Survival

PROJECT H.I.V.E.

SURVIVAL

A ghost town was all that bore witness to the end of the Great War.

A full five hundred souls had lived there, out at the border of the Badlands and Equestria proper, but as the madness of the world tore the sky apart and bathed the land in hellfire, only empty homes and abandoned possessions remained. When the clouds, driven by fear-filled pegasi, blotted out the sun and moon, the gloom was cast upon desolate streets. While radiation poisoned the land, it found no victims, no bodies to twist or ruin.

Because they were all safe.

DAY 0 - WAR'S END

"Quickly now. No pushing." An armored unicorn stallion called out from atop a small wooden platform, his voice magically amplified so that everyone in the nervous crowd could hear him. "Remember your practice drills and have your passes ready. Families, stay together." He, and others like him, were careful to keep order. A single spark of panic, just one, that's all it would take to turn the town into a screaming, stampeding mob, and that was the last thing they needed now. "We've all been inside before, and we all know that there's enough room for everyone."

"Is this another drill, Ironside?" A mare called out, pausing in front of his platform while the others moved around her, an equine river headed determinedly to the town hall and the sanctuary that lay beneath.

The armored stallion cleared his throat, unsure of what to say, then released his spell to keep his words as private as possible. "It... it might be, Daff. I don't know. Damsel gave the order, and she's... well, you know."

The mare, Daffodil, looked towards the centre of town, where a black shape could be seen hovering above the crowd, directing them into the town hall. "I know... she's still out here, though, so it's gotta be a drill, right? I mean, we're not scheduled to go in again until next week, so maybe she just wants to get in an extra drill or something." She forced a smile, but her nervousness showed through.

"Maybe." Ironside gave a smile of his own, more convincing than Daffodil's. "Still, you should head on in as quickly as you can. She'll give us hell if we don't get the town down there on her schedule."

Daffodil laughed, drawing odd looks from a couple of ponies that were passing. "I heard about last time. Did she really put everypony on cleaning duty?"

"Yep." Ironside's smile turned to more of a grimace at the memory. "Everyone on the force. Cells, toilets, lockers. Every room, scrubbed cleaner than a Canterlot noble's vanity mirror."

"Alright, alright. I'll go, then. Don't want you getting in trouble."

"Before you go, Merry was at work when the call went out, so her evac route would've gone through a different checkpoint. When you see her, tell her I'll be late, as usual."

Daffodil chuckled. "Sucks being security, doesn't it?"

Ironside smirked. "Last in, first out. Damsel's rules."

The pair waved goodbye, Daffodil moving with the crowd, Ironside restoring his voice amplifying spell. "Remember your practice drills and have your passes ready. Families, stay together." Through it all, he tried to ignore the growing feeling of dread.

The evacuation took several hours, until only the security team was left outside, gathered in front of the town hall.
They watched as their leader flew one final circuit around the large building before landing in front of them and nodding. "All clear. Everyone's in." A rare smile graced her lips. "Well done."

Damsel looked over the small group in front of her. Each of them wore the same uniform, the same blue barding with yellow trim, the same unmarked, reinforced vest, black and imposing. None had bothered with the riot helmets, leaving the headwear in their offices, lockers and quarters. She couldn't blame them; friendly faces made their work much easier than featureless visors, and they couldn't afford trouble... not today.

"Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" Ironside spoke up and Damsel nodded her consent, knowing full well what he wanted to ask. "Why run the drill so soon? We aren't scheduled for another one until next week." She nodded again, buzzing her wings for a moment before speaking.

"That's right." She paused, then decided that honesty was the best policy. These were her troops, and they trusted her as much as she trusted them. "Our next drill is scheduled for next week. This, however, is no drill."

"Y-you mean..."

"Yes, Ironside. I apologise for not informing you all during the briefing, but we needed to prevent a panic. I'm sure you noticed my civilian brothers and sisters helping to keep things calm?" A few murmurs, from the pony members of her team. "The order came from the top. Get the town to safety. Minimize panic and prevent casualties by any means necessary. If you had appeared nervous, the crowd would have picked up on that, and the situation would have escalated." She cast a careful, knowing eye across the group. "Are there any complaints?"

A few voices could be heard, low conversations between members of the team, until Ironside spoke again. "None, ma'am. Just one question."

"Go ahead."

"When will we tell everyone else?"

