//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two - Changeling À Gogo 
// Story: One For The Archives 
// by ArtaFactia 
//------------------------------//

"Nggh..." Arta rolled over, her snout pushing firmly into the soft cushion of the pillow. The bed she lay upon was quite comfortable, more comfortable than her own. This was a bed of luxury...wait, if I'm not in my bed...! She quickly sat up, casting her gaze around the room. The room was quite dark, the walls coated in a smooth, jet-black finish, with a green pallor cast upon them by a glowing stalactite jutting down from the ceiling. It was very much like being in some sort of subterranean cave, she thought, and she had no idea just how correct her inference was.

The bed on which she lay was soft and yielding, the mattress hugging the contours of her body. The pillow, too, did the same, cupping her head and giving her unparalleled neck support. Sheets made of some unknown silk caressed her coat, and as she slid across the bed she shuddered with delight at the sensation. Arta sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to abandon it, but her need for answers gradually overweighed her desire for such comfort.

As her hooves hit the floor the sound filled the room, and a moment later she heard the movement of hooves outside of the bedchamber. She cautiously edged toward the passage leading out, hearing the hooves getting closer. Closer. Closer. And then she froze, her eyes widening as she took in the visage of the creature entering the room. "Ch-ch-changeling..." She said, shivering with fear. The changeling paused before her, solid eyes betraying no emotion; it was only thanks to the drone's mouth and facial features that she was able to guess what it was feeling. An awkward silence hung in the air as Arta stood stock-still, the drone sizing her up.

"I see you are unnerved." The drone spoke, and it became evident by the voice that this was a female drone. Her voice was gentle and soothing, with an odd resonance to it. "Please calm yourself, I mean you no harm. I was tasked to check on you when you awoke. How do you feel? Are you still drowsy? Nauseous perhaps?"

"I...n-no, I think I'm all right," she murmured, touched by the changeling's concern. At least my abductors are treating me kindly. "Um...where am I? And why am I here?"

"My queen will provide those answers for you, Arta. It is not for me to answer them." The changeling replied, frustrating Arta's search for answers. "If you are feeling well enough, I will take you to her now. She is eager to speak with you." After a pause, the drone gently dipped her head. "I have told her you are up and about, and she wants to see you posthaste."

"But...h-how?" Arta spluttered.

"The hivemind. We are all connected to our queen and to each other. We are a family. It is a wonderful family to belong to." She smiled softly, revealing her fangs. The drone moved to Arta's side, pressing close, and Arta felt the smooth chitin of a changeling for the first time in her life. It had the firmness of a beetle's chitin, but it also appeared to be somewhat yielding; overall, it was tough but malleable. "Walk with me." Arta was still too much in shock to say no, and she walked along the snaking underground passages with the changeling at her side.

Arta held out little hope of escape, since she couldn't make head nor tail of the route they were taking. Did changelings just naturally gravitate to such complex cave systems, or were they designed for this very reason, to confound non-changeling 'visitors'? She decided to add that to her growing list of questions for the queen. If this queen was who Arta thought it was, then she felt she wasn't safe here. And yet so far no threats had been made to her person. Yet.

More and more changelings appeared as they made their way to her audience with the queen, some paying them no mind, whilst others stopped and stared, their empty-eyed gazes making her shiver. Her guide gently chittered and nuzzled at her neck, and strange though it was, it did help to calm her.

Finally, the labyrinthine course brought them to a large chamber — the largest chamber in the hive, to be exact. Sickly onyx pillars lined either side of the chamber, and a 'carpet' of green shellac lead from the door of the room, terminating at the foot of a rather draconian throne. Arta's eyes widened as she saw the occupant of the throne. "Bow," whispered the drone at her side, and the pegasus did just that, curtsying before the lanky and imposing changeling.

"There you are, Arta. Welcome to my hive." Chrysalis purred, giving the mare a rather devilish smile. "You may rise."