytes will only give us time off if we have our own little bundles of joy.”

“Well, maybe you won’t have long to wait.” Sleep said with a smile, her ears perked up as she turned. “Well, I’ve got some old buddies to talk with, see ya later guys.”

“Optic, why was everypony being so secretive about this party?”

The Changeling next to her shrugged. “I’m just hoping everything goes well, I got Mya and Hypo to help with the decorations, so I can only hope that they…”

“You made sure Mya was the one putting the decorations up right?” Heart asked. “Because remember, she’s the one that…”

“This good, Mya?” A Changeling asked placing a streamer on the wall.

A slightly smaller Changeling squinted up at the other, “I… Can’t see, it’s too far away…”

“Well it’s too close for me up here.” The flying one replied. “Why am I the one up here?”

Optic sighed and shook his head. “I’ve got this…”

Twilight looked at the two Changelings. “What’s wrong with them?”

Heart sighed. “Mya and Hypo are sister and brother respectively, one is nearsighted, the other is farsighted. Take a guess which is which is which.”

Twilight looked at the two of them. “Mya, read this.”

“Uh…” The Changeling squinted. “I can’t, you’re too far.”

Optic sighed. “Hypo, you read it.”

Hypo squinted. “I… Can’t. You’re too close.”

Optic sighed. “Mya, you are supposed to place the decorations while Hypo tells you where they go. Speaking of which, where are your glasses?”

Both Changeling took out a pair of glasses and put them on. Optic looked at the two glasses and took them off, putting the opposite glasses on each one. “Huh… So that’s why we couldn’t see.” Mya said, adjusting her glasses. “I told you yours were the gray ones.”

Hypo looked over at her. “Then why didn’t you correct me?”

“Well, you were just so strung up about…” Mya blinked before turning back to look at Twilight, she blinked a few times before taking off her glasses and wiping them, before placing them back on and looking over Twilight. “Uh… Hypo, you didn’t happen to mess with my glasses did you?”

“No. Why would you ask?”

Mya pointed at Twilight. “Because I’m seeing a Pony…”

Hypo looked over and blinked, raising his glasses to the top of his head. “Huh…” He lowered his glasses. “Weird…”

Twilight waved at them. “Hello.”

“It just spoke to us.” Mya said. “Should we be worried?”

Heart rolled her eyes. “It’s alright. This is Twilight Sparkle. Cytes allowed her to come to the Hive.”

“Oh… Well nice to meet you!” Hypo said with a wave. “I’m Hypo, and this is my sister, Mya.”

“Hello!” Mya said. “I hope you enjoyed your stay. It would be terrible if you got a bad impression of us. When it’s the first time that… Oh… never mind…”

“Well, yes. It was a very bad impression, but I learned that only one hive is like that, so I will not judge you based on the invasion.”

“Well, that’s good. I was afraid you would put us all in a box and…”

“Mya, we need to do a bit more before this party can get into full swing, you can talk to Miss Sparkle later, come on.” Hypo said. “I’m sure she would love to talk later but we have things to do.”

“Oh right!” Mya said, buzzing her wings and flying up to the wall “Wow, we weren’t even close!” She said as she grabbed the streamer.

Hypo looked up. “A little to the left.”

Twilight watched as the two Changelings hurried to put up the rest of the decorations. She looked over the tables and chairs being pulled out, leaving a large space in the middle of the floor. She looked over at the table where the refreshments should have been to see a couple things she would eat normally. While a majority of it was multicolored gel and bottles of blue liquid, there were a few more pony foods placed there since she arrived.

Twilight walked around, talking to a few of the Changelings around, getting less surprised looks as the word of her visit spread quickly through the Hive. It wasn’t much longer that the room seemed to get filled with Changelings, all talking, laughing, a couple dancing, Twilight was surprised how pony-like the party was.

Spike had joined in at some point, and Twilight had been talking to one of the Changelings about the taste of emotions.

“Huh… I never really thought about it…” The Changeling replied, taking a bite of a cookie with bits of clear crystal inside it. “Well… The closest thing I can think of for our food is…” He tapped his chin. “The closest thing I can think of is… Vanilla Ice cream.”

“Huh…” Twilight replied, writing down his response. “Shade told me that Love tastes like Cotton Candy.”

“Every Hive is different.” The Changeling replied. “And every Changeling inside a Hive has different tastes.”

“Interesting…” Twilight replied, she looked over at the Dance floor, or rather the Dance-air. Where a number of Changelings were flying around each other in seemingly random ways. The music that was playing was similar to what Twilight expected if Vinyl was in charge of the music, up on a small raised platform was a purple-eyed Changeling, wearing headphones around his neck. “What hive is the DJ from?”

“Timbre? She’s from Tettix’s hive. There are quite a few of them around Equestria who follow the more club focused music types. Scat is a good DJ from… I think he’s in Los Pegasus… Could be wrong.”

Twilight nodded. “So out of curiosity, was there any reason why this party was created?”

The Changeling blinked. “There has to be a reason?” He replied. “Honestly we have these at least once a week, gives us a chance to throw off the stress. Sometimes we have a reason, though I’m not…”

“If I could have everypony’s attention.” Twilight looked over at the center of the room, where Optic was standing. “But… I have something I want to say.”

Twilight tried to look above the heads of some of the Changelings, and saw Light Heart standing there in the middle of the room with him. Optic turned to look at Light Heart. “Light Heart, we have known each other for a long time, you were there when I needed help, and every moment I spend in your presence makes me feel like the luckiest stallion in the world. I didn’t know it at first, but when we started dating one year ago, I knew that you were the mare for me.” He bent down on his front leg and one of his hind legs, a small black box levitating up in front of Light Heart.

Light Heart clasped her hooves over her mouth and looked at the box surprised, her eyes starting to fill with tears. “Optic…”

“Would you allow me the great pleasure, to call you my wife?” He opened the box to reveal a jet-black horn ring, small blue sapphires encrusted into it with a Diamond placed into the center of the ring.

Light Heart looked at the ring, tears welling up in her eyes. The room was deathly quiet as everypony waited for her response. She opened her mouth, before closing it, she looked down at Optic, her mouth opened again but no sound came out.

Light Heart looked at the box, and smiled, her horn lit up as her magic surrounded the box and closed it. She then wrapped her hooves around Optic and pulled him into a kiss. When they finally broke apart, Light Heart looked Optic in the eyes. “You just had to ask.” She said. “Of course. Of course you can call me your wife.”

Optic smiled and Twilight looked around the room as she noticed a few of the gems attached to the walls had transitioned from blue to a hot pink color. She wrote that down before looking over at the center of the floor again to see the new couple had gone back to enjoying each other’s company.

Even if Twilight wasn’t a Changeling, she could feel their love and the surrounding joy from the others. Deep Sleep managed to walk over to where Twilight was. “So, Miss Sparkle, didn’t think you would see a wedding proposal inside the Hive now did you?”

Twilight shook her head. “No I didn’t.”

Sleep looked over at the two of her oldest friends. “Those two have been a couple for a year and I was waiting for them to tie the knot. I’m happy for them. Light’s been wanting to have Nymphs for a while now.”

Sleep looked back towards Twilight. “So, mind if I ask when you plan to head out? It’s getting fairly late and I’m pretty sure Spike still needs sleep.”

“Really? What time is it?”

“Nearly ten.” Sleep replied. “And given that you are technically the ambassador to Changelings it would be bad for you to arrive one day and collapse from… Twilight?”

Twilight was looking at her shocked. “It’s already ten?”

“Uh-huh.” Sleep replied. “I know, kind of hard to tell down here, trust me, it’s about ten.”

Twilight’s horn lit up as she pulled a train schedule from her saddlebag. “The last train leaves at 10:15!” Twilight said, quickly looking around for Spike. She found him by the food table, grabbing another daisy Sandwich. “Sleep, can you take us to the exit?”

Sleep sighed. “Sure. Why not?” She said pushing herself off the table. “Get Spike and let’s get going.”

Twilight quickly pulled Spike over to her in her magic, grabbed her supplies and stuffed them into her bag. “Let’s go! I need to get home and write a report on the Hive before I go to sleep! I’m going to have to start it on the train if I want to get it done before midnight.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Let’s focus on getting home first.”

Sleep shook her head as she ran Twilight out of the room and down the hall, stopping at the railing that stopped ponies from dropping to the ground below. She then ran down the halls of the Hive yet again, followed closely by Twilight, when they came to the blue gem, Sleep motioned to it. “There ya go.” She said, giving Twilight a pat. “Now I need to get back to the party, there’s a stallion who dared me to take shot of some Griffon whisky he bought, I’m gonna get some bits from him. You can find your way out hopefully.” Sleep said, flying out the door.

Twilight nodded as she put her hoof on the crystal and slammed her eyes shut until she was deposited on the floor of the Hospital. Once she was sure nothing was wrong, she dashed out of the basement and out of the hospital rushing towards the train station. She managed to get there just as the metallic train was coming to a stop.

Once onboard, she found a nice seat and sat down, before taking out all of her notes, samples, and a blank notebook. She opened the notebook and wrote down: Medical Hive Analysis.

Twilight began reading through her notes as Spike sat down across from her. “So Twilight, you think you can handle meeting the others?”

“Are you kidding Spike? This is amazing! I can’t wait to visit the next one.” Twilight said writing down everything on her notebook. “Who do you think we will visit next? I’m kind of hoping to visit this Queen Ovi, I have so many questions about Changeling Sexual urges she may be able to answer, or do you think we could visit Acari? Her Hive is really close to Ponyville after all. Perhaps it will be Pupa, I’ve been meaning to look into the Changeling military but I never…” She looked over at Spike, who had fallen asleep on the bench, his tongue hanging against his cheek as he snored.

Twilight giggled. “Well, I guess he really was tired after all.” She turned her attention back to her work.

Lust Hive

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In the town of Ponyville, there are a number of Changelings living amongst the populace, two of them are Haze and Lockup. Both of them from the nearby Just Hive, which is convenient for when Haze’s sister comes to visit.

The three of them were sitting in the dining room, each one drinking a cup filled with tea. “So, Blackout, what is Acari planning to do with Twilight?”

Blackout lowered her cup. “Well, from what I hear, she is still busy clearing her schedule so she actually has a day. Though I think that she mentioned showing her SH-297.”

“Is that safe? You know how she is…” Haze replied.

“I’ve got no idea, I’m on clean-up right now. Ceymi left goo all over the place. It’s ridiculous!” She took another drink.

“So when do you…” There was a knock on the door.

“I got it, honey.” Lockup said, getting up and walking towards the door as Haze and Blackout continued to talk.

Lockup grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, pulling open the door. “Hello?”

“Hi Lockup.” The Lavender Unicorn said.

“Twilight, how interesting, we were just talking about you.”

“Really? What were you saying?” Twilight shook her head. “Listen Lockup, are Blackout and Haze here?”

Lockup blinked. “Yeah… Why?”

“Because I need their help with something.” She replied.

“Alright, come in.” Lockup moved out of the way of the door to let Twilight come in.

Twilight walked into the dining room. “Hey, can I ask you two for a favor?”

Blackout and Haze looked back at her. “What do you need?” Haze asked.

“Well… I just got back from Ovi’s Hive…”

All three of them whistled. “Let me guess, you want a memory wipe right?” Blackout asked.

“Actually, no.”

All three Changelings looked at each other. “Say what?”

“Well… You see, I can’t remember a part that apparently happened recently… And I don’t have any notes on it.”

“Soo… You want me to help fix your memory?” Blackout asked.

“Yes please. I mean if it isn’t any trouble, but ‘AHHH’ isn’t the best report.”

Blackout sighed. “Alright Sparkle.” She said, walking over to her. “But I am going to have to make you go through the events that transpired before then first, you ready?”

“Yes. I want to know what happened, and why I can’t remember it.”

Blackout’s horn lit up. “Alright, here we go, you may feel a slight prick in your neck.” Blackout closed her eyes and moved to touch Twilight’s horn with her own, as soon as they connected, Blackout’s eyes shot open. The two stood perfectly still for a few minutes before Blackout disconnected. “There. So do you…”

“aaaaaaaaaahahhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Twilight shouted, staring straight at Blackout.

Blackout rolled her eyes and fired a beam at Twilight’s mouth, muffling out the sound it made.

“So what happened?” Lockup asked.

“Ovi happened…”

“yeah… But what actually happened?” Haze asked.

“Fine… I’ll tell you…”

Artist Hive

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WARNING! This chapter contains French DUN DUN DUUUNN
For those of us who are not knowledgable in the language, I have included Translations behind it.
"Insérer la phrase française ici" (Insert French phrase here) So you need not worry about missing anything important.
I am also not an expert at the language... so some of these may be off.
Thanks to Bigou for helping me with some of the translations.

Twilight had been told, after Blackout had suppressed her memories, the full tale of what she saw, minus some of the details. “For your own good,” Blackout told her. So while she was able to understand, Twilight took notes on that before going to write her reports.

After hearing about, and remembering parts, of the experience, she was thankful to Blackout for the suppression, she was also thankful for the magically locked chest she kept, that only she knew the correct spells to unlock, because otherwise Ovi’s ‘Gifts’ would be found rather easily.

As the days continued, Twilight found herself slightly fearful of where she would go next. After her trip to the Lust Hive, she was getting worried that all Queens had stories like that. Then she read back through Cytes’ iteration of Queen Births and thought it was just a Lust Hive tradition of some sort.

As she tried to find a way to scientifically explain most of Ovi’s Hive without including… A lot actually, Spike walked in and gave Twilight another scroll.

She wasn’t sure what she expected from Celestia this time, maybe she would send her to Acari’s Hive, or possibly some other Hive she never met… What she did not expect, was what she got.

It was an apology from Celestia about Ovi’s Hive, and saying that the next Hive was a bit farther than the others. Inside of the scroll were two tickets for an airship departing from Canterlot the next day heading to…

“Prance?” Spike replied. “But… Neither of us know Prench.”

“And with Rarity visiting her parents…” Twilight began. “Well, no time like the present.” Twilight’s horn lit up as she pulled over a book titled: ‘Foreign Languages and You’ and began flipping through it. “I know that I marked that… Ah, here it is!”

There are many workarounds to learning a full foreign language. One can learn the intricacies themselves or use any manner of magical assistance. The most common of this assistance is the Translation Charm. These charms can be placed onto any number of materials be them necklaces or rings. However, usually they are merely a small workaround certain aspects of the language, such as listening, speaking and reading. These smaller incantations all counteract each other, meaning that it is only wise to focus on one aspect of the language you require.

The only known full translation spell is a very difficult caster only spell and can be found within “Advanced Self-Mind Charms” however, due to the side effects of such a spell, Celestia has confiscated every copy of the tomes.

Twilight sighed. “Well, that was a bust.”

Spike nodded. “You would think Celestia would ha-” Spike’s cheeks puffed up as he released a burp, a green wisp of smoke condensed into a letter in front of Twilight.

“’My faithful student, I realize that you are going to a nation that speaks another language. The Queen has given you a translator and guide until you meet with the others. I am sorry I could not tell you this in the last letter, we ran out of ink.’ Well, that explains that…”

“So… With you having a…” Spike began.

“No Spike, I need you to come with me.” Twilight replied. “Won’t it be fun to travel to Prance? See the Equeel Tower and the Houvre, all the different landmarks and…” She realized Spike was rolling his eyes. “And maybe… You can get a nice gift for Rarity.”

Spike suddenly tensed up. “You think?”

Bull’s eye. “Well, Prance is a very high class country. I’m sure that there will be any number of things you could get for Rarity there. I’m sure that Rarity would be very grateful if you got her something.”

Spike tapped his chin before nodding. “Well, what are we waiting for? We have an airship to catch!”

Twilight giggled as she watched Spike rush down the stairs to begin packing for the trip. “Too easy…” She said as she levitated over her saddlebag and began filling them with supplies.

As she had everything worked out, she walked downstairs to see the door open, a white Pegasus with a poufy yellow mane and tail walked in, her yellow eyes looking around nervously. “Twilight?”

“Good afternoon, Surprise. How was the trip to Pinkie’s family home?” She asked the Pegasus.

“Oh… It was… Fine. Twilight, can I talk to you about something… Kind of personal.” Surprise asked. “I mean if you need to go somewhere I can always ask another time… Actually, never mind, I’ll just…”

Twilight sighed. “Surprise, I have plenty of time. What do you need?”

Surprise took a deep breath before being surrounded by yellow flames, replacing herself with a yellow winged and yellow-eyed Changeling. “It’s… Changeling related… and… You’ve been going to the Hives so I was wondering… Have you seen any others like me?” He asked, tapping his front hooves together. “I mean, if you haven’t that’s fine but I…”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m sorry, Surprise. I haven’t seen any other Changeling’s with your coloration. I promise that I’ll tell you if I find out anything.”

Surprise’s ears laid flat against his head. “Oh… alright…”

Twilight looked at the Changeling curiously. “How long have you been thinking about this?”

“Well… I’ve been thinking about it since I got welcomed to Ponyville… But I’ve been meaning to ask for…”

Spike walked up from the basement with a backpack full of Twilight’s back up supplies. He looked down at a watch and walked over to Twilight. “Twilight, we need to get to the station if you want to get to Canterlot by…”

Twilight looked down at the watch Spike was offering her and practically jumped into the air. “Oh NO!” She grabbed Spike in her magic and plopped him on her back. “Sorry, Surprise. I need to catch the train. I wanted to ask Queen Chrysalis a few things before heading off to Prance. Hope everything goes well!”

Surprise waved back as Twilight dashed down the streets towards the train station. Once there, she quickly ran on board before dropping Spike and pulling out her notebook full of the condensed notes and flipping through them. “Do you think Celestia would want an update while I’m there? I know I haven’t gotten around to finishing either of the reports thus far, there’s just so much and I don’t want to put the wrong information into the official report to Celestia.”

Spike sighed as he pulled out a few notepads for Twilight and slid them over to her. “Promise me you won’t be like this on the Airship…”

“I don’t know, Spike, Celestia said we would have a translator from the Queen, if that’s true, then I can get any number of questions about the Hive before I even get there! That would make it so much easier to get all the information I could need!”

Spike sighed as the train began to pull away from the station. “I wonder what Surprise is up to.” He said to Twilight.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine. Pinkie will help him feel better in no time. Now, do you think I should list these in Alphabetical, Chronological, or should I put all of the facts into different categories depending on it’s relevance and quantity?”

Spike sighed. “This is going to be a long day…”

To Twilight’s dismay, Chrysalis was not in Canterlot at the time she arrived. From what Celestia told her, Chrysalis had to handle a rather bad situation that had erupted within her Hive. To quote Celestia: “A few Changelings may be plotting to try and raid a nearby Pony town, she is going to make sure they don’t.”

So with that source of information gone, Twilight instead spent some time comparing her notes of the two hives. Finding very little similar between the two. Each of the Hives has their own style, preferred location, etiquette, almost everything was different. She had spent a lot of time reading through it that she didn’t even notice that Luna had raised the moon until Spike came to check on her around midnight.

Twilight’s sleep schedule aside, she had looked up the travel time for the Airship. If it left when it was scheduled to, and assuming it went at nominal speed the whole time, they would arrive by around seven at night. While Twilight would have liked to get there sooner, the only other option was teleportation, and that was a feat that only a princess or Discord could perform.

So despite that, Twilight spent a lot of the morning looking through Prench travel guides and maps to get an idea for a possible tour if she got the chance. By the time she was walking over to the airship Dock, she had managed to condense what would have been a normal day’s worth of walking and sightseeing, into about four hours of magic using and good detailed sightseeing. “-And then we go to the Notre Mane cathedral and…”

“Twilight, I know. This is only the third time you told me.” Spike replied.

“I’m just making sure, this could very well be the last time we get the chance to go to Prance, I don’t want to leave anything out.”

Spike sighed. “Shouldn’t you be more focused on getting information on the Hive, you know, the reason we are going to Prance.”

“I haven’t forgotten, Spike. First and foremost we learn about the Hive, then we see the sights.”

Spike nodded and looked around the dock. “Which Airship is it?”

Twilight looked up and around, the docks were full of Airships from all over Equestrian and even the world. A few Griffons were unloading boxes, some ponies were fixing up an engine, and plenty of the Airships were just sitting there, waiting to be used.

Twilight pulled up the picture of the Airship she was supposed to be looking for. It was a violet colored ship, the balloon emblazoned with an intricate weaving pattern of creeping vines and flowers. The Airship reminded her of the Griffish variants that were designed for a mix of speed and durability, only without the cannons. The main body of the ship was not the largest, meaning it was only really designed to carry small numbers of passengers, usually those that would have the money to buy the flight.

Twilight lowered the image to look around the area, seeing a ship that matched that description, she and Spike began to walk closer to it. It was then that Twilight noticed the symbol on the ship’s hull. The symbol was of a violet violin, the neck of the instrument pointing up, with an amethyst quill and lilac paintbrush crossed over the body of the instrument. As Twilight got closer, she realized that every small vane in the quill was detailed perfectly and every hair of the paintbrush was detailed, even having small drips of paint remaining on the brown hairs.

“Wow…” Twilight said as she looked at the details on the symbol, every time she looked again, she noticed another small detail she hadn’t before, the small ruffles in the quill, the way the strings of the violin popped out. She only managed to look away when she heard the Airship’s horn blow. She quickly grabbed Spike and ran on board the vessel, seeing a few ponies working on the deck of the ship before she ran down below the deck into the hull. She skidded to a halt when she saw how many ponies were actually on the Airship.

The ship itself, while smaller than most others, had been made with the Canterlot nobles in mind, the marble white walls and light golden accents that were prevalent throughout Canterlot were noticeable here. And the fact Twilight found herself in some sort of lounge area, a full table of food on the far side of the hall, an ice carving of a swan, and multiple different bottles helped show that this was not something she was used to.

There were about twenty ponies around the area, only about five that Twilight knew by name, all looking around and talking amongst themselves.

“Twilight, you sure this was the right ship?” Spike asked Twilight as he looked out at the ponies. “This seems a bit, high class.”

Twilight chuckled nervously. “Yeah… Maybe we should just…”

“Oh, Miss Twilight.”

Twilight looked over at the source of the call, seeing a white unicorn walking over to her, the light violet eyes looking at her in recognition. The light pink mane and violent eye shadow was picked up on by Twilight instantly.

“Fleur Dis Lee!” Twilight said surprised.

“Bonjour.” Fleur replied. “I am quite glad to see you made it, I was worried you wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh… Uh… Why’s that?”

Fleur grinned. “Come with me, I wish to speak with you in private.”

“Uh… Okay?” Twilight replied, she and Spike followed Fleur across the hall, Fleur stopping a few times to greet a few of the passengers before continuing down the hall.

“I must say, I was quite glad to hear that you accepted the invitation, I was worried I would be travelling back home alone.” Fleur said with a sigh. “Not that going home is ever a bad thing, but it is just… Boring to have only the aristocrats to conduct parle with, you understand, no?”

“I can take a guess… Though where is Fancy Pants? You two are normally inseparable.”

“Yes… Well, we can hardly stay together with out busy lives. I am due back home for a bit of business, and hopefully a bit of repos et relaxation. I can never be sure.”

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Twilight asked. “Because I should probably get off the ship before we pull too far out of the dock and find the correct ship before it leaves.”

Fleur looked back towards the others in the hall, before looking at Twilight. “Could you check my hoof for me?”

Twilight blinked in confusion before looking down at Fleur’s hoof, seeing a small purple flame surrounding the hoof. Twilight looked back up at Fleur in surprise. “No…”

“Oui.” Fleur replied. “This is the ship you seek. I am here to assist you once we land.”

Twilight was still staring blankly at Fleur. “You’re a-”

Fleur pressed her hoof against Twilight’s mouth. “Please… Do not say it… I do not wish for it to become common knowledge. It could ruin me, and I do not wish for Fancy to be struck by this…”

Spike looked at her curiously. “Why wouldn’t you want ponies to know that you’re a-” Fleur’s magic lit up as Spike’s lower jaw slammed shut.

“Please… I beg of you, do not speak of this to anypony else.” Fleur replied. “I… I’m not ready for this to be known to those outside of mes amis les plus proches.”

Twilight nodded and Fleur removed her hoof. “But wouldn’t that be a huge boon to your modeling business?”

“One would think… But I am more worried about what could happen… past that… I would rather attendes until it is a bit more normal in Canterlot to see Changelings.” Fleur sighed. “I also wanted to catch you before you fled off the ship, after all, the Queen spared no expense for you and your tracteur blindé, small as he may be.”

Fleur’s magic cut off. “Je vous remercie. I am quite sorry… Years of lessons tell me not to tell anypony.”

“Understandable. Oh Celestia, imagine what Rarity would say if she found out!”

Fleur sighed. “Yes… I can understand it is quite a shocking revelation.” Her ears perked up. “I must be getting back to the party, the others may wonder where I went. If you wish for a tour, I am sure one of the domestiques would be happy to assist. Au revoir!”

Spike stared back as Fleur walked towards the others. “Well, that was interesting… Are you going to put that in your report?”

Twilight shook her head. “I really don’t want to betray her trust… It makes sense, she is worried about the nobles, and Fancy having dated a Changeling wouldn’t go over very well in their eyes…”

A white Stallion walked up to them. “May I assist you two in some way?”

“Oh hello.” Twilight said. “Yes, um… Do you work on this ship?”

“Yes, but who are you two, you should be with the other passengers.”

“Right, well, my name is Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike, we were just talking with Fleur Dis Lee.”

The Ponies’ eyes widened. “Oh… My apologies Miss Sparkle.” The Stallion was covered in a purple flame before being replaced with a Changeling, his backplate a vibrant violet, with his lilac wings spread out. As he opened his eyes, Twilight saw them as a light Lavender color. “Please accept my apologies.”

“Uh… Apology accepted?”

The Changeling bowed. “My name is Helping Hoof, the Queen asked me to serve you however you require during your flight.”

Twilight blinked. “Um… Okay…”

“Is there anything you require?” Helping Hoof asked.

“Well, if you could give me a little history on the ship, that would be nice.”

The Changeling stood back up. “Very well.” He was surrounded in purple flame and replaced with his pony form. “While I cannot give you a very in depth description, I can tell you that this ship was commissioned by Queen Tettix for use between Canterlot and Prance, it was built by the Hive Queen Aburi.”

“Aburi?” Twilight replied. “I haven’t heard of her.”

Helping Hoof sighed and pointed at a nearby wall, the image of the crew that built it, placed there. “The ship is a luxury variant of the Falcon-Class Airship built in the Griffin Kingdom.” He pointed at a Raven and Snow leopard Griffin on the side. She was leaning against one of the other Griffons, her right claw was shiny and bronze, small metallic pieces were sticking out of the wrist, a screwdriver replacing one of her talons. “That is Queen Aburi.”

“What happened to her Claw?” Twilight asked, noticing that the claw wasn’t natural.

“That is something she refuses to tell us.” Helping Hoof sighed. “She and her crew built the Airship, and the Architects designed it to mimic the Castle halls.” Helping Hoof blinked. “I just realized, nopony has told you the name of our vessel.”

“You’re right, I never even asked what the ship was called.”

Helping Hoof smiled. “Then it is my great pleasure to welcome you aboard Le Cheval Volant. Luxury Airship between Prance and Equestria.”

Twilight looked around. “Well, luxury sure is right. Hold on… I don’t claim to know much Prench, but doesn’t Cheval Volant mean ‘Flying Hor-‘”

Helping Hoof sighed. “Yes… Aburi named the ship, she… isn’t very creative.” He shook his head. “So, is there anything else you wish for me to do?”

Spike looked up at Twilight. “Can I ask him something?”

“Go right ahead, Spike.”

“You got any gemstones?” Spike asked, licking his lips.

Helping Hoof tapped his chin. “Hmm… I believe that there are some gemstones I can get you Monsieur, any preferences?”

“Well, if you have any Emeralds, I’d love to get my claws on those.”

Helping Hoof nodded. “We also have some diamonds, sapphires, and if I am not mistaken, we have a fire ruby, perfectly aged from what the geologists tell us.”

Spike’s eyes widened as he began drooling. “Can you throw some diamonds in there, and maybe the fire ruby.”

“Spike, we don’t have that kind of money.” Twilight warned, she did not want a huge deficit in her balance, that could be disastrous

Spike’s ears fell. “Actually, Miss Sparkle” Helping Hoof replied. “Your expenses are to be covered by The Queen herself, she did not think you would carry around thousands of bits with you, so she offered to pay the expenses.”

“Oh…” Twilight replied. “Well, in that case, go right ahead, Spike.”

Spike’s eyes practically turned into Gemstones themselves when he heard those words. “Can you make it a large bowl?”

“Will a punch bowl fit your needs?”

Spike’s mouth began to drool at the thought of so many gems, all glistening and sparkling, waiting to be eaten. He simply nodded and Helping Hoof walked away.

Twilight looked back towards the hall where the rest of the passengers were still talking amongst themselves. She let out a sigh. “Come on, Spike. Might as well see what the rich enjoy about these flights… Even if I am going to hate it.”

“Come on lighten up, Twi. Maybe you’ll enjoy it?”

“I did say maybe…” Spike replied as the two of them walked in to the Hotel room. Twilight had spent a majority of the party sitting as far away from the rest of the nobles. All the while, they kept trying to talk to her, and during that time, the only thing she could think about was getting off the Airship. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand about her hometown, it was the snobbish elites who thought if you didn’t have an income of over a million bits then you weren’t worth anything.

“Spike, one of them asked if I was a stowaway.” Twilight replied. “Of course it was bad.”

“Alright, so maybe it wasn’t that good.” Spike said, causing Twilight to sigh.

“I just want a little time to relax before we go to see Tettix. Being delayed by that weird storm did not help my plans… Or my patience. I just want a nice, quiet night.”

“Alright, I’ll be quiet then.” Spike replied. “I know that this is going to be a stressful day for you, given what you were like after the last one…”

“I told you, I would tell you when you are older, and when I am willing to talk about it…”

Spike sighed. “Alright, I’ll let you get the bathroom first.”

Twilight felt better after a good night’s sleep, having a comfortable cloud bed probably helped in that respect. She got up, did her mane, woke up Spike, and then the two of them headed downstairs. After a light breakfast, the two of them wandered out to the main reception area, where Fleur was waiting for them, speaking with the receptionist.

“Bonjour, Miss Sparkle.” Fleur said as Twilight walked up to her. “Are you prepared to meet with the Queen?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t come all the way here if I wasn’t.”

Fleur chuckled. “Sans doute, now, before we may enter la Ruche, we must stop by the old Conservatorie de Prairiee.”

“Well, I’m not sure, I did kind of want to get as much done as possible…”

“It will not be a long visit, I merely need to speak with my old teacher, it is part of the business I must do while I am home… I hope you do not mind.”

Twilight shook her head. “So long as I can ask you a few questions on the way.”

“Very well, I can answer a few of the questions you have, but my rules about my identity must remain. Ma Mere would tuer me if I was caught here.”

“Okay. I’ll try to keep them… Basic.”

“Merci.” Fleur said with a sigh. “Now, it should not be too much of a detour, une demi-heure if that.”

“Alright, well, I guess the first question I have, is what made Tettix decide to set up here?”

Fleur chuckled. “Oh, it was a vast decision made by countless Queens, during the renneighssance, we were based in Equa under Queen Artifex. After that, we began spreading out and observing all the art forms that began popping up. Then before the Prench Revolution, everyony was following Prench trends, so the Queen at the time, Queen Ivoire, decided to build the Hive in Prance… So it became the main Hive complex… Up until the Revolution.” The two of them walked out of the Hotel as they walked down the streets.

Twilight nodded. “So, what happened afterwards?”

Fleur sighed. “After, there were many problems, growing in intensity as we went further, the spread out Hive collected their own styles of art and writing. Then we returned it here, where it was then incorporated into the Hive itself.” Fleur replied. “We have outposts all around the world, replicating artwork and sculptures to the best of our abilities.”

“What do you mean, you incorporate parts of art into the Hive?”

“We base our architecture on the various art styles, the Architects are very skilled.” Fleur said. “All of our artists are, they are such talented creators.”

“What class are you?” Twilight asked.

“Well, technically, Queen Tettix doesn’t believe in the standard Class system. Every Changeling has a skill they are proficient in, if we do not know their name; we call them by their class, all of us must work together for the retention of culture.”

“So you all know each other’s names?” Twilight asked.

“No, that would be ridicule no pony could memorize that many names. Only Tettix would be able to.”

“Why is that?” Spike asked.

“Well, Tettix is quite good at details. While her memory isn’t quite eidetic, she has amazing retention of faces, sceneries, sounds, and even voices. She even surprised Acari once. That was an entertaining day. Regardless, Tettix has a slight problem remembering names, not that she doesn’t try, it just takes her a little time to put the name to the face.”

“Fleur!” Both unicorns looked over to see a Pegasus run up to them. "Je ne peux pas croire que c'est vous, Fleur! Puis-je vous ennuyer le temps d'un autographe?” (I can not believe that you are Fleur! Can I trouble you for an autograph?)

Fleur smiled as the Pegasus pulled out a notepad and pen from her saddlebags, her wings flapping excitedly.

Fleur’s horn lit up as she took the pen and pad. “Bien sûr.” She took the pen and signed her name, creating curls across the ‘F’ and ‘R’ before levitating it back to the Pegasus.

The Pegasus’ wings flapped quickly as she let out a squeal. “Je vous remercie! Je ne peux pas croire que j'ai une signature de Fleur Dis Lee!” (Thank you! I cannot believe I have the signature of THE Fleur Dis Lee!)

Fleur watched the Pegasus for a few seconds before clearing her throat. “Je suis heureux que vous appréciez mon travail, mais j'ai un horaire je dois respecter donc…” (I'm glad you appreciate my work, but I have a schedule I have to keep so...)

“Oh! Mes excuses, je vous laisse revenir à ce que vous faisiez.” (Oh! My apologies, I let you go back to what you were doing.) The Pegasus put the pad and pen back into her bag and took off from the ground, flying off down the street.

Twilight watched the Pegasus fly away. “She asked for my autograph.”

“Huh?” Twilight replied.

“I have many fans here, but I do not return home all that often, even then, most do not believe it is me.”

“What did you say to her?”

“Well, of course I agreed and gave her my signature, then I merely told her that we had a very busy schedule. She understood.”

“It must be pretty normal for you to be flooded by adoring fans,” Spike said. “Remember when Fluttershy was a model for Photo Finish?”

Twilight groaned. “How could I forget...?”

“Ah yes… Miss Finish…” Fleur sighed. “Well, usually should I return home, I disguise myself, one of the positifs of being a chameleon is I can avoid the press should I need to.”

Twilight nodded and looked around the streets; a few ponies were looking over at Fleur and her, some asking their friends, looking at them in surprise. “I recommend we pick up the pace.” Fleur said, keeping her eyes forward. “Only a matter of time before they realize it truly is me.”

Twilight nodded as the two of them began to walk faster down the street; occasionally Fleur would pull her down alleyways or small roads where fewer ponies were located. After some time, Fleur stopped. “We are here.”

Twilight stopped and looked up at the building. “Uh… Fleur, you sure this is where we should be?”

Fleur looked over at Twilight and chuckled. “Oui, I know it doesn’t look like much.”

“Much?” Twilight looked back up at the building. It was rather plain, a slightly dirty looking tan building. It looked like an apartment building if anything. The stone lower to the ground was a slightly lighter color, but it still looks it should be in a poor apartment building. “I think that’s the understatement of the millennia.”

Fleur sighed. “Yes, I know, but it serves its purpose. I also figured one such as you would be familiar with the phrase: ‘Do not judge a book by its cover.’ Being around books all day should have helped in that respect.”

Fleur walked up to the door of the building. “This is the Conservatorie de Prairiee. One of many art collages within Prance, and the one that I personally attended.”

Twilight looked over the building again. “I’m not sure…”

Fleur sighed. “Come.” She said, pushing open the door. Twilight followed after her.

The inside was nearly as bland as the outside, blank walls with a desk near the end of the hall. The Earth Pony working at the desk looked up at the two of them as they entered, and his eyes widened at the sight of Fleur. “Fleur! C'est bon de te revoir!” (Fleur! It is good to see you again!)

“Salut mon vieil ami.” (Hello my old friend.)

“Que faites-vous ici? Canterlot est trop fantaisiete pour vous?” (What are you doing here? Canterlot too fancy for you?)

Fleur let out a chuckle. “Non, non ... Juste une courte visite. En fait, je suis venu pour voir si Mlle Blanceflor était dans les environs.” (No, no... Just a short visit. I actually came to see if Miss Blanceflor was around.)

“Eh bien, vous avez de la chance, elle est en pause.” (Well you're in luck, she is on break.)

“Merci.” Fleur said before motioning for Twilight to follow. “I am sorry for you being unable to understand what I am saying to Mes anciens camarades de classe.”

“Oh it’s alright, Fleur. I’m out of my element myself, and I guess you are as well.”

Fleur chuckled. “Yes, it is a bit strange… But I can handle this, compared to my first show, this is nothing.”

“I never heard about your first show.” Twilight replied.

“Oh… yes… It was épouvantable, I don’t even want to talk about it… I’m sure that my mother would be able to tell you if you like.” The two of them began to walk up a set of stairs.

“Oh… Well it’s been really well hidden.”

“Yeah, Rarity never told me about it, and she knows all about that.” Spike said.

Fleur blushed. “Yes… Well… I don’t like remembering it… It was a rather terrible time for me…” She sighed before mumbling in Prench. “Elle ne va jamais me laisser vivre que vers le bas ... La seule fois que je...” (She is never going to let me live that down... The one time I...)

She walked up to a door and sighed, a smile on her face. She knocked on the door happily. “Entrez.”

Fleur pushed open the door and Twilight looked in to see a light blue Unicorn with a goldenrod mane looking back at them. The unicorn gasped and ran up to Fleur. “Oh it’s great to see you again, mon étudiante. What made you come and visit me?”

“Just wanted to see the best teacher I’ve ever had.” Fleur said hugging the Unicorn.

The Unicorn looked at Fleur. “My, you’ve gotten big. Monsieur Fancy Pants treating you well I assume?”

Fleur snickered. “Yes, he does.”

“Well you didn’t have to fly all the way to Prance to come visit me.”

“Well, that isn’t the complet reason…” Fleur motioned for Twilight to enter. “This is Twilight Sparkle, she is here to see the Queen.”

“Ah… So this is Celestia’s privileged student. I hope you are enjoying your time in Prairiee so far.”

Twilight nodded. “I am certainly enjoying my time, though I wish I knew Prench…”

The Unicorn chuckled. “Yes, well my name is Blanceflor. I am a teacher here at the Conservatorie de Prairiee, and this one,” she poked Fleur, “was by far the most troublesome.”

Fleur smirked. “Really? Moi? What about Glamour?”

Blanceflor shivered. “Alright, you have me there… You clever Nymph you…” She sighed. “So I guess you want to use the Hive Stone?”

Fleur nodded. “It is still here, correct?”

Blanceflor nodded. “It should be in the basement, this entire idea Celestia has is making many of us a little jittery. Follow me.”

Twilight and Fleur followed Blanceflor out of the room and down the halls. “So Madame Sparkle, when did you decide to come to our Hives?”

“Well, Celestia thought that it would be a good idea for me to see all of the Hives. A new species being discovered in Equestria is quite a new development after all.”

Blanceflor giggled. “Yes… It is. I can only imagine.” She waved at the Stallion at the desk and headed to a side room. “Celestia has had many relations with us, but usually she keeps away from the Hive’s main complex, I suppose that is why she decided to send you.”

Deeper in the side room, she opened a small trap door with her magic and walked down the steps, followed shortly by Twilight and Fleur, who had to duck to get under it. “So just a quick question, these Hive Stones, are these the same as in the Medical Hive?”

“Yes and no.” Blanceflor replied. “Her stones are for quick teleportation between place to place, ours are modified, they are more pleasant than those ones… They also have less of the effects.”

“How does that work?” Spike asked.

“The gems take more time to work, and therefore do not cause the negative effects, but they are also scattered around and make you feel a little weak after. It draws on your natural magic after all.”

As the three of them hit the landing, there was a large amethyst standing in front of them, etched around the purple gem’s surface were images of flowers and ponies dancing. “Now you can handle the tour from here, Fleur?”

Fleur nodded.

“Excellent!” Blanceflor said. “I have a class in an hour, so I really must meet up with Lavande for a little break. Au revoir.”

Fleur waved back as Blanceflor walked back up to the trap door. “Excuse me Miss Sparkle, but you don’t mind if I go first, do you? I… Don’t feel comfortable with ponies seeing me in ma figure nue.” Fleur said, shuffling slightly. “Would you give me a minute or two before you follow?”

“Of course.” Twilight replied.

Fleur sighed. “Merci.” She walked up to the crystal and lit up her horn, placing her hoof on the gem. The etchings around the gem began to glow, the flowers almost dancing in the glow, as the etchings began to glow bright, the center of the gem began to glow before a flash shot out and Fleur vanished.

“So… Should we go?” Spike asked.

“No Spike, we should give her the chance to transform back. We promised we would give her a minute.”

Spike sighed as he looked at his claw in boredom. Twilight’s mental clockwork was ticking away the seconds. 45…44…43… “Why do you think that she wants us to give her time to change?” Spike asked.

33… “I’m not sure, Spike. She may have her own reasons. It’s none of our business, Spike.”

“But do you think there is any reason?” Spike asked.

“I’m not sure, but it isn’t our place to ask.” Twilight replied. 10…

“Do you think she has some kind of disease or something? Maybe it’s a weird birth defect, so maybe she became a model to cover that up?”

Twilight looked back at Spike with a glare. “Spike… Don’t say that about Ponies you don’t know. It’s impolite.”

“I know… But I’m curious. What could make a Changeling be afraid of ponies seeing them? None of the others have trouble with it?”

“We’ll have a talk about that later.” Twilight said before realizing she was on negative twenty-five. She walked up to the gemstone and touched her hoof to it, before letting her magic flow through the crystal. She watched the flowers and ponies dance in the light before the center of the crystal began to glow, and flashed bright. She expected the pull on her snout, but felt nothing; instead, she just felt a change in airflow and a slight headache.

“Madam Sparkle!” Fleur’s surprised voice said. There was the sound of a wisp of flame as Twilight tried to open her eyes, being met with a solid black mass in front of her, obscuring her vision. “Je ne suis pas changé! Accorde moi un instant!” (I am not Changed! Give me a moment!) She said quickly. There were a few more flame sounds before Fleur sighed. “Alright… I am very sorry for that…” The black mass moved from her vision, allowing her to see the Unicorn model in front of her.

“Oh it’s okay, Fleeeeuuuuurrr…” Twilight looked around the white stone area they had appeared in. “Uh…”

Fleur blinked before looking around the area herself. “Oh, you are not used to the Hive’s entrances looking like this?”

Twilight shook her head. “This is a bit… classy?”

Fleur nodded. “It has to be, in order to ensure that we are not located. In case they accidentally activate the gem. This is just a small section, the Hive starts past that locked door.”

Twilight looked over at it. “Just a lock?” Spike asked.

“Well, no. There is also a group of Acari’s Enforcers there in case anypony breaks through.” Fleur walked towards the door and opened it. “Après vous.”