"The Overmare and Regent already know. They'll give everyone the news as soon as we're down there. Anything else?"
Shaken heads and a few quiet negatives were her answer, and Damsel stepped to one side, sweeping a pipbuck clad foreleg towards the door behind her. "Then head on in. I'll be right behind you."

The group filed through, heading for sanctuary, but Damsel remained, gazing up at the sky. Noticing this, Ironside stepped back outside, moving beside her. "Bit for your thoughts, ma'am?"

"Worried. About my family. About the Queen."

"Oh... I guess you would be... do you think they'll be okay?"

Damsel gave a half-hearted shrug, eyes still locked on the sky. "They should be. Flutter Valley's not a priority target, and nopony knows we're there. Still..."

"Can't help but worry?" A nod was the only reply Ironside got, and the pair stayed there, gazing into the distance until something shimmered against the horizon. "Was that..."

"It was." Damsel grimaced, before turning and running into the depths of the building. "Let's go."

Down the corridors, through one door, then another, and down a spiraling staircase into the depths of the world, they ran. Wooden structure was replaced with rock walls and steel beams, then grated flooring and reinforced concrete walls. As the great gear-shaped door sunk into place, sealing them from the outside world, they slowed to a trot. It took almost fifteen minutes to reach the atrium, the heart of the Stable, the largest room in a place built to keep an entire town safe, but this place had become their home the day it was finished, with the security forces and their families being housed within the subterranean sanctuary for almost three years.

Brushing through the milling, gathered townsfolk, Ironside took his post beside the stage, where the two leaders of the Stable stood, waiting only for Damsel's whispered words.

"The megaspells launched."

Panic.
It could destroy everything they'd built. Riots, demands to open the Stable door, to let them out, friction between the races, all things that could come from even a few moments of panic.

A panic that never came.

Ironside stood at attention beside Damsel in the office shared by both Overmare and Regent, as the two highest authorities in the Stable, or, as the changeling residents liked to call it, the Hive, watched the ebb and flow of equines, both pony and changeling, moving through the atrium below.

The first few hours had been tense, close to disaster, but well chosen words from both leaders had calmed the population. Assurances from the earth ponies in charge of supplies and the underground orchard that there was enough food for fifty years soothed worries of starvation, while the maintenance crew guaranteed that the supply of clean water was almost infinite, thanks to the water talisman. Damsel's insistence on monthly drills meant everyone was familiar with the Stable, and many of the ponies had spent enough time in the shelter to be comfortable, if less than happy. The changelings had no such worries, as at home in the tunnels as they were on the surface.

Of course, the changeling residents were part of the reason the meeting had been called.

"Are you certain?" The Overmare addressed her counterpart. "Could there have been some mistake? Some... miscommunication?"

The Regent shook her head. "I'm afraid not. The call came from the Queen herself."

"Has there been... anything since?"

"No. A warning, fear, then nothing." The Regent frowned, her blue eyes focused on a family group on the atrium's second floor walkway. Pegasus mare, changeling male, two foals. Both pegasi. One of the earlier groups, she supposed. Possibly in a relationship before arriving in the bordertown. It had been known to happen,. A spouse was a steady source of positive emotions, not the least of which was love... even if the love was for the disguise, and not the changeling themselves. "Outside of the Hive... I can't feel a thing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." The Regent turned to her counterpart, giving her a cool gaze. "The Queen may be in hiding; we're capable of hibernation, after all, and our connection is limited without her. What of your leaders?"

"Nothing." The Overmare sighed. "My terminal can't connect to the Stable-Tec network. I'm hoping it's just interference, but..."

"But we need to be prepared for the worst."

"Right."

The Regent nodded, then turned to the security officers. "Damsel, Ironside, make sure everyone is settling in okay. Batons and standard gear only, no firearms or riot armor. Friendly faces."

The Overmare stepped forwards. "The children might be upset or stressed, so talk to them. We've got a Stable-wide party planned, and I'm sure they'll be excited to hear about it. I know our morale division is planning something special; drop hints, start rumors, whatever it takes. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Together, Damsel and Ironside, changeling and unicorn, saluted.

The bordertown had begun as a concession, part of the truce between the changeling and pony nations.
On paper, it was a frontier town, part of Equestria's expansion. In reality, however, it was home to a carefully chosen group of ponies. Some were researchers, biologists, archaeologists, scholars of different stripes who sought to learn the secrets of the Badlands and their inhabitants. More than a few were families who had discovered a mother or father was not quite what they seemed to be. Others were genuine settlers, seeking a place of quiet, away from the cities. One thing united the ponies of the town, however.

