Home Sweet Hive

by Mad Hatter

Revelation

Ten years.

It has been ten Equestrian years since the human known as Nohbodi entered Equestria via a portal malfunction orchestrated by princess Twilight Sparkle. This occurrence could not be reversed, and he was stranded on our world. This brought significant changes to our world. These changes have shaped industry, relations with the native races of Equestria, and even myself.

Especially myself.

I am unsure if I would be among the living at this point in time if he had not arrived. Now I am not only fed and healthy, but a leader among my people.

I am Aranea, queen of the changelings.

Humans are curious creatures. They display among the strongest emotions ever encountered on Equestria. I have learned that Earth is a highly fallible place. Wars are constantly being fought at some location in his world. It was a highly technological planet, relative to Equestria. Perhaps it is due to the lack of magic on their home-world of Earth. This dissonance with our planet renders them immune to any form of direct magical influence. Including the most powerful of magics. Queens and princesses alike are unable to alter them. This immunity prevented his return to Earth. It also renders him among the most potentially dangerous beings in Equestria. Within days, all three of the Equestrian princesses were defeated. Only the last of those three, being princess Luna, was intentional. If he had sought absolute control, he might have had it. Instead, he only demanded information and the right to live in peace.

He was relocated to Ponyville, as small town known for the presence of the elements of harmony. This is where we had met each other. I was in hiding at the time. It had been between two and three years since the failed invasion of Canterlot by Chrysalis, the former changeling queen. What few changelings remained were all in a state of hiding and fear. Survivors were hunted or used, out of a misguided notion that we lacked free will, or fed from deception by choice. He was not aware of our perception by the pony public at this time, and befriended me. We became close.

We became lovers.

Due to this care and love, I was the first changeling since the fall of Chrysalis to be whole. Due to the excess beyond that, I was chosen by the hive. I was the first changeling since the fall to be capable of undergoing the metamorphosis. At a extreme personal cost to himself, Nohbodi provided an amount of energy equivalent to an entire hive. Once recovered, we set about finding the remainder of the previous hive. We would start again. We would live in peace.

The efforts were difficult, but the hive was re-formed. Changelings had grown used to free will, and did not wish to be under control. As I had experienced the same, it was easily granted. The required knowledge of the hive was imparted, and Equestria and the Crystal Empire now have empowered changelings to act as liaisons with myself for the benefit of all. They are commonly, if erroneously, considered minor nobility by the populace. Both Sangria of the Crystal Empire, and Butterfly of Equestria will gently correct those doing so if regarded as such, but it is not worth harsher efforts to change this idea. The hive has had a single, absolute queen since it and the changelings came into being. This phenomenon seems to be a natural reaction to a more powerful changeling, even in a lesser capacity. This new system will be slowly integrated into the hive as a whole. It is superior to a single ruler in our circumstances, and brings a format similar to smaller governments. It is comforting to the species we share this land with to have a similar system, and promotes peace in a mixed society.

Due to the entire fields of science and industry created during this time, bits are of no concern. We are effectively 'retired'. The free-willed changelings are fed and safe, and the systems in place require no current alteration. I am effectively, as ponies call certain ruling officials, a 'figurehead'. We have dedicated this dearth of free time to educating ourselves, and by extension the hive, of the remainder of this world. There is little that is not available to us.

We had researched the known world, or at least the world known and recognized by ponykind. When this knowledge was largely exhausted, we ruminated on our findings. There were but small places on the maps unmarked. Except one. A large expanse to the west. Often it was simply termed 'wasteland'. It was known to me beforehand due to the knowledge of the hive. It was now barren, and has been for the lifetime of several generations of ponies. Once, it was a vibrant land, filled with flora and fauna of many variations.

Once, it was the homeland of the changelings.

With the land being barren, it no longer held an imperative to return. Yet, without a true nation, changelings exist in a perpetual state of dual-citizenship. I consulted with Nohbodi on this subject.

“Think it can be fixed? A way to bring life back to it, I mean.”

“It is theoretically possible. I am unsure of how to do so, yet the possibility remains.”

“Talked to the changelings about it yet?”

“Not as of yet. This requires additional research.”

“Think that's all the research there is. Ponies don't know anything else about it from what we can tell. What about Intricate?” Intricate Compass was one of the Ponyville changelings. She had decided to take up mapmaking as a profession. She has also acted as a diplomat to varying nations when my presence or that of Sangria or Butterfly were not necessary. She was the most well-traveled of my changelings.