Twilight walked up to the door and stepped through, noticing the few Pink-eyed changelings standing outside the door, two on either side. Twilight looked forwards towards the rest of the Hive, and noticed where they had come out.

Above the entrance to another tunnel, there is a sign that has two ponies posing on either side of the sign; the words “La Modélisation” were placed on the sign.

Fleur walked behind Twilight. “Follow me, Twilight. We need to walk through here and the Surrealist section before we can get to where Tettix is.”

Twilight nodded, her horn lit up as she pulled up another notepad and began writing on it. “How many sections are there?”

“There is a section for every art form and each separate section of those art forms. Film, art, writing, fashion, each one is divided into a section for each art form, some of the larger and more populaire art forms are given their own area. Such as Surrealist, which you will see as we pass by this one.” Fleur began to walk into the tunnel.

Twilight looked around the tunnel, seeing some purple membranes, behind which a few Changelings were standing in a variety of poses, each being looked at by another Changeling. Looking through another Membrane, she saw a few changelings and ponies wearing dresses, the Changelings around them looking over the outfits. “What is going on in there?”

Fleur looked into the membrane. “Ah that is the fitting room. Where the Models try on outfits and the Designers make sure it is just right before we have a factice show. It is a way to get the Models used to the shows before we let them actually take part in one.”

Twilight nodded. “But didn’t you…”

“We are not talking about it.” Fleur replied. “Here is where the Designers make their dresses.”

Twilight looked through the membrane to see Changelings looking over mannequins, magically held needles and thread weaving through the outfits, one of which looked very similar to something Rarity would design. One of the Changelings walked around the room, looking closely at the designs.

“How long would you say it takes them to make a dress?”

“If they are professional, they can create a dress in a few hours. But usually it is about a day.”

“A more, personal question, how long did you spend in the fitting room?”

Fleur sighed. “If I had to put it into a percent, I would say a good quarter of my time in the Hive was spent in there.”

Twilight nodded. “I can understand that. So what art style are we in now?”

“Modern Era, just past here we’ll see the older eras.”

As Twilight and Fleur continued to walk, Spike took pictures of a few of the Changelings through the membranes. Before they reached the older periods, Twilight looked down at a drawing of the symbol from the Airship. “Fleur, what is this symbol’s meaning?”

She levitated the notebook in front of Fleur. “Ah, that’s the seal of the Hive.” She said, her horn lit up as the symbol appeared in front of them. “The symbol of the Hive is a basic representation of the three main facets of the Hive.” The Violin lit up. “Music,” the paintbrush lit up, “Art,” the Quill lit up, “Writing. Each of these three pieces represents the mass majority of the Hive’s specialties. Each Hive has their own symbol, but we are one of the few that displays it.”

Twilight wrote down notes. “What are the other symbols?”

“I am sorry, I do not know that. I am not a Queen,” She sighed, “malgré tout.” She said under her breath.

“What was that?”

“It is nothing, Miss Sparkle.” Fleur replied. “Ah! Here we are.” She pointed to another Membrane, beyond which, a few Ponies were wearing what could only be described as old royal clothing, large puffed out skirts, ridiculous mane styles, way too much make up, and completely neutral expressions.

“This is where our Designers attempt to create accurate clothing for the centuries before. The Actors are also training here, seeing how dedicated they are to a role. They must stay there for hours without attempting to move.”

Inside the room, one of the Ponies’ legs gave out underneath them as they fell to the ground. The Changeling working on the dress called out to the others who ran over to check on the Pony. “Some of them pass out or get too tired, their legs give out, and even that is part of the test, seeing if they can retain their cover even when everything turns terrible.”

The Pony on the floor pushed herself up and sighed, talking to the others before the designer began removing the dress. “They take care to stop once this occurs, she will be allowed to rest for the day until she is ready to try again.”

Spike took a picture as Twilight continued to jot down her notes. The short tour of the Fashion area was still rather informative for Twilight; it showed her where the Changelings created the materials. They either purchased them or in the case of silk, they used specially bred fungus that clung to walls and ceiling, constantly taking in the magic of the caretakers and using that to create the natural hair that was then turned into silk. Something that Fleur had a rather strange knowledge of.

“The Fungus is fed off the magic of the tenders that care for them, that magic is then imbued into the fungus and used to create the fibers of silk. As the fibers grew out, the Tender’s collected them, and brought them to be woven into silk. The problems at first were caused from the Fungus being rather violent and draining Changelings that were trying to handle them. Then Queen Gothique decided to wipe them out and try from scratch. It took a couple more centuries before we came to a symbiotic relationship, the Fungus got food and protection from the natural moss eating creatures, and we in turn got Silk. This silk is finer and more durable than anything that could be achieved from other insects.”

“What did you use before the fungus?” Twilight asked.

“We used specially bred Pupae, though that practice has not been used for many centuries.” Fleur looked out at the rest of the hall and sighed. “We are at the Surrealist section…”

“Why is that so bad?” Spike asked, picking up on Fleur’s annoyance.

“It isn’t bad… It merely… Gives me quite the mal de tête. You will understand once I show you.”

Fleur walked up to the door separating the two sections, the words ‘Artistes Surrealist’ etched into the door.

Fleur pushed open the door and motioned for Twilight to step through the door, as soon as she did, her jaw dropped.

The entire cavern system was covered with impossible architecture, pillars that curved and twisted, some of which looked like large noodles, clouds walking on the ceiling, Changelings were walking around on their wings, seemingly unaffected.

“What?” Twilight said before looking up and noticing the ground above her, and looking down to see a sky. “What?”

Fleur sighed. “Yes… This is rather strange for those who are not quite familiar with it…”

“When did you get wings? On top of that, when did you get antennae?”

Fleur was standing in front of her, her horn having split into two antennae and her back opening up to reveal two dragonfly-like wings. “Miss Sparkle, I know this is confu-”

A Changeling flew up to them, its legs buzzing rapidly while its wings stayed tight against its body. “Afternoon, Fleur.”

Fleur sighed. “It’s Neuf heure du matin…”

“Yeah, like I said, goodnight.” The Changeling replied as Fleur’s tail changed to a large flower stalk. “So… We had to move the door again.”

Fleur sighed. “Where?”

“Uh… Twilight…” Spike said, looking at his claws. “Why do I have flippers?” Twilight looked back at Spike to see his claws were growing out.

“I… Don’t think those are flippers, Spike…” She said as the claws spread out and were attached to each other by thin scales. “I think those are wings…”

Twilight looked back at Fleur who was rubbing her forehead with two thin hairy legs. “Stop speaking in riddles…”

“I’m not!” The Changeling replied. “The door is at the bottom of the lake on top of the ceiling. All you have to do is climb through the hole in the cloud.”

“QUOI DU NUAGES!” Fleur shouted.

“That one in Winter!” The Changeling shouted back, pointing at the walking cloud.

“Qu'est-ce que vous voulez dire, insectes dérangés!” (What does that mean you deranged insect!)

The Changeling’s wing shot open and pointed down the tunnel. “It’s that way! Past the buffarinas, if you see the relaxing banana you went too far.”

“Merci!” She shouted back, grabbing Twilight and Spike before launching herself down the tunnel, her tail spinning around like a rotor blade as she quickly flapped her wings, causing all of the strange images to flash through Twilight’s mind. She only barely caught a glimpse of the tap-dancing Buffaloes before Fleur shot herself straight up at a cloud and they both heard the sudden splash of water. Fleur’s antennae lit up before the sound of a drain hit Twilight’s ears. She looked down, or up, she couldn’t tell anymore, to see the water in the direction of the drain being replaced by air.

As the air pocket reached them, they were thrown out of a door that slammed shut behind them with a burping sound. As Twilight’s head stopped spinning she looked over to see Fleur and Spike were both back to normal. Though she also noticed they were in a rather small room. “Where are we?” She asked.

Fleur stood up just as the door opened and a Changeling let out a surprised chirp. “Madame Fleur? Whatever are you doing in there?”

Fleur looked over at the Changeling. “Where is here exactly?” She asked as she looked up at her horn to see it still slightly covered in hair, her horn lit up and burned the remaining fur off it.

“Madame, you are in a broom closet.” The Changeling said, her horn lighting up and pulling all three of them out, along with a small broom. “How did you manage this?”

Fleur sighed. “We were in la section de la Discorde.”

The Changeling sighed. “I thought your mother told you to avoid that place. It is not somewhere for somepony like you to be.” She said. “Nevertheless, Tettix is waiting for you down the hall.”

“Merci.” Fleur said as the Changeling went on its way. “I am very sorry for that.”

“What was that? Because there is no way it is an art form! Nothing made any sense!”

Fleur sighed as she dusted herself off. “Yes… You see, that was the Surrealist section. Surrealism, or Discordant Art, was a popular art form in the time of Discord… and sadly… it remained so.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “But… The buildings… And the antennae, and the leg wings, and… And Spike! What happened?”

Fleur sighed. “Discord… For you see, Grand-Queen Kunst was stationed in Germane when the Discord incident occurred. Before he was surgelé, the Queen decided to get a sample of his magic, to make the Discordant section to be authentic…” Fleur took a deep breath. “Surprisingly, he agreed and gave a bit of his magic inside of a jar. Once the Grand-Queen released the magic, the entire cavern became what you see… A crazy plane of existence…” Fleur shook her head. “It hurts to think about.”

Twilight nodded and looked around the area they appeared in, it was a rather ornate hall, paintings hung on the walls, each one seemingly made for each of the Artist Hive’s Queens. The pictures of the right were all of the Queens themselves, while the ones on the left seemed to hold a picture of a normal Changeling. “Who are these of?”

Fleur looked at the paintings. “These are the Elder Queens and their Lovers, not all of who were Changeling’s mind you.”

Twilight looked at a few of the pictures before seeing a few Ponies beginning to pop up. “I thought that ponies and Changelings were not compatible.”

“Non, that is a common mistake, a fertility spell can be used on the Stallion or Mare to allow interspecies fertility, it was a very crude variant when it first popped up.”

Twilight blinked. “Does… that mean the Queen is related to ponies?”

Fleur mumbled a bit. “In a way… The sire was a pony, however the fertility spell makes it so that the only pieces remaining after are Changeling, so no, they are not related to ponies, they are one hundred percent Changeling. We are one of the only Hives that allows Queens to reproduce with ponies.”

Twilight nodded and continued to walk down the hall, looking at the names of the Queens and the Lovers, counting a total of five Queens that reproduced with ponies. As they came to the last painting on the wall, Twilight decided to look more closely at it.

The painting showed a Changeling Queen, her Amethyst eyes looking at the viewer, a violin under her chin with her long mane pinned into an intricate bun behind her, small purple gemstones decorated in her mane. The Violin was an ivory white with golden flowers working their way across the body of the instrument. As Twilight inspected the portrait, she became aware of a slight musical sound coming from the door at the end of the hall.

Emblazoned on the tall door, right in the middle of it, was the seal of the Hive; around the doorway was a polished marble, interwoven with gold leaf vines that connected at the top of each side of the door. Twilight began to walk up to the door, and could definitely hear a slow melody coming from the other side of it. Fleur walked up and knocked on the door. “Come in.”

Fleur’s horn lit up and the door opened, showing the Throne room beyond. A long lilac colored carpet was placed on the floor leading up to the throne, the edges of the carpet were decorated with golden lace, and the throne itself was made of a polished wood, a large amethyst placed in the center of the throne, etched along the throne were a variety of musical notes. Behind the throne was what looked like a large organ. Though Tettix herself was not sitting in her throne, instead, she was sitting in a small stool, a violin tucked under her chin as she sat in front of a wide array of musical instruments off to the side of the throne.

She turned around to look at them, a smile on her face as she stood up from the stool, allowing the violin to levitate next to her, never once missing a note or even skipping the beat. “Ah, Miss Sparkle.” She said as the two walked up to her. “It is such an honor that you have decided to join me within my Hive.” She gave a small bow. “I hope that you had a pleasant flight aboard my Airship.”

Twilight blushed a little at the bow before reciprocating it. “Yes, it was rather interesting. I am thankful that you allowed me to enter your Hive.”

The Queen nodded before looking at Fleur. “And I am thankful that you decided to come and visit, Fleur, you don’t come to see me very often.”

Fleur sighed. “I know… But can we not talk about this?” She shifted her eyes down to Twilight as if to illustrate a point. Tettix’s jaw hung open.

“Fleur…” She sighed. “Tu ne l'a pas encore montré?” (You haven’t shown her yet?)

Fleur shook her head. “Je crains que la façon dont elle va réagir si elle savait qui je suis…” (I’m afraid of how she will react if she knew who I was…)

Tettix shook her head in disbelief. “Tu vas lui montrer.” (You are going to show her.)

“Mais-“ (But-)

“Fleur, tu ne peux pas continuer à cacher cela, quel genre d'image serait que d'envoyer? Ils sont seulement un poney et un dragon, pas la totalité de Canterlot.” (Fleur, you cannot keep hiding this, what kind of an image would that send? It is only one pony and a dragon, it is not the entirety of Canterlot.)

“Mais elle va le dire Celestia… et si…” (But she is going to tell Celestia… and what if…)

Tettix looked down at Fleur and sighed, levitating the Violin back over to its stand. “Fleur, Celestia est pas une imbécile, elle a occulté le secret de notre existence depuis plus de mille ans, elle ne divulguera pas ces informations, sauf si vous le permettez.” (Fleur, Celestia is not a fool, she has held the secret of our existence for over one thousand years, she will not divulge this information unless you allow it.)

“Mais…”

Tettix held up her hoof. “Pas de mais. Fleur, mademoiselle Twilight saura ne pas communiqué cette information aux autres, sauf si tu le permet. Tout ce que tu dois faire est te révéler toi-même. Tu es une belle Changeling, tu ne devrais pas avoir peur de te révéler. Faites cela pour moi, s'il te plais Fleur.” (No buts. Fleur, Miss Twilight will not release this information to others unless you allow it. All you must do is reveal yourself. You are a beautiful Changeling, you shouldn't be afraid to reveal yourself. Do this for me, please Fleur.)

Fleur sighed. “Tu n'insistera plus?” (You won’t bother me about it again?)

“J'espère que tu apprendra à t'accepter avant que je meure, mais oui.” (I expect you to get over this before I die, but yes.)

Fleur just nodded. “Alright…”

Tettix smiled and levitated the violin back over. “Then go on.”

Fleur looked at Twilight. “I want to say, that I am sorry for keeping this from you… It is just difficult for me to think about how ponies would react, being in the position that I am and my proximity to Monsieur Fancy Pants… I thought it would be better to keep it hidden…”

Twilight nodded. “I understand, and I’m sure that it is noth-” There was a wisp of purple flame around Fleur, and Twilight looked at the Changeling in front of her.

Fleur tried to look away from Twilight, to shield her embarrassment, though the Changeling was the same size as the Model, her mane trying to mimic the style it held in her Unicorn form. Though one of the first things Twilight noticed, were the three purple stripes across her underbelly.

She let out a gasp. “No… You’re-You’re a…”

Fleur took a step back, before sighing and looking up at Tettix.

“Twilight Sparkle, I would like to introduce Princess Fleur Dis Lilium, the future Queen of the Hive, and my daughter.”

Twilight twitched. “You’re a… You’re a PRINCESS!”

Lilium took a step back, trying to make herself smaller, her ears pressed against her head as she turned to look away from Twilight, raising her hoof up to cover her face.

“That’s amazing! Why would you hide this? Think about all of the things that could happen if ponies knew you were a princess!”

Lilium’s eyes widened. “No. No! Please don’t tell anypony! I don’t want this to blow up in my face! Fancy Pants would be devastated by the backlash!”

Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?”

Tettix looked down at Lilium. “Tell her, Fleur. She will not understand unless you do.”

Lilium sighed. “I’m… Afraid of what ponies would do… I’m a Changeling, and on top of that I am royalty… You weren’t there when the invasion was over, you didn’t hear what those nobles wanted to do.” She shivered. “They were talking about any number of things… None of them good…”

“Well, that was back when…”

“She isn’t done yet.” Tettix said, pulling over a cello and twisting the keys so that the instrument was in tune.

Lilium sighed. “Oui, as ma mere said… That is not it… I may be a model, but I do not wish to have that kind of attention. My relationship with Fancy would also drop the negative press onto him. I could not do that to him… He does not deserve it.”

“So, let me see if I get this straight.” Spike said. “You want us to keep your identity a secret, because you are afraid of what the nobility in Canterlot will think, and because you are afraid of what effects it could have on Fancy Pants. So you decided to hide this from everypony for years?”

“Yes?” Lilium replied shrinking back slightly.

“Despite the fans you would likely gain from saying you are a Princess?”

Lilium sighed. “Fans… Might be the wrong word, I am slightly more worried about those that wish to… Procreate…”

There was a messed up chord as Tettix’s magic briefly cut out while she was tuning a fiddle. She let out a low curse and looked over at Lilium. “Fleur, is this about the suitors again? I swear, those two Stallions… If they ever…”

“Mom…” Lilium groaned. “It’s fine… I haven’t seen them in years, no need to get all protective.”

Tettix sighed as she fixed the fiddle’s tune. “Cannot blame me for being protective. If any Stallion’s bother you, Chrysalis will handle it.”

She sighed. “Twilight, please, simply refer to me as Fleur, I don’t enjoy being lavished with extravagance because of my title.”

“Alright… Would you mind if we take a picture of you?”

Fleur’s eyes widened. “Well… I uh… I would prefer not…”

Twilight nodded. “I’m just asking because I wanted to se the differences with the Queens and their daughters. I wouldn’t put down your name or anything.”

Fleur looked around the room. “D'accord. But I insist you give me time to change my appearance so that I will not give away who I am.”

Twilight nodded. “You have my word. We’ll wait.”

Tettix looked down at Fleur, “Do you want to speed it up a bit?”

Fleur shuffled a bit. “Oui…”

Tettix smiled and looked over at Twilight. “You may want to stand back a few steps.” After Twilight stepped back a bit, Tettix raised her hoof to her mouth and let out a loud whistle.

A group of five Changelings flew into the room and surrounded Fleur. One of them opened a briefcase that opened up into a vanity mirror, as soon as it was up, the lights around it flashed on as the Changelings began quickly working on Fleur’s appearance. Twilight barely got a look at the changes that were going on; one was working on her mane, another on her lashes, and another on her wings and tail. After the whirlwind of Changelings subsided, one of them levitated over a small crown, made of elegant silver with a floral pattern engraved into the metal, the amethysts were cut into the shapes of lilies.

As the Changelings finished, they looked over the Princess before turning her so that Twilight could see. Fleur’s mane had been curled behind her head, creating a small bun; her tail was straightened out while her wings were glistening, she ran her hoof across one of her bangs, pushing it behind her ear. She turned to let Twilight see her backplate, now covered in purple crystal dust, making the shell glint slightly.

Twilight looked at the Princess in front of her. “You look… Gorgeous.”

“Do you think I look too much like… well, myself?” She asked, looking at her body. “I am worried somepony will see through this…”

Tettix looked over her. “Relax, Fleur, you look beautiful.”

“I’m sure nopony would make the connection.” Twilight replied.

Fleur sighed. “Well, if you are certain… I suppose it would not hurt…”

Twilight nodded to Spike, who raised the camera as Fleur smiled at the lens, striking a small pose that showed off her mane and tail. As the magical flash of the camera caught Fleur’s form, Spike looked at the camera and gave a thumb up.

Fleur sighed. “Well, I think I am finis.”

Tettix nodded. “Fleur, don’t you have a job to do back with the models?”

“Oui, I plan to head there now.” She turned back to Twilight. “I do hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in the Hive.”

Tettix smiled. “I will do the best I can, now Lily de la Ruche, the designers are waiting for you.”

Fleur nodded and walked towards the door to the Throne room. “I hope to see you on the Airship back, Twilight.”

Twilight waved at Fleur as she closed the doors behind her. When the doors were closed, Twilight turned to look at Tettix. “It is great to finally meet you.”

Tettix nodded and pulled over a Cello and began tuning it. “It is great to have you here, but shall we begin with the questions, I still need to oversee a few preparations before tonight for the Palais Gallop, we are having a few changes made to the seating and light fixtures, I need to make sure they do not interfere with the acoustics.”

“Alright,” Twilight pulled out her notepad. “Well, Fleur gave me a few of the answers already… So the first one, does your Hive have any type of military? Because I didn’t see any.”

“No, we do not.” Tettix replied. “My Hive is based around art and culture, Military is more Pupa’s specialty, we rely more on Acari and Pupa for military assistance.”

She nodded in response. “So, I’ve been curious, have there ever been any High Queens from your Hive?”

“Yes, there was High Queen Pitura during the renneighsance. High Queen Lancifolium, who popularized the art of Flower Gardens.” Tettix twisted the last peg of the cello, rubbing the bow across the strings, letting the chord ring out. Satisfied, she placed the cello back before pulling over an acoustic guitar and began tuning it like the others.

“I am curious, how is a High Queen put in place?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I may not be the best to ask, I do not follow much of the politics, I prefer to keep out of that mess… Plus, Apath has been the High Queen my entire life, I haven’t had to deal with that. Acari may have the answer you are looking for though.”

“Well, in that case…” Twilight flipped through her notes. “How old are you?”

“Eight Hundred and fifty nine.” Tettix replied.

Twilight wrote down that number. “What did you study before becoming Queen?”

Tettix paused her tuning and smiled. “This.” Her horn lit up as she levitated her Violin over and positioned it under her chin, running the bow across the strings in a slow melody, her wings buzzing in tune with the instrument, as she went on, she slowly began picking up the pace of the beats. As Twilight looked over at the other instruments, she noticed them being levitated up by the Queen, each one playing the notes needed at the correct times. Twilight sat down to listen to the Queen as she did the job of nearly an entire orchestra by herself, Twilight could recognize the tune, it came from the compositions of Hoofgang Moztrot, and if she wasn’t mistaken, this came from one of his last pieces he wrote.

Twilight wasn’t sure how long Tettix was playing for, it couldn’t have been longer than ten minutes, but it was incredible to hear a single musician play what would normally take hundreds.

As Tettix levitated her violin back over to its case, she looked over at Twilight. “I spent years of my life studying the works of some of the best musicians in the world. I can play Bethooven, Moztrot, and Bach. That last one took a lot of time to get down.”

Twilight blinked before writing down the information. “Did you ever transition to other art styles?”

Tettix nodded. “I dabble in painting and acting. I’m nowhere near as skilled as with my music.”

Twilight nodded. “Now, what emotion do you primarily feed on?”

“We feed on Admiration primarily, Respect and enjoyment are merely secondary.”

“Something I have been wondering, how does your Hive differ in collecting History with regards to Acari?”

“Acari handles the facts and the reasons. They look at what happened, and why it happened. For instance, the first Prench Revolution occurred due to a food shortage created by the large gap between the Nobility and the peasants. But my Hive is responsible for the Art and culture, the ponies of the time and what they were thinking and feeling. The Prench Revolution was a large deficit for them, none of them had any good feelings towards the rulers, and strong willed leaders that did not like the king for different reasons urged them along. Their art and printings reflect this idea. Does that make sense?”

“Sort of…” Twilight replied, scratching her head with her pen. “You looked more into the effects on the ponies and how they thought, instead of the hard facts?”

“Yes… That does sound better.” Tettix agreed.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who was your mother?”

“My mother was Queen Chiaro, she was a painter that specialized in heavily contrasting light and dark colors. She is why I tried my hoof at painting.”

“I heard about Grand-Queen Kunst, what did she do?”

“My Grand mother was a writer, she wrote on the times of hardship that every Hive needed to face at the time, but used clever imagery to avoid the notion of our existence. She could weave quite the tale when she wanted to.”

“Out of curiosity, where do you get the bits to keep making all of these things, paint isn’t as cheap as it once was, so how do you keep everything stocked?”

“A fair question. Tell me, what use is Art?”

Twilight blinked. “Come again?”

“From a purely financial based perspective, what use is art? Let’s say, paintings, for example. They are simply various oils spread across a sheet, yet so many were willing to spend bits for them. So why would we keep them around?”

“To get a look into the past.” Twilight replied.

“While that is quite true, why do you think we would spend so many bits on preserving old drawings? Simple answer, you don’t.” Tettix winked. “Pick an art Museum, any Art museum! Chances are, they are owned by my Hive. You see, we are tasked with the preservation of the culture of each and every time period, holding onto the drawings, writings, and various other pieces of culture.”

“So… You think that Art is pointless?” Spike asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Tettix gasped. “What? No! I would never say that and honestly mean it. Art is self-expression; it can be used to see into the eyes of one living in that period. The hardships they faced, their fears, ideologies, common beliefs, even their diction is informative! It is one of the purest avenues available to anypony! It allows them to place their own talent into creating something marvelous, something ponies from around the world could see and look at. It can reveal your inner thoughts without even knowing it.”

Tettix was standing directly in front of Spike, almost leering at him. Her eyes scanned over him, pausing briefly at the large scale on top of his head, then looking over the others. She raised her hoof up to his chin and turned his head. “Hmm… You know, you would look good as marble…”

Twilight coughed. “Your Majesty?”

Tettix looked over at Twilight. “Oh… My apologies… What were we talking about?”

“How you get bits.”

“Right…” Tettix cleared her throat. “Well, we get Bits through admission into various art museums, selling some of our pieces, doing artwork for clients, and we cut out on costs by creating our own paints and fabrics from all natural materials. My own Changelings locate our marble, and our gemstones are located by our best and later purified if necessary. Saves us a fortune on importation costs.”

“I can believe that…” Twilight said. “Now… What exactly does your Hive do for Equestria?”

“In what way?” Tettix asked.

“Well, I suppose what good do you do for Equestria, like say, if you suddenly just stopped, what would Equestria lose?”

Tettix tapped her chin, a few string instruments making soft background music as the two talked. “Hmm… That is quite an interesting question. Well, one thing is the growth of the older art forms, retention of efficient and effective preservation methods… And lose some rather special artifacts we’ve held onto.”

“Like what?”

“And here we are!” Tettix announced. “This is where we keep some of the most important pieces of art history.”

Twilight had been asking Tettix questions the entire walk through the Hive, seeing a variety of different art styles. Watching as the architecture change as they walked through the halls. Transitioning from more modern art to ancient gothic and even, confusingly, all glass sections. The building in front of her was designed with a variety of different architectures in mind. There were gothic spires, Romane pillars, a couple of the Discordant pillars were here as well, but made more believable by the steel that seemed to be holding up the winding pillars.

“Come in, the interesting things are inside.”

Twilight followed Tettix into the building, groups of young Changelings being led around by older ones, Twilight picked up a few of the groups’ discussions.

“And here, we have the first attempt at a pony airship by Leonardo De Hoovsi, of course, if failed, and why is that?”

One of the Changelings raised their hoof. “It… Wasn’t durable enough?”

“Correct, however it was also required a constant flow of hot air to remain…”

Tettix nudged Twilight. “Come on, Madame Sparkle, the interesting things are this way.”

Twilight nodded and followed the Queen, some of the Nymphs pointing towards Twilight and whispering amongst themselves before being shuffled along by the others. “Why are there so many Nymphs?”

“We let them have little field trips around the Hive, expand their knowledge, see what is out there. They seem to enjoy it.”

Twilight nodded. “So, a quick question, what do you think the correlation between the art and the time it was popular is?”

“As I said earlier, Art is a pure form of expression by the artist, it is how they viewed the times. Discordant art arose in the times of Discord, when Equestria was under the iron…” She tapped her chin. “Would it be paw or claw? We never documented which he preferred… No matter. With all of the craziness going around, the art style began to reflect it. But it also created the Realist ideology, focusing on the basics of life, the solid matter, nothing fanciful or crazy. Like painting farmers or houses, getting really into the dirty style and focusing on details. Each style is relevant to the ideas that surfaced or were sustained in the era. It is all based around what the Artist thought or expressed, like a look into their minds.”

Twilight nodded and wrote down the rest of the information. “So what are we going to see?”

Tettix smiled. “Well, while there are a lot of interesting things to see in here, I think you would be interested in the artifact section.” She motioned to the hall they were standing in front of. “This is where we hold any number of relics from famous artists, writers, you name it.” Tettix walked into the hall, closely followed by Twilight.

“What kind of relics?”

Tettix motioned to the hall. “Anything you see here. For instance…” She walked up to a small case, inside was a paintbrush, floating in a magical field. “This… Is the brush of De Hoovsi, used to paint the Pony Lisa. And over there, we have Gallopleo’s first telescope and Moztrot’s own harpsichord. We have plenty of old pieces here, all taken care of by our wonderful Changelings.”

Twilight looked into one of the containers, seeing just a normal glass jar inside one of them, a warning beneath it in Prench. “What is this?”

“That’s the jar Queen Kunst used to contain Discord’s magic, sadly it is now contaminated with that magic, so we had to seal it away from everything else.” Tettix shook her head. “Anything else you would like to ask me while we look around?”

Twilight turned to the Queen. “Yes… If I could ask, who did you fall in love with?”

“No, it is no trouble. I fell in love with a photographer named Snap Shot. He was responsible for many of those sport photos you see, he was always doing things in the least safe manner.” She shook her head. “But he was a great stallion, though I will admit, being pregnant does some very strange things to my mind…”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I had a phase where I deeply craved the taste of bark from a Maple tree… I don’t even know why, it just tasted good at the time… Then there was the time I ate a paintbrush, a bow, that one Drum, a camera, and if I am not mistaken, I ate several cans of Tuna…” Tettix tapped her chin. “I wonder how Ovi’s breeder felt being a…”

Twilight coughed loudly.

“Right, not something to discuss with company, my apologies.”

“Twilight still won’t tell me what happened at Ovi’s Hive.” Spike said with a huff.

Tettix looked at Twilight and nodded. “A wise move, personally I still haven’t told Fleur about that… I feel she should learn before she ascends, but not right now, in fact I-“

A Changeling looked into the room. “My Queen? Are you in here?”

“Ah, yes. Over here Timekeeper.”

“Who?” Twilight asked.

“Timekeeper, he is my… What do you ponies call it? Schedule keeper. He ensures that I do not forget about engagements, often I get lost in my own world. He helps me remember what needs to be done.”

Timekeeper walked up to her, a watch around his neck that he opened and looked at. “My Queen, you need to be at the Palais Gallop in ten minutes for the renovations, and then you need to practice for the recital tonight.”

Tettix nodded. “Ah, yes… I will be with you shortly.” She turned to Twilight and Spike. “Now, I know that you were expecting to be with me nearly the entire day, but since I am a very busy Mare this time of year, I thought it would be good for you two to get out and see the city.” There was a wisp of purple fire in front of Twilight as two tickets were floating in front of her. “Tickets to the recital, I thought you would enjoy it. The Prench Orchestra is something many ponies want to see but few ever do.”

Twilight grabbed the tickets and looked at them. “These are private box tickets! I can’t just…”

“Twilight.” Tettix said, a small smile on her face. “I own the Palais Gallop, it was no trouble. Now, I know that you wanted to see the city, and with Fleur handling her own engagements with a few of her friends and employees, I decided to get you another Translator.”

A purple Pegasus flew into the room and landed next to Twilight. “Bonjour, my name is Loose Tongue, I will be your Traducteur for your stay.”

“Hello.”

“Now Loose, I expect you to answer any questions she has for you.”

“Bien sûr, ma reine.” Loose said with a bow.

Tettix gave a small bow, and transformed into a light brown Unicorn. “Au Revoir.” She walked out of the room with Timekeeper.

When they were gone, Loose gave Twilight a smile. “So, where to first?”

The day had continued rather well, Loose had been a cornucopia of information on not only Prench history, but on her Hive’s history. It was a surprise to find out so much about the buildings throughout the city. It made Twilight realize how much she still needed to learn about Equestria.

Of course, when the end of the day came around, the three of them had gone to the Palais Gallop, a building on the opposite side of the spectrum from the Conservatoire de Prairee. The building was intricately designed; golden statues on the top of the building and millions of small detailed points in the architecture. Supporting the roof were stone pillars that connected to the middle of the arches where the doors were located. Just below the roof were four statues of Pegasi. Down at street level, there were engravings that Twilight swore were portraits of famous writers.

As the entered the building, Twilight looked at the beautiful marble staircase. The entire room was covered in gold leaf that wove in and out of the stone, the ceiling held a beautiful mural that lay above their heads. As they had entered into the main theater, not only was Twilight surprised by the design and architecture of the building, she was also surprised by the number of Changelings within the orchestra.

The Orchestra may not have been an even split of Changelings and Ponies, but it was surprising to see at the very least twenty Changelings dispersed throughout the orchestra, and probably even more in hiding. Tettix was the conductor, and seemed to be fully in her element, simply bleeding elegance and knowledge as she conducted them, almost like she was feeling the music instead of hearing it.

Twilight loved the music, how it swelled, depressed, increased in speed, decreased. Spike on the other hoof, had fallen asleep halfway through it. Twilight had stayed after to congratulate Tettix and thank her, once again, for giving her so much in her time. But she knew what the next day held.

As she woke up, she packed up her writing supplies and various tools, woke up Spike, and had some Crepes, which were kind of like a very thin Pancakes. As the middle of the day came around, she headed back over to the Airship port, and got onto the Cheval Volant, prepping herself for a ride of isolation and work.

Before the Airship took off though, Fleur walked up to her while the other rich clients were still getting on, allowing them to talk a little privately.

“I just wanted to say that I am very thankful for you understanding the problèmes with me coming out and telling everypony…”

“It’s alright.”

Fleur sighed. “I know, but the stress… It is sometimes too much. Being Royalty in such a public profession… It can cause very bad situations… Along with being a insecte changeur de forme… I just worry about the press, you see. If they found out… I would never be at peace… There would be scandals galore… I’m not sure I could dump that onto Fancy Pants…”

Twilight nodded. “Have you told him how you feel?”

Fleur let out another sigh. “I have not… I do not wish to make any rash decisions… I am still young, only thirty… Normally we do not make a relationship until we are much older…”

“So why did you?”

Fleur tapped her hooves together. “You see, it is mandatory that a Queen know as many art forms as possible… I was sent abroad to study the art in Equestria. Fancy Pants and I met… And it just happened… I do not wish to burden him with the idea… But I do wish to give the gossip more fuel should I be found…”

Twilight tapped her chin. “Maybe you should tell him who you are.”

Fleur looked up at Twilight, her eyes full of fear. “But I cannot… I don’t know what that would do. I do not wish to cause more trouble…”

“I’m sure he’ll understand. Just lead him up into it. You told him you were a Changeling, so just build up to the point you are comfortable showing him your true form.”

Fleur shifted uncomfortably. “I do not know, Twilight… I am quite worried about this…”

“Just take it slow. Fancy Pants is one of the more level headed Nobles, I’m sure he wouldn’t leave you just because you got rid of your makeup.”

Fleur blinked, and then let out a little laugh. “I had not considered it that way before. I suppose he wouldn’t mind seeing me un peu au naturel.” She let out a sigh. “Thank you, Miss Sparkle. I will certainly take your advice, and should I finally decide to open up, you will be the first I tell.”

Twilight smiled. “Anything to help a friend.”

“Oui, now I must converse with the Nobility. I hope to see you later, and I wish you luck with your expeditions.”

Twilight waved back to Fleur before pulling up her supplies and beginning to sort through the information, she figured that doing work would be better than talking to the nobles any day.

Spike, who was sitting not too far away with a bowl of Gems, looked over at Twilight as he tossed a topaz into his mouth. “Hey, Twi, do you think Surprise got over those negative feelings?”

“Oh, I’m sure that Pinkie helped him cheer up. You know her, she would go to the ends of Equestria to cheer somepony up.”

“I guess you’re right.” He tossed a ruby into the air as it landed in his mouth. “I wonder if she took Surprise with her?”

Twilight snickered. “I’m sure we’ll find out once we get back. But I need to finish up converting these notes. You still have the Camera?”

Spike pulled the Camera that was still around her neck. “Right here.”

“Good. Because I think Celestia will want to see pictures of everything as well as descriptions, it would be terrible if I didn’t have that to help me, what if I messed up with the descriptions of something. I’m sure that Tettix would hate if I got the wrong coloration on the…” She looked over at Spike’s bowl. “Are you sure it is safe to be eating that many gems so soon?”

“Oh relax. What’s the worst that could happen?” Spike asked as he took a claw full of gems and stuffed them into his mouth.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Alright, but if you need to puke, do it away from my notepads. I still need this for my research.”

“Alright Twi, I’ll try, but honestly, I’ll be fine.”

“Every Nightmare Night says otherwise…” Twilight mumbled.

Before Spike could retort, the Airship lifted off the ground and lurched forward before leveling out at a constant pace, heading back towards Canterlot.

Joyous Hive: Part 1

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It was quite the shock when Twilight returned to Ponyville and Pinkie had actually given her a letter, one that she claimed came from the Queen of the Joyous Hive, Eupha. Which seemed incredibly difficult to believe as from what she found out, Eupha vanished and none of the other Hives managed to find her. So while her internal cogs worked on that, she walked back to the Library to try and copy everything from the Artist Hive into her Master copy.

She tried to put the letter out of her mind until she was done copying down all of the information. But her curiosity mounted: How did Pinkie get a hold of this letter? Why didn’t she know there was another Queen? Why didn’t Celestia just send the letter? These questions eventually wore down her concentration as she put a bookmark into both of the notebooks and put them down. She then walked over to the letter and picked it up, opening the envelope to a loud bang of confetti.

Twilight gave a sharp gasp in surprise. After being startled, she let out a small sigh and shook her head. Taking the letter out and flipping it open, after cleaning off the strings of confetti from the letter, she began reading.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I hope that this letter finds you well, I am writing to inform you that due to the recent events concerning my fellow Queens, I have decided to partake in this excellent chance to show the best that our species can offer. I hope that soon our two species may be able to cooperate openly without the fear that has persisted over us.

If you wish to accept my offer, I will gladly see you in one week’s time. I am quite a busy mare, and require a little time to clear up my schedule. However, as I personally have a streak of keeping my Hive’s destination off of any maps. I will tell you that the Hive is located near the border of the Badlands.

If you would like for me to send an escort for you at the train station, merely send a letter to my secretary, Invoice, at 45 Chestnut Street in Manehatten. She will get back to me.

Enclosed within the envelope is another letter, this letter will inform you of a few important objects I would like for you to bring.

I hope to hear from you soon.

~ Queen Eupha of the Joyous Hive

Twilight was pleasantly surprised to see it was done officially. All of the grammar was correct, the wording made sense, when she heard about Eupha, she was expecting Pinkie Pie’s writing style, so this was a good sign.

As she looked back into the envelope, she pulled out a second letter, opening it to begin reading it.
Twilight,

If you are reading this, then chances are you have accepted my invitation. On this letter is a list of objects that are deemed necessary or unsafe for you to bring. As I am well aware through the use of Shadow Drones, you have been bringing a young Dragon with you. While normally I would tell you the dangers of bringing young Spike into my Hive, you may bring him if you deem it fit. However I advise you against bringing anything that could create a flame, as such, I advise you inform Spike of this. Do not bring anything that creates loud noises, we have plenty of those here already, and I would prefer for our engineers to remain focused.

I recommend you bring earplugs or keep some kind of sound cancelation spell at the ready. If you do not have any, they will be provided when we move to the production and testing areas. I will answer any questions I can for you.

Hope to see you there.

Twilight read through the letters, still trying to figure out if these really were written by the Queen, as far as she could see they certainly were. They were written professionally and without even the smallest hint of trying to put a joke into the letters. It was rather interesting…

Twilight certainly did want to bring Spike, though the fact that it is in the Badlands makes it slightly less pleasurable for the Dragon. Though the Changelings had been living there for however long, so it may not be that bad…

Twilight looked through the list, she definitely had a silencing spell… Though it was only a bubble that blocked out all sound around it. It may not be a bad idea to study up on a couple of sound dampening spells…

But before she could decide to go and grab a few books to read through for sound dampening charms, she decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get an escort for her time to the Hive, and she needed to get a hold of a train map to be able to get there as soon as possible. She quickly wrote up a mental list and put the letters back in the envelope, walking down to the ground floor and beginning to look through the ‘Maps and Atlases’ section and began to look through for a map of the train system throughout Equestria. When she found it, she picked up the map and walked over to the magic books, pulling out Wavelength’s ‘Compendium of Sound Spells’ before walking back upstairs and opening both of them.

Twilight spent a few days looking through those books and over the map, plotting out the most efficient course using the trains, learning a dampening spell, and planning out a new set of questions for the Queen. She had figured out that the most efficient way to travel to the Badlands would be heading to Canterlot, and then taking a train that ran through the southeastern side of Equestria. It wasn’t a quick trip; the edge of the Badlands was the end of the line.

According to Eupha, and the maps that Twilight looked at, the city they were going to was a small village community just outside the Badlands, an area in between Equestria and the Minotaur Republic that was essentially a wasteland and had no current inhabitants.

Twilight had spent plenty of time making the new question set, as well as spending plenty of time trying to work out what was going to happen, trying to work out what to expect. From the letters, it seemed like Eupha was more professional than all the Queens she had met with, but there were stories that Haze and Blackout told her that said she was nothing like that. In fact, they told her she was more like Pinkie than anything else. If that was true, and she was the queen, Twilight would probably have to consider enlisting Blackout’s help again. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that though.

By the time that the day of her visit had arrived, Twilight had nearly her entire visit planned out based on the previous visits to other Hives. She had sent a request for an escort to the Hive, since she wasn’t sure what kind of security measures the Hive would have incorporated and it would be better to have somepony that knew where they were going. It also gave her time to learn what she got herself into before meeting the Queen.

As was expected, Spike wasn’t too happy to be pulled along on this adventure, but he was thankful that he had more than a week’s notice this time. He was glad to help Twilight, but the constant traveling sometimes wore down on him. Hopefully this would be the last one for a while, since Twilight wanted to get a chance to sort through the data before adding the last three hives.

Twilight looked up from her notepad to see the lush grass slowly dying, turning to a dried yellow, the trees became either smaller or more twisted, until showing merely the corpses of the trees as the terrain became harder and covered in cracks. Looking out the window, she saw the tall rocky pillars that symbolized the edge of the Badlands. She sighed and closed the window, the heat already beginning to build within the cabin.

“So, do you have any idea what we are getting ourselves into?” Spike asked, reading one of his Power Ponies Comics. “I know that you got some letters, but they have been wrong before.”

Twilight sighed. ”I’m not sure, Spike. I’ve heard she’s unpredictable, but the letters were written by what seemed like a professional businesspony. I’ve been getting conflicting information…”

Spike shrugged. “Maybe it’s her daughter.”

“Her daughter with the same name?” Twilight asked sarcastically.

Spike shrugged again. “Do you have any better ideas?”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know, Spike…”

Spike sighed and raised his comic book. “Whatever… This is your report after all.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m sure that Eupha will be reasonable… and hopefully easy to deal with…”

“So… How do we plan to get in? I mean the other Queens couldn’t find them.”

“She said an escort would be there to help me find the hive entrance.”

“Hopefully they are actually sane…” Spike mumbled.

Twilight pretended to ignore the dragon, watching as the train began to slow. A few seconds later, the train had slowed to a halt in front of a very old looking train station, it didn’t seem to have a roof, and the only thing that was there were a few metal beams and a beige earth pony laying on a bench, a small book open in front of her. Twilight gathered up her supplies and picked up Spike, walking off the train. As she stepped off the train, the Earth Pony looked over at Twilight before closing her book and putting it in her bag. “Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight looked at the Earth Pony. “Yes?”