They did not fear the changelings.

The insect-like equines could, for the first time in living memory, walk freely and undisguised amongst those they fed from. Without the need to hide or lie, they found their pony neighbours welcoming, friendly, giving freely of the life-sustaining emotional energies that had once been so short in supply as to prompt an ill-planned invasion and coup.

There had been friction early on, as there always was when two races, unused to one-another, share the same space. Inconsiderate researchers, treating their volunteers like mindless animals or objects. Overzealous changelings, reverting to the age-old patterns of deceit and secrecy.

Time, however, has a way of changing things.

Caution gave way to acceptance. Friendship took root in hearts that once were wary, sometimes blossoming into something more. Foals were born to parents both changling and pony, showing that the gap between their races was even smaller than they had believed.

And then the war began.

Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, was nothing if not pragmatic.
Even as, at the request of the Equestrian Princesses, she sent her children out as spies and sabotuers, she worked tirelessly to preserve both her own kind and their allies. Thus, the creation of the Stable, the Hive. None knew the extent of the backroom deals, the greasing of hooves with bits, the careful requests by disguised agents, that allowed such a large-scale project to be undertaken almost in secret.

Stable-Tec filled the terms of their contract, however. A single Stable, built beneath a town that housed, as far as anypony could tell, civilians and little else. Certainly, there was nothing of value there. However, it was when the final worker had left, the final outsider returned to the Equestrian core, that the real work began.

Changelings dropped their disguises, to the relief of all in the town, and began efforts to expand the Stable. Their Queen had pulled the right strings, shuffled the paperwork just right, and gotten Stable-Tec to list the Stable as an Isolated Rural Environment, supplied with extra materials, ostensibly to allow for repairs in an environment that was, even at the best of times, hard on structures. Much of the extra equipment, piping, machinery and construction materials were used far quicker than Stable-Tec would have expected. Extra rooms were dug out, to accomodate two hundred more souls than the standard design had allowed. Lower levels were added, the atrium expanded in height and breadth, until the claustrophobic place was roomy enough for pegasi to fly, if not freely, then comfortably.

Where the standard materials would not suffice, the changelings fell back on their own way of building. Solid, reinforced concrete, all hard edges and dull gray, was replaced by a far stronger substance, smooth and organic in nature. Whole sections of the Stable merged the techniques of pony and changeling constrtuction, even as the town above merged cultures and societies.

DAY 1

"Well?" The Overmare cocked her eyebrow at her counterpart, their desks side-by-side in the office they shared. "Are you going to play it?"

The Regent stared at the single, nameless file on her terminal for a moment, a mystery that had appeared a full twenty-four hours after the Stable door had sealed, brought forth from the depths of the network by some arcane code and timer, then nodded and pushed the button. At first, there was only static, then a voice familiar to her and her entire kind came from the speakers.

"If you are hearing this message, it means Omega-Level Threat Protocols have been enacted, and your Hive has been sealed. Hopefully, Maker have mercy, with as many of our people inside as possible.

You are my Regent, and it is your duty to protect and watch over my children, your brothers and sisters, until it is possible to return to the surface. I... I don't know how long that will be...

If the worst should happen, should we fail and you hear this, then know we did everything we could, and it was not enough. This war could have been prevented, should have ended some other way...

Survive. Regent and Overmare, both of you, set aside any differences. We cannot survive alone, cannot hope to prevent such foolishness from ever occuring again without harmony between our races. Changeling, Pony, Zebra, it doesn't matter. It never did. Hate is a poison to us all.

Do what you can. Do what you must. If all that remains is ash and dust, then build atop it. Work together. We may be divided now, but I beg of you all... remember... remember that we're all hooved at the end of each leg... and..."

The voice became muffled, a small, resentful muttering barely heard through the speaker.
"...I'll find out how that pink menace got hold of my speech, I swear it..."

The voice returned to full clarity. "Ahem. I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not down there with you. That is because I will not abandon Flutter Valley. It is our home and, beyond our kind, only the Sun-Nag and her sister know where it is. Perhaps, if the Maker is willing, we will emerge from our slumber in time to greet you... but if not..."

A long minute of silence, before the speaker could be heard again.

"Persevere. Survive. Do not let our races fall. If traditions threaten your people, abandon them. Learn from our mistakes. You are my Regent and the Overmare; you are our future.

