I awoke some time later. The position of the sun denoted that I had been unconscious for several hours. I retained a head-ache of impressive magnitude, a significant sensation of weakness, and a certain sense of being violated.
Oh no.
No doubt the vastly increased power of Chrysalis was used to probe the contents of my mind, if such an act was within her abilities – which I believed it was. Thus, she now knows of the human status of Nohbodi, the reasoning behind the false signal of Intricate Compass, and potentially our plans. It will be nigh-impossible to influence her with false information, and a direct assault is still a suicidal move. Especially now.
I looked down and noted the spaces. I am somewhat surprised that she did not simply kill me. Perhaps my resilience due to the metamorphosis saved me. Perhaps she simply could not. It was obvious that the Hive was attempting to retard her progress, therefore it could have implanted a directive even she could not defy. Yet. With more time spent gaining the power of the Hive, or simply corrupting it, if possible, she may be literally unstoppable.
The Hive held the answer. It must. Lacking the power to simply carve through the wall, or to be useless after doing so, I elected to attempt to contact the Hive. Presumably I could not re-enter this area without the aid of Sky Sprinkle, if she still lives. Thus, I most certainly should attempt to communicate with the Hive before leaving the area. I began to travel towards the center, passing the signs of decay once more.
The physical manifestation of the Hive remained. The vertical slit that was the egress of Chrysalis was likewise in the previous state. I stepped near to it, delaying my entrance for fear that Chrysalis may have effected some degree of ranged control. I attempted short-distance communication via pheromones. The reply felt distant, as if from a weakened signal. However, the response was the equivalent of a welcome. It was a significant risk, yet few options remained.
I entered the Hive itself.
To my alarm, the effective entrance sealed itself upon my completed position inside it. It was a cocoon. I began to receive sensations of comfort from it. With my calming mind and reflection, I realized that it was, from the inside, the image from my dreams during my metamorphosis. This is what would have occurred had I been in a position to have ascended naturally, within a functional hive. The communion with the being responsible for our collective creation began.
The Hive, obviously within the right to do so, began. "You are the true queen of the changelings."
A sensation of pleasure and what may construed as pride infused me. "I am."
"The former queen must be stopped."
"She must." I thought over varying possible courses of action, and transmitted them to the Hive. Every single one was responded to in the negative. "Then what is to be done?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? That cannot be!"
"It is to be."
"How are we to stop her?"
"We do not."
"Impossible! She must be stopped!"
"She must."
"Then how do we do so?"
"We do not."
"I do not understand. Who, if not us, shall end this?"
"Perceive." A wave of sensation overtook me. I understood what the Hive intended. Chrysalis had taken so much energy from the Hive that she had unintentionally created a link. Through this I, though not with sight, sensed what the false queen was experiencing. There were sensations of reaction given to those before her. Magical signatures were recognized. She was conversing with princess Celestia, princess Luna, and a faint one from Intricate Compass. The latter was, of course, an impossibility. It was Nohbodi. She had slight, but temporary, concern directed at that source.
"If she has absorbed so much power from You, how is she to be stopped? For that matter, if she can no longer create an army, what purpose has she to this action?"
"She is far more powerful than she was at her previous peak. She needs no army if she may gain control before exhausting her energy reserves."
"How long might that take?"
"A variable too complex to state an exact point in time that you would comprehend. All that matters is that it is well within her abilities to do so."
"I must end this!"
"Do not concern yourself. I have influenced her next course of action. She will be at a location most desirable to her defeat."
"Where will such a location be?"
"Here."