The Earth Pony smiled. “My name is Eggshell, and I was asked to be your guide.”

“Didn’t you come to Ponyville? I remember Surprise telling me a bit about you.”

“Yes, I was. Eupha asked me to help him get affiliated with the Hive Mind. He did pretty well… Being the only grown Changeling in a room of Nymphs that can barely talk and practically communicate with spit bubbles.” Eggshell giggled. “Granted, at first, him using the Hive Mind was kind of the same…”

Twilight nodded, making a mental note to ask about the Hive Mind later. “So what is the name of this town? I couldn’t find any definitive name for it.”

Eggshell nodded. “Well, we call it Outskirts, since it is the farthest town in Equestria, right on the edge of the Badlands. In all honesty, the town has never fully been founded, it started off as a transportation point between the Minotaur Republic and Equestria, but it hasn’t been used like that for decades… As you could probably tell…” She looked up at the lack of a station roof.

“Yeah… I noticed that…” Twilight replied.

Spike looked around. “Where is the building?”

Eggshell looked down at Spike. “Building?”

Spike looked out over the nearby town, a few small building were made out of the standard building materials, but a few were built with the same reddish-brown stone as the ground. “Shouldn’t there be a big building for testing cannons?”

Eggshell blinked. “Wow… I knew Twilight was intelligent… I didn’t expect that kind of knowledge from a baby Dragon… Though I guess you are Twilight’s assistant… So I guess that’s to be expected.”

Spike puffed out his chest.

“Well, to answer your question, Spike. The building used to be above ground, but a lot of ponies took offense to being woken up in the middle of the night by loud bangs.”

“Understandable.” Spike replied.

“If you would just follow me, I’ll bring the two of you to the Queen.” She walked off the platform, followed by Twilight and Spike.

“So, what do you normally do, Eggshell? You mentioned the nymphs earlier.”

Eggshell nodded. “I’m actually a Caretaker. Number fifteen, to be precise. I’m one of those who help the Nymphs with learning. We are integral to the future of the Hives.”

“If you are that important, why aren’t you a specialized class?” Spike asked bluntly.

Twilight glared at him, making sure that he knew the intent behind the expression.

“Well… For one, Spike, it has long been held that the Caretakers must help teach and raise the Nymphs in the early stages. We are responsible for keeping the Nymphs safe, as well as giving them naps and teaching the next generation. Having another class based purely around the education would be cumbersome, plus the Caretakers can both care for the Nymphs while teaching them. Separating them would be terrible for us.”

“Well… I guess that makes sense…” Spike said.

“So, how long have you been set up in Outskirts?”

“About thirty years. At least, that is how long the Hive has been fully set up with everything working. We had a few scares here and there… But overall everything went about as well as was expected.”

Twilight looked around the nearly barren area, the tall stone pillars in the distance, representing the middle of the Badlands. The closest she had ever gotten to those pillars and they still looked far away. “Do you ever get Minotaur customers?”

Eggshell hummed. “I… I’m not sure… That’s more a question for the Queen or the PR department. I know that a couple live in Outskirts, but I’ve never seen them come to the building…”

“What about other races?”

“Griffons mostly. Aburi and Eupha have a pretty good relationship, since Aburi is the designer and developer of many of the military Airships for the Griffon Kingdom, though she isn’t as good with cannons. So Eupha and Aburi have a pretty good relationship. Oh and Viola sometimes comes to visit.”

“Who?”

“Mischief Hive, you wouldn’t know her. Though we do use the metal from the Minotaur Republic… So we have a good relationship with them.”

“Oh…” Twilight replied. “I suppose that explains why the Party Cannon is so durable.”

“Well… The Mark III and after were more durable, and created with that in mind.” Eggshell said as they walked into the main town, an Earth Pony watering a few plants, despite the almost barren soil. Guess their plant Magic comes in handy.

Eggshell waved at the Pony. “Morning, Till. How are the potatoes coming along?”

The Earth Pony looked up. “They are coming along wonderfully, another week and they’ll be ready for harvesting. You’ll be getting your share in around then.”

“It’s all right, Till, I’m willing to wait. I’ll be sure to make you some of that stew you love so much.”

Till smiled. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Eggshell smiled back as she said goodbye and continued to lead Twilight down the streets. Occasionally stopping to wave hello to others, and even stopping for a minute for a small chat with a Minotaur.

After another few minutes of walking, they reached a small building with the words: “Party Ballistics Incorporated: Development & Testing” on a large sign that spread across the top of the entire building. The three of them walked up to the door as Eggshell pushed it open. It seemed fairly normal for an office building: blank off-white walls, a couple of plants, which Twilight assumed to be fake, a portrait of a bright yellow Earth Pony mare with a wild grass green mane almost like the pony never heard of a comb, a large cannon next to her as she leaned on it. Underneath the wooden frame was a plaque that read: “Party Ballistics Incorporated’s Founder, Giggle Trousers with the very first Party Cannon Prototype.”

Eggshell walked up to the Unicorn working at the desk. “Morning, 35.”

The Unicorn looked up from the desk to look over Eggshell. “Morning, Eggshell. This her?” He said, pointing at Twilight.

“Twilight Sparkle, prized student of Princess Celestia. Yup.” Eggshell replied.

“Well, just had to be sure, can’t just let any old Unicorn in here.” At that moment, there was a light ding as a door slid open and a few ponies walked off with a cannon.

“Are you sure this is what the boss wanted us to do with this?”

“Sure as I can be, you heard her, she said that the entire frame is compromised. We need to scrap it.”

“But it…”

“It almost blew her head off when it fired. We are not keeping it.”

“Fine…”

Twilight watched the two of them push the cannon out of the door and out of sight. When she looked back at Eggshell, the Unicorn handed her a small key. “Make sure you bring it back when you’re done.”

Eggshell nodded. “Come on you two, we’ve got to head underground a few floors.”

Twilight looked at Spike, who shrugged, before the two of them followed Eggshell into the elevator. Eggshell took the key and slotted it into a keyhole below the floor buttons, of which there were four. “What do the buttons mean?”

Eggshell turned the key as both the key and the hole produced a dim glow. “Well, we have four main floors for in case inspections come along, or even when the occasional tour group comes through. The first floor is just the lobby; the second floor is essentially where the Engineers get together to talk about the newest creations, discussing changes and having meetings. The third is where we build a few prototypes and the actual products. The final floor is the testing ground for the prototypes or even just for the Party Cannons of old so others can see the advancements.”

“That seems like something I should take a look at…”

“Don’t worry, Twilight.” Eggshell said, pushing the top button as the elevator chugged into motion. “All of the best versions of that are in the Hive. Since we have free reign, we have the ability to build anything, and it is more efficient, since we don’t have to keep sound complaints or even the idea of somepony finding the plans.”

“So where are we going now?” Twilight asked.

“We are just going to the first lobby, it is set up like that so that in case a pony gets down here, they won’t see much before they get caught.” Eggshell replied.

“Oh… What is the Queen doing right now?”

Eggshell tapped her chin. “I’m never really sure… But I know that she was supposed to be checking on the newest created Cannons…” A soft ding sounded from within the elevator as the doors slid open. Twilight looked out towards a hallway with a few photos on display. The hallway itself was a fairly simple pale yellow. A few candy-cane colored pillars separated the pictures. One of which was of Giggle Trousers building a Cannon, the one across from it was of Giggle Trousers and Celestia, who had strings of confetti hanging off her body looking wide eyed towards the camera, a small neutral expression on her lips, as if she was unsure how to react. Giggle Trousers was laughing on the ground next to her with a smoking cannon sitting next to her.

Twilight looked at the picture. “When was that taken?”

Eggshell pulled the key out of the slot, placing it into her saddlebag before looking up at the photo. “That was taken when Eupha tried to get the okay from Celestia to have a patent for the Party Cannon. It… went well… Enough…” Eggshell rubbed the back of her head. “The Cannon misfired the Confetti when it wasn’t supposed to, showering it over Celestia, and Eupha… Well… She burst out laughing at the expression on her face. She managed to get the patent… And got a bunch of publicity for the next few months because of it. It helped get this company off the ground… Even if it wasn’t the best way possible…”

Twilight nodded as she looked at the picture before looking towards a couple of the other pictures. One of which had a small family photo of Giggle Trousers, a brown Stallion, and a small gray filly. Giggle Trousers was standing on one of her hind legs a party hat on and a small cannon in her hoof.

“That was the fake photo for when we needed to create the Queen’s next disguise.” Eggshell replied, she then pointed towards another photo of Giggle Trousers in front of a large building in Manehatten. “That’s when we managed to get the main building in Manehatten. Eupha had a huge party that day.”

“What are parties like around here?” Spike asked. “If Pinkie Pie’s parties are crazy, what is it like here?”

Eggshell giggled. “You’ll find out later. It is difficult to explain… Mostly because my job is actually to keep a lot of the parties away from the nursery… Can’t have them messing with the Nymphs…” She shook her head. “Anyway, the Hive is just over here. We had quite the time soundproofing this section so that in case we had a party, the ponies couldn’t hear it.”

Twilight nodded as she walked down the hall, looking at the pictures of the aging Earth Pony as her daughter grew and continued to build the cannons. The last photo was of an obviously aged Earth Pony with the gray mare. “Straight Face, Eupha’s current disguise. She decided to make it the polar opposite of her other form, making her a pure businesspony, not phased by much. It worked fairly well.”

“How so?”

“Well, Eupha is often a bit… Verbal and active. More so than many ponies. So that would cause the company to come under fire quickly… So Eupha decided to change it up… So she would be the exact opposite, and it worked.”

“Interesting…” Twilight replied. “Has Eupha talked to the Queens yet?”

“Yes she has, that was a… Very stressful meeting…” Eggshell replied. “From what I heard, both Pupa and Acari were ready to shout her ear off… Even Apath was questioning her methods.” Eggshell walked up to a couple of doors and pushed one open. “Caretaker 15, Eggshell, bringing Twilight Sparkle into the Hive.”

“Very well, you may enter.” A Changeling said beyond the door.

Eggshell turned back to Twilight and Spike. “You may come in now.”

Twilight and Spike looked at each other before walking through the door, seeing two yellow-eyed Changelings wearing dark yellow armor, a cannon with what looked like a collection of eight black spheres sprouting out of the end of the barrel. The Guards eyed Twilight as she walked past them; one of the Guards pulled a small lever on the Cannon, which Twilight was hoping deactivated it.

As she looked out towards the rest of the Hive, she noticed the familiar structures, caverns almost everywhere, a few Changelings flying around, a couple sealed off rooms with Changelings on the other side, all sitting around a table talking.

“Huh… I was kind of expecting a bit more… Disorder.” Twilight said looking around.

“Well…” Eggshell replied unsure how to answer. “This is only the top layer of our Hive, meant for the engineers and organizers to meet in order to talk about what they need built or any ceremonies that are coming up.”

Twilight followed Eggshell through the corridors of the Hive, stopping occasionally to look into a few of the rooms. The first one had the Changelings looking over blueprints for something that Twilight couldn’t quite make out. The next one had a Changeling standing on the ceiling while reading over some plans; the next room had a few Changelings looking at a dismantled cannon. The very last room Twilight looked into had a large drawing of a Cake drawn on a chalkboard, the recipe for said cake was written next to it.

Spike was just looking around at this point, barely taking anything into memory, when he had been told about this Hive; he figured it would be more interesting than a couple meetings taking place.

“Why is the first level set up like this?” Spike asked, looking into another room where Changeling was sitting on an upright wheel while looking at the plans of a bicycle.

Eggshell looked back at the Dragon. “Well, it is set up like this so that in case we do have intruders, they wouldn’t see much. Those Guards are actually our first line of defense, those cannons they have are meant to fire out a net that is attached to those spherical weights. The net has been enchanted so that it saps the strength of any pony trapped underneath it, both magical and physical.”

“What do you do with the prisoners?” Twilight asked.

“Usually? Well, normally we would just wait for the net to sap their strength and then move them back to their homes, we drain some of their emotions so that when they wake up, they have a really bad hangover and assume the whole thing was some weird trip.”

“That works?”

“You’d be surprised.” Eggshell replied. “Though not many ponies get down here and if they see too much, we would normally bring them to the nearest Just Hive outpost to have the memories erased.” Eggshell said, leading them down a tunnel that eventually got them to a large hole in the ground.

“Well, I guess we had better head back then.” Twilight said, looking down the hole.

“No, we’re going the right way.” Eggshell said, taking a few steps back from the hole.

“How? All I see is this hole and…” Eggshell ran forward, hopping off the edge and falling into the darkness below. “Dark…”

The two of them stood staring down the hole for about thirty seconds before Twilight’s horn lit up and planted Spike onto her back. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Spike asked, looking down the hole.

“No…” Twilight replied, finding a small stone and pushing it off the edge, straining her ears to listen for a light clink, but all she got was a small plop after a couple seconds. After a few quick calculations in her head, she came up with the idea that it was either a ten to twenty foot drop. “Just hold on, I’m going to need to use a gravity spell just in case this is a bigger drop than I think… Just… Don’t let go.”

Spike nodded and tightened his grip as Twilight sighed and began trying to remember the spell. She hadn’t studied them, as much as she would have liked, the next thing on her list was a reversal spell, but so far she only had a small spell that only slightly reduced the effects. She took a deep breath as her horn lit up before it sparked wildly at the strain; her body was covered in an aura of magic before she looked down at her hooves to see them glowing lightly. “I’m going to need to practice these a little more when we get back.” She stepped towards the hole and looked down, reaffirming the fact that it was a large empty hole. She looked back at Spike. “You ready?”

Spike nodded as his claws griped a little tighter. Twilight inched towards the edge and took a deep breath, before defying everything her survival instincts were telling her and leaping off the edge. Both her and Spike let out a yell as they fell, Twilight wasn’t sure how long they fell, but she thought it couldn’t have been longer than two seconds…

Twilight heard a splash as she opened her eyes, finding herself being covered in liquid and being carried away by it. She continued to shout as she was pulled along with the current. While not much water, if she was standing, she figured it would only come up to her knees, there was some kind of slippery material helping her get carried away. The rapids pulled her through a couple loops, turning harshly to the right and left at differing intervals, the pitch blackness did almost nothing to help soothe the idea she was inside some giant creatures mouth, and neither did the sounds coming from below her; a mixture of shouting and what Twilight’s mind thought was a beating heart. What felt like a minute passed, the sounds growing louder equal to Twilight’s heart pounding faster, before the surface she had been rushed along suddenly fell away from her before she heard a splash and felt Spike fall from her back before she fell face first into the strange liquid.

She quickly raised her head and took a deep breath before raising her hooves to wipe away the strange feeling liquid from her eyes. “About time you jumped down.”

Twilight managed to wipe away the substance and looked up to see Eggshell standing outside of a small pit, in which both Spike and Twilight were sitting in. Twilight also recognized the sounds she heard before, they weren’t screaming or shouting, it was cheering, and the pounding was just music with a lot of bass. Large multi-colored lights were swinging back and forth inside the room. The pit they were in had a multitude of glowing yellow crystals on poles, casting illumination over the area the three were in.

Twilight looked down at herself, seeing it covered in a brown sticky substance. She let out a sigh, “At least we’re alive… And covered in,” she looked back at where she had fallen from to see a yellow slide, that was releasing water. “Mud?”

Spike looked at his claws, which were covered in the mud, he raised them up to his nose and sniffed. “I don’t think this is mud…” he moved one of his claws to his mouth and licked it.

“Spike! That’s gross!” Twilight shouted as Spike continued to lick the mud off his claws.

“Twilight, it isn’t mud. It’s frosting.”

Twilight blinked before she looked at a bit of the brown substance in her hoof, raising it up to her mouth and taking a small lick. “Huh… So it is…”

Spike continued to lick the frosting off his claws as Eggshell giggled. “Sorry about not telling you about the slide, I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

Twilight looked around the area, noticing that the music was actually rather quiet, seeing the crystal poles actually generating some kind of field that surrounded just outside the pit. “Is there somewhere I can clean off?”

Eggshell nodded. “The field here will clean it off, and don’t worry, it is completely sanitary. We clean the pit every half hour when we have a party and we made sure that it was cleaned before your arrival. I flew over it so don’t worry about me contaminating it.”

Twilight looked back at Spike, who was still licking off the frosting. “I’m good, thanks…” She stood up and walked towards Eggshell, stepping up to the level she was on. Twilight turned to see Spike taking a handful of the frosting and shoving it into his mouth; she rolled her eyes and used her magic to pull him out of the pit. “I don’t want you being hyper on the way back. Remember what happened last time?”

“I was being careful.” Spike retorted.

“Shoveling claw-full’s of frosting into your mouth is not being careful.” Twilight replied. “Maybe if you are good, I’ll get you something when we get home.”

Spike sighed. “One time…”

“Dragon puke is not easy to clean out of your coat, even with magical assistance.”

Eggshell looked between the two curiously. “Well… I’m sure there is a colorful story there… But would you like me to lead you to the Queen now?”

Twilight nodded as she looked out towards the party going on passed the small bubble, while she had seen a smallish party inside the Medical Hive, there was no denying this was bigger…

Along with the Changelings dancing on the ground, Many Changelings were actually dancing on the walls and ceilings, even in the air, it seemed like they were mostly just flailing their legs around in the air, without any real finesse to it… Then again, she couldn’t really say she knew how to dance. But on top of even the Changelings in the air, there were the Changelings swinging on lights. I hope those are secured…

Eggshell, noticing her slight distress and curiosity, looked up at the Changelings. “Don’t worry, Twilight, those lights are secured with enough materials that you would need an elephant to pull it down. Oh… and… You may want to cover your ears…”

“Why?” Spike asked.

“Well… Wave loves to… Play his music loud… Just follow me, closely… Because I’m going to get rid of my ears.”

Twilight looked back at Spike, her horn lit up as a small bubble formed around the two of them. She nodded at Eggshell whose ears were covered in a yellow flame as they vanished; she then walked out of the bubble, quickly followed by Twilight.

The instant she passed the small darkened bubble around the pit, she was glad she put up the bubble, as even despite the Bubble of Silence, a rather crude version of it that only blocked sound coming in, she could definitely hear that music. How any Changeling could listen to this was incredible to her, the rise and fall of the bass was clearly pounding within her head, and she just continued to follow Eggshell at a quick pace, a few times a Changeling would stumble into the bubble and one changeling fell flat on his face. She simply stepped over him gingerly before hurrying to catch up to Eggshell.

When she was able to, she glanced over at the Changeling at the DJ table, seeing a yellow-winged Changeling, his blue glasses holding a small green line across them that followed the changing volume of the music, why it wasn’t just peaked at all times confused Twilight, as her ears and skull would say that it was far beyond normally acceptable volume.

As they walked through the rest of the crowd, they both came up to a thick membrane, Eggshell looked back at Twilight and, seeing she was still close, Eggshell’s horn lit up and the membrane split apart. Both of them quickly walked through the membrane before Eggshell closed up the membrane, sealing the sound back inside the other room. Two wisps of flame appeared at the top of Eggshell’s head as her ears returned as Twilight dropped the bubble of silence.

Eggshell raised her hoof up to her ear and rubbed it. “Ow… I forgot how much pain those sounds cause…” She rubbed at her other ear. “That is why I stay out of those rooms. I hate that Changeling…”

“Is that usual for him?” Twilight asked as Spike tried to clean out his ears.

“Yes… Personally, I think he is half deaf. Eupha planned to have him go to Cytes to look at his ears. We just can’t figure it out on our own and even if we could, we can’t do anything about it.”

“Are there any other rooms like that?” Twilight asked, rubbing her own ears as the pounding in her head abated.

“Like that specifically, not really. There are others, but they aren’t Raves. They are much calmer and a lot less noisy. There is one just up here if you want to check it out really quick.”

“What about getting to Eupha?” Twilight replied. “I would hate to keep her waiting.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that she would understand. She is basically the Queen of distractions… Which happens a lot if she isn’t focusing.” Eggshell replied with a sigh. “Just follow me, it is on the way.”

Twilight nodded as she followed Eggshell down the corridor, taking out her notepad and took some notes. A couple minutes later, they stopped outside another membrane. Looking in, Twilight saw a room full of about thirty Changelings. The room was covered in balloons and streamers, there was a table of food and a punch bowl, with the Changelings all talking or dancing in the middle of the room, a couple Changelings were looking over the food while talking to each other. It seemed a lot more like something she would see in Ponyville, a rather large get together.

A couple of Changelings walked out of the room. “Get out of here!”

“I’m serious, he swallowed it!” The Changeling said.

The other changeling began laughing. “What happened when it popped?” The Changeling asked in a female voice.

The other Changeling snickered. “Before I tell you that… When he swallowed it, his neck extended by a good foot as he tried to push it down.”

“Oh… He’s an idiot… I would have spat it out.”

“Can’t give him credit for not going through with his mistakes.”

“Now, tell me what happened later.” The female Changeling said.

“Well, it didn’t pop, but when he finally got it out, lets just say he flew around the room when he let it out.” The Changeling winked.

The Changeling mare laughed. “Oh Eupha, I’m never letting him live that down!”

“I thought you wouldn’t… Oh… Hi…” Both Changelings looked at Eggshell and Twilight.

Eggshell gave the two a small wave before they both sighed. “What did she do?”

Eggshell blinked. “Oh, no she’s fine.”

“I know she did something… What was it?” the Mare asked.

Eggshell rubbed the back of her neck. “Well… She did have a… tiny accident involving… Well… Involving a pop-Cannon… But everyling was okay! All the Nymphs are fine, and we had a loooooong talk with her afterwards about aiming it at somepony’s eye.”

The mare shook her head. “I swear… I blame my husband for her. He is just as obsessed with those things as she is…” She grumbled something. “Sorry, Spring. I wanted to spend a little more time with you; I miss catching up. But I need to go and have a very stern talk with my husband…” She let out a sigh. “Anyway, good luck to you three, and special luck to you, Sparkle.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait… Why me?”

“My husband told me a few things…”

“How do you know my name?”

“Eupha’s been preparing for your arrival, I won’t say how, but you will need that extra luck.” She said. “As for your name, we all know by now.” She walked off waving back at them. “Bye, guys.”

Spring waved back at her. “See ya later, Fuse!” He said. “So… I’ve got to go… Things to do, places to go, gotta get those spring shoes finished.” Spring’s horn lit up as four large springs appeared under his hooves as he bounced off.

Twilight watched as the Stallion hopped away before turning to Eggshell. “Pop-Cannon?”

Eggshell sighed. “It’s a foal’s toy… it makes a little popping sound… It isn’t supposed to be dangerous… But when it is aimed at somepony’s eye… It can cause a wide variety of injuries, luckily it only grazed the eye.”

Twilight nodded. “What would you do if it were worse?”

Eggshell took a deep breath and let out a stream of air. “Well… That is where we have trouble… Caretakers are meant to be the first to react to a Nymph’s needs and the last to defend them. We are also supposed to be the best medical staff for them within the Hive. The only problem is… We aren’t the Medical Hive.” Eggshell began walking down the hall. “I’ll tell you as we walk.”

Twilight quickly caught up to her and slowed down to keep up with her pace. “So… What do you mean?”

“Well, like I said, we are supposed to be the last defense for the Queen and the Nymphs. We are trained with basic medical skills and magic. So say… If a Nymph sprained their hoof, we knew what to do, or even if they cut their chitin or get a crack on their backplate, we can handle it. But anything deeper than that… Like say if something is stuck in their eye, we only have two options: hope to the Queen that our Nurses and other Hive medical staff can handle it, or we need to rush them to the nearest Medical Hive outpost.” She let out a sigh. “Now… When we are trying to stay hidden, that second one is off limits… So we have to just hope that our own medical staff can handle it…”

“Did you have any issues?” Twilight asked as the two of them walked into an open chamber, the walls being replaced with red and white striped colors.

“We had a couple scares… A Nymph breaking their wings, a couple cracked headplates, but the worst was when a Nymph had a…”

“INCOMING!”

Both Eggshell and Twilight looked over towards the voice to see a Changeling rolling on a large blue ball that was currently barreling towards them. Both of them let out a gasp as they jumped out of the way, leading to the Changeling slamming into the wall and sliding down as the ball continued to roll down the hall.

A few more Changelings ran over. “Oh no…” One of them ran over to the Changeling. “Are you alright?” She said, turning the Changeling over as his eyes had small swirls in them, his tongue lolling out.

“Yes, I’d like some noodles… Put them right on the pizza sandwich…” The Changeling said, clearly out of it. “I’ve got to get ready for the Canterlot in Bug cage… All the moose will be there…”

The mare sighed. “Of course…”

The Changeling shook his head. “Whoa… I hit that wall pretty hard…” He looked around where he was now being held up. “Where’d the ball go?”

One of the other Changelings pointed down the hall, as Twilight looked down it, she saw a Changeling quickly jump to the side, cuddling a small yellow egg as she landed on her side. She quickly checked the egg before shooting a glare down the hall.

“SORRY!” The Changeling shouted down the hall, earning him a headshake and what Twilight would assume would be a very disgruntled Caretaker. “We… Should probably stop that…”

The Changeling Mare kept him down. “No, I need to check to make sure you are okay.” She looked back at the other two Changelings. “Could you two handle the issue…”

Both of the Changelings nodded and flew down the hall, chasing after the large ball. The Mare sat the Changeling down and looked at the back of his head. “What were you thinking, Carnie?”

“Well… I always see the others doing stuff like that. I figure- ow…” The Changeling replied.

“They were specifically trained for that. You’re a trapeze artist for Eupha’s sake!”

“Same princi- Ow!” He said, moving his hoof to the back of his head. “You are doing that on purpose.”

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” She replied. “You had to try this today? On the same day Twilight Spar-” The Changeling stopped as she looked up from the Changeling to see Twilight. “-kle…”

Twilight gave a small smile and waved.

The Changeling twitched a bit before looking between her and the Changeling, then looked back down the hall. “O-oh… M-Miss Sparkle!” She pulled the Changeling up, eliciting a small ‘ow’ from the Changeling. “I-I’m so sorry, I should have stopped the three of them before they went through with it. I shouldn’t have let that Bullhead talk me into it.”

“Oh, it’s all right. No harm, no foul.” Twilight replied, giving the Changeling a smile.

“Again, I’m sorry for this, I-I’ll try to keep track of them next time…” She grabbed the other Changelings hoof and began pulling him down the hall.

“Hey, where are we going?”

“To the Medic’s, I think you have a concussion…” The two Changelings continued to talk as they were hurried down the hall.

As they left, Twilight watched the two of them before letting out a deep breath before pulling out her notepad. “So… What was that?”

Eggshell turned from the two Changelings to look back at Twilight. “That was a couple of the circus performers, I think that was Tightrope… He is a skilled Trapeze artist, and the mare was a fire juggler named Firefly. Usually they are a bit better about safety, especially Fire…”

“Well… I guess that I should have been expecting a few to be like… Somepony I know…” Twilight grumbled. “Though that is not important. How many Changelings would you say are in carnivals like that?”

“Plenty.” Eggshell replied. “It isn’t just a Joyous Hive business either. We need plenty of help from the other Hives around the world. The Natural Hive help us with some of the animals, the Chance Hive help us have plenty of those annoying games everypony yells at us for. And then there’s the…”

There was a loud clang as a Changeling stumbled out of tent with a large metal bucket on their head. Another Changeling rushed out after it. “Heart! Heart! Stop moving! I need you to hold still so I can get the bucket off!”

Heart tried to talk, but it just came out as a mumble. The other Changeling rushed up and planted Heart on the ground. “Okay… 1… 2…” The Changeling began struggling against the bucket. “Heart! I said: ‘Hold on’. You are going to make it worse!”

There was a grumbling from under the bucket. “You were the one messing around and got your head stuck… Now just hold on… 1… 2… 3!” She began trying to pull the bucket off of Heart’s head while he pulled his head back. “I… Almost…” The bucket launched off his head, flying into the air as the Changeling fell back and the bucket continued to fly through the air before it landed on top of Eggshell.

Eggshell let out a sigh as the bucket was covered in a yellow glow as it easily slipped off her head, being placed on the ground. “Gyro, what happened?”

Gyro stood up off the ground. “Well, Heart here was…”

Twilight looked down at the bucket, wondering why it was so difficult for Heart to pull it off when compared to Eggshell. She looked inside of the bucket, seeing two large scratches on the inside of the bucket, she looked over at Eggshell and Gyro, and then panned her eyes over towards the other Changeling.

She felt her eyes widen as she looked at the Changeling. While he looked almost no different than any other Changeling she had met in terms of size, it had the body sizes of any of the other Changelings, but his wings seemed much smaller than any other Changeling. His fin and tail had a very strange gradient on them, transitioning from plum to magenta. He rubbed the back of his head as he opened his Rose eyes. But the thing that got Twilight’s attention, were two curved horns, both of which were curved backwards, stopping at around the same height as the tips of his ears.

Twilight stared at him as he continued to rub the top of his head, before he moved his hooves up to his horns and tapped them, making sure that they were still completely fine. When he was happy his horns weren’t bent, he looked over at the two Joyous Changelings, before looking over at Twilight, when he did, his own eyes widened as his jaw fell open.

“Uhhh….” Heart said as he looked at Twilight. “That Bucket must have done more than I figured. I’m starting to see ponies.”

Spike looked over at the Changeling, raising his camera and snapping a picture. “Weird…” He said, “think it’s some kind of…”

Twilight’s horn lit up as she closed Spike’s mouth. “Not right now, Spike…”

Heart looked over at Eggshell and Gyro, then back at Twilight before standing up and clearing his throat. “Um… Please tell me that you are actually a Changeling trying to freak me out again…”

Twilight shook her head. “Twilight Sparkle.”

Heart let out a sigh as he relaxed. “Oh good! I thought it was some other random Pony. Name’s Heart-y.” He stuck out his hoof.

“Well, hello. What hive are you from? I’ve never heard of any Changelings like you.”

“Well, I’m not from Equestria actually, only got here a couple weeks ago and…”

Gyro walked over and grabbed him, looking him right in the eyes. “You did that on purpose!”

“What! N-no I didn’t!” He tried to look away.

“Heart!” Gyro said sternly. “You are going to clean up everything in that tent!”

Heart groaned. “But that will take me forever!” He whined.

“Think about that before you BREAK my gear!”

“Oh… That was yours…” Heart said, looking at Gyro surprised. Gyro just gave him a death glare as she growled. “Uh… I’m sorry… and I will…”

Gyro’s horn lit up as she began to drag Heart back by his horns. “You just be lucky that I can take a joke…”

“OW OW OW OW!”

“Or I would have planted you on the ground and whipped your chitin!”

“This is you taking a joke?”

Twilight watched as the two of them disappeared into the tent. As the two of them vanished, Eggshell walked up to her. “Sorry about that… Heart-y is new…”

“Who is he?” Twilight asked. “He’s clearly not from your Hive.”

“Well….” Eggshell said, beginning to walk down the hall. “Remember when I said that we need a lot of Hives' help…”

Twilight nodded.

“Well… He is from the Mischief Hive; they are a nearby Hive in the Minotaur Republic. Eupha and Viola were incredibly close… Well… As close as two Queens from different countries can be. Queen Viola runs the travelling circuses in the Republic, now while they run them… They aren’t as skilled as some of our own. So Viola and Eupha decided to work together. Viola would send a few Changelings that needed additional training, and we would send over a few Changelings that would help maintain the equipment, they also help with a bit of emotional collection.”

“Interesting…” Twilight replied. “So… What does Gyro do?”

“Gyro? She has amazing balance! I’ve seen her do some pretty ridiculous stuff. You ever heard of those ponies that could stand on beds of pins and needles? Well… I’ve seen her stand on a spinning platform, while juggling… With her hind hooves…”

Spike whistled. “Wow…”

“I swear, she doesn’t go down when she doesn’t want to.” Eggshell replied. “Heart was actually here to learn from her… Though from the sound of it… He broke her equipment… A shame too… It was specially crafted by Tettix… She loved that gear… Hopefully Heart left something there…” Eggshell let out a sigh. “Well, we had better get moving, Eupha should be just ahead…”

“Well… Do you think that this Queen Viola would be open to letting me see her Hive?” Twilight asked, eliciting a groan from Spike.

“Great… We’re going to have to go across the world now?” Spike said, laying back on Twilight’s back and letting out a sigh.

“Well… I don’t know how the talks with the other Queens are going, but I’m sure that a couple will let you enter.” Eggshell replied. “You’ll just have to wait and see…”

Twilight nodded in understanding while making a mental note to research circus acts in the Minotaur Republic. Perhaps find out a little bit about the Queen before I go…

The two of them walked down the halls of the Hive, making small talk for the most part. There were a few times that Twilight asked small questions about the care of eggs and Nymphs and how they differed from other Hives. While Eggshell couldn’t talk about the other Hives, she said most of it was related to making sure the Nymphs didn’t hurt themselves.

After a few minutes of walking, the two of them descended into the Hive, coming up to a large door, glowing with yellow magic. Eggshell walked up to the door before turning back to Twilight. “This is the underground testing and development area, this door leads to the testing range. Eupha should be just in here, but you should put on a sound spell… Just in case…”

Twilight nodded as her horn lit up and covered both Spike’s head and her own. As she did, Eggshell turned and pushed open the wooden door, letting Twilight look into the area beyond.

The chamber they stepped into was a large open cavern; the ceiling was a long way above them, easily enough for three stories to be built in the area. Instead the air seemed to have a few platforms with painted on targets. The front area was composed of a few teams of three to four Changelings; all gathered around different gadgets, ranging from a couple fireworks, a cannon, to any number of various contraptions. Most of them were gathered around differing versions of a cannon, making small tweaks, looking through the unloaded barrel, and placing new barrels on the cannons

Twilight looked around at a few of the other contraptions that were being made, and for a few of them, she could understand the mechanics, but a couple made no sense, such as the spinning wheel with six ballistae attached to it. Why?

Eggshell led Twilight through the grid-like floor; apparently each team had a cleared area to work on their various contraptions, a few using magic to help build or contain various pieces of the equipment. A few of them were talking to each other or they stopped working upon seeing Twilight and Eggshell. Twilight was looking at the equipment, and the Changelings working on them, wanting to get a picture of them, however when she looked back at Spike, he was looking at the Camera with a confused look on his face. He looked up at Twilight and shrugged. Twilight rolled her eyes before taking the camera from him and attempting to take a picture. To her surprise, the camera simply clicked as though it was broken.

Twilight lowered the camera and began inspecting it. She made sure that everything was where it was supposed to be before experimentally pushing on the button, getting nothing but a faint click in response. She looked back at the camera confused before Eggshell lowered the camera and pointed at her ears.

Twilight lowered the bubble around her head, just as a loud cannon blast sounded next to them. Twilight jumped into the air before looking over to see a Changeling lying on the ground. His hind leg twitching as his chitin was noticeably darker and his fin was covered in black powder. He opened his mouth as a small cloud of soot flew out. The rest of the team shook their heads before one of them walked up with a white box with a red cross on it, opening it and pulling out a syringe full of some strange amber colored liquid. He tapped the syringe before taking it and injecting the soot covered Changeling by the wings.

The Changelings legs fell back as he began twitching. Another Changeling, most likely the leader of the team walked up to Twilight. “Sorry for that… New guy…” He walked back over to his team and started to watch the twitching Changeling before he sat up and shook his head.

Eggshell shrugged with a sheepish expression before mouthing the word ‘Sorry’ and, after waiting for Twilight’s ears to stop ringing, she cleared her throat. “Cameras don’t work in here, it is one of the enchantments placed to ensure the security of our equipment. Can’t have any rivals taking our secrets, or have a Changeling accidently reveal us…”

“Oh… Well…” Twilight looked back over at the Changelings as their comrade stood up and took a rag to wipe away the soot. “What was in that syringe?”

Eggshell looked over at the group. “Oh… That… Well… It is essentially a cocktail of emotions that will kick start the healing process. I believe it is full of Joy, love, appreciation, and… I believe ecstasy. The mix is nearly intoxicating, but very difficult to make.”

“Huh… So every Hive can do that?” Twilight asked.

“Yes… Now put your spell back up before something else explodes.”

Twilight nodded and replaced the shield before following Eggshell through the hall. When the two of them passed a couple of the larger contraptions, blocking off the view of anything behind them, Twilight saw a row of Changelings each standing next to a cannon. Twilight looked down the line; all of the cannons were pointed down a large target range, each pointed at a different target. To the far left, Twilight saw the Queen, she was standing tall, looking down the range with a neutral expression on her face.

“Fire one!” She commanded as the first Changeling fired the cannon, launching a large white glob at the target. “Two through Five, FIRE!”

The next four cannons fired their own globs. As they did, Eupha began to walk down the line, as she passed each cannon, they fired.

Twilight walked up to the Queen, who continued to hold that neutral look. “Hello, your Majesty.”

“Greetings, Miss Sparkle.” Eupha replied. “I am quite glad that you could join me within my new home.”

Twilight blinked a little. “Well… Thank you for the invitation.”

Eupha glanced down at her. “Is something wrong? You seem uncertain.”

“Well… I’ve heard quite a lot about you… And… I’m just a little confused whom I should believe…”

Eupha stopped and raised her hoof, all of the Soldiers stopped. She then walked down the range, motioning for Twilight to follow. She took Spike off her back and set him down behind the line before following her, lowering both of their bubbles.

As Eupha reached the targets, she looked over at Twilight. “Now, what did you expect of me?” She asked, looking back at the target.

“Well… I was told that you were unpredictable and could be off the walls… But… I don’t know…”

Eupha nodded. “First impressions can be everything.” She said, raising her hoof. “It can be used to make you seem smarter, more courageous, less energetic, ooor…” She took her hoof and ran it across the splatter, picking up a bit. And placing it into her mouth, she swallowed and smacked her lips. “It can be used for surprise.”

A few Changelings flew over with Clipboards, holding pens in their hooves.

“Too much flour in number nine.” She said. The Changelings then began to write down on the clipboard. Eupha moved down to the next target, taking another hoof-full of the charred glob. “Too much blast powder…”

The other Changelings nodded and wrote down on the clipboards. Twilight herself looked at the goop that was slowly dripping down target number nine, looking at it and sniffing it. “Is this cake?”

Eupha looked over at Twilight, and then pointed at one of the other Changelings with a clipboard. “You are in charge until I get back. I want full statistics on each cannon and product on my desk by tomorrow morning.”

The three flying Changelings nodded and proceeded down the line. Eupha turned to Twilight and smiled. “I suppose you want to meet in my room?”

Twilight blinked. “Um… I guess… Could I get Spike really-”

“Oh, I’m sure he would help you take notes about some of the other areas, EGGSHELL!” She shouted. “COULD YOU SHOW SPIKE AROUND THE OTHER ROOMS!”

Eggshell looked over at the two of them when her name was called, then back at Spike, who rolled his eyes and sighed. Eggshell then looked back at Eupha and shrugged.

Eupha leaned down to Twilight and began whispering to her. “You wouldn’t mind if Eggshell shows Spike around would you?”

Twilight looked back at Spike before tapping her chin. It would be a great was to get more information on the Hive, since Twilight would be with Eupha for the rest of the day. While Twilight didn’t know exactly what Eupha had planned for her, it could be dangerous for all she knew.

Twilight gave Spike another look, before looking back up at Eupha. “Could you give me a minute?”

“Sure!” Eupha said. “I’ve got time.”

Twilight walked back over to Spike and Eggshell. “Spike, I want you to go with Eggshell. And before you say anything, I will let you stay home next time.”

Spike sighed. “Fine, what do you want me to do?”

Twilight smiled as she pulled out a notebook and a couple quills. “I want you to follow Eggshell, and take notes on anything that you think I would write down, and take pictures that correspond to those notes.”

Spike took the notebook and quills. “And then I get to stay in Ponyville next time?”

“So long as you get plenty of information and pictures.” Twilight replied.

Spike nodded as he took the camera from Twilight. “Thank you for doing this, Spike.”

“Yeah… Anything to help, I guess.”

Eggshell gave a small smile. “I’ll keep him safe.”

“Thank you, Eggshell.” Twilight said before turning back and hurrying over to Eupha. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Eupha gave a wide smile. “Okay then, my throne room is just back here, but I want to stop at the Bakery really quick. I need to check up on those Cakes I asked for.”

“Well, okay I gue-”

“THANKS, EGGY!” Eupha shouted, waving back at Eggshell. Eggshell had turned around again and waved back before walking away with Spike behind her. “Come on, Twilight, if you want to get as much time as possible, we need to get going.”

Joyous Hive: Part 2

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The two began to walk down the halls of the Hive before Twilight spoke up. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions while we walk?”

“Go right ahead.” Eupha replied. “So long as you don’t ask for my secret recipe, I’m an open book.”

Twilight nodded as she pulled out her list. “Well… I suppose something I’m curious about is why you vanished?”

Eupha smiled. “Oh, no trouble. It was an executive decision on my part. We used to be stationed out in the bayous, but it had… Problems…”

“Like what?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I think I should tell you a little History…” Her horn lit up as a chalkboard was pulled over to her. “Well, under my grandmother, Queen Sreka, we had a Hive set up in the Maredonian north originally but we had a small issue with the population… It involved fire, knives, and a few pounds of black powder… So we bailed out.” Eupha continued to walk as she drew a crude picture of a map on the chalkboard. She drew some Changelings and then had a dotted line leading across the board. “Then we stayed around for a bit, sometimes in different Hives. So much so that we were kind of like the first travelling Hive. But my Mother wasn’t content with the whole constant moving everywhere. She always said: 'A Changeling is meant to have a home they can return to, be it within a Hive, or even just a community.' With our traveling, if a Changeling got separated, they would never know where to go…” Eupha sighed. “So… We stopped in the only place that was available…” She stopped for a moment and drew a few trees.

“She decided to set up in a forest near the Flaming Geysers. The whole Hive was set up and I had been hatched a few weeks after the whole thing was set up. My Mom always told me she got down and dirty after a rather illustrious stay with Cervix. Personally I always thought she was with Cornea when it happened…”

“Wait… But if you were in a forest, why did it become a swamp?”

Eupha flipped the chalkboard. “Well! A couple decades after my birth, we had a freak weather incident, Pegasi were called from Cloudsdale and tried to stop the storm but the issue wasn’t that there was too much water; it was the fact that almost none of it was absorbed into the soil. All that water that fell for the next week or two, it turned nearly the whole place into a swamp, including the old Hive!” Eupha sighed.

“Now at first it was fine, we had an in-Hive waterslide and practically a park inside. Though, all good things must come to an end… Unless that thing is cake! But yes, all good things blahblahblahblahblah…” Eupha said quickly. “Now, soon the water became all gross and full of algae, it was just…. Uck…” She shivered a bit. “But we didn’t really do anything until the mosquitoes hatched.” She looked back at Twilight. “Hey, did you know that Changeling blood tastes like socks to Mosquitoes?”