I am Chrysalis. I am your Queen, and I am your Mother. I pray you never hear this message, and that, if you do, then it is not the last time you hear my voice.

Finally, I say... farewell. May the Maker have mercy on us all."

DAY 6

A group of foals ran and played through the orchard, the misty spray from the sprinklers forming rainbows in the faux-sunlight of the Stable lights. Their teacher occasionally called out to them, warning them to be careful or not to climb the trees, but otherwise enjoyed the cool mist and the feel of grass beneath her hooves. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend she was on the surface, enjoying a nice spring day...

"Ms May?"

The green pegasus teacher opened her eyes and looked at the two fillies in front of her. Cream coats, orange mane and tail with green eyes. Completely identical. She sighed; they were up to their tricks again. "Tagalong, Ginger Snap, what have I told you about that? You know it confuses everyone."

"Sorry Ms May." The pair spoke in unison, then the filly on the left erupted into green flames. To absolutely nopony's surprise, a changeling filly stood in her place, beside the real, pony filly whose shape she'd been wearing. The pair were always doing that, and they'd caused their teacher more than a few headaches with their constant place-swapping. Still, she smiled. You could no more stop fillies from getting into mischief than you could the sun rising.

"That's better. Now, what did you want to ask?"

The friends looked to each other, then at the ground, and back to their teacher. Again, they spoke in unison, the changeling's voice an odd counterpoint to that of the filly. "When can we leave the Stable?"

Merry May gave her students a reassuring smile. "I don't know, but I'm sure the Overmare is doing everything she can, dears."

The little changeling buzzed her wings and looked up at the teacher with wide, turqoise eyes. "The Regent too?"

Merry May nodded. "Of course. Now, go on and play, okay?" The pair nodded and ran off, a burst of green fire signalling that, once again, they were identical. She felt her smile slip, despite the laughing colts and fillies running around under her care. She didn't know how long it would be until they could return to the surface, but she hoped it would be soon.

DAY 42

The Regent shuffled through the papers in front of her, the latest reports from the science team, and frowned. "Radiation levels around the town are much higher than expected."

At the desk beside her, the Overmare looked up from her terminal. "You don't think the Zebra megaspells were aimed at us, do you?"

The Regent shook her black, chitin-covered head. "No. We're not important enough."

The Overmare tapped her hoof on her desk, thinking. "Then what would they have been aiming at, so close to the Badlands? Oh." She stopped, eyes growing wide. "You don't think..."

"The Queen."

Pony and changeling stared at each other for a moment. The Overmare was the first to speak. "Do you... do you think they hit Flutter Valley?"

The Regent shook her head again, her tattered ears going flat. "I...no. I don't. If... if they had, we would have known... so many of us were with the Queen... we'd know... I would know..."

At this sign of distress from the changeling, the Overmare left her desk and put a comforting hoof on her longtime friend's shoulder. "They're fine. As you said, if anything happened, you'd know. Right?"

A hole-filled hoof wrapped around the comforting one, the changeling giving a fanged grin. "Right."

DAY 374

"So..." Damsel let the word linger in the still, quiet air of the atrium for a moment. "Pretty quiet. Always is, this time of night." It was the graveyard shift, where the only ones still awake were a few souls down in maintenance, and the two security personnel themselves, currently taking their break in the spacious, yet stifling, centre of their subterranean home. Her companion, Ironside, butted out his cigarette and deposited it into a trash can before responding.

"Yeah..." The stallion shrugged, and with that single word they returned to their silence.

"I hear Merry's pregnant." Damsel again, when the quiet had become too much for her.

"Yeah..."

"Know what it is yet?"

Ironside shrugged. "No..."

Silence fell once more, broken only by the low humming of the Stable lights, turned down to simulate moonlight. It was, in both of their opinions, a poor imitation of the real thing. Long minutes passed before Damsel stood, stretching her chitin-covered legs. "We should get back to our patrol." Ironside followed suit, only for his stomach to growl, much to his companion's amusement. "We'll start with the cafeteria."

Ironside chuckled. "In case there are some leftovers making trouble?"

Damsel nodded. "Of course."

As they resumed their rounds, Ironside pulled another cigarette from the packet hidden in his uniform, lighting it and taking a long drag before letting out a pleased sigh along with the cloud of smoke. His companion shook her head. "Those things will kill you, Ironside." His response was a small laugh and a smoke ring, and she rolled her eyes at him. Their break in the atrium, their patrol taking them to the cafeteria, even her remark about his habit; It was all a part of their routine, their existence in the dull monotony that came after more than a year in the Stable.