“I will consult her, as well as gather input from the hive.” I shifted to my changeling queen body. Occasionally the armored appearance reminds of less-peaceful times. Others it produces a sense of achievement and peace at what has been accomplished. The latter is far more common currently. My wings released, I flew to the apex of Ponyville and released a pulse of energy. Thanks to Nohbodi providing a constant supply of energy, there was no concern for what it took. Indeed, with my power this singular pulse can reach nations. It was a communicative ultrasound wave, in essence. In truth, it does not require all of my power to do so. As it reaches the first few changelings, they reflect it, adding a small amount of their own. This chain-reaction will disperse the information and return with traces of emotional response as a form of answer. It is rarely used, nearly always for dissemination of proclamations affecting my changelings quickly, surpassing the speed of the existing post.

The signal has great speed, but time is required to spread and return. Under normal circumstances I would send a missive to my changelings. I dislike using the term 'subjects', though it is technically true. This, however, was solely changeling business. They should be given an option for their input on the matter.

Within the space of an hour, the message returned. Overwhelmingly positive support for the subject of finding and, if possible, restoring our former realm. A small number dissented. They feared the possibility of negative change, after all that had occurred. I understood their misgivings, but the hive has spoken. Returning inside, I delivered the news.

“That's good, that almost everyone's behind the idea. Without any more info though, where do we start?”

“I will request Intricate Compass to travel as near as is safely possible. If there is any indication of life, she will inform us. It is the only information potentially available.”

A span of two weeks passed. Intricate Compass was finishing mapping and relations with the buffalo in their nation. Their water supply must be preserved from natural damage and encroachment of nearby civilization construction. She returned flying at a faster pace than commonly deemed safe. She alighted at our door and knocked impatiently. She immediately began. Nearly immediately, at any rate.

* pant pant... huff... * “Whew! Queen Aranea!” she bowed with dangerous alacrity, her knees hitting the floorboards with some force.

“Calm yourself, Intricate Compass. Recover before you report. Know that such prostration is not truly required.” It was a natural response to my power, similar to how most changelings reacted to Sangria and Butterfly, though to a greater degree. Indeed, I was highly considering applying such a 'promotion' to Intricate Compass, due to her occasional diplomatic forays. Most beings held higher respect when confronted with the appearance of station. Indeed, I believe I will do so directly. I delivered the message with pheromones, a key element in the more primal aspects of changeling communication and behavior.

We stood at the center of the living room in our changeling bodies as a field of my energy linked us. Intricate Compass grew slightly, increasing in power and endurance. It was a short process, despite the potential contained therein. We returned to our default forms, a secondary body commonly taken by changelings once given the information that such an option existed. Intricate Compass largely maintained a 'true' changeling body, though her other was a speckled pegasus often used in lands where ponies were welcome. It was likewise taller, with a greater wingspan and longer legs. My body was that of a human with a dark red-brown skin tone and what are considered significant breasts and hips. Nohbodi called it 'about a C cup'. He had also rarely referred to me as a 'milf'. Upon receiving the definition, I was pleased with the response, although I am not, on a technical level, a mother.

Yet.

If our previous homeland were to be given life and colonized, the changeling population could grow again. The life-span of a changeling is greatly influenced by the amount of emotion they can reliably receive. All of the found survivors are currently living, and the the supply will ensure they have a longer life than any previous generation of changelings. This, however, demands that we do not over-breed. As queen, only I am capable of creating additional changelings. Chrysalis having saturated the hive with population caused widespread starvation, and allowed her ill-fated invasion attempt. I fear the potential outcome of increasing the population without additional space for living. We continued.

“I felt It!”

“Felt what?” Nohbodi asked from his position in our conversation.

“You can't tell?” Nohbodi cannot receive the pheromones. He occasionally lacks information due to being 'deaf' to our method of communication. Changelings that do not have regular contact with him sometimes forget, due to his closeness and effective station as 'prince-consort' within the hive.

“You mean to inform me that-”

“Yes! It's in some sort of stasis, but It's there!” Nohbodi cleared his throat, a common human indication to be more specific.

“The Hive!”

“I thought the hive was everywhere.”

“I mean the Hive Itself! It's there in the wastela-home!”

It is almost impossible. The Hive has not had a physical form we perceived since memory. It was never truly explained, though it was commonly considered that It had either become part of the planet itself, or the genetic memory of the hive we knew was all that remained. To even consider that it physically exists. It raised many more questions than we were capable of answering at the time. Only one thing was certain. We must go to the wastelands and discover the meaning of this.

We were going home.

Comments

[Final Fire]

did anyone else think of this at the end of this chapter