“No…”

“It’s weird right? I knew that Changelings wouldn’t get bitten since we are insects too but… I’m off topic again… Anyway!” She turned back to the board. “We had to set up this whole filtration system that we use for the Waterslide. Now that was annoying, we had to actually transport the water here since the Badlands don’t have much water…”

She shook her head and let out a sigh. “Though, some of us… Didn’t enjoy it… I myself was born before that whole issue arose, it was a nice Hive, and I enjoyed the waterslide and park… But as the years went by, the water became… Problematic…”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Well…” Eupha began. “Remember when I said that the Pegasi didn’t help anymore? Well… They just stopped. The only thing they helped with was the nearby town that was beginning to feel the effects. But they let the rain continue to fall around the area. Eventually our entire Hive was a swamp! My mom told me that both Pupa’s and Viola’s Mothers were calling us ‘The Wet Hive’.” Eupha giggled. “Cervix actually took offense to it. ‘How could any Hive be wetter than my own’.” She laughed. “And Ovi loved it. Though my mother didn’t care what they thought, she was determined to stay there.” Eupha huffed. “I on the other hoof… Hated it!”

“By the time I rose to the crown, I tried to enjoy it, I kept telling myself that I would get used to it… But I never did. The smell bothered me, the fact that not very many Queens would come to visit, and the alligators were being very distasteful. I kept it going for the next five hundred years. Then I couldn’t take it anymore!” Eupha stomped her hoof. “So, I did the only thing that made sense, I left.”

Eupha walked forward before pushing the chalkboard away.

Twilight, who had been furiously taking notes, looked up at Eupha. “Then… Why did you decide to set up here?”

Eupha smiled. “Well… There were sort of two reasons. One, it is secluded from the other Queens, so I could hide here. But it was also close to the Minotaur Republic, meaning that Viola’s Changelings could come over and be perfectly fine. That and we could actually have the cakes not being mushy and full of maggots. Plus, there are less moss issues and infections happen less. You wouldn’t believe the kind of fungus that we found on our wings after bad storms.”

“I guess that makes sense…” Twilight replied. “So… Why was there a pit full of frosting at the bottom of the waterslide?”

Eupha giggled. “It’s fun and delicious. Why wouldn’t you want a pile of frosting?”

“Uh… I guess…” Twilight replied. “So… About how old are you?”

“I’m Seven hundred sixty three and a quarter.” Eupha replied. “I was around when Pupa was born, and I got to throw her all of the parties! She was such a cute little fighter. When she was only ten, she was already sparring with some of the guards. She was a little ankle biter.” She straightened up. “Don’t tell her I said that…”

Twilight wrote down a few things. “So… When did you become the Queen?”

“Well, I became Queen when I was two hundred. So I’ve been running the Hive for a few centuries. I had some good times in… Oh! There’s the bakery!”

Twilight looked over at where Eupha was pointing to see a large cave with a glowing sign, showing a Changeling with a tray in its hoof. On the tray was a selection of baked goods, underneath the sign were the words: Joyeux Pâtisserie. Underneath the sign were two glass windows, displaying a large variety of decorative pastries, one of which seemed to be a large wedding style cake.

Eupha motioned for Twilight to enter into the extravagant door. She walked through the door and saw the inside, it was designed after a pastry shop that Twilight saw in Canterlot, and the walls were white with light purple vines running through them. The area was fairly small, but Twilight assumed there was more in the back.

Eupha walked in and waved at the Changeling behind a counter, the clear container showed a number of smaller cakes and cookies. “Is Frosting in?”

“Yes, she is in the back working on the rest of the commissions.” The Changeling replied.

“Excellent! I’d like to see how they are coming along.” Eupha replied, walking past the counter. “Come on, Twilight.”

Twilight followed Eupha past the counter and into a back room through a pair of large double doors. As she walked in, she saw groups of Changelings working on several large cakes, a single Changeling, that Twilight assumed to be Frosting, was overlooking the work.

“Frosting!”

Frosting turned around, her eyes were a much lighter shade of yellow than she had seen in the others. “Yes, your Majesty?”

“How are the cakes coming along?” Eupha asked. “I’m hoping to get them out before the end of the month.”

“Well, I am not so sure if we can get the High Queen’s cake out that soon…” Frosting looked back towards one of the large cakes, it had a pure white frosting with a slight yellow tint to it, at the top of the cake was a large crystal crown, at each of the seven prongs of the crown, there was a small clear crystal attached at the top. “There was a problem… We seem to have lost the Lust gem…”

“Oh no…” Eupha gasped. “Did you have enough to finish Ovi’s cake?”

Frosting coughed. “Yes… We did… I put it somewhere… Secret. In case a member of the Lust Hive finds it.” She rubbed the back of her head.

“Excellent idea!” Eupha replied. “In case any of those sneaky Lustlings try to get in here. I like the way you think.”

Frosting sighed. “I made sure that Ovi’s cake was finished first. Then I worked on the others. Which are still being worked on now.”

“So, how is it coming along?” Eupha asked, looking at the other cakes.

“Well, Pupa’s cake was a bit difficult, the Candy Canes aren’t easy to find in that size, and we had to cut the peanut brittle in a way that worked…”

Twilight looked up at the cake Frosting was indicating. It was a decent sized cake, on the third layer, there were a ring of large candy canes all stuck into the cake, at the top of each candy cane was a large piece of Peanut Brittle in the shape of a spearhead. On the layer below that, were a number of small figurines of saluting Changelings. The lowest layer had the motto of the Royal Guard written in ancient Equestrian with red frosting.

Twilight looked up at the top of the cake, seeing a Changeling placing the Candy Spears into the cake. She then looked over at another of the cakes.

It seemed to be designed for Chrysalis. The cake was modeled after one that would be seen at a wedding, white frosting with the top layer being separated by small pillars. All around the cake in evenly distributed sections were emerald green flowers, a small crystal placed in the center of the petals. Around the edge of each layer was a small amount of purple icing around it. The top of the cake held a clear crystal heart, around which showed a small figurine of Chrysalis and some other Changeling.

“Your Majesty, do you really think Queen Chrysalis will enjoy this style of cake?” Frosting asked as she flew around the cake.

“Why wouldn’t she? Chrysi loves weddings!”

“Yes… But with what happened recently and with… Well… With his passing,” Frosting indicated the other Changeling figurine, “Are you sure she wants to be reminded of these things?”

Eupha looked over the cake. “Frosting, I think right now, Chrysalis needs all the good memories she can get. Wouldn’t you prefer to be reminded of the good times you’ve had when everypony you loved is gone?”

Frosting thought about it, and eventually nodded. “I suppose… Though… I have a bit of trouble understanding your… Design for Viola…”

“What’s not to understand?” Eupha asked. “All I need is an upside down triple layer cake with a strawberry center in the shape of a Violin.”

“Yes… But why?” Frosting asked.

“Well… the Violin for Viola, and she loves strawberries.” She tapped her chin. “Unless it changed over the years…” She scratched her head. “Nah… I’m sure she still loves strawberries, I mean, who doesn’t? A nice strawberry shortcake with some whipped cream and a few chocolate chips.” Eupha licked her lips. “delicious…”

“Yes… But the only way I would be able to make the cake upside-down, would be to place supports inside of the cake.”

“Ohh… Viola will expect something fishy.” She leaned in. “You are going to put the fish in the bottom layer right?” She whispered.

“Yes, I made sure the fish was there… Much to my displeasure. It throws the whole portion off…”

“Oh… Viola will love it. Trust me.” Eupha replied.

Frosting sighed. “Alright… But I will need an extra week to prepare Viola’s Cake.”

“Okay, I can expect no less from my greatest cake designer.” Eupha pulled her into a hug. “You take as much time as you need.”

Frosting took the hug as if it were a normal occurrence, but the slight expression on her face made it clear that this was a bit strange to her. “Your Majesty… Could you put me down…”

“Sure!” She released the hug, letting Frosting fall to the ground. “Well, I can see you’ve got everything handled around here. So I had better get going. Let the artists work their magic… Pastry… nah. Magic sounds better. Don’t you think?” She asked Frosting, though before she got a response, she turned back over to Twilight, who was looking at one of the crystals held in her magic. “Speaking of magic! Let’s get onto the interview!” She grabbed Twilight in her magic and quickly carried her out of the bakery. “So, now that that little detour is finished, what were we talking about?”

Twilight blinked before flipping back through her notes. “The last thing I have is your age… So I suppose my next question is… When did you become Queen?”

“Oh… I became Queen about five-and-a-half centuries ago… I was only two-hundred… About five years before my mom died.”

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that… What happened?”

Eupha sighed. “Oh… Nothing bad. Old age mostly. All Queens go through it. Personally when I die, I want there to be fireworks and for my body, or what’s left of it, to be shot into the sky in a giant fiery explosion! KABOOM!” She threw her front hooves into the air as a bunch of sparks shot into the air. “It will be a time of fun and celebration! And if I have a funeral, it shall be required that you wear a clown wig and dress in rainbow colors! AND CAKE FOR ALL!”

Twilight looked up at the Queen. “Well… That was a… Great speech… But where did the podium come from?”

Eupha looked over the wooden podium in front of her. “I’ve been advised not to answer that.” She walked down from the podium. “So… Next question?”

“Well… I would ask how long it took to build this… But I guess I have that answer already.” She flipped through her list of questions. “Have there ever been any Joyous Hive High Queens?”

Eupha nodded. “In fact… My great great great great GREAAAAAT Grandma was the last Joyous High Queen. High Queen Vocana.”

“Interesting… Well, what exactly does your Hive do for Equetria?”

“OOoo…” Eupha tapped her chin. “A great question! Well… We build cannons; we helped organize a lot of entertainment and helped push it out: circuses, a lot of cinemas, musicals, clowns, so much! Granted, we didn’t create a lot of them, but we helped with the spread.”

Twilight wrote down on her notepad. “So… Did you help spread anything?”

“Pneumonia.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait… What?”

“I’m joking, Twilight.” Eupha replied. “Just a light hearted Joke… Actually kind of dark now that I think about it…” She tapped her chin. “Anyway… I helped spread a bit, Not as much as my ancestors though, I helped spread the idea of a lot of the inventions geared towards entertainment, like bounce houses, trampolines, Hula Hoops, Party cannons!” She tapped her chin again. “Theeeeeen… I don’t remember…”

Twilight continued to take notes. “Well… I’ve been rather curious; did you have to study anything before becoming Queen? Was there any ritual you needed to complete before rising to the throne?”

Eupha inhaled through her teeth. “Interesting… Well, my hive doesn’t really have that… Honestly my Mom just wanted me to be able to make everything we needed.”

“Which was what?”

“Well… Mostly it was weapons. Back in the day…” She blinked. “That makes me feel old… Maybe I should find someling to settle down with? Need to get a Princess going…” She looked back at Twilight. “Oh right! Sorry. Well, back in the day, before we had cannons and all this fancy stuff, we were in charge of weapons: spears, swords, maces, bows and arrows, catapults, all that good stuff. Though now that is more our side occupation.”

Twilight looked around as they began to descend further into the Hive. “I don’t believe I asked this, but what emotions do you mainly feed on?”

“Happiness, excitement, a bit of confusion with just a dash of shock. We can eat other things too, but those taste the best.”

Twilight wrote those down as the two of them continued to walk. About thirty seconds later, Eupha was busy talking about her favorite flavors of emotions.

“-And while a bunch of Changelings think it’s putrid, I find that a healthy tiny dose of fear can help get you up in the morning. Also while a lot of other Queens would raise an eyebrow, some delicious Lust mixed with a hint of fear when a pony almost launches out of a cannon taste delici- Oh we’re here!”

Twilight let out a small sigh as she walked up to the large yellow door, flanked by two Guards holding similar cannons to the top guards. “Are… Those cannons armed?”

“Yes.” Eupha replied. “Usually when the guards catch a pony, we take them to our local Just Hive Member or Outpost to get those nasty memories out of their head.”

“Has that ever happened?”

“A few times. But those aren’t too important.” She said as she pushed open the door to her throne. “After you.”

Twilight held her notes in front of her as she walked into the room, even before stepping in; she got a good look at the throne room.

At the far end of the room was a decorated throne, a yellow gem in the shape of a cannon above the throne, on the right was a locked room labeled ‘The Queen’s Personal Workshop’. While she looked over to the other side of the room, she stepped into the doorway. “Well, this is a rather…” She fell a few inches before hitting an elastic feeling floor, before being bounced back into the air. As she fell back down, she managed to catch Eupha snickering. As she bounced a few more times, she managed to disperse her weight enough to stop herself from bouncing back into the air. She turned her head back to see Eupha laughing on the ground.

“The- The look on your FACE!” Eupha laughed. “It was totally worth the energy I needed for that spell!” She wiped a tear away from her eye as she continued to laugh. A few seconds later, she stood back up and cleared her throat, letting out a few small snickers. “Sorry, Twilight. But I haven’t gotten a chance to use that spell in ages! I thought it would be a bit of fun!” She hopped into the room, hitting the floor and bouncing into the air, launching herself over Twilight. “Boingy! Boingy! Boingy!” She said as she bounced around the room, all the while, Twilight was trying to keep herself on the ground.

“Queen Eupha…” Twilight said, watching the Queen continue to hop around the room. “If you could, would it be okay if you turned the floor back?”

Eupha bounced around the room a little more. “Sure thing.” She bounced over towards her throne before leaping into the air, doing a back flip and landing perfectly in her throne. She lit up her horn as the floor began to glow, a few seconds later, Twilight felt the floor beneath her even out as she sighed and stood normally.

“So, this is your throne room?” Twilight asked, looking over the room again. She looked over at the left of the room to see a number of pictures, a couple paintings, showing what Twilight assumed to be Eupha as a Nymph and her mother, A few images of her playing or fooling around. The paintings turned to small pictures as Eupha grew, showing her with a young Changeling. Another with her using what Twilight hoped was a balloon sword to fight the same young Queen. As she looked down the line, she saw an image of two Minotaurs on the street; one of them was tossing balls while standing on only one leg, while the other was playing what looked like a combination of a tuba and a drum.

“What are you looking at?”

“AH!” Twilight jumped back a bit, turning to see Eupha looking over her shoulder. How she managed to walk there that silently, and manage to sneak up on her that quickly was something Twilight wasn’t going to ask.

“Sorry.” Eupha snickered. “What were you looking at?”

Twilight let her heart slow down a bit before sighing. “I was just looking at the picture of the Minotaurs.”

Eupha looked over before using her magic to levitate the picture over. “Ahh… This was taken when I went down to spend a few days with Viola. I helped out with some Emotional gathering while I was down there. We had a lot of fun, but those Minotaurs are hard to crack. Almost as hard as Apath, I mean they would be great in a staring contest since they both are just like:” She lowered her neck and put on the most serious expression she could. The tips of her mouth fell to a neutral expression while her eyes were half lidded. “And then they laugh like… Ha!” She released a very deep laugh. “Though it tastes DELICIOUS! All that held in joy from that hard expression, it makes it taste so good! Not that I’m willing to pick up everything and move. It is WAAAAY to rocky out there.”

“Ummm… Okay…” Twilight replied. “So, if I could, you never told me your mother’s name.”

“Ahh… Well, I‘m surprised I never said her name… Anyway, my mom was Queen Humos. My grandma wasn’t too creative… And you should already know what she did from earlier…”

“Okay, but what was that instrument?” Twilight asked, pointing at the picture.

“My Air-Tuba!” Eupha’s horn lit up as a closet opened up and the strange Tuba-Drum was pulled over. She raised the two large drumsticks and began to beat down on the four large drums causing the Tuba to release a few notes, she beat harder to cause louder notes. How she managed to make the Tuba change pitch was a mystery to throw onto the growing pile…

When Eupha was done playing Yankee Pony Dandy, she put the tuba back. “It’s a dying art sadly, like the flugelhorn!”

“Okay… What is your normal day like?” Twilight asked.

“Well…. That depends, what do you mean by, me?”

“Huh?”

“Well, personally I prefer to mess around in my workshop a little bit, then check up on the rest of my Hive, have some cake, go for a run, work a bit more, then finish off the day with a little rave.” Eupha replied. “While… Straight Face has a very different schedule.” Eupha was covered in a yellow flame as she was replaced with a gray Earth Pony with a short, straight mane and tail. Her cold blue eyes a large contrast to the energetic eyes of the Queen. “Every morning I must be in the office by Seven AM on the dot. From there I ensure that all employees are in their designated locations and check up on the development of our new projects. After that I have meetings at ten, two, and four, and at Noon I have lunch with the overseer of my development in the Outskirts. My Employees can leave at Five, but some stay until exactly Nine o’ clock when I close down the building.” Straight Face took a pair of brown glasses and put them on her snout. “I have an eye examination this week, Thursday at Three. I am also a very busy mare and I cannot be bothered to deal with whatever problem you came to report.”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“I told you, I do not need any distractions. I will call security to remove you from the premises if need be.”

“But you invited me?” Twilight replied.

“I did, and now I am asking you to leave.” Straight Face replied. “You are beginning to interfere with my work.”

“You asked me to come here, to talk about your day, Queen Eupha.”

“I’ve never heard of this Eupha character, and I certainly do not know any Queens. Do not make me ask again.” She walked over to the workshop, taking a key from around her neck and unlocking the door. “I expect you know the way.” She said, stepping through the door and slamming the door closed before a light clicking was heard as she locked the door behind her.

Twilight stood staring for a few moments before letting out a sigh. “I guess this is over…” She mumbled heading to the main door, but before she reached it, she heard the door behind her open up. “Where are you going?”

Twilight turned around to see Eupha sticking her head out from behind the door, her brown glasses up on her head as she had a curious expression on her face, her honey colored mane reaching the floor.

“You told me to go.”

Eupha blinked. “No I didn’t… Okay, I did but I didn’t actually mean it. I asked you to come here, why would I kick you out?”

Twilight twitched. “But you… UGH!” She groaned. “I’m not sure…”

“Don’t you want to see what I’m working on?” Eupha asked, her horn lighting up as she put the glasses back in their case and placed the case on the arm of her throne. “If you don’t that’s fine, but you haven’t even seen the base under Manehatten yet.”

“How would we get to Manehatten? That would take a lot longer than we have…”

“I have my methods. Now come and see what I’m working on.” Eupha ducked back into the room and Twilight let out a sigh before walking up to the door and opening it. Inside was a half constructed cannon; Eupha was standing next to it, smiling widely. Around the room were various construction and metalworking tools. A welding mask and blowtorch was lying off to the side, a cylinder full of rolled up blueprints was next to a workbench, which had another blueprint spread out on it.

“So… what do you do in here?” Twilight asked.

“Well, usually I would build a bunch of prototypes or really weird things. My current project is an explosive Party blower! One that could fire confetti when you blow out of it. Would that be cool or what?”

“That… Doesn’t sound safe…” Twilight replied.

“Well I would have to put disclaimers and keep it out of foals' reach… And it is still only in development, working on having it be used more than once… So far I’ve got nothing.”

Twilight looked at the cannon in the middle of the room. “What is this?”

“That is a Mark Six Party Cannon! Actually it is a special variation that I am making.”

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“Well, our number one Customer is someone you are rather familiar with, and I wanted to do something special for her, so I decided to personally craft the cannon.”

Twilight looked at the cannon, and within a few seconds knew whom the cannon was meant for. “This is for Pinkie Pie, isn’t it?”

“Right on the nail.” Eupha replied. “I’m building it for Pinkie Pie! She’s our best customer!” Eupha reached up and pulled down a graph and pointer. “If you look at this chart,” Eupha indicated the chart, “You will see that a good portion of our sales are sent directly to Ponyville.” Twilight looked at the graph, it was a simple multi colored bar graph, with each color representing a different city. While a city like Manehatten had quite a large portion of the bar, yet that was most likely due to the proximity. In comparison Ponyville still had about half the amount Manehatten did, which was very surprising as it was overtaking Canterlot by about a quarter.

“And within Ponyville, Pinkie has bought, by far, the most of our products in reference to the nearby townships. Also she is the one that found me. I figured this would be the best way to thank her. Her own personal Party Cannon made from the source itself.” Eupha tapped her chest proudly. “Even if I had to push the first couple hundred out so that I could keep up with quota… But it was worth it.”

“So how does this one differentiate from the normal versions?” Twilight asked.

“Well, aside from a couple small tweaks, it is mostly the same.” Eupha replied. “Anything else you wanted to ask me?”

“Yes, I wanted to ask whether you still make ballistic cannons? That fire Cannon balls more specifically.”

“Oh sure. The Royal Guards still need a few of their long-range artillery. But actually, a lot of our requests come from the Griffon Kingdom.”

“Really?” Twilight asked curiously. “Why is that?”

“Well, it is mostly from Aburi, she needs to outfit a few of the Griffish Navy ships with Cannons. Since she can’t make quality cannons like we can, we make them for her Airships. I mean, without them it wouldn’t really be a Griffon Hawk Class Scout Ship, it would just be a small, quick boat. That’s much less incredible! That’s like Tettix’s ship! A Falcon-Class Interceptor airship, I offered to put a couple fake cannon on there, but she refused. Aburi was a bit mad too. I think she said that it cost her a bunch of spare metal because they had to keep redoing it.”

Twilight blinked. “You sure do know a lot about it.”

“Oh it was a huge thing for Aburi! She came and met with me to talk about how she had this whole commission from Tettix. It was a big deal and she asked if she could get a few of my Changelings to help out with it, sadly I had to decline.” Eupha replied.

Twilight looked back around, seeing a few posters put up, but unlike what she expected, they were actually of a couple musicals she knew about… “Eupha, do you enjoy Musicals?”

“Oh yes!” Eupha exclaimed. “I love ‘em.”

“Well, I see you have some posters up…”

“Some of my personal favorites.” Eupha replied. “Personally though, I prefer the more… Upbeat musicals. You ever heard Pony Hill?”

Twilight nodded.

“That was one of my Changelings! There have been a ton of them in musical productions. Usually upbeat songs and musicals, Tettix still handles a lot of the standard musicals but I just can’t resist a good upbeat music number.”

“So you have some Changelings that perform?”

“Oh yes! A good quantity of my Hive is actors, whether as clowns, circus performers, even some of the larger Bridleway performers. And in fact...” She took a breath as if she was going to continue, but a ringing got her attention. “Excuse me for one moment.” She turned away and opened up one of the workbench drawers, pulling out a crystal. She cleared her throat before her voice changed to that of Straight Face. “You called, Invoice?”

“Yes, Miss Face, I’m simply calling to notify you that you have a meeting in thirty minutes.”

“Couldn’t it be rescheduled?” Eupha asked in a slightly annoyed voice. “I am currently being interviewed for 'The Changing Times'?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Face, but they are very adamant about meeting with you. I have told them numerous times that they should reschedule for a different time, but they refuse and said that they will file a complaint with the Courts.”

Eupha scoffed. “What kind of complaint?”

“A Nonperformance and Breach of Contract suit.” Invoice replied.

Eupha cursed under her breath. “Very well, tell them I will meet with them in Thirty Minutes.”

“Of course.” Invoice replied as the crystal stopped glowing.

Eupha sighed. “Sorry, Twilight, but I have to make it to Manehatten.”

“How are you going to do that?” Twilight asked. “The next train isn’t for a while, and it would take longer than thirty minutes to get there.”

“Oh I know.” Eupha replied as her voice changed to normal. “We’re going to take a shortcut.”

“Shortcut?” Twilight asked, unsure of what she meant. It was pretty much a straight shot to Manehatten, but it would take far too long to get there by any travelling means she was aware of.

“Yup, a shortcut. Just follow me.” Eupha said, walking out of her workshop.

Twilight followed behind her as she walked out of the throne room, heading through a couple hallways, before heading down a large staircase.

“So… Where are we going?”

“We’re going to the shortcut. Now, I’m going to warn you, this can be a little dangerous.”

“Wait… What does this shortcut entail?” Twilight asked.

Eupha let out a little gasp. “That would ruin the surprise! I couldn’t possibly do that.”

“Okay…”

“Actually, if you want to be really surprised I could get a blindfold.” Eupha suggested.

“No… I think I’m good.” Twilight replied. “Thank you for the offer though.”

“No problem.” Eupha replied.

The two of them continued to walk and Twilight decided to try to talk with the Queen a bit about the daily life of a Changeling. They got as far as setting up the canons and beginning work when Eupha began to go on a tangent about her personal experiences as Giggle Trousers.

“- And then I relied with ‘Strudel? But you told me to bring the Kumquat and the banana.’ Then she replied with ‘No, I asked you if you could put the banana in the balloon so that…’ Oh we’re here!”

Thank Celestia… Twilight let out a sigh as they reached the metallic doors. Eupha took her hoof and touched a golden crystal next to the doors, causing them to begin to dissolve.

“Little added magical security never hurts.” Eupha whispered. Twilight looked over at the darkened room, a yellow crystal glowing in the distance. “Come on in.”

Twilight looked around the darkened chamber, the glowing crystal the only light in the chamber. “Why is it so dark in here?” Twilight asked, looking around to try and find any light aside from the crystal.

“Well, the whole chamber is huge, so to save on magic and emotion we keep it off, but it is a great shortcut.” Eupha put her hoof on another crystal, causing the room to begin to light up. “We’ll be taking my very own, personal… Drum roll please.” Eupha began quickly tapping her hooves on the ground as the lights came up. “Transportation Cannon!” She said, spreading her forelegs out as the lights turned fully on, revealing the enormous cannon pointing right down the long empty hall that led to the crystal.

“So… How exactly does this work?” Twilight asked, looking down the hall, which she estimated was about a thousand yards away. She continued to look around and saw a wardrobe and a few rooms off to the side that she assumed were for changing.

“It works by us getting into the cannon and then firing!”

Twilight just dropped everything instantly. “WHAT!”

“Well,” Eupha flew up to the barrel. “We just get in here and then we…”

“You want me to get into that thing!” Twilight shouted. “That would kill me!”

“If you were unprotected, yes… Yes it would.” Eupha replied, walking over to the Wardrobe.

“Then how do you expect me to go along with this?”

Eupha opened up the wardrobe and pulled out a large full body suit and helmet. “What size would you say you are?”

Twilight was confused by the question at first. “Uh… why?”

“Would you say you are a medium?” Eupha asked.

“I… Guess…”

Eupha pulled out another, smaller suit and helmet, levitating them over to her. “The changing rooms are just over there.” She indicated the rooms off to the side. “We just need to wait for the Operators to come by and help use the cannon. We should have plenty of time to change. If you want, you can just leave your stuff in the locker and come get it later.”

“But… How am I going to take notes?” Twilight asked. Taking the suit in her magic.

“We’ll get you some writing stuff when you get to Manehatten, but we should probably go quick, since I don’t want to have to deal with a suit. So… Let’s go. We need to change.” Eupha began pushing Twilight towards one of the changing rooms. “Come on, Twilight. Chop Chop, we gotta go!”

“Whoa! Hold on! Can’t we talk a little bit about this…”

“I don’t have time to talk much, I need to be in Manehatten! I’ll explain everything once I’m sure you are changed!” With that, she pushed Twilight into the changing room.

Twilight sighed as she was pushed into the room, taking the time to actually look at the suit. It was a full body suit, covering up to the head, and seemed to be made out of either some kind of leather, or similar fabric, imbedded into each of the hooves were small yellow gems the exact purpose behind these four gems, but along with them, there was a small pack built into the back of the suit.

Twilight made a mental note to ask about them before taking off her saddlebags and placing them into the locker in the back of the room. As she managed to get the suit on, she looked down at the gems, which were now glowing. She looked over at the helmet, which she found rather strange, as it was not designed for Changelings, the horn was straight where as for a Changeling it would have been curved, the suit itself also would have prohibited the usage of wings, meaning that either Eupha expected every Changeling to travel disguised, or that she had made these in advance specifically for Unicorns.

Twilight let out a sigh as she picked up the helmet, experimentally putting it on, and almost instantly being unable to see anything. The helmet seemed to be highly tinted, nearly blocking all light from passing through the visor. She took off the helmet before walking back out of the room and seeing the group of Changelings that had shown up in what felt like a small amount of time.

Twilight couldn’t be sure, but she believed there to be at least fifteen Changelings around the area. A few looking at the cannon, another few had clipboards and talking amongst each other, another group was setting up darkened glass for when the cannon fired. Eupha was standing not too far away, talking to a couple of the engineers.

When Twilight walked back over to her, she turned to look over Twilight. “Does the suit fit?” Eupha asked, her own helmet floating next to her. When Twilight nodded Eupha smiled. “So, any questions?”

“Yes actually, I wanted to ask about…”

A Changeling flew down to her. “Could you sign this please?” He asked, floating the clipboard up to Twilight.

“Uh… Sure…” She took the pen. “What is this for?”

“A waver saying you are doing this of your own free will and any damages to your body, mind, or property will not be attributed to the Hive. It is just a standard safety precaution to avoid lawsuits.”

Twilight looked back up at the Cannon, then down to the form. “Okay…” She signed her name at the bottom of the form.

“Initial here.” The Changeling flipped the page up, when Twilight wrote her initials; the Changeling looked over it and nodded. “My Queen, your form will be prepared in a moment.”

Eupha nodded. “So questions?”

“Yes… I wanted to ask about these gems?” Twilight asked, indicating the gems built into the legs.

“Ah yes… Well, as you can probably tell, we will be fired at that gem waaaaaaaaay over there.” She pointed down the range. “You see, the reason why is because we made these a while ago, and they aren’t like many of the other Queen’s ‘touch and go’ crystals. For this one to work, we have to be travelling at high speeds towards it. Those crystals built into the hooves monitor your position and speed, so that the crystal can activate when you reach the proper speed and distance required.”

A Changeling flew up behind Eupha. “My Queen, your forms.”

Eupha’s tail reached up and picked up the pen, beginning to write her name and initials on the papers. “Though that isn’t all they do. They are hooked into your parachute, located in that pack, so that if you dip below the speed line, it will activate the parachute and stop you before you hit the crystal.” Eupha explained. She then dipped down to whisper to Twilight. “We had a few incidents when we first used it. Nothing since then though.”

“Okay… That’s… Slightly reassuring.” Twilight replied. “So the suit is to help with aerodynamics, right?”

“Well that and helps weaken the force of gravity on your body.”

“Say what?” Twilight asked.

“Well… When we get shot out of there…” She pulled over a whiteboard. “When the cannon fires, we will be fired out at a speed of nearly one-hundred feet per second squared. Doing so we will be experiencing eight times the gravity our bodies normally would, now of course, such a rapid acceleration would most likely result in your death, however the suit is enchanted to be able to negate a good portion of those effects on your body. So you should be fine, if anything you may be slightly stiff afterwards.” Eupha moved away from the board to let Twilight see the diagram she had drawn. “Now, what will happen is you will be fired first, followed quickly by me. When we slow down, we should be stopped by the Safety pad.”

Twilight tried hard to not think about the worst-case scenario, but he fact that Eupha had drawn charts along with trajectory and air resistance, mixed with a few… dead stick ponies. “Um… Okay… I see… What about the visor?”

“Oh that, well. That is for when you travel through the crystal, without it the trip can cause some really bad effects, like vomiting, paralysis, insanity, occasionally blindness.”

“Oh… That hasn’t happened… recently, right?” Twilight asked.

“Oh sure, vomiting and Paralysis especially, just try not to think about it.” Eupha looked up at a clock. “SHIT!” She covered her mouth. “Whoops…” She chuckled. “Time to go. No more waiting. FIRE IT UP, BOYS… And Girls!”

Twilight looked back up at the cannon, and then down the range, she was starting to regret her initial excitement for seeing a vanished Hive. She let out a sigh before following Eupha. “So this is absolutely safe?”

“Yup.”

“You haven’t had any long lasting effects? Nothing life threatening?”

“Not recently. Though a few did end up in the infirmary, but that hasn’t happened in a few months.”

“So, I’ll be fine after this?”

“Almost certainly.”

“Almost? What are the odds.”

“We had one whose parachute didn’t open. Luckily he managed to get his wings working to slow himself down enough where the collision only put him in a coma. I shut the thing down for the next few months in order to make sure all the parachute and safety gear was working, I didn’t want another repeat. Though you should be all right, we haven’t had an issue for years.”

As they walked up to the cannon, a few Changelings flew down to Twilight. “We’re ready when you are. We will be bringing you up to the muzzle. From there, just keep yourself safe.”

Twilight looked up at the large cannon, before sighing and placing the helmet on her head. “Alright…”

Twilight felt her forelegs pulled up as she left the ground behind, the four buzzing wings reminding her that she was being carried by two Changelings, soon they placed her on the muzzle, before letting her slide a little way down the cannon.

A minute or so after that, a small voice showed up in her ear. “Hello, and thank you for flying Air Joyous! Please keep your hooves, hands, claws, paws, and anything else at your side and try not to flail around too much. Now we hope you enjoy your flight, next stop: Manehatten!”

The Cannon moved down a little bit before Twilight could see a little bit of the large yellow crystal.

“Firing in 5… 4…3…2…1”

Twilight spent a lot of that time listening to her heart pounding in her ears, nearly as soon as the countdown ended, the feeling changed instantly. There was a loud explosion, and the only sounds she heard were a mixture of her screaming and the rushing wind. She couldn’t tell if she flailed at all, but she did know that she looked up at the Crystal, watching it quickly approach as she hurtled towards it at extremely unsafe speeds. Luckily before she hit it, the world suddenly changed around her.

Instead of the yellow crystal and cave like structures, suddenly everything changed to a long glowing blue tunnel, the walls surrounding her spinning and pulsating with small black blotches, scattered throughout the tunnel. As she flew through it, she felt strangely weightless, but her eyes darted around the chamber, not only were the blotches scattered throughout, but there were rapidly flashing images and a few loud noises piercing through the helmet, yet despite that weightless feel, she still felt that burst of speed. The spinning tunnel making her feel extremely weary, yet the large speed kept the images flashing rapidly. After a few seconds, her sight was covered in a bright glow, and then she slid across the ground, her legs feeling locked in place as her hooves continued to scrape the ground of the pad. Her body feeling completely stiff, yet she couldn’t focus on anything.

A few moments later, another bright flash was created behind her as Eupha appeared. “WEEEE!” Eupha laughed as she hit the ground, doing a small cartwheel before bouncing off the ground in a flip, landing in front of Twilight, spreading out her front legs. “TA-DA!”

She stood there for a few seconds before stopping the pose. “Was that awesome or what? High-hoof!” She raised her hoof, but when Twilight didn’t move, she lowered it. “Twilight?”

Eupha looked down at the Unicorn, waving her hoof in front of her face, and tapping Twilight in the side, making her fall over. Eupha released a sigh. “Oh great…”

Eupha stood up and picked up Twilight, moving her off the pad before speaking through the Hive mind. “To any Changelings near the Transport Pad, this is Queen Eupha; we have a 19-23, I am in need of assistance, please hurry.”

“This is Engineer 126, I am close and I will be there in a moment.” Eupha sighed, and looked up at a nearby clock.

“I’ve got time…” Eupha replied, walking into a changing room and removing her suit. When she came back out, a couple Changelings had entered the room, one was busily prepping the Smelling Salts, while the other had removed Twilight’s helmet and was looking into her eyes. “I recommend that you up the dosage a bit.”

The Changeling prepping the salts nodded and put a little more onto a cotton ball. “It’s ready.”

The Changeling walked up and began to wave the cotton under Twilight’s nose. After merely a couple seconds, Twilight reeled back, taking a deep breath away from it before coughing and covering her nose. “OW!”

“Apologies.” The Changeling said, taking the cotton ball and placing it in a small empty compartment within the kit.

“My nose! It burns!” She coughed again. “What was that?”

“Smelling Salts.” The Changeling replied. “My Queen, I must return to the production area.”

“Okay, thank you for helping out.” Eupha replied. “Are you alright?”

Twilight rubbed her nose, the burning sensation still very present. “I suppose so… My nose is still burning.”

“Yeah… Well, we are still working on negating the initial effects. Though you seem fine.”

“I can’t smell anything…” Twilight stated.

“Oh, that will clear up. Now we just need to get you out of that suit and I need to get up to the main building. 492, could you help show her around while I go and make sure that my clients are aware that I am here, I also need to run my check on some of the development prototypes.”

“Of course, My Queen.” The Engineer bowed.

“Great, I’ve got to get to the main building. Feel free to ask 492 anything you want. Bye.” Eupha said, walking towards the exit.

“So… Does this happen often?” Twilight asked, walking towards the changing rooms.

“Quite frequently.” 492 replied. “Usually the first use of the cannon causes paralysis.”

“So that won’t happen again?”

“A statistical overview of one to one-hundred chance that it will occur again.”

Twilight sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… But I would rather go through the Medical Hive’s crystal again…”

“The Queen enjoys that particular mode of transportation, and I must say that when you watch her use it, she is rather animated.”

“Is that the only way back to the main Hive?” Twilight asked. “Because all of my notes are there.”

“Yes, the Queen mentioned that, it is technically the only official way back to the main Hive, and is the fastest. Though many prefer the train.”

“I can understand that.” Twilight said as she began to get out of the suit. “Do you have a name?”

“I have no pony disguise, though my birth name was Caliber. The Queen prefers to call me Cal at times… I prefer my number over that.”

Twilight pulled the suit off of her hind legs. “So, is there anything new going on in this Hive that isn’t going on the main one?”

“Not too much…” Caliber replied. “I have your writing supplies here, whenever you are ready.”

Twilight removed the suit fully, and hung it on a hook nearby, as she walked out of the room, she looked over at Caliber. He was leaning against the wall, a notepad and quill floating in his magical grip. “I have been told through the Hive Mind that the Queen wants for you to see the work we do here. You can spend as much time as you like.”

Twilight took the notepad from Caliber. “So, what do you do here?” She asked.

“Personally?” Caliber asked.

“Well, I suppose.” Twilight replied.

“I work in the Special Modifications section of this Hive, I specialize in the internal mechanisms, to be more specific, I help if you want it to fire quicker.”

“What are the other modifications do you work with?”

“Anything you really need.” Caliber replied, beginning to walk to the exit. “Firing speed, sound suppression, capacity, barrel length, wheels, as I said, anything you need.”

“How does that work exactly?”

“Well, a customer will bring the product to the main building, ask for a certain tweak to be made to it, and if they have the right price, we proceed to make the modifications.”

“Out of curiosity, what are some of the prices?”

“Well, depends on the pieces they want, but it usually can be anywhere from ten to one-hundred bits. It is all based on the modifications you want.”

“Interesting…” Twilight said. “Do you think I could get a chance to see the workshop?”

Caliber looked up at a clock. “I suppose we have time, so long as you are okay with a few more loud explosions.”

Twilight sighed. “Well, I’m sure my ears can withstand a bit more trauma.”

Caliber nodded. “Very well, simply follow me.”

Twilight walked with Caliber for a few minutes, she asked him a few small questions about his work and the development of this secondary Hive. From what he said, it took them an extra five years to finally get the whole thing set up; two of them were just digging the tunnel.

“Caliber, could I ask who is in charge if the Queen isn’t here?”

Caliber chuckled. “Oh, that would be Shadow Drone 9, she keeps all of us in check, unless the Queen has her off on a mission.”

“I’ve heard about the Shadow Drones from a few of the others, but I never got any information on them.”

Caliber nodded. “Yeah… It is a very secretive group. Essentially it is on a need to know basis, and only the Queens and the Shadow Drones have that information.”

“Oh… Do you think they would let me know?”

Caliber laughed. “Not a chance.”

“Oh…” Twilight replied. “Do you know if…”

“They won’t tell you, if that is what you’re going to ask.” Caliber replied.

“Oh…” Twilight replied.

“We’re here.” Caliber said, as they walked up to a door. “Beyond here is the Special Modification and Request section. My workshop is near the back, so we will have a few minutes of walking, feel free to look at the works, there’s nothing really ground breaking in here.”

“Alright, well, what kind of special requests for you take?”

“Well, really anything that can be done with our products. You want a Party Cannon that fires cheese? We can make that and will send you it for a fee. We also make things for other Queens.” Caliber said, pushing open the door.

“Like what?”

“To be specific, we make a few devices for a few of the Hives, if they need cannons or something like that, then we build it, but for the most part we build smaller pieces and… Well… This…”

Twilight looked over at where Caliber was pointing, a stone fountain sitting off to the side, a few Changelings around it. The fountain looked simple enough, a dish in-between the top of the fountain, where the water would have come out of, and the base of the fountain, where the water would pool. “What is it?”

“See for yourself.” Caliber said, motioning for Twilight to get closer.

Twilight walked up to the fountain, beginning to listen to the conversations of the Changelings.

“So… We tested it with water and milk… Both below freezing and over one hundred degrees…”

“It still works.”

“So, those flowed just fine… So why is the shake not working?” The Changeling said, tapping his chin.

“It seems as though it freezes too easily, and the sugar begins to eat its way through the pipes, and if it gets too warm, it begins to slosh through… and clogs up the pipes.”

“That’s not even mentioning the strawberry seeds… Those would clog up the opening.”

“Yeah…”

“Hello.” Twilight said walking over. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

Both Changelings looked up at Twilight. “No. No. We were just reviewing the reports on the fountain.”

“What is it supposed to be?”

“It is for Queen Viola, she requested a…” One of the Changelings flipped through the pages. “A fountain that, instead of water, can be filled with strawberry Milkshakes.”

“Milkshakes?”

“Yes… From what we have heard, they are Viola’s favorites.” The Changeling replied. “We have problems keeping the pressure constant right now… That along with a plethora of other issues that keep popping up…

“Well, I guess I had better let you get to work. Wouldn’t want you to make any mistakes.”

“Uh-huh…” The Changeling said, looking back at his notes. “We could try to put a magical component into the pipes…”

“That wouldn’t work… the instant it needed to be recharged it would break down. Minotaur Changelings aren’t as magically capable… Plus this is for Viola.”

“Good point…”

Twilight left the two Changelings to talk and walked back over to Caliber, who was talking with another Changeling. “Explain it to me again?” Caliber said.

“There’s a problem with the firing mechanic on a couple of the Cannons, we need your help to fix them up.”

“How did they break? When they were brought in, all of them were working perfectly!”

“I’m not sure. Last one to touch them was Pinprick.”

Caliber sighed. “Course it was… I’ll fix them later. I’m busy right now, Gear Shift.”

“Well, whatever it is, I’m going to talk to the newbie. Good luck on… Whatever.”

Gear walked off as Twilight walked up to Caliber. “What was that about?”

“A Newbie messed up the cannons… I’m going to have to work on that…” Caliber sighed. “So, you ready to see where I work?”

The tour through the workshop was rather extensive; Twilight got a chance to look at almost every section of the area, seeing everything from simple barrel exchanges, to the small internal pieces that made it capable of being fired with a single button push. While Twilight’s knowledge of the exact mechanisms was a bit lacking, it was still interesting to see how everything had to be perfectly implemented for the finished product to work properly. She also got a chance to see a few of the less precise configurations.

“Sorry again about your ear.” Caliber said.

“I didn’t know that there were ponies who wanted cannons to be any louder…” Twilight replied, rubbing the inside of her ear. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be, where she lost all hearing in her right ear for a good thirty minutes, but it would be difficult to hear anything on that side until she got it checked.

“Usually there aren’t… But a few ponies want to use them for warning systems, so they want them to be loud… I don’t know why anypony would want them louder than a crack of thunder…”

“No idea…” Twilight said.