DAY 762

A changeling and earth pony, both clad in the utility barding that marked them as maintenance staff, held up their tin shot glasses, filled with the finest gin to come from the still they'd constructed in the back of a mostly unused storeroom. From their pipbucks came the Stable's late-night music broadcast. "To the Queen!" The pony, Hawkeye, made the first dedication of the evening, and the pair downed their shots before refilling them.

"To the Princesses!" The changeling, Honeycut, matched his compatriot's inter-species dedication, as always. Another drink, and the glass-and-copper contraption beside them relinquished more of its liquid bounty.

"To Blue Eyes!" This time, to the singer whose voice was entertaining the entire Stable... or at least the ones who were awake, evening as it was.

"To going beyond the sea!" This dedication, to the song itself.

"To seeing the sea again!"

"To the surface!.. the surface..."

The pair's enthusiasm subsided slightly, and Hawkeye raised his glass once more, a solemn look on his face. "To two years of being stuck in a hole, with the best damn cockroach I could ever hope to call my friend."

Honeycut nodded and raised his own cup. "To two years of being locked up with the best damn grass-muncher I've ever met."

DAY 1582

Merry May set the two cups of tea on the table in her living room, not quite supressing a smile as her guest lifted one steaming mug, inhaling with an almost rapturous look on her face, before taking a sip that left her irridescent wings buzzing from pleasure. "Oh... Merry, where did you get this?" Damsel took another sip, closing her eyes to better enjoy the drink. "I thought the tea supplies ran out last year..."

The pegasus let out a small laugh. "Promise not to tell?" When her changeling guest nodded between tiny, reverent sips, she continued, leaning forwards with a sneaky grin. "Some of us managed to grow a small crop in the back of the orchard. Not enough for everyone, not yet, but it's something." She winked conspiratorally. "One of the perks of being in the agriculture department. We each got some, to make sure it tastes right after being grown down here. What do you think?"

Damsel opened one azure eye, peering at the other mare over the rim of her cup. "I think I should confiscate the lot, since it's an unauthorised use of the Stable's agriculture resources." She grinned. "But I won't. It's too damn good to let it waste away in an evidence locker."

Merry chuckled and picked up her own mug. "That good, huh?" The security chief didn't respond, slowly draining her cup of its heavenly contents, and the pegasus took a long, slow sip herself, exhaling happily as she set her mug back on the table. After so long, it was wonderful to have tea again... even if it was a very small supply. "Enough about that, though. You said you had something important to talk about?"

The changeling regretfully looked up from the steaming beverage. "Right. I actually have something to discuss with your husband."

Merry frowned and picked up her mug again, just holding it and letting it warm her hooves. "If it's about him taking time off work, you know he's only been doing it to help me with Holly. I've been so busy lately, since my class is preparing for their C.A.T."

Damsel shook her head. "It's not that, don't worry."

"Then... what?"

The changeling didn't say anything, just reached into a pocket of her vest and pulled out a small piece of plastic, setting it on the table. Merry hesitantly put her mug down and picked it up, reading the words on the little plastic badge as her jaw dropped. SECURITY CHIEF - IRONSIDE

"Security chief? He's... he's being promoted?" She looked at Damsel, who simply nodded. "But... why?"

"Your husband is one of the finest officers on the force. If anyone deserves it, it's him." The changeling held up her hoof to prevent the pegasus from interrupting. "To be clear, this is only me making the promotion official. He's already been handling the duties for months, so it won't change anything there. However, he'll be getting all the benefits the position comes with." She smiled. "Chrysalis knows you'll need them, with how quickly Holly is growing up."

As Damsel lifted her mug once more, she savored both the heat and smell of the tea, and the gratitude that came from her friend. Merry had tears in her eyes as she stammered out her thanks, only for Damsel to reply that the chance to taste tea again was thanks enough.

DAY 4012

"If we set up an auxilary filter system before the branch here," Hawkeye tapped his hoof on the blueprints which currently occupied the largest table in the maintenance stalls, "we can route water to the new dorms without increasing the water talisman's load too much."

Across the table, Honeycut looked at the plans thoughtfully. "Don't see the Stable-Tec emergency filters lasting long, though... have to do it the old fashioned way." At his pony pal's disgusted look, the changeling shrugged. "It's the same way we've filtered water for centuries in Flutter Valley. I didn't see you complaining when I did it for the still."

