//------------------------------// // 23. The New Changeling Hive // Story: Short Shorts // by Coranth //------------------------------// Deep within the heart of the Hive of Queen Chrysalis, Celestia - a deep frown upon her muzzle - gazed at her beloved husband Daniel, her eyes wet with tears. "Y-You..." she choked, "you shared yourself with her?! I... I don't understand, my Daniel; I... I thought... I thought you loved me! Why - why - would you do such a thing?" As she spoke, Queen Chrysalis laid her final changeling egg and then - as her drones worked to disconnect her from her Ovipositor - she softly said unto the pony princess, "He did this because he desired to." "Lies!" Celestia hissed, furiously whirling to face the black Queen. "Changeling lies! You... you used some form of mind control upon my beloved; you did, I know you did!" Turning about to face her beloved human mate once more, the distressed Solar Diarch checked his eyes for Changeling Magic and - upon finding none - desperately, she pressed herself against him. "Tell me it's not true," she whispered brokenly. "Tell me you didn't do this of your own free will..." As the Solar Diarch made to press herself against him once more, Daniel stepped back from her and then - looking upon her, his expression so saddened that Celestia felt his sadness as if it were hers - the human man slowly shook his head in disappointment. "You shame yourself, my beloved," he stated sadly. At his words, Princess Celestia gasped softly, her heart wrenching in agony. Heedless of her state, he continued to speak. "You forget the one Universal Rule of Harmony - a Rule that is immutable; that you set in stone - and it is no one is beyond redemption! Please, listen to Chrysalis; hear her words. She doesn't have much time left..." Sniffling, blinking, Celestia turned to face Queen Chrysalis and it was then she realized that something was terribly wrong. The Changeling Queen looked worn out - very old, very tired - and yet... the expression on her face... 'Wait a minute...' the Solar Diarch became startled as she realized that there wasn't a hint of malevolence to be seen. Instead, the purest happiness, joy and... and love could she see shining within the Queen's emerald-green eyes. "Yes," Chrysalis said, smiling beatifically, "Daniel imparted unto me some of his love for you, Celestia; I did not take it by force. To have done so would have hurt Him... and me, for I now love him as much as you. When I fed upon that portion of his and your essence... it affected me so deeply; I didn't - I couldn't - just feed upon it! I knew it, I felt it... I experienced it... and so will they..." "'They?'" Celestia prompted, curious. "The new Hive..." the Queen breathed softly in apparent awe. "They will know love not only as a food source, but as a feeling - an emotion - and will know not me but you. You..." the Queen babbled, utterly joyous even though she was fading, "Celestia the Herd-and-Hive Mother, and Daniel the Hive Progenitor! And... and they will know your ponies not as prey but as friends and allies... maybe even mates!" Laughter, pure, sweet and joyous bubbled up from within the Queen. "I am dying," said she even through her laughter, "even now it's consuming me your love is killing me and I don't care...!" Then, looking at the two before her - one sadly-smiling human and one utterly shocked pony princess - Queen Chrysalis said, reverently. "A new Hive led not by a Queen, but a Princess who will look to you and Daniel. A Princess to lead them all; a Princess to bind them; a Princess to bring them all; and to Harmony, guide them. My gift to you..." A contented sigh escaping her, Queen Chrysalis of the Badlands Hive looked around - seeing the thousands, and thousands, and thousands of Changelings that she had spawned - as all ceased their activities; they knew what was to come. Smiling beatifically, her emerald eyes shining, Queen Chrysalis beckoned Daniel forward and when he came within reach of her she nuzzled him reverently and kissed him. Then, softly she whispered, "The unknown future trots towards us. I face it for the first time with a sense of hope, Daniel. Because if you, a human, can learn the value of pony life, maybe we can too..." A moment later, the Queen slumped forward on her throne as she exhaled her last breath, the light fading from her eyes; it was over... or was it? As Daniel and Celestia looked on - the poor pony Princess feeling utterly overwhelmed - a small slit appeared within the dead Queen's abdomen. Shortly thereafter, a wet, pink nose could be seen poking out of the slit, and then, it wasn't long before the head of a baby something was completely visible. A few minutes later the slit became wide enough to free a scrawny leg, followed by another and another until the entire newborn had emerged. The creature appeared to be a female changeling... but what a changeling she was! She looked like Chrysalis in miniature, and possessed a similar face, but that was where the changes ended. Her body was deep pink, almost red, with hints of a dark purple on her saddle-like carapace. Her wings were the same translucent color and had no holes in them, nor did her legs. Her eyes were a soft, gentle brown, and her fangs were much smaller than a normal changeling's, almost non-existent, though with time they would grow. Her mane and tail were colored the same as her carapace and also possessed no holes. Last but not least was her horn; it didn't resemble the pocked appendage of the Changeling Queen, but appeared straight, whole and spiraled, not unlike Celestia's own horn! The newly born Princess turned to look at the Elder One whom had birthed her and then - with maturity beyond someone her age - she reached up to gently close her Birth Mama's eyes. A moment later, the little one nuzzled her Mama's nose then gave her a little kiss goodbye. "Ma..." whispered she, softly, sadly. Shortly thereafter the little one turned to look at the world that awaited her, but... by the Great Herd-and-Hive Mother! Why was everything so dark? This... this wouldn't do! Utterly dissatisfied with what she saw, the young Princess proceeded to do something extraordinary: she sang a single, beautiful, clear note and in doing so unleashed a wave of magic most powerful. It passed through Daniel and Celestia, leaving the two unharmed... but when it touched a changeling that changeling appeared to die; then from the dead carapace emerged a new, young changeling foal! Soon, Daniel and Celestia were surrounded by a veritable sea of changeling foals of every size and color; they appeared near-akin to the ponies of Equestria! "We" Daniel said as the Young Queen approached him for a hug, "are going to need a lot more carriages..." At this - as her beloved picked up the new changl -- no, the First of their new children -- Celestia began to laugh through her tears.