“Luckily nothing bad happened here.” Caliber said, looking over another cannon, it was only the second one he got a chance to work on since they reached his workshop, and while Twilight was quite interested, but wanted to let him work.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something.” Twilight replied.

“Go ahead.” Caliber replied. “I can multi task.”

“Have you ever had issues with the time zone change?” Twilight asked.

“Not really.” Caliber replied. “The Hive looks similar no matter day or night, so honestly I’m fine. Though I will admit it is slightly annoying at times when the clocks aren’t working correctly.”

“I can see that being a problem.” Twilight replied.

Caliber slid out from under the cannon. “Speaking of time, when is your train from the Outskirts supposed to leave?” He picked up a rag and wiped his forehead.

“Well, originally I was looking for something at around seven to eight, given how long it takes to get back, but the only train I could manage to find was at ten o’clock. Which I guess, due to the isolated nature, makes sense.”

“You said ten?” Caliber asked.

“Yes I did.” Twilight replied.

Caliber looked up to a clock. “Uh… It’s Nine forty.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked up at the clock. “WHAT!” Sure enough, the clock above said it was 9:40. “Oh no! I’ll never get back in time! The next train is tomorrow and I don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight! Not only that, but I still need to come here and get my secondary notes, since the cannon doesn’t let me take my notes. I don’t have anyway to contact Spike and…”

BANG!

Twilight jumped and looked over at Caliber, the party cannon he was working on smoking slightly. “You done?”

“NO! How am I going to-?”

Caliber rolled his eyes. “Follow me.” He said as he walked out of the room.

‘Where are we going?” Twilight asked nervously.

“We’re going to see Shadow Drone 9. She’ll help out.” Caliber sighed. “Hopefully…” He said under his breath.

“Are you sure she will help? Because if not then I need to head down to the firing range so that I can…”

“I’m sure she will help, she owes me for something.”

“What?”

“Nothing that you need to know.” Caliber replied. “She would also kill me if I told you…”

Twilight began nervously looking around the area, taking very little of it into account as her plans were slowly being changed to include another possible over night stay in a Hive, and while she wouldn’t mind that normally, if this hive was anything like Pinkie, she expected a late night, and early wake up call, which not only would ruin her sleep schedule, but would also not help with her ear.

She was busy trying to plan around the complication of staying within the Hive; in fact, she was so caught up in her plans that she almost ran into Caliber. Before she asked why they were stopping, she looked up to see Caliber looking at the door inside the tunnel, his face that of a foal standing in front of the principal’s door, something she had only one instance experiencing.

Caliber sighed. “I hope this doesn’t end in my own pain…” He raised his hoof and knocked on the door. “Nine? Nine I need to talk to you.” Caliber said, knocking another few times. “Nine, I know you are in there. Can I come in?”

There was a click from the wooden door and Caliber sighed. “Nine… Nine, I really need to…” He tried to knock again, but was pushed back by a small barrier. When he got back up, he sighed. “I didn’t want to do this…” He walked up to the door again before turning to Twilight. “You may want to take a few steps to the left.”

Twilight blinked before stepping away from the door, when Caliber was satisfied with the distance, he sighed before leaning into the door. “Coded Whisper, I need to talk to…”

Before he was finished, Twilight looked at the bottom of the door, where a black smoke had begun to form. A second later, the smoke passed through the door, forming together to the side of Caliber as another Changeling, which glared at Caliber. “What?” She hissed.

Caliber took a step back from Whisper. “Nine, I need your help with something.”

Whisper raised an eyebrow. “Really? Would this constitute for that… favor I owe you?”

“Yes… But it isn’t really for me.”

“Good, I was getting a bit nervous. You haven’t cashed that thing in for a few months.” Whisper replied.

Caliber sighed. “Yeah…” He replied. “I wasn’t really sure…”

“Oh! And another thing.” Whisper said. “Never call me that again. Only the Queens have that right and my Brothers and Sisters. If Twilight Sparkle weren’t standing there, I would have slapped you. I was meditating.”

Caliber sighed. “Yeah… I know, Nine… But I needed your help, well… We need your help.” Nine turned to look at Twilight she had the build of a normal Changeling, but her eyes were a much darker shade than the others, her armor was also a pitch black, and seemed to be non-reflective, not only that, but her carapace in general didn’t reflect the light around the area.

“Ah. Twilight Sparkle, 25 years old, Bearer of the Element of Magic, and first pony to enter these Hives that leaves with their memories intact. Pleasure to meet you again.” She stuck out her hoof.

Twilight shook the hoof. “Well nice to meet yo… Wait… Again?”

“Oh yeah, I met you when you were still a superstitious foal, I can’t tell you why, but we’ve met before. Now what’s up?”

Caliber sighed. “We need to use your miniature transport crystal.”

Nine blinked. “Excuse me, you want to what?”

Caliber sighed. “Miss Sparkle here needs to get back to the main Hive, as well as getting her notes and supplies from the T-Cannon, and getting her assistant Spike out, all before ten.”

Nine looked over at Twilight. “Let me get in contact with Eight, She can help. Anyway, how have you been enjoying your time?”

“Pretty well… But now I really need to get home.”

“No problem, Eight agreed to help, she’s getting a few Scouts to grab your notes, and she is going to check on Eggshell and Spike.”

“Oh… Well.” Twilight said. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Nine replied before turning to Caliber. “Now then. Where did you have in mind?”

“Originally I planned for her to be teleported to the Canon room, though since you have a scout getting the supplies from there, it hardly seems to matter.”

Nine rubbed her chin. “I could give you the crystal to the Development building’s office. But I’m going to need it back. These things aren’t easy to get, you know.”

Twilight shook her head. “So, out of curiosity, what is this crystal?”

Nine reached into her leg and pulled out a small blue crystal. “This is a portable transportation gem, a modified version of the Medical Hive’s transport gems. They are programmed with a single location, and upon use, become drained and need to be recharged. Be lucky we get the royal variation, the normal version break down after one use.”

“How does that work?” Twilight asked.

“It takes too long to explain, and you have ten minutes.” Nine said, handing over the gem. “All you need to do is hold it up to your horn and let your magic flow through it.”

Twilight looked at the blue crystal. “Will this be the same as the Medical Hive’s crystal?”

“You’ll get a bit of a headache, Cytes is working on fixing that issue, but it makes for good emergencies. Now, Spike and Eggshell should be there soon, so you should get going.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you for this.”

“No problem.” Nine said. “Just drop the crystal off at the front desk. I’ll see you around.” She smirked. “Though will you see me?”

“I’m not sure… Thank you for showing me around, Caliber. These notes should be very beneficial to my report.”

“You should get going if you don’t want to be late.” Caliber said. “I need to get back to work, fixing all of the mistakes the new guy caused will take me all night.”

Twilight nodded as she raised the crystal shard, about a forth the size of her horn, and touched it to the tip of her horn. Taking a small breath, she lit her horn, channeling her magic into it. She closed her eyes as the small crystal began shining, before a bright flash encompassed her.

A second later, she stumbled a little as she raised her hoof to her now pounding head, the crystal falling to the ground with a clink.

She tried to open her eyes, but had to close them from the brightness, after a few seconds, she got her bearings, and while there was still a slight headache, it was going away quickly. As her headache ceased, she picked up the crystal and her fallen notepad, before walking towards a door.

As she walked through the door, she saw the same off-white walls of the Development center. She walked up to the Unicorn behind the desk and handed over the Crystal, a minute later, the elevator door opened as Eggshell walked out, Spike next to her as he yawned.

Twilight walked over to them. “Thank you for keeping track of him.” Twilight said as she picked up Spike and placed him on her back. “How was he?”

“Oh, he was excellent, he took plenty of notes and pictures and asked as many questions as he could. It tuckered him out pretty quickly too.” Eggshell said.

“Well, I’m glad he did, I’ll need to look over all of them to make sure he got as much as I would like.”

Eggshell nodded. “Oh! And hang on a second.” Eggshell stepped back into the elevator and pulled out Twilight’s Saddle Bags. “A Scout got these to us before we left.”

Twilight took her Saddlebags and slung them over her back. “Thanks, I was worried I wasn’t going to get them. Now I’m really sorry, but I need to get going. I need to get to the train station soon or I’ll miss my train!”

“Well, bye. I hope to see you later.”

Twilight waved back at Eggshell before dashing out of the building and quickly making her way through the town. She was certain she drew a few confused looks as she rushed through the town, coming up to the train station. As she got there, she took a deep breath to calm herself down as she looked at the train sitting in the station, but before she walked onto the train she heard someone call her name, turning back she saw a mare that looked suspiciously like…

“Hey, Twilight!” The bright yellow earth pony said, her grass green mane unkempt and wild.

“Eupha!” Twilight said in surprise, but she found the mare placing her hoof into Twilight’s mouth.

“Shh, shh shh. Don’t say that name, they’re watching us.” Eupha said, her eyes flicking back and forth.

“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked as Eupha pulled her hoof out. “And why are you disguised as Giggle Trousers?”

“Well, my meeting ended an hour ago and after I did a quick lock up of the main building, I realized that I didn’t say goodbye yet. By the time I got back to the Hive, you were gone and so I zipped out here to say good luck and farewell and I originally had this whole song and dance planned out, but then I realized how late it was and that some ponies wanted to sleep, so I scrapped that and instead I’m just going to give a Goodbye Hug and maybe some cake.” Eupha said quickly before pulling Twilight into a hug. A few seconds after the hug began, Eupha ended it. “So, would you like some cake before you go?”

“Uh…” Twilight looked up at a clock. “I don’t have too much…”

“Pffft. Time. I don’t need that. I just need to ask about what flavor you want.”

“Um… I guess I’d enjoy just some Chocolate if you have…”

Eupha pulled out a small white cake box. She pushed it into Twilight’s hooves. “There ya go. Compliments of the Queen! Now you need to get going, the train leaves in three minutes. Plus I need to go read on all the Cake Cannons. So bye again! I’ll see you around, maybe.” Eupha began to walk away but stopped. “Oh! And could you tell Pinkie that the Party Cannon is going to be ready soon.”

“Sure…” Twilight replied, unsure of how to respond.

“Great! Well, glad that you could come and see the Hive. Hope the rest goes just as well! Bye!” Eupha began to skip away, humming some small tune.

Twilight watched her walk away for a few seconds before turning and walking into the train. As she chose a good spot to sit, she placed Spike on the bench across from her, letting the Dragon sleep. She took Spike’s notes out of his bag and pulled her own notes out, looking over them as she pulled out a large notebook to copy everything into.

As she looked over Spike’s notes, she had to admit that they were highly detailed, even enough to have full conversations. She looked over at Spike, who was starting to roll around on the bench. I did say that I would let him stay…

Twilight smiled. “Well, I guess he deserves it…”

Twilight turned to continue copying down the notes into her notebook. She barely flinched when the train’s whistle blew and they began to move down the track, heading back towards Ponyville.

On Chasing Shadows

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As the train pulled into Canterlot Station, there was a hustle and bustle that seemed almost practiced among the ponies present. Distant family members and friends holding crudely made signs to indicate who they were waiting for, the sound of luggage wheels and the train’s horn audible no matter where on the station you tried to stand. Among these bustling ponies, there was one that seemed to stand out; she had no luggage, no one waiting for her at the station, not even another pony to follow her off the bustling train. The earth pony simply stepped off the train, cast a glance over at the marble spires of Canterlot Castle, and began to walk through the crowd.

She walked through them with a form of liquid grace, bobbing and weaving between groups of ponies without ever slowing her pace. She glided through them as though the other ponies were not there, not casting a sideward glance at any of them and keeping her head looking straight ahead. She did not turn when a young foal ran up to hug her grandmother, she did not slow when a cart of luggage fell in her path; content to simply glide through the debris without casting a glance at them. She did not stop her near autonomous walk until she entered into Canterlot proper, taking a moment to simply stand and look at the city of white.

How long has it been since this city rose? She pondered, looking towards the oldest building of the city, the one which it had all been built around; The Castle of Celestia.

The earth pony stood for but a few more seconds before restarting her pace, taking to the marble streets with her expression blank.

“I fail to see how that is relevant to the defense’s case.” Just Sentence stated simply.

“You don’t believe that setting up a pattern of behavior is important in a case like this?” Grand Stand asked, exasperation clear in his voice.

Just Sentence rubbed her eyes. “I believe we would require more substantial information than simply reading off his favorite drinks at a bar.” She replied trying to hide the hint of annoyance she felt having to explain this to a veteran attorney. “Even if the Defendant could rattle off every mundane fact about their life, that does not mean they are who they proport to be.”

“It also gets us no closer to finding the real Mint Drop.” Hard Facts stated.

“Oh, come off it.” Grand Stand replied, annoyance getting the better of him as he pointed a hoof at Hard Facts. “You can’t honestly believe he managed to foalnap someone after the Invasion of Canterlot. Security was at an all-time high!”

“All I am saying is that’s what the evidence shows is possible.”

“He’s Seventy-Three!” Grand Stand shot back. “Only thing he’s foalnapping is arthritis.”

Just Sentence rubbed her forehead, the current conversation giving her a headache. A local Ice Cream store owner was found to be a Changeling from the Love Hive. Shortly after this reveal, the elderly Changeling came under scrutiny from the locals. A few going so far as to claim that the seventy-three year old Changeling had somehow kidnapped Mint Drop. It didn’t become Just Sentence’s problem until a group of Canterlot citizens filed a lawsuit against him.

Chrysalis warned you about this situation. Just Sentence let out an annoyed breath. Catching back into the argument as she did.

“-That’s why I say we bring in Queen Chrysalis to vouch for-”

Hard Facts snorted. “You’d have better luck getting Nightmare Moon to testify.”

“The public sentiment against Queen Chrysalis would only hurt your case.” Just Sentence replied. “It is not the Defense’s duty in this case to prove that Mr. Mint Drop is who he claims to be. It is the Prosecution’s job to show reasoning that he is not.” Just Sentence finished, ensuring that both Attorneys heard her.

“That can be rather difficult when you’re defending a shapeshifter.” Hard Facts replied. “Setting up who he is should be just as important to the Defense as proving that he isn’t to the Prosecution.”

“That would be the same as just calling him Guilty from the word Go!”

Here they go again… Just Sentence internally sighed as topic shifted, once again, back to the sentiment of ‘Proving who they are.’ This had become a regular sticking point for many of the Canterlot populace in regards to Changelings; an attempt to shift the conversation from proving they had committed a crime, to proving they hadn’t done so. The only thing that annoyed her more than the idea of this convention catching on, was the fact so many were readily willing to accept it.

As the two Attorneys began to argue back and forth regarding this same inane topic, the door to Just Sentence’s office opened up, causing both of them to stop dead before continuing.

“Judge Sentence,” called her secretary, “there is someone here to see you.”

“I thought I told you that I was not to be disturbed during meetings regarding cases like this.” Just Sentence said to her secretary, relishing the momentary calm that her presence brought to the room.

“I know, but the visitor was…” The mare paused as if searching for the correct way to phrase it looking back at the slightly open door, “persistent.”

Just Sentence raised an eyebrow at that exceptionally unhelpful information. “Tell whoever it is that I will be with them when this meeting is-” She paused as the door was opened a little more, giving her a glimpse at the mystery visitor. A blank faced yellow Earth Pony with a short white and black mane stood in the room, her pale yellow eyes staring directly at Just Sentence. As she looked at the pony, her eyes widened.

Just Sentence took a deep breath, exhaling it before turning to the two attorneys in front of her. “I must sincerely apologize but something urgent has just come up.” She stated, a bit faster than she probably should have. “We shall reconvene next week to discuss these proposals further. I expect more concrete offerings from both sides regarding this case.” Just Sentence picked up the documents on her desk and placed them into the case filing. The two attorneys both taking their own files and leaving the room.

Once the room was clear, the Earth Pony walked into the room. “Under no circumstance are you to allow anyone into this room.” She said to the secretary, who nodded. She then closed and locked the door behind her.

The Earth Pony walked up to Just Sentence’s Desk and took a seat across from her.

Just Sentence took a deep breath. “I didn’t expect you to be making a surprise personal visit.” She stated as she used her magic to pick up a glass of water she had sitting on her desk.

“I had a topic of extreme importance to discuss with both you and Celestia.” The pony replied in a monotone voice. “I believed it would be in my best interest to discuss it with you first.”

“Go on then.” Just Sentence replied as she began to take a drink from her water.

“Is what I hear accurate regarding your intention to reveal information regarding the Shadow Hive to Twilight Sparkle?” She asked bluntly.

Just Sentence immediately felt herself begin coughing as the water she had been drinking jumped down her windpipe in her surprise. She quickly dropped the glass as she began coughing the water onto the floor, not expecting this question to be given to her.

After a minute or two of coughing, she managed to compose herself as she looked up towards the Earth Pony sitting in front of her, no trace of concern or shock regarding the judges’ sudden coughing fit. Just Sentence took a breath before responding. “To put it simply, Apath. Yes, I am.”

“You have thought over the consequences of revealing this information to the general populace, I assume.” Apath said.

Just Sentence nodded. “I have been thinking about it for quite a while.” She began, leaning back in her chair slightly. “One of my main concerns lay with Twilight Sparkle herself. That mare has a mind with an insatiable appetite for knowledge. From what few reports I have received, she has already shown a great interest in the Shadow Drones we currently use and it is only a matter of time before she deduces the roles they have among our hives.”

Apath looked off in the distance for a moment, as if contemplating something, her expression remaining as unreadable as ever. “There is reason in your explanation, “Apath said after a few seconds. “My own Shadow Drones have reported as much regarding her proclivities.” She turned to look back at Just Sentence. “Before I can pass judgement upon your actions, Acari, I will need to know what information you were planning to provide Miss Sparkle.”

Acari let out a sigh, putting a hoof up to her head. “That… Is the source of much of my struggles regarding this topic, if I am to be honest.” She stated. “I did not wish to give her too much information regarding the current use of Shadow Drones, as that is certain to cause distrust among Pony-Changeling relations. However Miss Sparkle would not be satisfied with the simple knowledge of their existence. Doubtless you heard about Coded Whisper?”

Apath gave a small nod. “Coded Whisper is not happy with being the first Shadow Drone Miss Sparkle interacted with. Her report stated she ensured she did not reveal any information of importance.”

“That was never in question,” Acari replied confidently “The Shadow Drones are experts, after all.”

Apath gave a slow blink. “You believe that the interaction has only stoked Twilight Sparkle’s hunger for knowledge, yes?”

Acari let out a sigh. “Yes, I believe it has, yet that is not the primary reason I wish to reveal some information to her regarding the Shadow Hive itself.”

Apath looked off into the distance again. Acari couldn’t be sure what exactly Apath was thinking about, though if she had to guess, she assumed her superior was thinking over her response.

“The information that Twilight Sparkle gains from these little excursions of hers,” Apath began turning back to look directly at Acari. “Has Celestia discussed with you the full breadth of her plans with it?”

“Not aside from hushed words and incomplete plans.” Acari admitted taking a sip of her water, certain Apath wasn’t going to cause her to start choking again, “I believe she wishes to have the full picture before making any concrete plans in that regards.” Acari stated. “Though from my understanding she wishes to educate the populace regarding Changelings and their actions.”

“An admirable goal.” Apath began. “Transparency is an effective means of countering distrust and doubt regarding intentions.”

“You have your own doubts, I assume?” Acari deduced.

“There are many aspects of our history that would be better left kept in darkness, the largest being the roles of the Shadow Drones themselves. I cannot see the populace enjoying the existence of what could be seen as undetectable spies among them.”

Acari nodded as she took another drink from her glass. “That is one of the main reasons I am hesitant to show her anything regarding modern Shadow Drones. It is not as though they are used in the same capacity as they were in the past.”

“Nor could they.” Apath stated simply. “Back to the topic at hoof, were you planning to show Miss Sparkle anything regarding the modern Shadow Drones?”

Acari shook her head. “No, I was only thinking to show her a few of the historical pieces we have regarding the Shadow Hive. Though the options are few and far between.”

Apath let out a small breath. “Should you display anything regarding the Shadow Hive, it may be best to temper that information with more regarding the other Hives of the region.”

Acari paused for a moment putting down her glass. “Are you certain, Apath?” Acari asked with a hint of hesitation in her voice. “To say those Hives were brutal would be an understatement.”

“I can understand your trepidations regarding this option,” Apath replied, seeing the look on Acari’s face. “Despite that, I believe it would help in highlighting the difference between those ancient Hives and our current ones. Display that we are not mere brutes or parasites seeking to warm up to our hosts.”

Acari looked down at her hooves, uncertain. She began to think back to what catalogues her Hive maintained regarding those hives of the Fjords. “My only problem will be in finding the correct ones to display to her.”

Apath nodded. “I would very much like to see what information you intend to display to Miss Sparkle once you have made your decision, Acari. In the meantime I will need to discuss with the other High Queens about this plan of yours.” Apath stated emotionlessly, though Acari could feel a bit of distaste in the way the High Queen phrased that statement. “I have to make my way to the castle.” Apath stated, getting down from her chair. “Once I meet with the other High Queens, I shall inform you as to their decision.”

With little else necessary to say, Apath began to walk out of the office.

As Apath left the office, Acari let out a long sigh, she had been expecting Apath to speak with her regarding this topic, but hadn’t expected it to be a surprise meeting in her own office. She felt a sense of tension flow away as Apath left the room. Meeting with Apath was always a stressful event, her seeming inability to display emotions making deducing her meanings or thoughts more difficult than any other.

She was brought back to reality by her intercom lighting up and the voice of her secretary coming through. “Judge Sentence? Cold Case is here to speak with you regarding his investigation.”

Acari took a deep breath to compose herself before responding. “Yes. Yes. Let him in.”

The door to her office opened up as the Unicorn walked in, carrying a suitcase full of what Acari hoped wasn’t all legal documents. “Judge Sentence, I think I’ve narrowed down a few of these old cases.”

Just Sentence fixed her glasses and looked over at Cold Case. “I do hope you have more evidence than hunches this time.”

All things considered, it had been a rather slow day at Canterlot Castle. Many of the nobles were busy with their own private affairs, ranging from vacations out of town to the Pegasus Races. Unfortunately, that did not mean she was free of dealing with various complaints from the populace. Though luckily many of them simply sent letters, leaving her to read over them at her own pace.

Most of the letters she had received today were not a surprise. The discovery of a Changeling from Chrysalis’ hive having lived within the city for decades did not go over well with many of the nobles or those affected by the invasion. Celestia had personally seen Chrysalis speaking with the Changeling before he chose to reveal himself, Chrysalis had tried to talk him out of it several times, but ultimately her fatigue got the better of her, conceding to her subject.

Celestia let out a small sigh as she thought over Chrysalis’ current state. She was running herself ragged to try and round up various members of her Hive that had been injured after the Invasion, helping to orchestrate the repairs of various buildings and streets damaged all while trying to remove any rogue elements of her daughter from the hive. All the while she was subjected to harsh criticism by the Canterlot populace, who still held a harshly negative view of Changelings. Adding on to her stress as she felt she couldn’t leave the castle without getting attacked. It was no exaggeration to say she had not left the castle in weeks. Celestia wondered if she was going to have another Luna situation on her hands, but shook away the thought. Turning instead to the letter she was currently reading.

Dear Princess Celestia,

This is the first time I have ever written a letter to you but I feel it is something important. It is on the topic of Mint Drop…

Celestia let out a small sigh as she saw the familiar name appear in the letter.

I wanted to know if it would be possible to have a few guards watch over his property. I know it must be an unorthodox request, but I am worried that someone among the city might attempt to vandalize his store. Mint Drop has always been a friendly and welcoming pony. I understand that he has recently become open about being a Changeling and has been the subject of many rumors over the past few weeks. I am worried that somepony will seek revenge against him via destruction of his store. My son and I are regulars of his store and would hate to see such a friendly and caring pony harmed simply because of an event he played no part in.

I know that this is, perhaps, a selfish request, however I believe it will go a long way to helping display a commitment to opening relations with Changelings in general. The action would send a message to the other Canterlot residents that we are a welcoming city, and will not treat another harsher simply due to their species.

Sincerely,
High Crust, a concerned citizen.

Celestia smiled to herself a little while reading the letter, it was a rare thing to see letters sent to her like this. Many of them were vehemently anti-Changelings, though she always assumed it was merely a vocal minority, mostly the nobility and their fear of change of any kind. She thought over the proposal and decided it would be best to speak with Shining Armor regarding the Guard presence in the city and if any could be spared to overlook this situation until it resolved.

She folded the letter and placed it off to the side for later. Before she could open the next letter, the door to the throne room opened up as a Royal Guard walked in.

“Princess Celestia, you have somepony here seeking an audience.” The Guard announced.

Celestia smiled as she teleported the unopened letters away, making sure to keep the one she only just read close to her. “No reason to keep them waiting.” Celestia said with a smile. “Let them in.”

“Of course, Celestia.” The guard gave a small bow and walked back out of the room. When he returned with the visitor, Celestia’s smile faltered for a moment as she recognized the Earth Pony.

“It is good to see you again.” Celestia began jovially, as if greeting an old friend.

“Same to you, Celestia.” Apath replied. “I have an important matter to discuss with you.” She stated in the monotone pattern that Celestia had still not become accustomed to.

“Seeing as you are dropping by on a rather empty schedule, should I expect this to be a long discussion?”

“That fully depends upon you, Celestia.” Apath replied coming to a stop in front of Celestia’s throne. She turned to look at the door to the room, ensuring that it was closed before speaking. “I have spoken to the other High Queens regarding your proposal.”

Celestia nodded in acknowledgement. “Would you like some tea?”

Apath gave a nod. “Some tea would be appreciated.”

With a smile, Celestia’s horn lit up, conjuring a small table between the two of them, a tea set lay atop the immaculate white table cloth; two simple white chairs were placed on either side of the round table. Celestia stepped down from her throne to sit on one of the chairs while Apath took her place opposite her.

Celestia raised the teapot pouring two cups of tea and passing one to Apath. “Sugar?”

Apath shook her head. “Plain is fine.” She stated simply, raising the teacup to her lips. “Saddle Arabian leaves?” She asked, tasting the tea.

Celestia nodded. “Your taste buds are still immaculate.” She said with a smile. “I was given these leaves by the Saddle Arabian delegation during our last meeting. It makes for a good change of pace from many of the other teas I drink.”

Apath placed the cup in front of her. “Now, onto the topic of your proposal.”

Celestia let out a sigh. “Am I to understand that none of the other High Queens accepted the proposal?”

“Most of the Hives are skeptical as to the benefits that revealing themselves to the world would bring.” Apath stated simply. “I cannot say I blame them.” She said as she took a sip of tea.

“Who were in favor?” Celestia asked, wondering if she would even recognize some of the names.

“Viola of the Minotaur Republic, Aburi of the Griffin Kingdom, Nayra Sarnaqawi and Hartseer of Zebrica and Kapricia of YakYakistan.”

Celestia thought over the names, recognizing only one or two of them. “None from Saddle Arabia?”

“Qiama has not reported anything yet, though I am doubtful her hives will accept.” Apath stated simply.

“Should I assume they are all against revealing themselves for the same reason?” Celestia asked as Apath sipped her tea.

“The reason is likely not what you are expecting, Celestia.” Apath stated. “It is the vague nature of your request that holds up many of the Queens.”

“Oh, is that right?” Celestia asked for clarity.

“The information of Twilight Sparkle’s visits to the Hives has not gone unnoticed. News of it has already spread throughout the Changeling World, with many keeping their eyes on her progress.” Apath took another sip of her tea.

“If the other Hives are already aware of her visits, I am not sure what else I can do to convince them.” Celesia replied. “Do you have a suggestion?”

“Clarity” Apath replied. “Many of the Queens that have voiced their opinions regarding your request have stated that they are unsure of how this information will be used.” She explained. “The only way to get many of these queens to open up to this experiment of yours is to detail what your plans with the information are.”

Celestia let out a small sigh as she took another sip of tea. “They are afraid of retaliation from their respective nations?”

“Nothing quite as simple.” Apath replied. “Many hives gather emotion in secret, have wide spanning businesses or fear that their appearance or chosen emotion would not be taken well by the populace.”

Celestia nodded. “Avaratia being one of them?”

Apath nodded. “The Hive of Greed is wide-spanning and has deep ties to most nations; a full revelation of her Hive and it’s duties would result in disastrous consequences.” Apath took another sip of her tea. “The same goes for Evangeline.”

“In truth, I wasn’t sure any queens outside of Equestria would even agree.” Celestia replied, pouring Apath another cup of tea. “It is a bit of a surprise to see even those few hives accept the offer.”

“From what Erzelem tells me, Viola was the only one truly open to revealing herself. Though she has always been eccentric.” Apath said, giving Celestia a small thanks before sipping her tea.

“Have any of the Queens offered any form of compromise?” Celestia asked, hoping that she could address their worries in some way.

Apath shook her head. “I believe many of them are waiting to see how you handle the information provided to you regarding Equestrian Hives.” She replied. “You have been rather tight lipped regarding your plans with the information.”

Celestia let out a sigh. “Yes, I am still debating the best course of action with the information I would be given. Too much information would leave the Hives at risk, too little wouldn’t solve the major issues of mistrust and paranoia. While I largely doubt the average pony will mind Changelings, and if Ovi has taught me anything useful, her Hive is doing well with the revelation.”

Apath nodded. “The Lust Hive was always going to benefit from the loss of secrecy.”

“But others will not be so fortunate.” Celestia stated, receiving an understanding nod from Apath. “Chief among them being Chrysalis.”

Apath shook her head. “Chrysalis may receive the most immediate hostility, but relations will smooth themselves out once the scars begin to heal.” She stated. “Speaking of, where is she? I instructed her to assist you.”

Celestia looked out one of the tall windows, seeing the sun beginning to descend from its high peak. “She’s been working hard to locate any more wayward members of her Hive and round up any remaining supporters her daughter has.” Celestia sighed. “I’m worried she may be overworking herself. According to Luna, Chrysalis doesn’t fall asleep until nearly three in the morning.”

“Chrysalis is still hurt by Ceymi’s actions.” Apath stated taking a sip of tea. “She is trying to find any means of avoiding thinking of her.”

Celestia let out a sigh and sipped her tea. She knew the struggle that Chrysalis was going through. Though it was over one thousand years ago, Celestia remembers the struggles of the months after she had to banish Luna. Many nights she would simply spend staring up at the moon, hoping and praying she could hear her sister’s voice again.

Apath glanced up at Celestia’s eyes for a moment before lowering her gaze to the tea in front of her. “Thinking of Luna again?” She asked simply.

Celestia took a breath to clear her mind before replying. “Yes, I was.”

“Expected.” Apath stated with an uncaring tone. “You only get so saddened when you think of sealing her in the Moon.” Apath took another sip of her tea.

Celestia took a sip of her tea as well. Contemplating her limited knowledge of the changelings outside of Equestria itself. She had spoken with a few indirectly and even fewer in pony. Trying to gauge the best compromise with rulers she has never met or had extremely limited knowledge of would be a difficult task.

“My original plan for the information I was provided by Twilight would have been something admittedly simple.” Celestia replied, causing Apath to raise an eyebrow at her words. “I do not plan to uproot every secret of the Hives, nor breach the trust that they have in me. I believe the best means to handle the information is to simply make the differences in the Hives apparent.”

Apath put down her teacup and straightened her posture somewhat, listening to what Celestia had to say.

“I do not wish to reveal too much information about the Hives, so I believe for the time being a simple pamphlet would do for the larger populace; simply displaying the differences in the Hives’ appearances and duties they serve. Highlighting the similarities instead of the differences.” Celestia explained, her air of regal authority clear in how she spoke on the subject.

“And you believe that your subjects would be content with such information?” Apath questioned, knowing better than most the curiosity that follows the unknown.

“I believe it is a solid foundation.” Celestia replied. “As you should be well aware, Equestria is a welcoming nation and the ponies a welcoming species. Of course, there will always be exceptions, but they should be minor in voice.”

Apath nodded slightly in understanding. The ponies had always been welcoming to outsiders, it had been a great strength yet a critical weakness at several points in their history. “Am I correct to assume you will expand the breadth of knowledge on Changeling Hives over time?”

Celestia nodded. “I do not have the specifics worked out in full, but once Changelings become a more natural sight around Equestria, and perhaps the world, more information will be slowly uncovered regarding them.” Celestia said as she raised a teacup to her lips and finished off her cup of tea. “Of course it will be made clear that each Hive is to be treated as a sovereign nation; with its own laws and customs to follow.”

“In the long run you see the Hives opening themselves to the outside world?” Apath asked, slightly surprised by the optimistic view of her fellow ruler.

Celestia smiled. “It is an optimistic dream, I know. Though hope and optimism have helped me get through some of my toughest times in the past and I see no reason to think that we will burn the bridge of cooperation.” Celestia paused in thought for a moment. “Perhaps even your hive will be-”

Apath cut off Celestia before she finished. “The hive of Equestria’s High Queen will remain hidden.” Apath said seriously. “Even in the most optimistic of futures, our doors will remain locked.” She stated, the light tone in her voice enough to make Celestia feel a small chill.

Celestia gave Apath a warm smile, hoping to distill any tension caused. “As I said, it is merely my optimism. Though one day I do hope to see your Hive.”

Apath raised her cup. “If it ever comes to that, Equestria will be in worse trouble than you know.” She said before taking a sip of her tea.

Celestia waited for Apath to finish before speaking once again. “Would this be enough to convince a few additional Queens to join?”

Apath nodded. “A few will be pleased, though I believe many more will simply wait until the first wave of information is released regarding Changelings.” Apath paused for a moment. “Have you given thought about what to do in regards to King Zulu?”

Celestia looked at Apath in confusion, unsure how to respond at first to the question. “I thought you told me that King Zulu was dead?”

Apath nodded. “He is, his own Changelings confirmed this fact to us nearly one thousand years ago.”

“Then why bring him up?” Celestia questioned, uncertain of how King Zulu would factor into any of this.

“I would rather not like to repeat myself, so I will wait for Chrysalis to join us. It relates to something very personal to her.” Apath stated, the monotone voice adding a sense of seriousness to her words that Celestia was unable to decipher. “One of the reasons is due to Twilight Sparkle coming into contact with a Shadow Drone in her travels. I need not explain why this is a serious issue.”

Celestia looked surprised. “She met a Shadow Drone?”

Apath nodded. “It is rather possible that Twilight Sparkle will be given information regarding the Shadow Hive due to this. You are well aware of your student’s thirst for knowledge.”

Celestia smiled and nodded. Remembering how Twilight practically made the Library her home for a few days. She had to have a guard check through the corners of the Royal Library to make sure Twilight wasn’t attempting to sleep in the building.

“It is highly likely the information will pertain to King Zulu. If that is the case, I would like to know how you would handle it.” Apath stated simply.

“What is there really to say?” Celestia questioned. “If he is gone then there shouldn’t be anything worth recording for the commonpony regarding him.”

Apath took a long breath, seemingly thinking on Celestia’s answer. “A wise decision.” Apath replied. “Though I am hesitant to come to the same conclusion.”

Before Celestia could ask Apath what she meant by that, the door to the throne room opened. Celestia looked up to see Chrysalis walking into the room, her mane looked as though she had only just gotten out of bed with heavy bags visible under her eyes; she walked with an almost imperceptible wobble with her head hanging down slightly. As she entered the room she gave a long yawn. “Apologies…. Celestia,” Chrysalis began through her yawn, “I didn’t realize how late it was until I was already asleep.”

Celestia’s eyes flicked down to Apath, who had not turned to look at Chrysalis and was currently drinking more of her tea before looking back up at Chrysalis. “I am glad to see that you have decided to join us, Chrysalis, you’d usually be busy trying to locate other lost members of your Hive.”

Chrysalis sighed, the fatigue evident in her voice even before she spoke. “Some of them were knocked clear to other countries. Trying to get a hold of them is more difficult than I would like. Doesn’t help that several Queens are ignoring my calls.” She said as she reached where Apath and Celestia were sitting. Celestia was expecting Chrysalis to recognize Apath immediately, though she supposed Chrysalis didn’t realize it was her just yet.

Despite her fatigue, Chrysalis did notice the table and tea set, she looked over at Celestia. “Too hot outside or something?”

Celestia smiled slightly and then waved away the question. “No, nothing like that, I believed my guest would prefer to speak in a more private location.”

Chrysalis’ eyes casually moved to look at Apath, it took her a couple seconds to recognize who exactly the pony in front of her was. Once she did, Chrysalis’ eyes widened and she reacted as though she had been struck by lightning. The exhaustion and fatigue on her face quickly replaced with shock and fear as she jumped back a good few feett in surprise.

“APATH!” Chrysalis shouted as she leapt back.

“Chrysalis.” Apath responded blankly casting her eyes at the frightened Queen. The fear radiating off of Chrysalis likely alerted any Queens in Canterlot about her appearance.

“Wh-wh-what are you doing here, your majesty.” Chrysalis said, hastily bowing to Apath. “I- I apologize for not recognizing it was you.” She added quickly, hoping that Apath wasn’t there to hand out her punishment. “You see I’ve been preoccupied with-”

Apath held up her hoof to stop Chrysalis. “Celestia has already informed me of your activities.” Apath began, noticing a small smile crossing Celestia’s face at Chrysalis’ display, hidden by her drinking some of her tea. “I am not here to pass down additional punishment to you.”

Chrysalis let her heart stop pounding through her carapace before raising off the floor and takin a deep breath to calm herself down. “Th-then what are you here to do, Apath?”

Apath moved her hoof towards the table as another chair and teacup appeared in a flash of white, appearing on the side of the table closest to Chrysalis. “Please, sit.” Apath said casually, or as casually as she was able to.

Chrysalis still felt that the ‘request’ came out as an order. Swallowing she walked up to Celestia and Apath, taking the seat Apath had created for her. Celestia had already poured her a cup of tea and placed it in front of Chrysalis. Both Apath and Celestia allowed Chrysalis to drink the contents of the cup to help ease her nerves.

Once Chrysalis had put the now empty teacup down, Apath began explaining to Chrysalis her reason for coming.

After having downed another cup of tea during Apath’s explanation, Chrysalis felt far more relaxed knowing that Apath wasn’t there to render judgment on her. “I have to say I’m surprised you haven’t brought any of this up to me, Celestia.” Chrysalis said as she placed her third cup of tea down in front of her.

Celestia gave a warming smile to Chrysalis, seeing that the atmosphere had turned more casual since Chrysalis’ initial shock. “I never wanted to impose on you, Chrysalis.” Celestia explained, worry obvious in her voice. “You were always busy overseeing reconstruction or tracking down wayward members of your Hive. I felt it would have been cruel to push more work onto you.”

“While I appreciate that, I am here to help in any way I can.” Chrysalis replied, inwardly hoping Celestia didn’t try to push more work onto her.

“Seeing as the Love Hive were the hive primarily responsible for maintaining Changeling secrecy until only recently it stands to reason that she would be an excellent assistant in this matter.” Apath stated simply, drinking more of her tea as Celestia barely managed to contain her giggle at the odd role reversal Chrysalis had taken.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Chrysalis mumbled, still not happy that she had been responsible for Changeling secrecy being broken as it was.

“Which is exactly why you shall aid Celestia in planning out this project of her’s further.” Apath added.

Chrysalis’ posture suddenly turned rigid as she looked over at Apath. “You know I would never question your orders, Apath, but this is a big undertaking.”

“Indeed it is.” Apath said taking a sip of tea. “Having a leading member of the Changeling race as an ally in this endeavor would be beneficial. You can ensure that no sensitive information is leaked to the populace and perhaps it will aid in your public opinion.”

Chrysalis grumbled a little as her posture relaxed and her ears drooped down.

“I understand you are not thrilled about this, Chrysalis, but having a Queen’s seal of approval on the information would help ease some of the doubt the ponies have on this project.” Celestia spoke up. “Besides, there is still plenty of time before we need to worry about that particular project.”

At that moment Apath let out a melancholic sigh, perking up both of the leader’s ears at the uncharacteristic sound that came from Apath. They saw the High Queen staring off into the distance. “I agree with Celestia.” Apath stated. “There is something of much higher importance to prepare for.”

Both Celestia and Chrysalis looked back at each other, something that was bothering Apath this much was no small inconvenience. Apath was known to rarely, if ever display any signs of emotion, so even something as simple as a sigh was a sign that something was deeply troubling her.

“I have not been upfront with you, Celestia, and for that you have my apologies.” Apath gave a small bow to her fellow leader. “Both of you are no doubt aware of the events that transpired over one thousand years ago.”

Celestia nodded. “I was there for most of them, Apath.”

“Both of us?” Chrysalis repeated uncertainly, wracked her brain for a moment before her eyes widened considerably, as one of her hooves began shaking. “Apath, you-you don’t mean that place could actually reappear, do you?” Chrysalis asked, a wobble present in her voice as she asked the question.

Apath simply nodded. “I’m afraid so.” She looked over at Chrysalis, who was beginning to shake slightly, trying to keep herself reserved despite her own fears getting to her. “I fear that the Crystal Empire will reappear.”

Chrysalis picked up her tea cup with shaking hooves and downed the entire contents quickly in an attempt to stop her from shaking.

Celestia was the first of the two to speak up. “How can you be certain, Apath?”

“I have Changelings deployed throughout where the Empire once stood. They have recently been sending me back word of a mysterious black smoke appearing and moving throughout the tundra, as though searching for something.” Apath explained. “I have reason to believe it is Sombra regaining his strength. The Empire itself could return at any moment.”

Chrysalis let out a small whine as she put her head in her hooves. “This can’t be happening.” She mumbled to herself. Causing Celestia to reach over and pat Chrysalis on the back.

“We still have time to prepare, correct?” Celestia asked Apath.

“I have not heard of the Empire manifesting, even as a shadow; were I to give a rough estimate, perhaps we have a single month.” Apath looked over at Chrysalis, who was still sitting with her head in her hooves, staring blankly at the table. “I will not ask you to be present, Chrysalis. I know the Empire holds dark memories for you.”

“I never believed I’d have to think of that place again.” Chrysalis said with shaking breath. “When I heard it disappeared along with Sombra, a part of me was glad. I was hoping it was completely wiped off the map.” She took a shaking breath. Celestia pat Chrysalis on the back, trying to cheer up the Queen.

“Chrysalis, it will be fine, we have the Element-”

“So did my Mother.” Chrysalis interrupted, remorse evident in her voice. “I-I’m sorry.” She said getting up from her seat, eyes red. “I…I need to be alone.” Chrysalis stated before getting up and swiftly walking out of the room, her head hung lower than usual, trying her hardest not to think about the now ancient memories.

When she had left the room, Celestia let out a sigh. “I didn’t realize it would be so hard on her.” She said with a hint of worry in her voice.

“Neither did I.” Apath stated in her monotonous voice. “Old wounds do take the longest to mend.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Regardless, preparations will need to be made for the Empire’s return.”

“I have a few plans already made.” Celestia confirmed. “After Luna and Discord I began to plan for the probability of other enemies of Equestria returning.” Apath nodded at Celestia. “What about you?”

Apath glanced up at Celestia for a moment. “My Hive is always ready to intervene should the situation become untenable.” She said taking a sip of her tea.

“So I shouldn’t factor your Hive into any of my future plans.” Celestia asked jokingly.