Hawkeye grimaced. "That was different. We're talking about the drinking water for a quarter of the Stable, not our booze."

The changeling gave his friend a flat look. "Would you rather use the Stable-Tec ones and have them fall apart in six months? Those things aren't made to handle that kind of load." He tapped his holed hoof on the paper. "You worry about the construction, I'll worry about the filtration system."

DAY 6000

Two ponies, one a mare, the other a stallion, trotted through the Stable. Each wore the standard issue security barding, although the yellow stripes on their vests marked them as rookies, still learning the ropes.

The mare, a pegasus, was bobbing her head in time with the music from her pipbuck's earbloom, much to her partner's displeasure. "Holly, we're supposed to act professional while we're on patrol. If Chief Damsel catches us goofing off-"

"She won't do a thing." The pegasus, Holly, smirked. "Why do you think we got the late shift? Dad asked aunt Damsel- Sorry, Chief Damsel-" Her partner nodded, and she rolled her eyes, "-to put us on it 'cause it's more relaxed. They used to slack off all the time on night patrol, the way dad tells it. "

The stallion frowned. "Be that as it may, we're members of the security force now. We should act like it, and- Holly! Don't you dare!"

The mare blinked. "What?" They'd come to the atrium, their patrol taking them onto the third floor walkways, and she'd propped her front hooves on the safety railing in preperation to jump over. "It's the quickest way down."

"There are stairs for a reason, you know."

"And?"

"And we should take them, like sensible ponies."

"Hmm..." Holly tapped her chin with one hoof, then grinned. "Nah." With that, she jumped over the edge and spread her wings, circling slowly until her hooves touched the ground floor with a small yet satisfying thud. When she looked up, the stallion was hovering in front of her and glaring, his insect-like wings buzzing angrily. She just smirked at him. "Glad you joined me, Lory."

The stallion, Lorikeet, touched down with a final buzz of his wings. "I hate it when you do that."

Holly chuckled. "I know. Hey, you think there are any leftovers in the cafeteria? I'm hungry."

Lorikeet facehoofed. "We are not ditching our patrol, Holly."

"Who's ditching? We're going to patrol the cafeteria." She smirked and turned, heading for one of the atrium exits. "You coming? Or don't flutterponies get hungry?"

"For the last time, I'm not a flutterpony! I'm a changeling!" The stallion had to trot to catch up to his partner, who rolled her eyes and whapped him with her wing.

"You've got no horn, no fangs, a coat instead of a shell, a cutie mark and butterfly wings. Your mom was a pegasus and your dad was a changeling. Face it, Lory; you're a flutterpony."

The pair, pegasus and hybrid, bickered good-naturedly all the way to the cafeteria, unintentionally mimicking the long-ago actions of the security chiefs they looked up to.

DAY 7528

"Ma'am, are you certain?" Damsel questioned her Regent, who simply nodded.

"The Overmare is, at this very moment, getting confirmation from the science team, but initial readings from the surface sensors suggest it's safe. Background radiation has fallen to acceptable levels, and we are able to open the Hive."

"After twenty years, it's about bloody time." Ironside muttered, earning a quirked eyebrow from the bug-like authority figure.

"Quite. However, there is a complication: We have been unable to establish contact with the Equestrian government or the Queen and our own hives. In fact, we have not picked up any transmissions, from any external source, at all." The Regent paused, letting the implications sink in. "The Overmare and I have discussed the matter at length, and come to a decision. Damsel, Ironside, you are to prepare a team and re-establish contact with the surface. Secure the town, or what remains of it." She raised her hoof, stalling the protests from the security chiefs. "We've been gone for twenty years. The world was on the brink of annihilation when we came down here; we have to prepare for the worst. If a megaspell struck near us, the may not be much town left. If that happened, we will have to rebuild. If it survived, there is a good chance creatures from the Badlands may have taken up residence. Damsel, brief the team on what to expect in that scenario. You were born in Flutter Valley; your knowledge of the wildlife and surrounding areas will be invaluable. There's also a chance, depending on the level of damage caused by the megaspells in the Equestrian core, that refugees may have located us. If that is the case, you are to ascertain their intentions and relay the information to myself and the Overmare."

She paused again, studying the pair before her. They were the public face of Stable authority, the right-hooves of both Regent and Overmare. They were the only ones that could be trusted with this duty.

