I absentmindedly pocketed the changeling's blade-like horn while she said that to Aranea. Aranea simply broke down after she died. I never did really understand the hive, how it's really that important. What I knew didn't matter at that time. She was crying uncontrollably, with no signs of stopping. I rushed over to her and held her. “It'll be okay...” There wasn't a damn thing I could do. Not really. I stayed with her as she stayed in that position, sobbing until she lost her voice. This wasn't going to stop.
As well as I could, I picked her up and carried her over my shoulders. She wasn't light-light, but she weighs a lot less than you'd think with that armored chitin around her. Zecora's was the closest place, and she knew almost as much about her as I did. If there's something I'm not picking up on, she could have an answer. Either way, I had to get her somewhere safer.
We finished the trip to the hut, and I managed to balanced myself to kick the door in place of a knock. Zecora answered shortly after. “I was not expecting the royal pair... What has happened to the fairer?”
“All I know is she needs help. Can we come in?” Zecora opened the door the rest of the way as I rebalanced myself again and walked in sideways to not bang her tear-stained head on the wall. I gently laid her on a mat and kneeled next to the prone body of my love.
Zecora looked on with concern. “What has happened to your dearest? Such power is a cause of fear.”
“Intricate Compass, the changeling she sent to check out the edge of the changeling homelands came back earlier. She was yelling about the hive being there, like with a body. She left after that. Do you have anything for her leg?” I learned long ago that emotion can heal minor stuff, but this was a bad one. It'll have to heal the old-fasioned way. Zecora gathered some herbs and cloth as I carefully put her on her side, gingerly holding up the leg while she applied some poultice to it and bound it up. “Thanks. We went to get Twilight, not knowing what we were gonna find. Spike told us Intricate gave her a letter telling her the princesses needed her right away. They still send important things with his fire, so something was off. We followed her to the Everfree, where she attacked Aranea. She screamed at us about a 'false queen'. She's dead now. After the fight, Aranea had some kind of breakdown. She's been like this for a few hours now.
Zecora thought on this. “So she thinks herself forsaken by the hive, and has lost the will to be alive...”
“Seems like it. Know anything we can do about it?”
“Nothing for this can come to mind. I fear the only answer will be in time.”
I didn't want to hear the answer was 'nothing'. Would've taken almost any answer besides that. With no choice, I stayed with Aranea, and stayed close. If she needed regular food like Zecora or I did she'd have starved herself before anything else happened. It's hard to conceive, the idea of this hitting her so hard. Then I remembered long ago, when she said 'no' with the voice of the hive. All I could figure out was that it was like that, only far worse. I couldn't think of the degree worse, but it was enough to go on. I pulled out a bag filled with bits and dropped it in front of Zecora. “Whatever you want for what it takes. Medicine, time, I don't care.” I carefully pushed Aranea into what I think was a more comfortable position and wrapped an arm around her.
She weakly turned her head to look at me. It was the face of ultimate suffering. “Th-thank you... But I do not deserve it.”
I leaned over and kissed her. “You deserve much better than this. I'll take care of you. Get some rest if you can.” We looked into each other's eyes for the longest time before she took my advice. She didn't really need to sleep like the rest of us did, most of the time. I don't think it was willing; I think she only allowed herself sleep to please me. She seemed to be running on some instinct now, and as prince-consort and her bordering invalid, that made me regent-king. Well, if that's what it took to ease the pain for now, so be it.
Small mercies are sometimes the best like that.
We spent a week and a couple of days there in that hut. Every day she would wake, Zecora would change the bandages on her slowly-healing leg, and she would remember and cry until she shook and lost strength. I would comfort her as best as I could, and she would eventually let herself rest.
The next morning was different. Her leg was healed up enough that it was considered 'minor'. Feeding her would take care of the rest. She looked up at me instead of going right to sobbing the day away. “I greatly appreciate the care you provide for me, but please, if the hive does not wish my existence, said existence should end.”
“Not happening while I'm here.”
“Then depart, so that I may die.” That hurt. For just the briefest moment, I had a better idea of what she was going through. That gave me an idea. I had no idea what was going to happen, but there was only one thing to do.
“No. You're coming with me. I love you, and you love me, and we're not leaving each other until we're done with our trip, at the very least.”
“What trip Nohbodi?”
“The one we started for. We're gonna see this hive.”
“What would we do when confronted by It? It has already cursed my existence.”
I really wondered if I could kill the hive for this and what it would do to her if I could. No, I wasn't going to try for that, not unless it was a last resort. There was too much risk involved if there was some kind of feedback with changelings. No, we were going to do what we tried to do with Intricate. We had to know why. The answer was far more simple than getting it would be.
“We're getting answers.”