“If my Hive has to get involved, then the danger would be far more than to simply Equestria.” Apath replied stoically. “You should know my stance on my interference by now.”

Celestia sighed. “I know, you don’t like getting involved.”

Apath nodded. “I assume your plan involves the newlyweds?”

Celestia nodded. “Shining Armor’s barrier should be able to keep Sombra out for a few days if nothing else. Cadence is no slouch in power herself. I am certain the two will be able to hold off Sombra for at least a week or two.”

Apath nodded again, looking out towards the distance. Celestia believed she was looking over towards where the Crystal Empire once stood. “I assume you had no luck in locating the Crystal Heart when last you visited.”

Celestia shook her head. “We didn’t get much time to look for it, sadly.”

Apath let out a breath. “Regrettable. Though there is not much we can do in that regard.” Apath said as she began to get up off of her chair.

As she did, Celestia decided to ask her something. “Do you not have plans of deploying Changelings?”

Apath looked up at Celestia as her hooves hit the ground. “The Crystal Ponies never interacted with Changelings, and assuming you plan to have Cadence and Shining Armor create a barrier, a Changeling would only serve to be a danger to them or be at risk of getting knocked out of the Empire.” Apath explained saying it as though she had already contemplated the idea. “As stated previously, I will monitor the situation and intervene should the worst possible outcome occur.” She said as she began to walk towards the entrance to the room.

“And in that case, what exactly will you do?” Celestia asked.

Apath turned to look back at Celestia. “I will defend my nation” She stated as she continued to walk towards the exit. “Let us hope it does not come to that, Celestia. It could shatter what calm has settled in since the Invasion.”

Celestia watched as Apath walked to the exit, contemplating the words she had been given, and the warning that came with it. She let out a sigh as she too, stood up from her seat and called back to Apath. “I hope next time we meet will be on more casual terms, Apath.”

Apath stopped at the door and turned back to Celestia. “I would very much enjoy that.” Apath said. “Thank you for the tea, Celestia, give my thanks to the Merchant Hive when next you meet them.”

Celestia smiled at Apath. “That I will. Farewell, Apath.”

Apath opened the door with her hoof. “Until we next meet, Celestia.” She replied as she walked through the opened door. Her original plan was to simply head back to her Hive after meeting with Celestia. Her plans changed, however, with Chrysalis’ reaction. She turned to walk further into the castle, wishing to check on the Queen before returning.

As she walked through the familiar halls of the castle, she saw multiple Changelings, mostly Warriors, chatting with guards casually. Most did not notice her and those that did looked at her with confusion at the suddenly unreadable emotions of this unassuming pony.

When she reached the chamber that Chrysalis had been staying in, she noticed the Guards speaking with another Love Changeling. Choosing to keep her distance, she listened in to the conversation.

“I should be with her during this.” The Love changeling, a Caretaker, if Apath were to guess, said to the two guards.

“Sorry, Glitter,” one of the guards replied. “Queen’s orders, she doesn’t want to be disturbed right now.”

“It’s my job to be there for her in times like this!” Glitter exclaimed, stomping her hoof on the stone floor. “She’s been neglecting her health for days now and you expect me to just sit and watch?”

“Look there’s nothing we can do, Glitter.” The guard replied. “She ordered us not to let anyone in unless she said so.”

Glitter let out an annoyed groan. “She can’t just lock the door and not expect me to…” She let out a loud annoyed shout. “Just let me in.”

“No can do.” The other Guard said, putting his hoof out to stop Glitter. “Royal Orders.”

Glitter almost seemed to growl at that. “Well why in Tartarus not?”

The two Guard looked at each other before looking back at Glitter. “She was uh… Well she didn’t look too good.”

“Yeah she was practically crying when she walked into the room.”

“And she didn’t even look at us.”

“Yeah, like her mind was somewhere else.”

Glitter’s eyes widened. “Did she say anything else?” She asked worried.

The two guards thought about it for a moment before one of them spoke up. “She said she was heading to Celestia when she left the room.”

Glitter sighed. “Must be asking too much of her, honestly how much work does she think the Queen has to be piling more on her?” Glitter buzzed her wings as she took off from the ground. “I’m going to go talk to Celestia about this. You two tell me the instant she opens her door again.”

“Will do, Glitter.” The second guard said as Glitter flew down the hall.

Apath waited for Glitter to pass her before turning back and walking towards the castle entrance, she had seen enough and knew her presence would only serve to make the situation worse. With that, she turned and walked out of the castle.

Author's Notes:

Kept you waiting, Huh?

First I'd just like to say that I am very sorry for the excessively long period of time between these latest two chapters In truth I had pushed much of this story and my others here to the back of my mind until about.... a month ago. At which point I thought: "Hey, this was a fun writing experience, I should get back into it."

Queue me re-reading old notes and documents from SEVEN YEARS AGO _(Ouch) All about this wonderful world in an attempt to get my ass back in gear. I now am interested in continuing the story, so any of you who have been patiently waiting, (Thank you. ) hopefully won't need to wait another 7 years for the next part.

I believed this little addition would help me get back into writing in this world, so it doesn't focus on Twilight's main journey. Though I felt it best to give you all something.

The next Chapter will be the continuation of Twilight's Journey into the Equestrian Hives. (Unless of course I get a lot of curious feedback regarding the Shadow Hive).

Warrior Hive: Part 1

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Twilight was a bit nervous about the next Hive she would be visiting, for one very important reason; she knew very little about the military. Now she wasn’t absolutely clue-less to the Equestrian military, she had done her fair share of studying into famous battles and old warrior civilizations of pony culture, but in modern times, the military was a pretty obscure section of the Equestrian education system. The last major conflict Equestria ever had was nearly half a millennium ago. Nowadays most of the military was used to help push back threats such as Hydras or Cockatrices, so when Twilight received the letter from Celestia, needless to say she felt that she may be over her head.

So she was a bit relieved when in the letter Celestia said she was sending a military advisor to look into the Hive, as it could technically be considered a branch of the Equestrian military. Another big reason was that since Pupa revealed herself, many of the citizens of Equestria were worried that such a force could be used against Equestria. While Celestia knew Pupa would never attempt anything against Equestria, she didn’t want to have false accusations thrown around regarding her guards.

Regardless of who they are, Twilight was busy going over how she had planned the day to go in her head, though given the last few Hives she entered, she expected this plan to be quickly discarded. Though a part of her was hoping that due to the Hive’s military nature, it would be more structured than the others. Though there was no real way to know until she saw it for herself.

Her destination this time was widely considered to be the best military academy within Equestria, seeing many of the top captains and other high ranking members of the Equestrian military passing through its doors. Twilight had been there once or twice to visit Shining Armor when he was still in training, but had never really gotten a good look around the campus.

As the train began to slow down, Twilight looked up from her notes, looking out towards the campus, from what Twilight had read, the buildings were designed not to simply look like those in a castle, but be just as durable in the case of an attack. While Twilight didn’t know much about what happened inside the campus, she certainly did do her homework with regards to the history of the building. As to what Pupa actually did here, if the previous Queens were any indication, she had something to do with either the upper management or just the training aspect of the academy, but she wouldn’t know if she just hung around on the train all day.

As she got off the train she decided to head straight to the Academy, wanting to get as much time speaking with Pupa as she could, as who knows when the next chance she would get to speak with her in her busy schedule would be.

She soon found herself at the entrance to the academy; a large stonewall surrounded the entire campus, and she could see armed guards on top of the wall itself, as well as the spear wielding guards in the front of the open entryway, though Twilight bet the entrance could be closed on a moment’s notice. Twilight cast her eyes above the wall, seeing Pegasi flying around in various formations above the buildings.

As Twilight neared the gate, the two guards stopped her, but after showing them the letter from Celestia, they let her pass through the archway after telling her where she was expected to go to meet with the superintendent. Upon passing through it, Twilight got a chance to see the large open field within.

The field itself was large and had many aspiring Guardsponies either walking around the field or training, Twilight noticed quite a few Changelings within the crowds of ponies. She was actually pretty impressed with the dispersal of the Changelings; she had expected the population within the Academy to be more weighted towards the Changelings, but there were more ponies than Changelings, at least that she could tell.

Across the field were a number of stone buildings, each one built into a rectangular design. There were five main buildings, with most of them being what Twilight assumed to be the barracks. The closest building was slightly taller than the others, which Twilight was told to head towards. The building itself reminded Twilight of the design for Canterlot Castle, if somewhat smaller.

As Twilight walked across the field, she saw a few groups of guards running drills and training, while there were a couple small pockets where the ponies and changelings seemed to just be relaxing, they were clearly the minority. A few of these groups even stopped when they noticed her, mainly those with Changelings in them. She couldn’t be sure what they were thinking, but she figured they were surprised to see her.

Making her way to the main building, she pushed upon the wooden doors to get a look at the interior of the building; just as the outside seemed to mirror the design of Canterlot Castle, the interior seemed to attempt to replicate it as well. The doors led to a large open room, the however unlike the royal castle, two balconies stood on either side of the room, for what Twilight could only think of as gaining a height advantage upon any attackers. A few of the Cadets were walking around the interior, either talking to one another or moving from place to place.

At the bottom of the stairway, stood a pale blue Pegasus mare, clad in the golden armor of the Royal Guards, her emerald eyes looking over Twilight before walking up to her. “You must be Twilight Sparkle,” The Pegasus said, extending a hoof to Twilight. “I heard quite a lot about you from the Captain.”

Twilight shook her hoof. “Yes, that’s me. What’s your name?”

“Sky Chaser.” She replied. “It’s an honor to finally meet one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I can rest easy knowing you six will handle anything the Guard can’t.”

“Well… I wouldn’t exactly say that…” Twilight said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Well, you six took care of Discord, even when the Guard were powerless to do anything. Luckily he seems to be sealed up good and tight this time, shouldn’t be breaking out for another thousand years.” She said with a light chuckle. “You familiar with our little campus?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not as well as I should be given my brother went here.” She admitted, leaving out the fact she spent a good portion of her time studying, even when visiting the campus.

“Luckily you have an alumni with you, then.” Sky Chaser said proudly. “I knew this campus like the back of my hoof back in the day, just follow me.” She said as she began to walk up the stairs, Twilight following behind.

“So, were you in any classes with my brother?” Twilight asked, trying to make small talk as the two of them walked through the building.

“The Captain,” Sky Chaser began. “Nah, he was a couple years ahead of me; heard a lot about him though.” She replied. “Apparently he was one of the top students in the academy for all four years.” She looked back at Twilight. “Guess you got that gene too, huh?”

Twilight blushed a little, remembering some of the times her brother would help her with school work in her younger years.

“Got fast tracked through the ranks because of it. Now look at him, Head Captain of the Royal Guard and officially a Prince.” She said with a smile. “Wonder if he’ll start growing wings.” She said with a laugh, flapping her own set for emphasis.

Twilight joined her, imagining her brother trying to learn how to fly with wings. “Knowing my brother, he’d end up face planting into the castle.”

“Was he a clumsy colt?” Sky chaser asked.

“Wouldn’t say clumsy, but he definitely had four left hooves.” Twilight replied, getting another laugh from Sky Chaser. “What about you?”

Sky Chaser turned to look back at Twilight as they reached the top step. “Nothing really to write home about. I’m just a Lieutenant, sent here by Celestia to make sure everything in the Hive is on the up and up.”

“Celestia said it would a military advisor.” Twilight stated, seeing no forms of saddlebags or any other form of note taking supplies.

“Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but the Grunt Grapevine says something big might be happening soon.”

“Like what?” Twilight asked, curiously.

Sky Chaser pursed her lips slightly. “See, the thing with the Grunt Grapevine is it’s not particularly useful at ‘details.’” She explained. “We can never be super sure what is going on, but we know when something is up with the higher ups.”

“You don’t think it has anything to do with the Hives do you?” Twilight asked, slightly worried.

“Oh, I doubt it.” Sky Chaser replied simply. “Queen Chrysalis would have been spotted at one at least once if that were the case; but so far she’s been a no show.” Sky Chaser explained as they continued to walk through the stone building. “I’m hoping it’s not another ‘ancient evil from the past.’ I’ve had quite enough of those over the past few years.”

Twilight let out a tired sigh as she rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.”

“Maybe the Guard should ask for a raise if we keep getting attacked by Alicorn level threats.” Sky Chaser said with a laugh. “Would certainly help with recruitment.”

It didn’t take the two of them long to come to reach the superintendent’s office, a simple wooden door with the words “Superintendent Steel Coat” When she saw the name, Sky Chaser let out a small sigh.

“Glad to see the old stallion is still kicking.” She said, slightly nervous. “Hopefully he doesn’t remember me…”

Twilight recognized the name, trying to figure out how she did. Sky Chaser’s comment helped her remember. “He was the Superintendent when Shining Armor was here.”

“Yeah, he was.” Sky Chaser replied, taking a deep breath. “No use hanging outside his door, come on.” She pushed open the door and walked in, followed closely by Twilight.

Inside the room was a good sized waiting room with a secretary sitting behind a desk. Lining the walls were a few chairs. Near the ceiling small portraits of various ponies lined the room, Twilight assumed they were the various Superintendents that worked at the Academy. The Earth Pony secretary looked up from her desk as the door opened. “Hello, how may I help you?”

Sky Chaser walked up to the counter. “We’re here to see Steel Coat.” She stated with a casual tone in her voice.

The Earth Pony looked at Sky Chaser then over at Twilight. “Ah, yes, he’s been expecting you two.” She pointed to the door beside her desk, “Right through that door.”

“Yup,” Sky Chaser said with a nod. “I remember, believe me.” She said with a sigh, walking towards the door.

As the two of them stepped into the Superintendent’s office, Twilight took a look around. The room was fairly spacious, easily able to accommodate ten ponies, the right side of the room was dominated by a rectangular table with eight chairs placed around it, three on longest sides and one on the shorter sides. A cluster of flags stood in the back of the room, from Twilight’s quick scan, she could make out the flags for Equestria, the Royal Guard, and the general military force. On the left side of the room, Twilight could see a sealed fireplace, above which a small shelf was placed, on the shelf was a small clock and several pictures. Directly above the shelf was a pair of crossed swords. A couple shelves were placed on either side of the fireplace, holding a plethora of books. Along the walls were pictures that Twilight couldn’t quite understand the significance of.

In the middle of the room sat a wooden desk, a few pictures atop it that could be seen through the paperwork that lay atop it. Seated behind the desk was the Superintendent. A unicorn stallion clearly getting on in age, owing to his graying mane and wrinkles. His ivory coat was covered by a blue colored version of the Royal Guard armor. The Stallion took off his glasses as the two entered, casting his green eyes over the two of them. Upon seeing Sky Chaser, the Stallion’s face seemed to brighten up instantly.

“Well I’ll be damned,” He said in a gruff voice, “If it isn’t the party girl herself.” He said with a smile.

Sky Chaser blushed at getting recognized by her superior officer. “Come on, Sir. I told you I stopped doing that.”

Steel Coat put down the paper he was reading before responding. “Hard to forget the young cadet who kept coming in and out of this office for various charges of drunken flying.” Sky Chaser blushed in embarrassment.

“And Twilight Sparkle!” Steel Coat said as he saw Twilight. “An honor to meet you again, Ma’am. How are you liking our fine academy?”

“It’s… Nice.” Twilight said, trying to figure out what she could actually say about the campus, having largely not taken much of the building into her mind.

Steel Coat shook his head. “I suppose it isn’t quite as grand as the Royal Palace, no matter the builder’s attempts.” He picked up the papers on his desk with a green glow as he slid open one of the drawers of his desk, placing them within it. “Now, to business then. Queen… Pupa, was it?” He asked for confirmation looking at Twilight, who nodded. “Ah yes, Queen Pupa was meant to meet you two here, herself, though evidently she wasn’t too keen on her disguise being discovered.”

“Did she give a reason?” Sky Chaser asked.

Steel Coat thought on it for a moment. “Something about it tainting the public trust or her achievements or something along those lines.” Steel Coat said with a sigh. “I’m not entirely sure what she means by that, but I’m certain she has her reasons.”

Twilight nodded at that, being reminded of Fleur. Though Sky Chaser was a bit more confused. “So, if the Queen isn’t going to be here to bring us to the Hive, how are we supposed to get there?” She asked uncertainty in her voice. “I didn’t exactly pack for a hike.”

“Ah yes, give me a moment.” Steel Coat said as he slowly got off his chair, the sound of clinking wood meeting Twilight’s ears as he did, looking over at the Unicorn as he walked to the other side of the room, she noticed that his hind left leg was oddly stiff, and every other step was met with a wooden click. Sky Chaser noticed Twilight’s slightly concerned expression.

“He lost it in a fight with a Minotaur,” Sky Chaser whispered carefully leaning closer to Twilight to ensure that Steel Coat didn’t hear her. “He’s been living with a wooden leg for nearly thirty years now.”

Twilight looked between Steel Coat and Sky Chaser, watching the leg closely and seeing it rarely bent at the knee. “And he’s been in the military all that time?” Twilight asked back.

Sky Chaser nodded, looking to check and see if Steel Coat had grabbed what he walked across the room for. “I heard he’s been acting as an intelligence officer since the incident and hasn’t…” Sky Chaser was cut off by Steel Coat’s magic lighting up as she returned to a slightly more rigid stance than she had previously as Steel Coat walked back towards them, a wooden box held in his magic.

“When Queen Pupa said she wasn’t going to be able to escort the two of you, she sent this box in her stead.” Steel Coat sat back down in his chair and placed the box in front of the two mares before removing the top of the box to display two red gemstones inside.

Sky Chaser looked at the two gems in confusion. “And what exactly are we meant to do with these?” She asked as she looked at the two stones. “Don’t get me wrong, they are pretty but I don’t see how these are going to help us get anywhere.”

Before Steel Coat could respond, Twilight spoke up. “They’re Teleportation crystals.” She explained, picking the two of them up in her magic and moving one over to Sky Chaser. “They should be able to activate if you put a bit of magic into them.” Steel Coat looked impressed at Twilight, unaware that she had experienced several of these already.

Sky Chaser looked at the crystal in question, holding it in her hoof then looked back at Twilight. “Umm… small problem there.”

Twilight looked over at Sky Chaser, who was currently pointing her empty hoof at her own forehead, indicating her lack of a horn.

Twilight was going to say something, but closed her mouth, uncertainly. She had only ever used the ones that require her natural magic to activate, but this version needed to be activated instead of passively drawing on her magic. She spent a few seconds thinking about the problem. “Maybe if you treat it like a cloud when you are walking on it?” Twilight suggested.

Sky Chaser rolled her eyes. “Oh, so what I just have to pretend that this shard of crystal is a cloud and then suddenly it’ll just-” There was a bright flash of red light around Sky Chaser as she suddenly vanished, taking both Twilight and Steel Coat by surprise.

“Well I guess that worked.” Twilight said, pulling out one of her notebooks and taking note of the fact Pegasi could use certain Hive crystals. When she finished she looked over at Steel Coat. “I should go catch up with her.”

“Before you go, Miss Sparkle.” Steel Coat said as Twilight raised the crystal to her horn. “I have a small request.”

Twilight lowered the crystal, trying to avoid accidentally activating it. “I’m not sure if I can be much help, but I’ll certainly try.”

“It is nothing major,” The old Stallion said with a small chuckle. “I had heard that Crimson Lance was making an expedition to the Hive in order to see if they might be able to join her Lancers.” Twilight looked at him uncertainly at first. “If you see her there, would you tell her that Steel Coat would love to meet with her and catch up?” He asked with a small smile. “I’m curious how her mother is holding up.”

Twilight look at him a little confused by the request. “I… suppose I can do that.”

“Her mother and I served on the same squad , if she weren’t there it’s likely I’d not be here now.” Steel Coat explained at Twilight’s confused face. “If you don’t see her, don’t worry, it’s just an old Stallion’s request, you have your own purpose to be there.”

Twilight smiled at the old Stallion. “I’ll see what I can do.” She said as she raised the crystal to her horn.

“Good luck, Miss Sparkle.” He said as Twilight closed her eyes and put some magic into the crystal. With a bright red flash, she was gone from the room.

As she reappeared underground, she felt the familiar pounding in her head, forcing her to keep her eyes closed for a few seconds. As she did she heard the sound of retching nearby. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked towards the sound of the retching and saw Sky Chaser trying to orient herself on a wall while she vomited on the floor.

Twilight walked up to Sky Chaser, trying to avoid any puddles of her vomit in order to ask if she was alright.

“This is… the worst hangover I’ve ever had.” Sky Chaser replied slowly. “How in Celestia’s name do you Unicorns do this?” She asked looking over at Twilight, who could only smile sheepishly at that remark, remembering her own initial experience with the Hive’s crystals.

“I guess it’s unnatural for a Pegasi.” Twilight replied, patting Sky Chaser on the back in an attempt to reassure her that it was fine. She took this time to look at her surroundings. Much of the walls were covered in the same hive walls she was familiar with, a red wooden double door stood on the far side of the chamber.

It took a few minutes for Sky Chaser to be able to stand without her hoof on the wall, let alone for the headache to abate entirely. Twilight assumed this was due to a lack of direct magical connection and that the gems had never been intended for use by Pegasi or Earth Ponies.

Once Sky Chaser was certain she was fine, she took a look around the area. “Wow, this place is pretty spacious,” she commented, looking towards the high ceiling, “I was kind of expecting it to be more cramped.”

“The first hive I went to was a giant underground hospital.” Twilight replied. “It was a big shock to see just how massive the facility was.”

“I guess Changelings need medicine same as we ponies do.” Sky Chaser commented, never having actually thought about this small detail herself.

“I didn’t get much of a chance to study their medicine, though it didn’t seem too dissimilar to what we use.” Twilight stated, looking towards the red door. “Are you ready?”

Sky Chaser looked over at the red door with uncertainty. “Tell me, Sparkle. You’ve been to your fair share of hives, anything I should know about?”

“Like what?” Twilight responded, not entirely sure what she should tell Sky Chaser.

“I don’t know; basic rules, things to watch out for, mannerisms, stuff like that.”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight replied, thinking over her times with the various Hives, there never seemed to really be any exceptional faux pas that wouldn’t be in pony society. As she thought about it, she remembered something Cytes had told her. “There is one thing; try to avoid eating or drinking anything you don’t recognize.”

Sky Chaser looked at her with an expression of light worry. “It’s not poisoned is it?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Twilight replied quickly, trying to quash that thought before it got worse. “Changelings feed on emotions, so they add it to some of their food. Apparently it can have an adverse reaction to ponies when consumed.”

Sky Chaser’s worried expression seemed to only get worse at that. “I won’t, like, become a Changeling or something, right?”

Twilight shook her head, “No, nothing like that, you just might not be able to feel that emotion for a little bit.”

Sky Chaser let out a relieved breath. “I’ll certainly keep that in mind. So, do we just go through that door or what?” Sky Chaser asked, pointing to the red door.

“I assume so, I don’t see any other exits.” Twilight replied, looking around the room again, seeing no other doors or entrances to the room.

“No point making her majesty wait on us any longer then.” Sky Chaser stated as the two of them walked towards the wooden door. Upon reaching it, Twilight could hear a small commotion on the other side of the door, insure what to make of it though she looked at Sky Chaser, who pushed open to door. “After you.” She motioned for Twilight to pass through first.

Upon passing the threshold, Twilight heard a male voice shouting “Attention!” As she saw thirty changelings standing in two columns on either side of the door, all standing at attention and saluting as the two ponies stepped into the hall. Each of them wearing deep red armor covering their black carapace. Each of them were stoically staring forward, their red eyes holding steely gazes that Twilight was only familiar with coming from Celestia’s personal guard.

At the other end of the columns there were three changelings, the one in the center was Queen Pupa, a pleased smile on her face. To her right was an armored changeling, he was taller and stockier than most changelings that Twilight had seen. His armor was a brighter red then the soldiers making up the two columns. He stood with the rigid stance of a lifelong soldier, even from this far away, Twilight could tell his gaze was locked firmly on her. On the other side of the queen was a smaller changeling, who looked to be much less comfortable with the situation, given they kept glancing up at Pupa.

Twilight heard the door behind her shut as Sky Chaser walked into the chamber behind her, far more used to this kind of thing, Sky Chaser began to walk forward, motioning with her head for Twilight to follow her. As the two of them walked down the line of changelings, Twilight took the chance to look at a few of the passing changelings. They seemed larger than the other changelings she had seen on her visits to the other hives; which was understandable as this hive seemed more focused on combat than the others she had visited. Their eyes were all varying shades of red and backplates were usually a darker red shade then their eyes.

She continued making mental notes about them as the two ponies made their way closer to Pupa. When they were a few feet from the queen, Sky Chaser and Twilight both bowed to the Queen.

“Queen Pupa, it is an honor to be allowed into your Hive. My name is Lieutenant Sky Chaser of the Canterlot Royal Guard.”

“At ease.” Pupa replied as the columns of warriors behind them all entered into a parade rest as Sky Chaser got up from her bow.

“I was sent here by Princess Celestia as an adviser to oversee the-”

“Oh, I’m well aware of why you’re here” Pupa spoke up, cutting off Sky Chaser. She indicated the Changeling to her right, who was still standing in his rigid posture. “This is General Xiphos. one of the highest ranking Changelings in my Hive’s military.”

Xiphos gave a salute as his eyes passed over Sky Chaser, giving her a steely glare and sizing her up.

“He’ll be in charge of showing you around the Hive’s illustrious military academy and the training ground for the various branches we have in our humble Hive.” Pupa explained as Xiphos gave a small snort. Pupa leaned in closer to the two ponies before whispering. “He’s also a bit of a hard ass, so don’t be surprised if he makes you do some of the training exercises as well.”

“There is nothing wrong with using this rare opportunity to test our own training against that of a pony, my queen.” Xiphos replied, obviously overhearing Pupa’s comment.

“You could easily just ask one of the other Royal Guards we have in the Hive.” Pupa replied, looking over her shoulder at the General.

“They are used to our own training on top of that. It would be rather educational to see how a pure pony handles the training.” Xiphos stated simply.

Pupa sighed. “You just want to show off to Celestia, don’t you?”

Xiphos let out a small snort. “If we were guarding the capital, Chrysalis wouldn’t have-”

“And you would have been the one to make the call on revealing us to the world as well as Chrysalis.” Pupa shot back. “Or would you have been willing to put your name down in history for attacking an Alicorn Princess on a hunch?”

Xiphos looked away from his Queen, grumbling something under his breath. Pupa smiled as she turned back towards Sky Chaser and Twilight. “Apologies about Xiphos, he’s always been concerned with Celestia’s safety. The old Grumbler just wants to ensure Celestia is safe, for all of our sakes.”

Sky Chaser sighed. “In truth, I was stationed in Cloudsdale during the invasion. That question was what bothered me the most before I headed back to Canterlot. So I understand how he feels.”

Pupa looked at Sky Chaser as she finished, a pleased smile of understanding on her face. “You know,” she began, lowering her neck to speak with Sky Chaser, “Now would be an excellent time to prove the old Grumbler wrong about the Royal Guard’s training.” She said in an almost conspiratorial tone. “Show him and the rest of the Hive just what the Royal Guard are capable of.”

Sky Chaser looked over at Xiphos, who was still looking at her with a steely gaze. “You sure about that, I don’t know the first thing about-“

Pupa waved her hoof in dismissal of her worries. “It’s nothing too strenuous, I’m sure you’ve had to put up with worse in the academy. Think of it as a little inter branch contest.”

Sky Chaser’s eyes seemed to sparkle at the idea of a competition, but died down a second later. “I can’t I came here to look over how your Hive is organized from Celestia herself.”

Pupa looked a little disappointed. “Well, if you insist, but I’m sure that some of the cadets here would absolutely love to watch a Royal Guard at work. Keep my offer in mind, and don’t be afraid to show up any of the cadets; a friendly rivalry does wonders.” Pupa stated, brightening up as she spoke to Sky Chaser. “General Xiphos, if you would take Lieutenant Sky Chaser here to our hive’s little training facility.”

Xiphos saluted to Pupa. “Of course, my Queen, it would be an honor.” Xiphos gave Sky Chaser and Twilight another look down before turning and motioning for Sky Chaser to follow him.

“Knock ‘em dead, Lieutenant.” Pupa said as Sky Chaser walked past her.

Twilight watched Xiphos walk for a few seconds, each of his steps held an almost calculated distance between each hoof fall. Even as he walked, his straight backed stance never changed, obvious to see he took great pride in his duties to the hive and his Queen.

Pupa watched the two of them leave before addressing the other Changelings. “Alright boys, back to your posts.” She said casually. The columns of Changelings around them dispersed. Two of them remaining at the entrance Twilight and Sky Chaser had entered and the others taking to the sky, presumably to help cover the other hive entrances.

Once a majority of the soldiers had left, Pupa looked at Twilight. “Sorry if it felt like I was ignoring you, Twilight.” Pupa said casually. “Xiphos has a massive stick up his ass when it comes to procedure.”

Twilight wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. “Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine. It was a direct request from Celestia, after all.”

“Your little investigation is also a request from Princess Celestia, so either way I’m technically holding up a direct request from Celestia.” Pupa pointed out. “But no, I actually wanted Xiphos and the Lieutenant to get on their way to drop this whole military hive pretense.”

Twilight blinked at that statement, not entirely sure how to take it. “What do you mean?”

Pupa let out a small sigh. “It’s all in the name, isn’t it? ‘The Warrior Hive’ while yes, a good chunk of our population goes into the military or related fields and serves those roles with distinction. It has become a bit of an oversimplification of our Hive’s role, I think.” Pupa explained. “It would be almost expected for me to string you along to show off the military might of our Hive and show exactly what we can do. But I feel that doesn’t do the rest of my Hive justice.” She said, looking back at the other Changeling she had with me. “Which is why I decided to flip the script a little.” She smiled, motioning for the Changeling to come closer. “Introduce yourself.”

The Changeling in question took a few steps forward, still noticeably nervous. “My name is Athena. I’m a school teacher for some of the nymphs in the Hive. It-It’s nice to meet you.” She said with a small bow of her head; causing Pupa to slightly shake her own head in disbelief but say nothing.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Athena.” Twilight said with a smile.

Anticipating the awkward silence that might arise, Pupa spoke up. “Athena, here, will be in charge of escorting you around our lovely Hive for the first part of your visit.”

Athena looked up at Pupa with an uncertain expression, as though she was very much doubting her own abilities to be a good guide for such an occasion.

“Then what will you be doing?” Twilight asked Pupa.

“Little old me?” She said with feigned surprise. “I will be serving as your humble military escort for your trip around the Hive.” She said as a wisp of flame covered her form to be replaced with a seemingly normal Warrior Changeling, though she noticeably kept her normal eyes instead of changing them to the pure red of her subjects. “It’ll help some of my subjects feel more at ease, you understand, right?” Pupa said with a small wink.

Twilight wasn’t entirely sure if she believed the reasoning Pupa provided, though equally she could see the reasoning behind what Pupa wanted. “So long as I can still ask you some questions.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Sparkle.” Pupa said teasingly. “Though maybe you should ask Athena first, she is your guide after all.” She said gesturing to the Changeling in question, who looked at her Queen nervously. “I’ll let you ask me questions later on, we’ll have plenty of time.” She looked towards Athena with a reassuring smile.

Athena took a deep breath, trying to help calm her nerves. “If you’ll just follow me.” She said with a small bow as she turned to start walking through the Hive.

“After you,” Pupa said with a small flurry of her hoof, indicating the direction Athena was going to walk towards. Twilight began to follow Athena, with Pupa taking up the rear a short distance away.

Twilight followed Athena in silence for a minute or two, simply taking the time to look around the Hive’s interior, trying to discern any differences from the others she had seen in terms of the materials or structure of the tunnels. Taking small notes as she did.

“So, Athena,” Twilight began, causing the changeling to look back at her. “You said you were a school teacher, what do you usually teach?”

“Me?” Athena replied. “I usually teach them about Equestrian and Hive history. While it’s far from the most interesting subject, I’ve always had a deep fascination in history.” She let out a small sigh. “Though most Changelings I talk to don’t seem to think the same way.”

“That’s their own loss.” Twilight stated. “Without learning history, I don’t think that my friends and I would have been able to defeat Nightmare Moon.” She replied. “I’d love to hear a bit about the Hive’s history if you’d be willing to tell me.”

Athena stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Twilight in surprise. “R-Really?”

“Of course I’m always happy to learn more about a subject.” She said with a smile.

Athena’s solid red eyes seemed to twinkle with excitement. Pupa letting out a chuckle “Oh no, you’ve got her going now.” Twilight turned to see Pupa smiling. “She’ll talk your ears off for hours if you let her.”

Athena’s ears pressed back against her head as she gave the Queen an embarrassed smile. “I can’t help that I enjoy history, my Queen.”

“Never said it was a bad thing, Athena.” Pupa replied. “But maybe just give her some of the basic stuff. Don’t want to overload our little Unicorn here.” Athena seemed to almost blush at that comment.

“Oh it’s no problem, I’d love to hear-”

“I’m sure you would, Sparkle.” Pupa said, cutting off Twilight. “But last time I checked, and forgive me if I’m wrong, but the purpose of your visit is to see the inner workings of our hive, not get a history lesson.” Pupa said, looking between both Athena and Twilight as the two learned ponies looked as though they had just been scolded by their teacher. Seeing their reactions, Pupa scratched her chin. “Though I guess you could give her something to tickle her brain. Give her the rundown on the founding of Equestria.”

Athena’s ears perked up at that. “Are you sure, my Queen?” She said, trying to hide the excitement in her voice.

Pupa gave a small shrug. “It’s so far in the past I don’t think it’ll hurt at all. If it interests you enough I’ll ask the other Queens if they’d be okay with me getting you some kind of history book or something; Nothing too fancy though.”

Twilight nodded as she pulled out a new notepad in her magic and flipped it open, marking the top of the page ‘History.’ “Go ahead”

Athena nodded as she walked back to be in line with Twilight, attempting to treat the conversation more casually while still leading Twilight through the Hive.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, before the founding of Equestria, the three Pony tribes were constantly at odds with one another. The Pegasi would regularly raid the Earth Ponies, who required the assistance of the Unicorns to protect their crops and homes. Though the Unicorns required the fealty of the Earth Ponies, taking large cuts of the produce the Earth Ponies would grow.”

Twilight nodded. “And the disharmony and ire the Ponies had back then eventually drew the Wendigos and covered the land in an eternal winter.”

Athena nodded. “Not only were the Ponies divided, so too were what would eventually become the Equestrian Hives. The Artist Hive lived with the Unicorns, what would later become the Lust Hive and Medical Hives lived with the Earth Ponies, and The Warrior and Joyous Hives lived alongside The Pegasi.”

Twilight read over her notes. “The Joyous Hive were with the Pegasi?”

Athena nodded. “In the past, the Joyous Hive were considered master weapon smiths; they would make weapons for Warrior changelings and Pegasi, who would then use them to raid the other two tribes. Much like the ponies, many Changelings back then were content to raid and steal from other Hives for their own benefit. Sneaking in and taking emotion before fleeing out of the Hive.”

Twilight looked back at her notes, noticing that a Hive was missing from the list she had made. “What about Chrysalis’ Hive?”

Athena smiled at Twilight for catching on to the missing Hive. “That’s actually a fairly interesting-”

“Should probably put a pin in that,” Pupa said, speaking up, causing both the Unicorn and Changeling to look back at her. “We’re almost at the Hive proper.” Pupa pointed to the end of the tunnel they were currently walking in, where a light could be seen on the other side.

Athena’s eyes widened. “Oh dear, I didn’t realize how long we had been walking.”

Pupa sighed. “You were the one who wanted us to pick a spot closer to the Hive proper,” Pupa stated, causing Athena to chuckle in embarrassment.

Athena cleared her throat as she walked ahead of Twilight slightly. Stopping just short of the exit to the tunnel “Miss Sparkle, it is my honor to welcome you to the Warrior Hive capital.” She said with a small bow, motioning at the tunnel entrance.

Twilight walked past Athena into the cavern beyond. As she did, she was immediately struck by the sheer size of the cavern. She had entered the cavern at an elevated point halfway between the ceiling and the floor, letting her get an overview of the small city that lay within. By her rough estimates, the circular cavern must have been at least ten miles in diameter with the roof of the cave being hundreds of feet above the ground at its highest point. From her position, Twilight could see numerous simplistic square buildings, spread out among the cavern. In the center of the massive cavern sat a large castle, which Twilight assumed to be Pupa’s home. While Twilight couldn’t make out any defining characteristics of the building, she could see another circular building to one side of the cavern; there didn’t seem to be a roof to the building but it had several tapestries on its stone surface. Another intricately designed building lay on the opposite side of the cavern, it’s purpose impossible to determine from its shape.

Twilight couldn’t resist letting out an audible “Wow” as she looked over the scene before her. Marveling at the size of the underground city. When she began looking around the periphery of the cavern, she saw numerous tunnels lining the cavern walls, larger tunnels lay on the ground and Twilight could barely make out Changelings working on the tunnels or carrying supplies through the tunnels. She could also see several Changelings flying around in the air throughout the cavern.

“Impressive, ain’t she?” Pupa asked rhetorically, walking up to Twilight and looking over the scene herself. “No matter how many times I go to other Hives, I can’t help but think back to home.”

“It’s incredible.” Twilight replied, looking up at the roof of the cavern. “How do you keep the cave from collapsing?”

Pupa tapped the side of the tunnel, a light clink coming from her chitin touching the stone. “Hive stone isn’t just here for aesthetics, this stuff can help fortify structures and caverns like this one with no problem. Just a little bit of yearly maintenance and it’s sustainable for centuries.”

“But none of the other Hives had something like this.” Twilight pointed out. “There’s not even any supporting pillars.”

“Changing design philosophies, if I understand it properly.” Pupa replied. “What you are looking at is the single oldest Hive in all of Equestria.” Pupa motioned to the cavern. “While every other Hive has had to change locations at least once since Equestria’s founding, we Warriors have lived in the same place since we originally came to this land.” She stated proudly. “As such our Hive Proper is a piece of history all to itself.”

“That’s incredible.” Twilight said, taking a few steps closer to the city, stopping just short of the edge of the pathway she was on. Catching herself, she made the regrettable choice to look down.

Below her was a seeming sheer drop down to the floor of the cavern, she felt her eyes widen as she quickly took a couple steps away from the ledge. She looked to her right and saw a slowly sloping pathway down towards the ground.

“How do we get down?” Twilight asked turning back towards the two Changelings, trying to keep her nerves out of her voice.

“Oh that’s simple.” Pupa replied as she opened her wings.

“Really? Do you have some sort of elevator system or-”

“Up we go” Pupa replied, hooking her front legs under Twilight’s and picking the studious Unicorn up from the ground, cutting her off as her hind legs lost contact with the ground.

“What are you doing!?” Twilight asked in shock as Pupa flew the two of them towards the edge of the cliff.

“Relax, Sparkle.” Pupa said in a reassuring voice. “Even like this carrying you is gonna be cinch.”

Athena caught up with Pupa, a more nervous expression on her face. “My Queen, are you sure this is a good idea?”

Pupa smiled at Athena as they flew past the cliff’s edge. “Fastest way to get down.” Pupa replied as she continued to move further from the cliff, aiming to take Twilight all the way down to the ground.

“Yes, but Miss Sparkle…”

“Look, I’ll go slowly, alright?” Pupa replied with a annoyed tone.

“I really think I’d prefer to just walk.” Twilight stated nervously as her horn lit up, prepping gravity magic in case she slipped from Pupa’s grasp.

“And miss out on all that valuable study time?” Pupa asked jokingly, clicking her tongue in mock disapproval. “Doesn’t sound like you, Sparkle.” Pupa began to slow her wing beats, causing the two of them to descend down the side of the cliff. “Just trust me, Twilight. I’m not going to do anything risky.”

Athena flew down a little further than where Pupa and Twilight were, preparing herself to catch Twilight if the worst occurred.

Twilight, whose mind was trying to figure out if it was better to keep her eyes snapped shut or wide open as she watched her dangling back hooves slowly lower to the ground, couldn’t stop her heart from pounding in her ears.

“See, Sparkle?” Pupa spoke up to try and calm down Twilight’s nerves. “We’re just going nice and slowly.” Pupa continued to try and reassure Twilight as they slowly got closer to the ground.

It took an agonizingly slow three minutes for Twilight to finally feel the ground under her hooves again.

“See, Sparkle? That wasn’t so bad.” Pupa said as she landed next to Twilight, who was currently trying to ease her pounding heart. “Would have gone a bit faster, but Athena kept panicking in the Hive Mind about dropping you.” She said motioning to the now embarrassed Athena.

“I-I was just worried for her safety, that’s all.” She said, trying to make herself a bit smaller.

Twilight, having now calmed her heart down from her impromptu test of her body’s survival instincts, turned to look at Pupa. “Next time, could you at least warn me so I can prepare myself?”

Pupa gave a small shrug. “Personally I think it’s better to just get it over with, saves time on psyching yourself up.” She explained simply. “Besides, I could have carried you down with one hoof.”

Twilight let out a sigh, before looking back up the cavern wall she was rather forcibly descended. “You don’t have a more effective way to descend it?”

Both Pupa and Athena shook their heads. “Like I told you earlier, this place is ancient. Back in those days we didn’t account for the possibility of ponies being able to enter the Hive.” Pupa explained. “They’d more than likely be killed if they ever got this far into the Hive, anyway.”

“Was it really that bad?” Twilight asked, slightly concerned.

Athena took the chance to speak up before Pupa did. “In the past, secrecy was everything to us Changelings. If that meant we had to kill and impersonate a pony to keep the Hive safe, we would have done it.”

“But those days are long over.” Pupa stated, seeing Twilight’s worried expression. “Think that was back before Celestia was around, even.”

Twilight took notes on the topic, before looking around the area they were in and seeing they were still a good distance from the closest building. Looking down she saw that instead of the usual dirt paths she was used to in the Hives, there were paths of polished and well maintained stone that wove between the buildings.

“Does your Hive mine this stone?” Twilight asked, tapping the stone with her hooves, it felt like some form of granite.

“Oh this stuff?” Pupa asked, tapping the stone path with her hoof. “This has been a fixture of the Hive for millennia. We pride ourselves on taking excellent care of our Hive Proper.” Pupa said puffing out her chest. “This is what many call the ‘Heart of our Hive’ for just such a reason.”

Twilight looked over the stone a little more, before looking at one of the closest buildings. Despite the apparent age of these buildings, there were no signs of wear and tear that you would expect from such an old structure. In fact, the building almost looked like it was built yesterday. She took a look at more of the buildings as the small group began to walk further into the Hive Proper.

“It must be a real honor to live in one of these buildings, then.” Twilight said, looking back at Athena and Pupa.

Athena nodded. “Just like Pupa said, the Hive proper is one of the most historically important areas of the Hive. While any changeling has the chance to live within one of these buildings, it’s generally reserved for those who have gone above and beyond in service to the Hive or to the Queen.”

“In what way?” Twilight asked, growing curious as to what that could mean aside from military strength.

“Well, those who serve as the Castle Guards live within its walls, while those who work more janitorial and secretarial work live closest to the castle. Those who have a vested interest in maintaining the past live nearest to the Museum and Mausoleum; and those who distinguish themselves as fighters tend to live close to the-“ Athena stopped dead in the middle of her sentence, as though someone had just called her name. She looked back at Pupa, who ran her hoof back and forth across her neck in a ‘that’s enough’ motion.

Athena nodded. “W-well… They aren’t the only ones who live here.” She began with a stutter. “The other way to get a chance to live within the Hive Proper is to have gathered a good amount of emotion or wealth for the hive. But more often than not a lot of these buildings are rented out to families.”

“And what about those who can’t afford to live here?” Twilight asked.

“Oh there are plenty of chambers throughout the Hive for the average changeling.”

“Where do you live, Athena?” Twilight asked.

“Oh me?” Athena repeated. “I live in chamber 16-F. It’s quaint and quiet. Plus it’s close to where I work.”

Pupa chuckled. “Don’t sell where you live so short. Plenty of changelings would love to live in 16.”

“It’s not much, really.” Athena said modestly.

“Better than any of the places here.” Pupa laughed. “The newer chambers are always better then these places, anyway.” Pupa said motioning to the nearest building as a changeling stepped out of it with a yawn and a flex of their wings. “The big prestige to living in one of these places is just the history and proximity to the castle.” Pupa explained.

“Do you usually track the history of each of these homes?” Twilight asked, curious about what kind of changelings used to live this close to the Queen.

“Not as much recently.” Athena admitted. “Most of the homes do have markings for who used to live there if they were of importance to the Hive; Generals that served under the Queen or some of the best fighters of their generation.”

Twilight looked at one of the buildings, wondering what kind of changeling could have lived in each of these simplistic buildings, if what Pupa had said was accurate, these buildings could be older than even Canterlot. The thought brought her back to a prior conversation.

“Athena,” Twilight began, causing the Changeling in question to turn, “earlier you mentioned Chrysalis’ Hive was an interesting case. Could you explain that a little more?”

Athena’s eyes seemed to almost light up when Twilight remembered their earlier conversation. “As I’m sure you recall, the Love Hive wasn’t one of those that I mentioned were part of the ancient pony tribes.”

Twilight nodded.

“So the Love Hive were originally a much farther reaching Hive. It’s believed that they used to be present in every nation, but what evidence of that remains is scattered and unreliable.” She explained. “They were only originally located when the three pony tribes had moved to Equestria. As the other Changeling Hives followed the ponies to Equestria, they began making new Hives, resulting in the eventual discovery of the Love Hive as they had already built a Hive in the area. Some scholars even believe that the Love Hive were the ones to discover a means to defend against the Wendigos and shared it with the ponies…”

Twilight continued to take notes as the two continued to discuss history, with Pupa interjecting a few times to remind both of them as to what the reason they were here was; keeping both of them on track.

While Twilight wasn’t quite sure where she was being led, she did enjoy the casual stroll through the residential district of the Hive. She got to witness the Warrior Changelings in a far more casual environment then she expected to see. Walking through the streets of the small hive city felt almost like being brought into the past. All of the buildings were well maintained and Twilight couldn’t see any major structural damage or weathering on the stones used to create the buildings. This feeling was aided by Athena pointing out certain buildings of extremely important changelings.

Certain war heroes, future leaders of the Hive, each of them were discussed briefly by Athena, either because there wasn’t much to say or because Pupa started to push her down the street to get her moving, saying that “She’d be here all day if we let her.” Resulting in a flustered changeling and a few stares coming her way.

Despite her pushing, Pupa was no stranger to chatting with the casual changeling while they walked, often having short conversations while Athena stopped to tell Twilight about specific buildings. Occasionally she would speak with one of the guards in the street, while Twilight couldn’t hear what was said, it seemed to be something official as Pupa would generally speak to them quickly before they flew off.

As they walked, Twilight was given a few confused stares by various Warrior changelings, clearly not expecting to see a Unicorn in their Hive, though when they saw Pupa they tended to ignore Twilight shortly after.

With all of the stops Athena made to discuss parts of the Hive’s history and other small inconveniences added together, it took the group an hour and a half to finally reach their next destination; From Twilight’s brief overview of the City, she determined that this was the large rectangular building she had seen. Upon closer inspection it appeared to be some kind of Museum of sorts. The carved steps leading up to the intricately designed entrance. Either side of the stairs were marble carvings of Warrior changelings, saluting. Twilight could see several Warrior changelings walking around the entrance, a few going into the building and some coming out. A few changelings were even working on the statues, buzzing around it with a clipboard and looking over the statues.

Twilight looked up at the grand building with her insatiable curiosity, wondering what kind of information could be held within its walls that nopony had seen before her. Athena, sensing Twilights excitement, smiled happily. Pupa, on the other hand, was more reserved, looking up at the building with a hard to decipher expression.

“What is this building?” Twilight asked Athena, still admiring the structure’s construction.

“This is something of a museum for our Hive.” She replied, beaming. “Within these walls lay artifacts and history of deep importance to our Hive, even containing a comprehensive history of our Queen’s lineage.” She said, now noticing Pupa’s expression, her smile faltered slightly. “My Queen, are you alright?”

Pupa let out a sigh as she looked up at the building. “I haven’t been inside in nearly a decade,” She stated. “Guess you could say I’m a little nervous.” She replied, trying to diffuse the tension with a small chuckle.

Twilight looked over at Pupa, finally seeing her slightly downtrodden expression for herself. Noticing that she was being watched and anticipating the question Twilight would ask, Pupa replied simply with, “Later, Sparkle, you’ll understand.”

Pupa took a deep breath before starting to ascend the stairs. “Come on, you two,” She said, a bit more seriously then she likely intended, “Time’s a wasting.”

Twilight wanted to ask Pupa about the building, wondering why the previously cheerful Queen had become suddenly somber when looking at the building. Before she got the chance, Athena started following her Queen up the stairs, speeding up a little to catch up to her. Twilight decided it was best to simply heed Pupa’s words and wait, following behind them.

When she reached the top of the stairs, Pupa and Athena were talking, with Twilight only catching the tail end of the conversation.

“-don’t have to go there if it will hurt you, my Queen.” Athena said an expression of concern on her face.

“I’ll be fine, Athena,” Pupa replied, “I’ve had three centuries to get over it.” Before Athena could respond, Pupa noticed Twilight coming into earshot. Gesturing with her head at Twilight, Athena got the hint.

Clearing her throat, Athena cast another glance at her Queen before speaking with Twilight. “It’s a very great honor to be acting as a tour guide for Celestia’s prized pupil, I’ll try my utmost to give you the best experience in our little piece of history.”

Twilight nodded, flipping the page in her notepad to get a fresh start on any new information she would gain before walking up to the doors and being let in by Athena.

Inside the building, the high ceiling allowed Changelings to fly around the building easily, moving between different areas of the building without causing too much hoof traffic on the way. Twilight could see at least three different floors from just the entrance as well as a staircase in the back of the building that appeared to be leading down. There was a small reception desk with a pink-eyed changeling sitting behind it. He was busy writing something when he heard the door open. Looking up he smiled. “Welcome to the Warrior Hive Historical Center.”

Athena and Pupa walked up to the Changeling as Twilight looked around the entrance. There were several banners with what Twilight assumed was the Warrior Hive’s Emblem throughout the years hanging from the ceiling. As she looked at them, each of the banners seemed to follow a certain theme. Each one was emblazoned with a shield, a circle around the shield with the moto of the Royal Guard written around it in Ancient Equestrian. Where each banner differed was the weapon that was present in front of the shield.

One, the furthest to the left, held a golden bow and arrow; the bow pulled back and tensed as though ready to fire. The next held two spears, crossed over the shield, the tips of each spear a glittering silver. Another was a simple hoofprint of bronze. The next, two swords crossed over another. The banner in the middle, which was the largest of the group, held a lance, two feathered wings sprouting from the handle.

Thinking that this museum mimicked rules of others in Equestria, Twilight chose not to use her camera to take a picture of the banners, making quick sketches of each of the symbols. As she finished up sketching the last symbol, Athena and Pupa walked back towards her. “Unfortunately we don’t have the entire day to go through the museum.” Athena admitted as they walked back. “There’s something of a special event going on later today that a lot of changelings are going to be preparing for. So we only have an hour or two hours to look around.”

Twilight, having finished the last sketch, looked up. “What kind of event?” She asked quizzically.

Athena closed her mouth, unsure of how to reply.

Pupa spoke up instead. “I’m sure it isn’t anything that you’d be interested in, Twilight. It’s something that went out of style in Pony culture a long time ago.”

“Even so,” Twilight began, “If it is something of such importance that you would close buildings down early, it would no doubt be valuable information.”

“I don’t think it’s anything that-” Athena began.

“Tell ya what, Sparkle.” Pupa spoke up, “If we get through this and the little castle tour that Celestia insisted on,” She said with a roll of her eyes, “I’ll think about taking you to see exactly what we Warrior Changelings consider quality entertainment.” She said with a smile, clearly out of her funk from earlier.

Athena looked at Pupa worried. “My Queen, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Athena asked through the Hive Mind.

“It will be fine, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“But Ponies wouldn’t understand it, it could hurt her impression of the Hive!” Athena retorted, leading to Pupa rolling her eyes.

“Through this entire visit she’s been nothing but curious, even when you were talking about ancient war heroes and battles. If it comes down to it I will explain it to her.”

Athena looked at Pupa, a worried expression on her face contrasted with Pupa’s more serious one. Twilight could tell there was some form of tension in the air from looking at the two of them, however she had no way to know what they were saying to each other.

“I have to admit, I am intrigued by what your Changelings consider entertainment, I haven’t really gotten much of a chance to see what specific hives do for entertainment.” Twilight said, unsure if the conversation between the two had ended.

Pupa turned to look at Twilight, her expression softening. “Can’t guarantee you’ll enjoy it, but it’s something we’ve done for generations now.”

Twilight felt a little bit of excitement at the idea of seeing a tradition so closely tied to the Hive that they’d hold such an event for generations. Even though she was interested, she decided it would be best to focus on the current information she could gather.

Though Athena was a bit nervous at first, she quickly found her stride while escorting Twilight around the museum. She showed Twilight through the various exhibits, holding information regarding the original founding of their Hive, various military battles they had been part of, and even a long list of the Queen’s lineage. As they walked around the museum, Twilight couldn’t help but notice Pupa looking towards the staircase that led to the basement, she wasn’t quite sure for what reason, though at times Pupa seemed almost lost in thought.

Of particular interest to Twilight was an exhibit on the construction of the Warrior Hive, the exhibit displayed several diagrams of the Hive, displaying the various tunnels that stretched throughout the Hive. She simply stood and looked over the slowly expanding interconnected tunnels of the Hive throughout the millennia, shocked by the sheer size of the entirety of the Warrior Hive. While she asked if she could take a picture or two, Pupa was quick to shoot down the idea, citing that the Changelings deserved to feel safe in their own homes.

As they walked through the last few exhibits, slowly getting closer to more modern times, Twilight’s eyes caught a strange exhibit. It looked to be a broken halberd in a glass case, the shattered fragments painstakingly organized and placed back in their proper place. Besides the halberd was a mural of a Changeling Queen and her guard fighting off a hoard of what looked like other Warrior changelings.

On the other side of the Halberd stood a young looking changeling standing victoriously over another Warrior changeling, being presented a crown.

“Athena,” Twilight called, causing the changeling to turn. “What is that exhibit?” Twilight asked, pointing to the halberd.

Athena looked over the exhibit and paused for a moment, almost uncertain about how best to phrase it.

“That’s the weapon of what we call ‘The Reviled Queen.’” Pupa replied no small amount of distaste for the name evident in her tone. “It’s a reminder to all Warrior changelings the dangers of an unfit queen.”

Twilight looked back at Pupa surprised. “Unfit queen?” Twilight asked curiously. “From the previous hives I thought that all Queens were chosen through heredity.”

“It usually is,” Athena replied, “but there have been instances where the Queen either dies in combat or is found to be unfit where that isn’t exactly possible. Such was the situation for the ‘Reviled Queen’” Athena stated walking up to the halberd, followed by Twilight, who was taking notes.

“From what records state, the previous Queen was killed at a young age on the field of battle. She was too young to have an heir and as such the Hive was left without a Queen. After the hive grieved for her loss, a tournament was held to determine the next ruler.” Athena pointed to the mural of the young changeling. “She was a skilled warrior, easily and swiftly defeating her competition for the crown. After the tournament had concluded, she was chosen as the next Warrior Queen, an honor beyond imagining for the normal changeling.”

“It was a slow few years as she gradually got used to the new powers that came with being Queen. She would constantly train and battle others to enhance her own abilities and gain a further hold of her new magical and physical strength. By the time she had acclimated to the power of a Queen, she became known as the most feared fighter of her generation. Constantly seeking tougher and tougher challenges to satisfy her cravings for battle.” Athena said with a tone of sorrow in her voice. “But in all that time she never thought of how to benefit her fellow Changelings, too obsessed with gaining more and more power, the Hive slowly began to suffer.”

“As she ignored her Hive, and pushed her changelings through more and more conflicts, she stopped thinking of the normal changelings as anything more than pawns to be used in battle, sacrificed for her own benefit if need be. Her own aspirations were that of conquest and command, which was anathema to the Warrior Hive’s mentality.”

“In response to her constant hunger for power, a rebellion slowly fomented within her hive, with many of the changelings despising her obsession with power. It began with a few members, but slowly was backed by nearly half of the Hive, despite the Queen’s attempts to destroy it, the rebels evaded capture at every turn. Eventually the rebels had gathered enough strength to take a fight directly to the Queen herself.” Athena pointed to the other mural, where Twilight could see the anger apparent in every one of the Warrior changeling’s eyes as they attempted to strike down the Queen.

“It was a meager fifty years after her ascension to the throne that she found herself attacked within her own castle. Refusing to surrender, she and her loyal guards fought to their deaths, killing hundreds of rebels and leaving a dark stain on the Warrior changeling’s legacy for decades to come.”

Twilight looked again at the Halberd and its shattered pieces, the story of this one queen swimming around in her mind. “But if they killed the queen, what happened after that?”

Athena looked at the halberd for a moment before responding. “The leader of the rebellion was brought forward to be made queen, and she worked tirelessly to reverse much of the damage The Reviled Queen had done; she repaired many of the relationships with the other Equestrian queens, helped to repair the damages done to the Hive and sought to overhaul the emergency measures to curb the possibility of such an event occurring again.”

“You mentioned that what the queen was doing was ‘Anathema’ to the mentality of the Hive, why is that?”

“In the Warrior Hive, we see our role as a necessary one. You no doubt saw the banners at the entrance?”

Twilight nodded.

“The reason all of them incorporate a shield is due to our duty to protect Equestria. We seek to protect Equestria and Pony-kind even if it risks our own lives, we have no aspirations to push outwards and conquer, doing so would not only betray the trust of Celestia, but of the other queens who rely on us for assistance. The Reviled Queen sought only her own power and station; she would have swept across the world to claim as much power for herself as was possible, more than likely revealing us in the process.”

Twilight wrote in her notebook. “Does the entire Hive feel this way?”

Athena nodded. “It is a great source of pride to us to be able to defend Pony-kind, those of us who are able to would happily lay our lives on the line to defend Equestria, Celestia and the Hive.” She said puffing out her chest.

“That does help to explain why you wouldn’t have joined Chrysalis when she invaded.” Twilight stated with a smile.

“Oh, she’s lucky I was out of Equestria.” Pupa stated with a slightly annoyed tone in her voice. “I’d have put a stop to that shit right away.”

Twilight turned to look at Pupa, who was currently looking up at the Halberd of the Reviled Queen. “What were you doing during the Invasion, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“There was some talk about a rebellion against the Griffin King, Celestia asked me to go personally to work with one of my good friends in the Griffin Kingdom to quell the rebellion, peacefully if possible.”

Twilight looked at Pupa with a confused tilt of her head. “But why did Celestia send troops?”

Pupa let out a small laugh. “Oh, it’s all a politics game. If my sources were correct, and they usually are, the rebels were hoping to hightail it to Equestria if things went pear shaped, Celestia sending us just made it clear she didn’t support the rebels.” Pupa explained simply. “You’ve got to hand it to her, she has a knack for preventing these kinds of situations from ever popping up.” She finished with a chuckle.

Twilight sighed, knowing that Celestia had reasons for her decisions but never really understanding the political side of her duties. She knew that Celestia often had guests from the other nations whether they were royalty or just delegates to discuss trading. She let out a sigh. “Maybe I should have paid more attention to the political scene.”

“You ain’t missing much.” Pupa replied casually, as though it was a subject she only knew so much about due to necessity. “Celestia’s got centuries of experience more than any other living leader, she’s got a lot of political sway and rarely finds herself in a situation she can’t navigate around.”

“That’s to be expected though, right?” Athena asked. “Given how long Celestia’s been ruling Equestria.”

“I’m more curious about if Luna is going to get involved with any of it. Might make things a bit more interesting.” Pupa thought out loud.

Athena looked up at a nearby clock. “Oh my, where has the time gone… Looks like we have room for one more stop before they have to close up.” She said, turning her gaze to Twilight. “Anywhere in particular you want to see?”

Twilight thought over the map that Athena had shown her, but in reality she only had one place she really wanted to see. “What about that basement level?”

Athena’s eyes widened as her ears slowly pressed back. “I’m not sure if that’d be really…. I mean it’s just that….”

Pupa let out a sigh. “It’s fine, Athena.” She said with little energy in her voice.

“My Queen, but…”

Pupa turned and seemed to ignore Athena’s words. “Come with me, Sparkle.” She began walking away from the two of them without saying another word. Athena speeding up to catch up to her as Twilight followed a short distance behind.

Twilight wondered if she had somehow asked to go somewhere heavily restricted by the reactions of Pupa and Athena. She started to wonder if she had maybe pushed the hospitality of the Warrior Hive too far. She stayed quiet for a few minutes, not entirely sure if Athena and Pupa were having a private conversation via the Hive Mind or not. The silence remained until they reached the staircase that Twilight had seen Pupa looking over at previously.

Standing at the top of the stairwell, Athena looked past Twilight to look at Pupa, who had a stoic and indecipherable look on her face. Athena, meanwhile was nervous. “Pupa, you don’t have to-”

Pupa began to walk down the stairs, not saying a word as she descended the stairwell.

Athena attempted to call out for her again, but the Queen moved forward without looking back at them.

“Did I um… Do something wrong?” Twilight asked, looking between the staircase and Athena.

Athena let out a sigh. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She said, annoyance and worry clear in her voice. “This place just… has a very personal meaning to Pupa.” Athena paused for a second. “Well, to all of us, really.”

Athena started to descend the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time to try and catch up with Pupa, with Twilight following behind, wondering what could be down here that was so important to Pupa. She got her answer upon descending the second flight of stairs.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Twilight saw a sign on the side of the wall.

No magic, Flying, Flash Photography, Weapons, or other recording devices within the Mausoleum. Be respectful to the Queens and those around you.

“Mausoleum…” Twilight said looking at the closed doors in front of her, suddenly getting a heavy feeling in her chest. She looked over at Athena who was simply staring up at the doors, uncertain if she should go in to find Pupa or not.

“When it says Mausoleum,” Twilight began, “does it mean what I think it does?”

Athena, momentarily broken out of her trance looked back at Twilight. “It… would probably be better to show you.” Athena said, walking towards the doors and pulling one of the doors open with her magic, gesturing for Twilight to step inside.

Twilight took a deep breath and walked into the room, followed by Athena, who slowly closed the door to try and avoid any loud bangs that might be caused. Upon stepping inside, two things struck Twilight; It was dark in this chamber, something she didn’t think would be an issue, but the crystalline lights were noticeably dimmer then the rest of the museum, casting the entire chamber in a darker tone. Not only that, but Twilight found herself surprised by how quiet it was. She hadn’t given it any thought before, but the Hive had a surprising amount of ambience, all of which became obvious when the area was plunged into silence.

In front of Twilight was a small map of the area, broken up into three colored sections, each one labeled differently. “Pre-Equestrian, Early Equestrian, Modern” Twilight looked over the sizes of each of the areas, surprised by the space taken up by the “Early Equestria” area. After looking at the map, she turned to Athena, who was tracing her hoof along the map. After a few seconds she tapped the map with her hoof twice and motioned for Twilight to follow her.

Twilight followed behind Athena in near silence for a couple minutes, the only sound she heard was their own hoof-falls, neither one wanting to break the silence that had fallen over the area. They continued this way until Athena turned down one of the hallways, stopping at the first of the glass cases, allowing Twilight to look inside.

Behind the glass display was columbarium niche containing a detailed bust of a Changeling Queen, next to the bust sat a well preserved blade, the light from the display shimmering off of the sword’s lightly chipped blade and worn handle, wrapped in some kind of deep red leather. A gemstone embedded into the bottom of the pommel. Looking back towards the bust, Twilight looked down slightly to see the name: “Queen Alna”. The name was etched into a golden plaque just below the bust.

Looking below the plaque, Twilight could see a series of plaques detailing the Queen’s achievements during her life. While Twilight wasn’t familiar with many of the battles listed, what she could understand were a few of the Hive specific improvements. Looking over the information, she turned to Athena, who was looking up at the bust of the Queen with an almost reverential look.

“So… These busts?” Twilight whispered to Athena.

“Each one is of a previous queen and if possible, their ashes lay within, so that they can be remembered and honored for all that they did for the Hive.” Athena replied back, in a hushed voice.

“Their ashes?” Twilight repeated a mixture of surprise and mild disgust in her voice, looking back at the bust.

Athena nodded. “When a Changeling dies, the remaining magical power in their bodies will swiftly ignite and incinerate them, leaving nothing left behind but a pile of ashes to be blown away in the wind.” Athena explained, using the same tone one might use when explaining the proceedings of a funeral. “The only way to prevent it is to sever the horn completely before death.” Athena pointed up at her own horn.

“I’m um… Sorry to hear that.” Twilight responded, not entirely sure what the best way to respond to the information was.

“It’s fine, it’s just a part of life for us.” Athena said, she stared at the bust of Queen Alna for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. “Come on, Pupa should be just up here.” Athena said before turning and walking further down the hall.

Twilight gave one final look at the bust of Queen Alna before turning and following Athena down the hall.

The two walked for another minute, Twilight looking over the various busts and weapons on display, noting mentally that all of the weapons looked to be exceptionally well maintained, though she did not get a close look at any of them, she couldn’t see any form of rust or decay on the weapons she looked at; making a mental note to ask about that in a less serious atmosphere.

The two of them turned another corner as Athena stopped, her expression dropping slightly. “You go on ahead, Twilight.” She stated. “I hate seeing the Queen like this.” She admitted, turning back over the corner, her ears pressed against her head, a bit embarrassed having admitted that little detail.

Twilight nodded at Athena, giving her a quiet thanks before rounding the corner herself. She saw Pupa sitting down in front of one particular niche, she was no longer disguised and was looking at the bust inside. Twilight took a deep breath to prepare herself before walking up to Pupa.

The changeling queen noticed her as she walked closer, her red eyes glancing over at the purple Unicorn before returning to look at the bust in front of her. Her face was sullen as she looked at the bust and Twilight thought she could see a few small streaks on her face. Twilight stopped a little distance away, giving the Queen a few more seconds to herself before speaking up. “M-May I come closer?” She stammered, unsure exactly what to say.

Pupa looked over at Twilight and nodded. “You may, Sparkle.” Pupa replied.

Twilight walked up to the queen, who had turned back to the bust in front of her. When Twilight got closer, she could see inside of the niche a little better.

The changeling queen on the bust had a look that displayed both her composed commanding demeanor and her care for the Changelings under her command. Her horn was chipped in a few places, more so than the usual decay of a changeling horn, showing that this queen had been in her fair share of battles, even at an old age. To compound that, her face had several scratches and cuts along the chitin; unhealed near-misses and grazing blows. To her left was a smaller urn, the contents unlabeled. To the right of the bust lay a saber; the metal of the blade tinted a light red, yet none the less sharpened. The saber looked as though it had been plucked straight from a battlefield, the hilt a clean and shimmering gold with a single red jewel embedded into the pommel. Under the blade lay a plaque; engraved upon it were the words: “Schutz”, Crafted by Queen Sreka of the Joyous Hive.

Her eyes panned to a similar plaque under the bust of the changeling queen, which read: “Queen Battalia”

Pupa looked down towards Twilight. “She was my mother.” Pupa replied to Twilight’s unspoken question.

Twilight looked up at Pupa, her ears drooping a little as she suddenly understood the importance of this situation. “I’m sorry.”

Pupa let out a shuddering breath “It’s funny. I always used to come here when I was a nymph; looking back on the long history of my family and my hive always gave me some form of awe. I wanted to grow up to be just like them, the best of the best in combat. I would always look forward to the day I’d take the throne and lead the hive to new heights.” Pupa let out a small sigh. “Now, though, whenever I come here, all I can think about is her.” Twilight followed Pupa’s gaze to the urn of Queen Battalia. “My mother was always seen as an amazing queen. A warrior without equal and a ruler that never asked her subjects to do what she was unwilling to do. The hive loved her and she always did what was best for the hive and for Equestria. To that means, she was a bit hard on me, and I never really learned to appreciate it at the time. It wasn’t until I was fifty that I finally understood why my mom had been so hard on me, when I was on my first real mission with her.”

Pupa looked down at Twilight, then back towards her mother’s urn. She shook her head. “But you aren’t here for a history lesson, are you Sparkle?”

“If it would help you feel better, I can listen to you for as long as you need, sometimes it’s best to just get all your feelings off your chest.” Twilight replied, giving Pupa a warming smile.

Pupa let out a small chuckle. “Sounds like something Eve would say.” She looked back at the bust of her mother. “Even after all these centuries, I still miss them.” Pupa stated, “both of them.”

“Both of them?” Twilight asked, confused.

Pupa pointed to the urn next to Battalia’s. “That one there, that’s Kova, my father.”

“What was he like?” Twilight asked, curious as to what exactly the father of a queen would be like.

“Dad? He was always there for me whenever my mom couldn’t be. Kova was never too far away, even when mom was busting my ass about training or school, dad was always there to ease the tension and keep the two of us from spiraling into a brawl. He didn’t take too well to all the paper work it took to be King, but he certainly stuck with it, especially when his legs stopped working.” Pupa seemed to smile a little. “He was almost like the glue holding us together, don’t know how I’d have gotten through my early training without him.” Pupa’s eyes teared up once more, causing her to wipe them away with her hoof.

“How often do you come here? if you don’t mind me asking,” Twilight asked, not wanting to push the subject if Pupa wasn’t open to it.

“When they first died, almost every day,” Pupa replied, earnestly. “But as time went on, it became a lot longer before I could see them.” Pupa let out a sigh. “It’s been nearly a decade since my last visit.” She admitted, taking a deep shuddering breath. “Sometimes, I think I can feel her looking back at me.” Pupa stated looking directly at the eyes of Battalia’s urn.

The two simply sat in silence for some time. Twilight not wanting to disturb Queen Pupa as she looked over her mother’s final resting place. Time seemingly crawling by as the queen occasionally let a tear fall down her face. Once she was finished, Pupa stood up. “Even after all this time, the hardest part is still saying goodbye.” Pupa admitted, wiping a final tear from her face. “Goodbye Mom. Goodbye Dad. We’ll meet again in the afterlife, save me a spot at the table until then.” Pupa smiled, letting out a low breath. “Thanks for sitting with me, Twilight, I know it can’t have been the easiest thing for you.”

“No, it was fine. I couldn’t just leave you alone.” Twilight replied, trying to keep her voice down still.

“Well that’s very thoughtful of you, Twilight.” Pupa looked past Twilight at Athena, who was peeking out from around the corner. Pupa shook her head, “Sometimes it still surprises me how my subjects react to stuff like this.” Pupa admitted with a smirk. “Come on, Athena, we’re leaving. Unless, of course, you want to stay here all night. It’s said you can sometimes hear the Queens’ ghosts haunting these halls.” Pupa teased. “It’d be a great chance to learn all about history.” She chuckled as Athena looked up at the nearest niche and started to quickly scamper towards Twilight and Pupa.

“Y-you shouldn’t say t-things like that, M-my Queen.” Athena stuttered. “S-Somepony will actually believe you.”

“Oh, what? You don’t want to see the ghosts of all these ancient Queens? I’m told they even hold a little tournament amongst themselves every Nightmare Night.”

“Y-Yeah R-right, that’s j-just a story t-they tell the N-nymphs to-”

Battalia’s weapon rattled lightly, causing Athena to jump and hide behind Pupa. Who was laughing as she turned off the magic flowing through her horn.

“P-Pupa! Y-You can’t just do that!” Athena shouted in annoyance, clearly both embarrassed by her behavior and annoyed at Pupa.

“Come on, Athena, still scared of spooky ghosts? OooooOOOOooOOoo.” The Queen replied teasingly.

“That’s not funny, Pupa!” Athena replied as the two of them began to walk back towards the main hallway of the chamber.

“I don’t know, I found it pretty funny, what about you, Sparkle?” She turned to Twilight, who was slightly confused at Pupa’s sudden shift. “Wouldn’t you like to speak with all the ghosts of these queens?”

Twilight thought over it for a moment. “Well it would be rather interesting to get the perspective of queen’s from all different points in the Hive’s history, there’s so much they could tell us.”

Pupa chuckled. “See, Sparkle gets it.” As they turned the corner, Pupa stopped for a moment, casting one last look back towards where her mother’s ashes were stored. Her face falling slightly before smiling and continuing to walk with Twilight and Athena, the later of whom was currently sticking as close to Pupa as she could and trying not to let her legs wobble too noticeably.

Warrior Hive: Part 2

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Pupa’s mood seemed to greatly improve after visiting her mother’s ashes. She was now standing next to Twilight and Athena as the two of them chatted while heading towards the exit to the museum. Twilight wasn’t exactly sure how important seeing her mother was to her, but was glad to see her mood improve.

After Pupa waved farewell to the desk staff, the group of three walked out of the building. After they descended the staircase, Pupa stopped the two and spoke up. “So, Sparkle, how did you enjoy a look through our Hive’s illustrious history?”

Twilight thought over what she had seen inside the museum before responding. “It was a lot different from what I imagined.”

“Thought we’d be all about war, huh?” Pupa asked, jokingly.

“Well… I didn’t think that was all there was to your Hive,” Twilight replied as she rubbed the back of her head. “I was a bit surprised by the amount of Equestrian history in there though.”

“We have been a close ally to Equestria for many millennia, it would be far more surprising if we weren’t closely tied to them.” Pupa pointed out, chuckling slightly.

Twilight blushed slightly in embarrassment of stating the obvious. “Even though it was similar, it was interesting to see a different perspective on certain events, I just wish I had more time to look at all of it closer.”

“If you’re still alive when the hives fully open up you can take as long a look as you want.” Pupa replied with a wink.

Twilight and Athena let out a sigh at Pupa’s response. Both of them not quite as optimistic as the queen. Athena looked over at the doors to the museum, seeing the desk staff locking the door and taking to the air, flying off towards home. “My Queen, perhaps it would be best for us to head towards the castle, there’s only a few hours before the big event is set to start.”

Pupa nodded. “Hivemind is buzzing about it.” Pupa looked at Athena, “Don’t you want to go and prepare for the festivities, Athena?”

Athena’s ears perked up and her eyes widened a little in surprise. “W-well my Queen, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have something I wanted to do.”

“Does it involve checking on your students?” Pupa asked with a small smirk.

“W-well… We did have a plan to take the nymphs to today’s event. But you asked me to accompany you for the day and…” Athena’s voice slowly petered off as she spoke, her ears pressing against the back of her head, not wanting to make it seem like she was putting blame on Pupa.

“And you have done wonderfully,” Pupa reassured, “But I think I can handle the rest from here, and I’d rather you go and enjoy today’s festivities. Besides, it’d be a shame for all those students to go to the event without their favorite teacher, wouldn’t it?” Pupa said, tapping her chin with a smirk as she glanced back at Athena.

Athena’s ears perked up as she smiled. “You mean it, your Majesty?”

Pupa nodded. “You’ll be paid for your services today, now you go and enjoy yourself while I take care of Miss Sparkle here.”

Athena nodded and began walking away, but stopped to turn back to Pupa. “Are you planning to be at the event, Pupa?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Pupa replied. “See you around, Athena.”

Athena began galloping off, stopping and waving back at Twilight and Pupa before running off. After she had left earshot, Pupa turned to Twilight. “So, Sparkle, got anything you want to ask me. Must have been dying to start the interview process with me.”

Twilight looked up at Pupa, a sea of questions that had been swirling in her mind all day finally being allowed to be asked. “Yes, I have, one moment please.” Twilight said as she began to look through her saddlebag for a fresh notebook to use. Pupa shook her head at the studious Unicorn, taking the time to peek into the Hivemind for a moment.

“Ah, here it is.” Twilight pulled out a notebook marked ‘Hive Queens’ she flipped through a few pages until she came to a free one. Hearing Twilight, Pupa put the Hivemind connection to the back of her mind and turned to her. “I suppose it would be best to start with the simple one. How old are you?”

“Haven’t you been told about asking a girl her age, Sparkle?” Pupa asked with a smirk. “I’m four-hundred and fifteen.” Pupa stated, beginning to walk down the streets of the Hive. “Come on, if you want to see the big event, we should get the little tour over with too.”

Twilight attempted to keep pace with the measured, almost practiced steps of Pupa, necessitating her to power-trot slightly.

“And how long have you been in charge of your Hive?”

“I’ve been Queen for about…” She looked up and let out a low breath, almost as though she had to calculate how long she had actually been running the Hive. “Three hundred something years?” She replied uncertainly.

“You don’t seem super sure.” Twilight replied to Pupa’s uncertain tone.

Pupa shrugged “It’s easy to lose track after the first few decades. I’ve never really been one to keep on top of that kind of stuff, never really interested me.”

“I… Suppose that makes sense.” Twilight replied. “You are fairly young compared to the other Queens aren’t you?”

Pupa nodded. “Youngest of the Equestrian Queens, right here.” She said, with an exaggerated bow “Granted, I’ll also be the oldest Queen for a while too.” She said with a wink.

“I know that your hive is quite prominent in the military, but what does your Hive do aside from that?”

Pupa smiled. “Getting right to the crux of the issue, there.” She replied, jovially. “See, that question is a bit more complicated to answer then for some other Hives.”

“Why is that?”

“Tell me, Sparkle, have you thought about exactly why we stay in a military capacity, even after so many millennia? There are much easier ways to get emotions to feed on, and could lead to less possible casualties for our Hive.”

Twilight thought over it for a moment, trying to piece together a possible answer to the queen’s question but coming up with nothing of any real certainty. “I’m… not sure.”

“I don’t blame you, it’s something deeply ingrained into our Hive, ever since we first joined hooves with the other Equestrian Hives.” Pupa looked down at Twilight, trying to think of the simplest way to explain something so ingrained into their culture it was almost second nature. “We of the Warrior Hive are not just soldiers fighting for the thrill of it, or to get our chosen emotions. We see ourselves as the first line of defense in protecting this nation and the ponies we love.” Pupa explained. “Ever since the beginning of Equestria, ponies have been largely averse to conflict, that’s where we come in.”

“We are the first to offer ourselves up in the defense of Equestria and Pony-kind. Whether it be charging on the field of battle in defense of Equestria or helping save ponies from burning buildings, we are willing to be the ones who sacrifice everything we have in order to ensure the safety of our comrades and the civilian populace.” Pupa noticed she was looking off into the distance as she said this and turned to Twilight. “Athena told you the importance of the shield in our banners at the Museum, but she only told you half of its meaning.”

Pupa’s horn light up as she conjured a circular shield in front of her. “The Shield is a defensive tool, yes, but it is not simply a symbol of our defensive resolve, it is a sign of our strength.” The shield in front of Pupa slowly dented, as though some invisible attacker was landing countless hits against its surface. “The shield, when properly wielded, will take blow after blow from any attacker, and though it may dent and chip, it will never shatter. No matter what damage you do to the shield, it will stand resolute to attacks.” Pupa explained, the shield now badly broken and bent out of shape, but still held up.

“We want to exemplify the best that Pony-Kind can display, ‘so long as we live, Equestria will never fall!’ That is our promise to Celestia and the other Queens. That is why we stand, ever ready, to defend our home.” Pupa looked down at the ground for a moment, realizing that she had begun standing with a straighter back as she explained the spiritual cornerstone of their Hive. Unconsciously taking on a more militaristic stance as she remembered the days when her mother would explain these very concepts to her. She looked down at Twilight before letting out a sigh. The Unicorn looking up at Pupa with a mixture of uncertainty and understanding

“Sorry for making the atmosphere a bit tense.” Pupa stated, dissipating the shield in front of her and slackening her posture. “This was something that my mom made sure I understood.”

Twilight nodded in understanding, glad that the tension in the air dissipated. “It’s something very close to your culture, I’d be more surprised if you weren’t passionate about it.”

“Even so, it’s not something that I ever thought I’d actually get asked about.” Pupa admitted. “Everyone around here knows it like second nature, don’t often get a chance to explain it.”

“It’s alright, it was very helpful to understand your Hive’s philosophy.”

Pupa chuckled. “Glad I could be of assistance.”

Twilight giggled slightly before finishing her abbreviated notes of Pupa’s explanation. “So what emotions do you usually feed on?”

“We can feed on a lot, but generally it’s trust, passion, courage and pride, but we can feed on a good amount of emotions outside of that, those are just the easiest to get with our chosen professions.”

“What are those, if you don’t mind telling me?”

“Well, aside from the obvious, we generally try to take roles in Police or firefighting, but just about any job where you work closely with a team will do just fine.”

Twilight made note of that in her notebook. “Does the Warrior Hive have any kind of ritual or requirements to be Queen?”

“Not sure I’d call it a ritual, but generally speaking we travel to each of the other military hive queens and study under them for at least ten years.”

“Other military hives?” Twilight asked curious.

“Oh, sure.” Pupa responded casually. “Adoration, Enchantment, Pride, Security; each one focuses on their own individual doctrine when it comes to combat. Understanding all of them is what makes us Warrior Queens the best of the best.” She said with a prideful smile on her face.

“And you’re sure that you are the best of the best?” Twilight joked, getting a giggle from Pupa.

“Every few years we have a good old tournament between us queens; a little brawl to see who is the best Queen out there right now.”

“And who has that title right now?” Twilight asked, curious.

“Harbris of the Minotaur Republic. She’s got a haymaker that’ll knock your head off if you aren’t ready for it.” Pupa said, almost as though talking from experience.

“Meaning you aren’t the best military Queen right now?” Twilight joked.

“Hey!” Pupa replied with an annoyed tone in her voice. “She just got a few good hits on me, that’s all. I’ll beat her next time.” She said, mumbling something under her breath. The only thing Twilight could hear was ‘Cow Strength.’

“Moving on,” Twilight began, checking her notebook, “have any Warrior Hive Changelings been High Queen before?”

Pupa let out a light raspberry. “Probably a few? Never really bothered to care much about that kind of stuff. Being High Queen isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be for us, at least I don’t think it is.”

“Really?” Twilight replied in surprise. “Given how important a position it seems to be, I thought you’d be interested.”

“Yeah, it sounds fun for a bit, but High Queens have to give up a lot for the power they have. All work, no play. I don’t even think Apath knows the meaning of the word ‘Play’ given how she never seems to enjoy herself. Then again might just be part of being High Queen.” Pupa gave a small shrug. “Just seems like too much hassle to me.”

“Do you know any by name?” Twilight asked.

“Nope.” Pupa replied simply. “Even then, High Queens change out so infrequently that it’s nearly impossible to keep track.”

Twilight’s ears fell slightly, saddened that her attempt to understand more about the High Queens wasn’t going anywhere. “So how closely do you work with Celestia?”

“I work with Celestia on the regular.” Pupa replied. “I serve an important role in picking and choosing candidates for promotion into higher ranks of the Royal Guards.”

“And what would that be?” Twilight asked.

“I keep tabs on those that Celestia wants to promote to higher ranks, it’s my job to keep an eye on them and make sure they aren’t doing anything objectionable in the shadows.”

Twilight paused for a moment, thinking over the possible ramifications. “So you spy on them?”

“Spy is such a harsh term,” Pupa replied, her tone one that made it clear she understood the implications. “Think of it more as insurance that no one unsuited rises to a rank of authority.”

“And you choose who is suited?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pupa rolled her eyes. “My duty is simply to report our findings to Celestia, as well as my own internal test scores based on practical ability. If she promotes them is her decision.”

Twilight felt a little bad about accusing Pupa of what would amount to nepotism. “Out of curiosity, how did my brother do on those?” Twilight asked, trying to lighten the mood in case she hurt the Queen’s feelings.

Pupa, seemingly unaffected by Twilight’s prior comment, laughed at the question. “Sorry, Sparkle, but that’s between Celestia and I, complete confidentiality on that front. Though I will say that Shining Armor did quite well on both fronts.”

Twilight chuckled, knowing how hard her brother tried to get into the Royal Guards in the first place. Thinking back to how stressed Shining Armor would get when he had to take the various tests for becoming a Royal Guard. This thought made her cast her mind back towards Steel Coat.

“Umm, Pupa,” Twilight began, stammering a little bit as she struggled to find a way to phrase the question. “Have you um… seen Crimson Lance around at all?”

Pupa’s face changed to a knowing smirk at the question. “And what would Celestia’s prized pupil possibly need with the commanding officer of the Lancers?” she asked slyly, looking down at the Unicorn with a conspiratorial glance

Twilight smiled sheepishly at Pupa’s gaze. “I just had something to tell her,” She said nervously as Pupa’s gaze hardened slightly, “from Steel Coat.” She added after seeing Pupa’s raised eyebrow.

Pupa shook her head. “That stallion, I swear.” She let out a sigh.

“So, have you seen her?” Twilight asked, “Apparently she’s supposed to be visiting the Hive.”

“You could say that, in a manner of speaking, of course.” Pupa stated slyly. “Tell me, what did Steel Coat want to tell Commander Lance?”

Twilight looked away from Pupa for a moment, unsure if this was something she should tell Pupa, deciding that this was probably the best way for Crimson Lance to get Steel Coat’s message, she relented. “Well, he said it had been a long time since the two of them had time to just have a chat and catch up. He wanted to try and set something up.”

Pupa let out a sigh. “That stallion really hasn’t changed much, has he?” She asked rhetorically. “Well, I’ll be sure to let Crimson Lance know.”

Twilight smiled, glad she could have helped Steel Coat, though after a second, Pupa’s form was engulfed in a red flame and was replaced with the form of Crimson Lance. The bright red Unicorn mare flipped her short orange mane. “Well would you look at that, seems she already knows.” Lance said with a chuckle.

Twilight stopped walking for a second, stunned by the sudden revelation of Pupa’s disguise. “But…. You… the Lancers are…”

Crimson Lance nodded. “Bit shocking, I know.” Crimson Lance looked over her disguise. “To think the leader of one of Equestria’s premiere special forces units would be a Changeling this whole time?”

Twilight still wasn’t quite sure how to take this new revelation. “How long have you been leading the Lancers?”

Crimson lance smiled. “I’ve been leading them since they were originally founded some two hundred and fifty years ago. Though, mind you, for the first few years we were nothing more than a squadron. Took me decades to get Celestia to approve of increasing recruitment.”

“But… I just don’t understand. Shining Armor used to talk about you, I mean, Lance, I mean…”

“Remember when I told you about our Hive’s philosophy?” Lance began. “Originally the idea of the Lancers was to put that ideology into practice. As Lancers we would be one of the first to engage in combat, generally as shock troops. Over time I wanted to expand the Lancers to see if there were ponies who shared our beliefs. I am proud to say that we found plenty of ponies to join our ranks.” Lance said, puffing her chest out.

“And have you been running the Lancers that whole time?” Twilight asked, trying to think about any information she could about the Lancers.

“For the most part, yes.” Lance replied. “The real struggle is the constant need to change disguises.” Lance said with an eyeroll. “Apparently ponies will start asking questions when you can lead from the front when you are in your fifties. So I have to have a near constant cycle of disguises going.” Lance said with an annoyed tone, a few licks of flame covering her as she rapidly swapped between several different pony forms as she spoke, Twilight wasn’t able to get a good look at any of them in particular before Pupa returned to her Crimson Lance form. “It’s always such a headache.”

“So are you already working on your next disguise?” Twilight asked, unsure exactly how to phrase that question.

“Yeah, I’ve got someling on it already.” Lance replied, looking over her current form. “I’m thinking maybe a Pegasus this time. Thoughts?”

Twilight was momentarily stunned by the question unsure how to reply effectively, so instead she ended up stammering a bit before Lance interrupted.

“Nah, bit too stereotypical. We’ve got enough Pegasi in the Lancers as is. Could always just go with another Unicorn, I do like having magic.” Her horn lit up as she levitated a few rocks from the ground and spun them around in the air.

“But, Steel Coat seemed to know your moth- I mean Lance’s Mother, so was that you as well?” Twilight asked.

“Oh sure.” Lance replied, her form covered in red flame as she changed her form to a dusty red unicorn with a deep red mane and blue eyes, her cutie mark a magic circle with a shield in the center. “Ardent Shield was a good disguise. Bit more defensive then I usually go, but it was a good change of pace.”

“So umm… Are you going to meet up with Steel Coat later?” Twilight asked, wanting to perhaps let Steel Coat know if she saw him again later.

Pupa changed back to her regal appearance as she thought over Twilight’s question. “I guess there’d be no harm in meeting up with the old geezer. I’ll send him a letter or something once I get my ‘mother’ together as well.” Pupa replied with a light wink. “Hell, might just go visit him myself.”

“Speaking of children,” Twilight began, “You wouldn’t happen to have a daughter yet would you?”

“Nah, I’m far too young to be thinking about having a kid. Even if I did, our Hive has something of a” Pupa twirled her hoof in front of her, trying to find the correct word, “tradition, of sorts, when it comes to that.”

“And what would that be?” Twilight asked, curious about what this tradition might entail.

“And ruin the surprise?” Pupa said in mock shock. “Why I could never.” Pupa said with an exaggerated flip of her hair. “I’ll let you know if it happens to come up.” She replied in her normal tone, “besides, we still have to finish this little tour of ours.” Pupa stated as she began walking slightly faster.

“Lead the way.” Twilight replied with a smile, matching the Queen’s pace.

Despite the size of Pupa’s castle, the tour seemed to go quite quickly. Pupa led Twilight around the various rooms of importance, a large dining hall with many Warrior changelings sitting around and talking casually while eating food of various types. Twilight could see more local foods, some from the Griffin Kingdom and even a couple Yak dishes. None of the changelings seemed too surprised by Twilight’s appearance, even the guards placed throughout the castle simply saluted their Queen and guest as though nothing bad could happen.

Twilight got an answer to the more casual atmosphere when they visited the barracks, a Warrior Changeling casually stating that, should Twilight attempt anything, Pupa would have been the first to react and because of that, the atmosphere was somewhat more relaxed than usual. That paired with Twilight’s prior visits didn’t leave many of them too worried. Even so, the Changeling emphasized that they were ready to act at a moment’s notice.

The tour of the Castle continued on, Pupa showed Twilight the various rooms from a war room with several maps of Equestria, the Griffin Kingdom and the Minotaur republic spread around the room, some looking rather ancient. While Twilight wanted to look through the various maps to see if anything had changed, Pupa insisted to Twilight that the maps were more detailed than those available to the public. While she did not explain further, Twilight understood that they more than likely had information Changelings would rather remain secret.

“And finally we have the Throne Room.” Pupa stated as she motioned to the two large doors in front of them, a pair of Guards standing to either side of the door, attached to their saddle armor, Twilight could see a blade hanging in its sheathe, as though they were ready to fight at a moment’s notice. The door itself was made of a light brown wood with engravings of various weapons upon its surface, all centered around a circular shield with six gems, one for each of the Equestrian Hives. Twilight was impressed by the craftsmanship on the door, it looked as though it had just been carved recently, clearly the Changelings took good care of it.

Pupa walked up to the door and began to leisurely push open the large double doors, moving them aside without any form of magical assistance. Twilight looked at Pupa in surprise for a few seconds before Pupa called to her. “You coming in or just going to stand there all day?”

Twilight quickly followed Pupa into the chamber. Beyond the double doors, Twilight could see the almost spartan throne room. On all accounts, the throne room seemed fairly simplistic, no grand designs or large amounts of flair were visible aside from the throne itself; carved from some red-tinted wood, a red gemstone at the top of the throne and several weapons jutting out from behind it. Even the ceiling was simplistic, several gems embedded into it to cast light around the chamber, but otherwise a simplistic stone. Off to the side was another wooden door, a small light visible from under it.

Twilight looked around the room, not seeing any guards for what should be the most important room in the castle. “Where are your guards?”

Pupa looked back at Twilight and pointed to the still open doors. “Out there.”

“But shouldn’t you have some guards protecting your throne room?” Twilight asked, slightly concerned.

Pupa waved off Twilight’s concern. “And have them stand around this empty room all day? What would be the point?”

Twilight looked at Pupa in confusion. “But… Aren’t you usually here?”

Pupa shrugged. “I could never really get into the whole ‘sitting around’ thing other Queens do. Much rather be actually out there, doing something.” Pupa explained. “So most of the time, this room is empty. Only when we have meetings or something do I even bother sitting on the throne.”

“So you are a lot more active than the other Queens?” Twilight asked. “How do you get your work done?”

Pupa let out a long breath. “I’ll admit, I’m not the most diligent when it comes to the paperwork, a lot of the times I have a changeling do it instead. But keep that a secret will you.” She said conspiratorially, though Twilight couldn’t be sure how much of it was a joke or not, given how open Pupa was to her she assumed the other Queens already knew.

Twilight cast her eyes over to the side door. “So, what’s in there?” She asked, pointing at the door.

Pupa, turned to look at the door and smiled. “That’s my personal chamber.” Pupa said proudly. “It used to be something of a panic room, in case of an attack. Even had an armory in there, over time it’s become neglected and the Hive’s grown to the point we have entire sections of the Hive that serve the same purpose. So I just converted it into a bit of a meeting and work space for when the War Room isn’t needed.”

“Would you mind if I had a look inside?” Twilight asked, curious as to what might be inside.

Pupa let out a small shrug. “Sure, why not?” Pupa said walking up to the door and pushing it open. Pupa held the door open for Twilight, so that the Unicorn could get a look inside.

The room was fairly sizable, likely originally meant to hold armor for the Queen and her most trusted guards. However it now looked more like an office space. A simplistic desk sat near the back of the chamber, a matching chair behind it. To one side of the desk was a large stack of papers, likely work Pupa was attempting to avoid. In the far right corner sat a mannequin, it was about Alicorn sized and had a set of intricate red armor laying across it, silver highlights visible throughout the armor, even from this distance. Small bookcases covered the right side of the room, filled with various tomes and scrolls of a variety of ages, On top of the bookshelves and scattered inside of them were what Twilight assumed were a variety of war trophies; helmets designed to fit a variety of races, each one with a different insignia or color, broken weapons of a variety of sizes and a few photos.

The left of the room seemed slightly more organized, paintings hung on the wall with photos placed atop a variety of cabinets. In the center of the wall sat an intricately designed spear. Twilight walked closer towards it to get a better look, when she got closer, Twilight could see that the shaft of the spear had two swirling streaks of color that wound their way around the entire body. One was the red color she had grown used to seeing in the Warrior Hive, the second was a pale electrical green, straddling the border of being yellow. The two streaks of color spiraled around the spear until they converged at the neck of the spear before sprouting off two metallic wings of their corresponding color. The head of the spear was a polished and well maintained metal. Twilight cast her eyes down to see a plaque underneath the spear, oddly though, it seemed to be written not in Ancient Equestrian, but in Griffish, a language that Twilight knew very little about.

“May we forever soar the winds as one flock.” Pupa said as she walked up to Twilight. Catching the Unicorn, who was busy staring at the foreign language, off guard.

Seeing Twilight’s confusion, Pupa smirked and tapped the plaque.

“I didn’t know you could speak Griffish.” Twilight replied.

Pupa shrugged. “I spent a good portion of my life in the Griffin Kingdom. You pick up on a few things.”

“So where did this spear come from?” Twilight asked curiously. “It seems far better taken care of than your other… um… collection.” She continued as she looked at the various helmets that had different levels of indentation in them.

“Well of course!” Pupa replied. “It was a gift from one of my first, and closest, teachers.” Pupa said, igniting her horn as she picked the spear off of its stand and pulled it closer so that Twilight could get a better look. “Crafted by some of the best weaponsmiths in the whole Adoration Hive. It’s meant to symbolize our companionship and the closeness of our two Hives. Tempest had it made for my- I guess you could call it ‘Graduation party.’” Pupa chuckled. “It was meant to be a physical reminder of our promises to one another. She had one made for me, and I asked Eupha to make one for her.”

“If you don’t mind me asking. What were the promises you two made?” Twilight asked, unsure if this was a bit too personal of a question for even Pupa.

Pupa paused for a moment, thinking over the best way to phrase it. After a few moments of silence she spoke up again.

“During my first mission with my mother, a lot happened, and I mean a lot. It started as just a routine search for some missing ponies and ended with some crazy cult trying to rule the world. I’m sure you know how it goes.” Pupa joked with a chuckle. Taking a breath before returning to a more serious tone. “Long story short, I ended up taking lives, lives of Changelings that saw me as a villain.” Pupa shut off her magic, catching the spear in her hooves, Twilight could see Pupa’s hooves tensing as she clutched the spear. “I came out of there with a kind of darkness following me, taunting me in both my waking and sleeping hours. Taunting me that I would be nothing but a killer, that I could have prevented their deaths, that I could have-” Pupa’s hooves tightened on the spear further, clear that these memories still placed a heavy weight on her, even after so long. She released a sigh as she cleared her mind before continuing.

“My mother brought me to the Charity Hive, hoping that they may be of more help than our hive. It took me a long while to be able to sleep soundly once again, and even longer for me to be willing to hold my weapons without being reminded of the monster I wanted to avoid becoming.” Pupa stated seriously, turning the spear over in her hooves. “It was then that Queen Tempest heard about what I was going through.” Pupa’s grip relaxed on the spear as she smirked slightly. “She walked right up to where I was staying in the Charity Hive and practically dragged me to the local park, threw a training sword at my feet and told me to hit her.”

Twilight had sat down at this point, simply listening to Pupa’s story about her past.

“I’m not proud to admit that I couldn’t even hit her once, she was far more experienced than I was at the time. It took me a few years to realize why she even did that, she wanted me to forget about my worries and fears and clear my head. Nothing does that quite like a good fight to us Warriors.” She chuckled, looking back down at the spear in her hooves. “Tempest told me about how she too struggled with the same demon I did back then. Tempest often talked about it like a battle, a fight against some dark force trying to swallow everything you care about. Tempest says she lost that battle and she wasn’t going to allow me to fall into that pit with her.” Pupa smiled as her horn lit up and she put the spear back in its place.

“She came to see me practically every other day until I had ‘overcome’ that darkness, in her own words.” Pupa let out a sigh as she thought back to those days, thinking about how her mother had embraced her upon her return to the Hive. “After that, I spent a few years here before having to head out and start my official training with the other Queens.” Pupa looked back to Twilight, seeing that the Unicorn was intently listening. Pupa smiled before looking back at the spear.

“Sorry if this bored you, Twilight.” Pupa stated, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “I know that probably wasn’t the kind of thing you wanted to hear about.”

“As long as you are comfortable sharing I don’t mind hearing about your history.” Twilight replied.

“Would be a bit odd for you to mind now. You’ve only been doing it all day.” Pupa joked, causing Twilight to chuckle slightly.

“I am a little curious, though, Pupa, you said that Queen Tempest was a teacher to you, what was she like?”

“Tempest?” Pupa repeated, letting out a whistle. “Now that’s a complicated question, Sparkle. One, that I do not believe I am at liberty to discuss.”

“Oh, I understand.” Twilight replied, momentarily forgetting that the non-Equestrian Queens preferred to remain hidden.

“Sorry, Sparkle. Until the other Queens give a go-ahead I don’t think it’s right for me to discuss them at length. Anything else you wanted to ask?”

Twilight flipped through her notes, most of her usual questions had been answered by Athena or Pupa already, not to mention her notebook was full of historical information on the Warrior Hive. Her last substantial question relating to the entertainment of the Hive, something she figured would be answered by this ever mysterious “Event.”

Twilight flipped to a blank page and decided to ask something she was wondering about since they had left the mausoleum. “When we were about to leave the Mausoleum, you said the hardest part was saying goodbye. What did you mean by that?”

Pupa’s face dropped for a second before she caught herself. “And here I was thinking I was being slick about it.” Pupa shook her head before continuing. “The answer may be a little childish, honestly, but I was talking to them through the Hivemind.” She admitted.

Twilight paused for a moment, unsure how to take that. “As in actually talking with-”

Pupa chuckled and waved her hoof. “No. No. Not actually talking to them. Celestia knows how that would impact Hive leadership. No, it’s more like, talking to the deceased, hoping they can hear you.” Pupa finished. “I know that not every Queen does it and it makes me sound a little crazy, but a part of me hopes that one day I get a response.” Pupa said with a sigh.

“Is that why Athena didn’t want to get closer to you?” Twilight asked.

Pupa sighed again. “She very likely felt me talking through the Hivemind, if she was any closer she might have been able to hear what I was saying. Athena’s always been the sensitive type; it’s why she became a teacher in the first place.” Pupa looked up at one of the paintings.

Twilight followed her gaze to see a highly detailed painting of what Twilight assumed was Pupa’s coronation. Rows of Warrior changelings stood saluting as a crown was placed upon Pupa’s head by an ancient looking Queen, her mane starting to display hints of gray throughout her long red mane. To her right was an even older looking Changeling, a cart attached to his hind legs. Pupa was kneeling in front of what must have been Queen Battalia.

Pupa, having noticed Twilight’s gaze, spoke up again. “One of the last paintings made of our whole family before my mother and father passed. Hard to believe how old they look in that painting though.” Pupa stated, as silence filled the room for a moment before there was a sound of hooves hitting the stone outside the room, causing Pupa to turn towards it.

“My Queen, are you in here?” Came a voice from the doorway.

“In here, Sliver.” Pupa called back out of the room.

The sound of hooves got closer as Sliver walked to the door. “I was hoping to find you in here, My Queen, after Sergeant Scepter told me you were taking Twilight Sparkle on a tour I figured you’d come here.” The changeling said as it peeked into the room. He seemed to be smaller than most of the other Warrior changelings Twilight had seen throughout the day, assuming he must be one of the Queen’s caretakers. His red eyes quickly seemed to scan the room when he peeked in before walking in further. “I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you don’t run late.” Sliver said as he walked closer. As he did, Twilight could see that his left fang was broken.

“I’ve still got plenty of time, Sliver” Pupa reassured. “We’ve still got an hour, right?”

“My Queen the event starts in forty minutes.” Sliver replied, a slightly annoyed tone in his voice.

“Yes and then we have to sit around for twenty minutes before anything actually happens.” Pupa retorted.

Sliver shook his head. “Yes, but YOU said that you would be there, on time, this time.” Sliver shot a glance at Twilight. “Not to mention she can’t fly.” Sliver pointed a hoof at Twilight.

Pupa rolled her eyes. “I’m well aware of that, Sliver, you don’t have to remind me about it.”

“Then you should also know that the streets are packed right now.” Sliver informed Pupa. “Not to mention that a lot of the warriors love seeing their Queen watching and cheering them on.”

“Alright, alright. Point taken.” Pupa replied, relenting to the caretaker, starting to walk to the entrance. “Come on, Twilight, we don’t want to have ol’ Snaggletooth here lose his temper.”

Sliver let out an annoyed sigh. “That’s not my nickname anymore, Pupa.”

Pupa smiled. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of your old nicknames, it is quite the story to tell.” Sliver ran his tongue along the broken fang, as though being reminded of that particular story.

“I remember the story slightly differently to the others.” Sliver replied.

“Regardless, we need to get going if we are to make it on time.” Pupa stated as Twilight followed her out of the room, getting a small bow from Sliver as she walked out of the room

Twilight sped up to catch up to Pupa’s long strides, seeing Sliver closing the door to the side room as she spoke up. “So where exactly are we going?”

Pupa looked down at Twilight with a small smirk. “We are heading to the Hive’s Arena, of course.” Twilight looked up at Pupa, momentarily stunned, her hoof falls stopping as she processed what the Queen had just said, “it is Fight Night, after all.” Pupa continued as she walked out of the Throne room.

“Fights?” Twilight repeated unsure that she had heard correctly. Before quickly picking up her pace to catch up to the Queen.

As Pupa escorted Twilight through the Hive, the streets slowly began to fill with warrior changelings, many of them excitedly talking with friends or family about today’s events, what little Twilight could overhear involved names and terms she had no context for, reminding her quite heavily of Spike and Hoofball teams. Twilight looked up towards the slowly growing form of the Circular structure she had seen from her initial overview of the Hive Proper.

Moving to Pupa’s side, Twilight decided to ask a few of the questions that had been floating around in her mind since Pupa announced where they were going. “So, these fights. They aren’t uhh…”

“To the death?” Pupa concluded, raising her eyebrow at the young unicorn, waving at a few changelings that called out to her. “Relax, Sparkle, we don’t do fights to the death here.” Pupa replied casually, seeing Twilight’s nervous expression.

The Lavender Unicorn let out a sigh at this confirmation. “I know it’s silly to ask something like that.”

“It’s fine, Sparkle.” Pupa replied. “It’s a whole new world for a pony like you. A good portion of the Hive was actually worried about the fact today was when you were going to visit.”

“Why is that?” Twilight asked, curiously.

“A lot of them were worried that we’d have to reschedule or even cancel today’s big event.” Pupa stated, gesturing over to a makeshift market stall on the side of the street.

Twilight looked over to see a warrior changeling selling various products ranging from small snack foods to shirts in support of different fighters. A few changelings stopping to look over the wares.

“Is there something special about today’s fights?” Twilight asked, uncertainly.

“We have a few high profile fighters in the hive going head to head with one another; and a couple fighters from outside of Equestria participating.” Pupa stated while waving at another vender. “Aside from that it’s mostly a monthly event. We have a few lesser fights on a weekly basis but the monthly event is usually much higher profile.”

Twilight looked around the street while they walked, seeing a steadily increasing number of stalls along the street, with more and more changelings stopping and taking a look at the wares. Looking up in the air, she saw a number of changelings getting above the hoof traffic by flying above it, though Twilight could see a number of armored changelings helping to keep air traffic moving. Looking towards the Arena, Twilight could see guards all around the top of the walls, probably to prevent changelings getting in without tickets.

That thought made Twilight pause for a second. “Pupa?”

Pupa looked back at Twilight, “What’s up, Sparkle?”

“How much is a ticket to one of these events?” Twilight asked nervously, knowing that she did not pack enough bits for more than a few meals at most.

Pupa shook her head. “Sparkle, you’re my guest, you don’t have to worry about that. Besides the Royal suite has more than enough room, I’m not married and don’t have a kid so it’s quite spacious.”

Twilight let out a relieved sigh. “So how much would tickets to one of these events go for usually?”

Pupa thought about it for a couple seconds before responding. “For one of these monthly events? About a hundred bits per changeling. The proceeds go to paying the contestants and repairing the arena.” Pupa explained. “The weekly fights are less expensive depending on who is participating in them.”

“About that,” Twilight began, “I assume you have on site medical staff in case the worst happens?”

“Oh, of course, we have the best medical experts on call, I’ll introduce you after the fights if they aren’t too busy.” Pupa stated.

“Are the fights usually that bad?” Twilight asked, slightly worried.

“Well, no, but you never know what can happen in the heat of battle. It’s better to be prepared than not.”

The two of them continued to make their way to the Arena, Pupa stopping at times to explain some of the stalls that Twilight was looking at. As well as to greet some of her subjects, who were ecstatic to see their Queen. While walking through the streets, Twilight was a bit surprised to see that, though many of the changelings noticed her, very few of them seemed to have worried or nervous looks on their faces, almost as though they expected her to stay for the proceeding events.

“Pupa, I can’t help but notice that not a lot of changelings seem… Worried about me participating.” Twilight mentioned to Pupa as the two of them continued to walk.

“Well, of course.” Pupa replied. “I’m sure most of them are just busy looking forward to the fights. Besides it’s not as though you Ponies don’t have similarly dangerous events. Think of it a bit like wrestling.” Pupa began, before pausing to think for a moment, “only with the hits being real, I guess.”

The two of them continued to make their way through the crowd, with the two of them stopping now and then to talk with the changeling vendors so Twilight could ask a few questions. For the most part the journey was fairly uneventful, many of the changelings choosing to give the Queen and her guest the right of way.

Before Twilight knew it, they were standing at the entrance of the Arena. The building was comprised of an ivory stone, the entire exterior structure composed of archways, with statues of what must have been Queens and previous combatants in each of the many archways In between the archways stood long banners, the faces of multiple Changelings on each one, Twilight assumed these were the current fighters. Closer to the top of the structure, the archways opened up again, allowing for easy flight into and out of the structure. Twilight could see multiple armored Changelings present at each of these openings, likely to ensure that anyling that tried to enter had paid for their ticket.

The lowest archways all seemed to lead further into the structure, looking to funnel the prospective spectators into the building without using flight or their innate ability to climb on walls. Even without entering the building, Twilight could hear the commotion from inside; hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of changelings talking amongst themselves, indistinct chants for their chosen fighter and noisemakers going off filled the air. Twilight had to admit, she was feeling a little nervous at the prospect.

“Bit noisier than Canterlot Library, huh?” Pupa said over the throng, sensing Twilights nervousness.

“It is a bit noisier than I’m used to, I’ll admit.” Twilight replied.

“Just you wait until we actually start!” Pupa replied with a hint of pride in her voice. “It’ll make this seem like the chattering of field mice.” Twilight hoped that this was an exaggeration.

“How old is this Arena?” Twilight asked Pupa, looking around the sculpted halls as the two of them walked through the Arena’s halls.

“This old place,” Pupa replied. “This place has been around for thousands of years. If you believe the historians, it was once just a humble fighting pit until the reign of Queen Xiphos.”

“Xiphos?” Twilight repeated, pulling out one of her older notepads and flipping through it briefly. “Isn’t that the name of your General?”

Pupa smiled and nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled that you remember him.” She joked. “But yes, he’s named after her. It’s not uncommon for high profile changelings to share the name of former royalty.”

“So why did Queen Xiphos see it fit to build this arena?” Twilight asked.

Pupa sighed. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to give you another long history lesson, Sparkle.” Pupa pointed out. “Thought you’d have gotten enough of that from Athena.”

Twilight blushed a little in embarrassment. “How about you give me a short version?”

Pupa sighed, relenting to the Unicorn. “Xiphos was responsible for a major reform in the mentality of the Hive, she helped to make the Hive’s populace more interested in self-improvement and constant honing of their capabilities. It took Queen Xiphos losing to one of her own citizens when she was still young before she began trying to implement this new change. This Arena was built so that changelings could truly test their abilities against one another and be ranked accordingly, including Xiphos herself.”

Twilight made a few quick notes in her notepad. “Does the Hive still track that?”

Pupa shook her head. “For most of the Hive that ranking would be redundant anyway. The only records we still keep in that regard are for our Gladiators, who choose to battle in the arena.”

“Out of curiosity, where do you think you fit into that list?” Twilight asked.

Pupa raised her eyebrow at Twilight, almost as though the answer should be obvious.

Twilight, seeing and feeling Pupa’s almost icy look, let out a slight chuckle in embarrassment. “Right, silly question.”

Pupa shook her head in what could be disbelief before helping to lead Twilight through the slowly filling Arena. When Twilight finally got a look at the interior of the Arena, the cacophony of sound was the first thing to hit her.

Changelings shouting in excitement and talking amongst themselves, various noise-making implements were being used to make the wall of sound that much louder.

Twilight followed behind Pupa, unable to hear her over the sounds of shouting as they came to an extravagant viewing platform made of the same stone as much of the arena, the roof of the viewing box was held up on four stone columns, wooden supports helping connect the pillars together with an extravagant red cloth casting a slight shadow over much of the platform. There were three seats visible. One, seemingly a replica of the throne Twilight had seen in the unused throne room, the other two, while slightly less extravagant, were no less fancy. Clearly this box was meant for the Queen and her family or guests.

Pupa’s horn glowed with a faint red as a bubble surrounded the box, keeping out much of the noise of the outside. “So, what do you think? Best seats in the house.” Pupa stated with a hint of pride in her voice as she walked to the edge of the viewing platform, and resting her front hooves on the stone railing separating them from the arena below, simply looking out at the changelings all waiting for the battles to begin.

Twilight looked around the box, noticing how it was designed to make the arena below the main thing the occupants could see. “Are there more platforms like this one?” Twilight asked, curiously.

Pupa looked back at the unicorn before replying. “There are a few further up.” Pupa pointed up across the arena, waiting for Twilight to walk up to her to see where Pupa was pointing. Across the open arena, Twilight could see a viewing platform, similar to theirs, up near the top of the Arena’s viewing section. A few changelings inside chatting with each other.

As Twilight looked out of the box, she could see changelings slowly flying into their seats from above, groups of changelings talking with each other, and quite a few changing forms to those of Minotaurs or Yaks and shouting. Twilight was quite glad to have Pupa’s barrier around the platform, though she felt it wouldn’t be active during the actual matches.

Twilight looked down at the fighting pit of the Arena, seeing a large, immaculate sand covered ground, there were two visible gates on either side of the Arena, presumably to allow the combatants to enter the Arena. The white sand being rather surprising to Twilight, as she thought it would have been stained by now, seeing the sand made Twilight curious. “What are the rules of these fights?”

Pupa smiled. “Well that there is a difficult question to answer.”

“How so?”

Pupa looked down towards the arena itself before turning to Twilight. “There are two common rulesets in the Hive.” Pupa began. “Bloodletting or Knockout. The first ruleset is the simplest, the first Changeling whose blood touches the sand of the arena loses the round. The second requires the opponent to be pinned down for a set amount of time or for them to be knocked completely unconscious. Within each of these is a plethora of restrictions; are weapons allowed? Duration of pins? Flying, Magic, transformations? So on and so forth.”

“And what’s the ruleset for the fights today?” Twilight asked.

“Knowing most of the fighters, they want it to be Knockout. Bloodletting is usually for the best of the best to show strategic thinking on top of combat prowess. Though I’m not quite sure as I haven’t gotten the-” Pupa paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Speak of the devil.” She murmured. “Sorry, Sparkle, a situation just came up. You don’t mind waiting here, do you?”

Twilight shook her head, “No, I don’t mind. I even know a sound cancellation spell!” She said with a smile.

Pupa smirked at the unicorn, pointing to one of the three chairs. “Feel free to make yourself at home, I’ll be back before the fights start.” Pupa stated, her horn glowing red again as she disbursed the barrier around the box and walked to the door.

Twilight lit her own horn and placed a noise cancellation bubble around her own head and took a seat beside the throne, pulling out her note pads and notebook, beginning to transcribe some of her notes into her master copy, enjoying the time to herself to collect some of her thoughts, her own anticipation of the coming fights rising as well, whether out of nervousness or out of worry for the fighters in it, she couldn’t be sure.

It had been about twenty minutes since Pupa had left Twilight alone in the royal suite, during which time she had gotten a good chunk of her notes organized before she saw a red shimmer surrounding the box again, causing her to look up as Pupa walked into the Royal Suite, two boxes of popcorn floating beside her.

Twilight dropped her own noise cancellation spell as Pupa spoke up. “Decided to stop for popcorn on the way back. Wanted to ask if you wanted some, but you aren’t in the Hivemind, so I figured I’d just get some for you in case.” She levitated one of the boxes of popcorn over to Twilight, who was putting many of her supplies away, her magical grip over her master copy being overtaken by a red grip as it was pulled towards Pupa.

“This where you keeping all of the other Queen’s Secrets?” Pupa asked as she opened up the notebook to a random page and began to read in a voice mimicking Twilight’s own. “I was made aware of a mixture within the Joyous Hive that can instantly rejuvenate a Changeling’s energy reserves and heal minor injuries after a worker was injured during a malfunction during my visit to the workshop under the Hive’s main complex.” Pupa looked back over at Twilight, her voice returning to normal. “How has Eupha been?” She asked, floating the notebook over to Twilight. “We haven’t had many meetings with everyling in attendance in a while,” Pupa explained. “Chrysi being locked in Canterlot and everyling worrying about the revelation of Changelings causes issues with our schedules.”

“Well, she’s doing well, she says her Hive’s been doing better since they moved to a new location.” Twilight explained as Pupa nodded.

“She’s always been good at bouncing back from setbacks like that. I just wish she had let us know before doing her little disappearing act.”

“I assume the other Hives all tried to locate her?” Twilight asked.

“Of course we did, we mobilized to try and find her, but another thing she’s always been good at is covering her tracks, you wouldn’t expect it from somepony like her, but she is probably one of the best Infiltrators in Equestria. Only thing that holds her back is Whoopie Cushions.” Pupa said with a chuckle. “One of those will make her crack up faster than Celestia at the sight of cake.”

Twilight giggled at that, knowing full-well Celestia’s weakness for cake. As they were talking, the door to the Royal Suite opened up as a Changeling dressed in decorative armor walked up to Pupa, a piece of parchment held beside him with a crimson glow.

“My Queen,” the changeling said as he walked up to his Queen and bowed, handing over the piece of paper. “All the combatants are ready.”

“Thank you, Shard, how’s Marteau holding up?” Pupa asked, reading over the parchment.

“His leg has a fracture from the collision, but I believe the biggest injury is to his pride.” Shard replied.

Pupa sighed. “I’d have told him this would have happened. Prench bastard should have seen it coming when he agreed to allow him to transform.” She replied in annoyance. “So much for proving himself in the Arena.”

“It is rather unfortunate.” Shard replied, glancing over at Twilight and giving her a small bow. “Apologies, I did not see you.”

“There’s no need to bow.” Twilight replied, waving off the apologies in a ‘It’s no big deal’ manner.

“You are a guest of the Queen’s, should you need anything during your stay at our Arena, please let me know.” Shard replied before turning to Pupa again. “Are you going to let the patrons know?”

Pupa let out a sigh. “I’ll have to, while he wasn’t a frontrunner, his fight was one of the more anticipated. Did we get an ETA on his recovery?”

Shard shook his head. “Even the best estimates give him a few weeks.”

Pupa let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’ll have to let Tettix know.” She said under her breath as she turned to Twilight. “Well, that aside, shall we get the main event started?” She asked.

Twilight nodded, having put many of her writing supplies away aside from a simple quill and notepad.

Pupa smiled as her horn lit up as the bubble around the box was disbursed and Shard walked out of the box. As the barrier fell, there was a sudden sweeping quiet that spread through the previously raucous crowd. Small pockets of cheering could still be heard, but much of the sound had been reduced as Pupa walked to the edge of the viewing platform and looked around the seated changelings, waiting for the final embers of sound to die down.

As the final embers died down, Pupa cleared her throat as her horn lit up, helping project her voice over the crowd. “Mares and Gentlelings, it is my distinguished pleasure to welcome all of you, whether my own subjects or those visiting from other hives to our humble arena. Here, the best of the best get the chance to test their mettle against equals or superiors in equal combat. Two changelings will enter into our esteemed battleground and only one will leave the victor! Surely I am not the only one excited to see which one will come out on top?” Pupa asked, rhetorically, pausing for a response.

There was a wave of shouts and cheers from the crowd as many of them took the chance to show their own excitement for the event. After a few seconds, Pupa raised her hoof as the sound died down.

“That’s what I like to see, you can practically taste the excitement in the air! We have an All-Star roster of combatants for your enjoyment today. However, before we begin, I have a few announcements to make.” Pupa paused and turned to Twilight, waving her closer.

Twilight took the hint and placed her writing supplies behind her as she stepped up to the Queen.

“First and foremost, let’s give a Warrior Hive welcome to the Prized student of Princess Celestia herself, Twilight Sparkle!” Pupa motioned at Twilight, who suddenly felt thousands of eyes looking at her as she tried to smile, probably coming off more nervously than she intended. Regardless she heard a range of shouting from the crowd.

“Now I know that many of you have reservations about Miss Sparkle joining us for this event, but let me be the first to inform you that though Twilight Sparkle is a pony, she has been nothing but gracious to us through her visit here. She has not once looked down on our practices, our history, or the changelings she interacted with in this or any Hive. She was even excited to see such a large event! Despite our differences, we should use this momentous occasion as a chance to show off just what we are capable of. If you agree, let me hear you shout!” Pupa said, her air of authority as both a queen and general coming through her voice as she spoke those words. The Arena rising to an uproarious applause. Hearing the cacophony, Pupa looked back at Twilight and winked, a prideful smile on her face.

“That’s what I like to hear!” Pupa said, addressing the crowd once again. “Now while I know many of you want me to get on to the fights as soon as we can, I do unfortunately have to bring some bad news.”

A silenced whispering spread through the crowd as they wondered what this bad news could have been. A few possibly wondering if it had anything to do with Twilight Sparkle or not. One of the more loud whispers thinking the fights wouldn’t be as they normally are.

Pupa’s voice spread through the Crowd. “I know this rumor has spread through the Hivemind since Twilight was seen entering the Arena and allow me to dissuade you of the notion. We have not asked the combatants to hold back in the slightest, you will still be getting the same Warrior Hive battles you expect from us, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Pupa said with a slight annoyance in her voice, the hushed whispers being silenced. “No, the bad news revolves around one of our combatants scheduled for today’s event. I know that many of you were looking forward to Prance’s very own Marteau De Fer's debut in one of our monthly events. However he has unfortunately suffered an injury earlier today that forced him to withdraw from the event.”

There was a series of booing and saddened calls, a grumbling spreading through the crowd.

“I know, I know.” Pupa said to the disgruntled patrons. “It is unfortunate, but these things can happen. I am told he will recover in a manner of weeks and return to the Arena as soon as he can. Any who wish to donate to his recovery can do so after the event.” Pupa stated to the sound of more talking spreading through the crowd.

“Now, with all the announcements out of the way, what say we get on with the main event?” Pupa asked the crowd, being greeted with a loud affirmative shout and stomping from the crowd. All of them excited to get on with the main events, Pupa pausing to let the crowd get the excitement out of their system a little before once again raising her hoof to silence them.

“Then without further delay, let us all welcome our first two combatants! In the Red corner, we have the rising star of Section C,” Twilight looked into the combat zone and watched as the gate on the right side of the arena was raised by a magical glow. “Everyling let me hear you stomp for Stulpe!”

The crowd began to stomp as a changeling walked into the arena, waving at the crowd as he walked into the middle of the arena.

“And in the Blue corner, we have an expert with the quarterstaff, trying her hooves at unarmed combat. Will she be able to handle this latest challenger? We’ll have to see, give a warm welcome to Vulpa!”

The crowd began to stomp again as another Changeling flew out of the other opened gate, cheering to the crowd as she did a small loop in the air before landing a few feet from Stulpe. As the two warriors were let into the arena, they both turned to Pupa and bowed.

“The rules of this duel are simple; no transformations, no weapons and no offensive magic. This battle will be using the rules of Bloodletting.” Pupa said as she lit her horn once more, the white sand of the arena shimmering with a light red hue for a moment before returning to its perfect white. “The first drop of blood on the sand will determine the winner. Stulpe, are you ready?”

Stuple stood up from his bowed position. “I am, my Queen.” He replied.

“Vulpa, are you ready?” Pupa asked the other changeling.

“Ready as I ever will be, my Queen.” Vulpa replied, standing up.

“Then let the battle, Begin!” The sound of a loud gong rang through the arena as the two changelings got a little distance between themselves, the two of them ducking down into a defensive pose and began to circle around each other, both of them looking for some kind of opening, the crowd having fallen silent to watch these critical moments of the duel.

Twilight, meanwhile, was trying to gauge Pupa’s own reactions to their movements, deciding to speak up. “Why aren’t they um… Brawling?”

Pupa, who was still mostly focusing on the duel below them, simply responded with a “Hm?” Keeping her eyes on the two fighters as they tried to search for a mistake or gap in their opponent’s focus.

Twilight, unsure of how to phrase her question, tried again. “Why are they just circling each other?”

Pupa turned to look at Twilight, keeping one eye on the fight below. “Bloodletting is simple, the first drop of blood determines the winner, as such, choosing when and where to engage will often determine the outcome. You have to be patient as well as precise to get the final blow off on your opponent.” As Pupa explained, the changeling that Twilight believed to be Stulpe quickly moved closer to Vulpa, stopping a mere half foot from her. Flaring out his wings and using them to quickly reposition himself to the side.

Vulpa, believing Stulpe would continue his advance, threw a quick punch in front of her, missing the now repositioned Changeling as he threw a punch at her underside, connecting behind her hoof and backing off after the hit, just as Vulpa tried to kick out at him with her hind hoof. The crowd gasping at the first hit, a few cheers could be heard as Vulpa increased the distance between the two, taking a quick breath as she winced from the hit.

The two returned to circling, Vulpa slightly slower at first after taking the first hit. Stulpe taking the opportunity to poke at her defenses, moving closer slowly and then quickly stomping with his front hooves to try and get Vulpa to flinch or react, but the changeling refused to show an opening. The two continued to circle until Stulpe once again tried to stomp to get Vulpa to react, in response, Vulpa’s horn lit up.

As Stulpe landed with the stomp, his left hoof was quickly slid apart from his right, causing him to lose balance for just a few seconds, enough time for Vulpa to rush up to him and land a solid hit directly on his snout. The male changeling, dazed from the hit for but a moment, ducked under Vulpa’s next swing, he spun around on the ground, using his right hoof to grab and pull Vulpa’s left. With her right foreleg still in the air, she found herself imbalanced, starting to fall to the ground, only to be bucked in her head by Stulpe, who had swung his hind legs into position to connect with her falling head, his hind hooves connecting with her jaw.

The Crowd began shouting in excitement as Vulpa stumbled a foot or two back, shaking her head as it rang from the impact. Unlike much of the crowd, Twilight couldn’t help but wince as Vulpa was hit with both of Stulpe’s hind legs. Before looking back up to see both combatants breathing heavily as they gathered themselves. She found herself wondering about how there had yet to be a drop of blood spilled.

Pupa, who had started watching closely, saw Twilight flinch at the impact. “Chitin helps to make us more resistant to damage, these types of fights, especially in our natural forms, can be rather tense, don’t you agree?” Pupa stated. As Stulpe collected himself and opened his wings, taking to the sky as Vulpa struggled to regain her senses. As she did, Stulpe began to fly around her, circling her as Vulpa got into a smaller stance, hoping to draw her opponent closer. “Though I’m not sure this fight will last much longer at this rate.”

Twilight was going to ask what she meant by that, until she heard the crowd around them, many of them shouting and cheering for their chosen fighter. Some shouting what their fighter should do in simplistic terms. As she looked back down at the fighters, she saw Stulpe’s horn begin to glow brighter and brighter. Wondering what he could possibly be doing, he suddenly began to fly directly towards Vulpa. A few feet from the ground, his horn released a bright burst of light, attempting to blind Vulpa, who threw up a small shield in front of her, trying to block whatever Stulpe was doing, only for her shield to amplify the light. She let out a loud shout as the light quickly began to hurt her eyes.

When the light faded around the arena, Vulpa was trying to locate Stulpe, who had landed and was creeping around Vulpa, waiting for his chance. The crowd beginning to shout Stulpe’s location to Vulpa, hoping to be heard by the now blinded warrior, though the excessive amount of voices causing her to only get more confused as she turned away from where Stulpe was, only to be tackled to the ground by Stulpe, who gave Vulpa a few quick punches. After the first few punches, the sand of the arena glowed blue as Stulpe stopped his hoof before it connected with Vulpa again.

There was a quiet pause as the sand changed color, only to be met by cheering from half of the arena as Stulpe stepped off of Vulpa. Both warrior’s breathing heavily after the fight, their adrenaline getting to them even as Stulpe lowered his hoof to help Vulpa stand up.

“And the winner is Stulpe!” Pupa proclaimed, her voice being met with loud applause and stomping.

Twilight looked around the arena, seeing many changelings excitedly talking amongst themselves and others looking disappointed, more than likely because their chosen fighter had failed. The sound of the Arena was put on a hold as Pupa stood up from her seat.

“It was an excellent fight,” Pupa stated to the crowd. “Though it would seem Stulpe’s familiarity with fighting hoof-to-hoof made him the victor in this bout. Still, that is no reason to think less of Vulpa. It takes no small amount of courage to accept a challenge that puts you at a disadvantage, and for that, let’s give a round of stomps to Vulpa.”

Vulpa, who had accepted Stulpe’s offered hoof, was using the victor as support as she wobbled slightly, her head still spinning. It was then that Twilight saw a trickle of red from her nose, likely the injury that lost her the fight. The arena erupted into stomps for both fighters, showing that, though she had lost, there was no less respect given to Vulpa.

Twilight could see the two warriors talking to each other in the Arena, though she could not hear what they were saying, though from what Twilight could tell it seemed jovial between the two.

Pupa addressed the two fighters in the arena. “A well fought battle, you two. Go and get some rest.”

The two Changelings bowed at their Queen, before walking towards the closest gate, both of the combatants limping slightly, Stulpe helping Vulpa to the gate.

Twilight watched the two of them walk off, surprised and a little glad to see that, despite having just been in a battle with each other, the two of them seemed to still be talking as friends.

Pupa, noticing Twilight’s emotions, turned to her. “They’ve been friendly rivals for years now.” She said to Twilight’s unspoken question. “Very rarely are there hard feelings after fighting in the arena.”

Twilight looked up at Pupa, then back to the arena, thinking over what she had just seen and how both of them had previously been fighting. “So it’s mostly like a friendly spar?”

Pupa smiled. “In those two’s case? Sure is. For others though it’s a bit more professional. Speaking of which.” Pupa’s horn lit up again.

“Now wasn’t that a thrilling first match, everyling? I hope you are ready for more!”

The Arena rose up in loud applause and shouts as Twilight wondered what the next few hours would possibly bring.

A Day In The Hives

by Shaded Changeling

The Meeting

Medical Hive

Lust Hive

Artist Hive

Joyous Hive: Part 1

Joyous Hive: Part 2

On Chasing Shadows

Warrior Hive: Part 1

Warrior Hive: Part 2