"Prepare and brief your team. You have two days. Dismissed."

DAY 7530 - EMERGENCE

A small security team stood in the entrance to the Stable, their shelter for twenty years. The tension was palpable, even for the ponies present, and everyone stood just a little straighter as their commanding officers entered the room.

Damsel was the first to speak. "Our mission is simple. We advance to the surface, perfom reconnaissance and relay our findings to the Regent and Overmare. You've all been briefed on best and worst case scenarios." She paused for a moment. "The Stable is counting on us. I expect you to do your best, no matter what we find."

With that, the changeling chief stepped back and Ironside took her place. "Check your weapons and gear. Safeties on; we don't want any accidents and there may be civilians up there. Keep your Eyes Forward Sparkles active at all times. That goes for ponies and changelings." His orders delivered, he switched places with Damsel one final time.

"I know this is an intimidating prospect. We've been down here for twenty years now, and some of you were born in here. When we get topside, stay together. No wandering off. Is that understood?"

A chorus of "Yes Ma'am!"s came from the group, and Damsel nodded before adressing the technician waiting by the door controls.

"Okay. Open it up."

Ceiling lights flashed and spun, casting a disorienting amber glow across the team as, with a squeal of metal on metal, the enormous cog-shaped door, as thick as a pony, was retracted. When the slab of steel stopped and began to roll aside, letting in the first breath of air, a number of hooves stomped, bringing up the arcane E.F.S systems of their pipbucks. At the first glimpse of the black tunnel beyond, weapons clicked as they were checked and loaded. With the widening of the gap, everyone activated their helmet-mounted lamps, the beams of light directed into the gloom ahead.

Finally, the door settled in place, and the Stable was well and truly open.

A long moment of sudden silence followed as the machinery stilled, broken only by the clack of armored hooves, shuffling nervously as their owners checked their E.F.S and, in some cases, sniffed the air nervously. As one, Damsel and Ironside took the first step towards the door, and the surface.

Surface

View Online

PROJECT H.I.V.E.

SURFACE

Damsel paused and held up one hoof, bringing her team to a halt at the top of the Stable access stairs, in the small room that had, once upon a time, served as a storage area in the town hall. "Area check."

The gathered security members panned their heads, trusting their E.F.S systems to alert them to any signs of life beyond the room before speaking quietly to one another, coming to a consensus. Holly, a few weeks out of her recruit's stripes, delivered the verdict. "Eyes Forward Sparkles show all clear, ma'am."

The changeling chief raised her eyebrow at the report, though it was hidden by the visor of her riot helmet. "Does that mean it's safe?"

Holly paused, taken aback by her superior's sceptisicm. It took a moment before she realised her mistake. "Er.... no, ma'am." The young pegasus whirled to face the nearest changeling. "Lory, do your thing. We need to be sure."

"Holly, I-" He was cut off his partner's impatient stomp, and sighed. "One moment." The butterfly-winged pony looked around for a moment before frowning. "No changelings. No ponies, either." Lorikeet practically felt himself wilting under Damsel's waiting, expectant gaze. "J-just... something hungry... lot's of somethings..." To his utter relief, the changeling chief nodded.

"Correct. Multiple lifeforms, all hungry and agressive. No changelings or ponies in range. Good job, Lorikeet." As the hybrid let out a relieved sigh and shot a resentful glare at his partner for putting him on the spot like that, Damsel addressed the rest of the group. "E.F.S isn't perfect. Changelings, ponies, stay together and cover each other. Eyes, ears and hearts open. This isn't a training exercise, and whatever's up there is more dangerous than a paper target. Now, let's move."

At a gesture from Damsel, Ironside took point, checking his saddle-mounted guns before moving throught the door. A quiet "Clear" could be heard, and the rest of the group followed. A few members of the team coughed, their hoof-falls stirring up years of dirt and dust that had gathered in the old building as they went from room to room, clearing each before moving on. Dull light filtered through the filthy windows, almost blocked out by the dirt and sand coating their outsides, and more than one of the younger members looked forward to seeing the sun they'd heard so much about.

Slowly but surely, the building was cleared, the team well trained if lacking in actual experience. The novelty of being above ground and in an entirely wooden structure was quickly supersceded by the growing tension, caused by flickering red marks as whatever was outside the building moved in and out of E.F.S range.

When they reached the entrance hall, Damsel called for a halt. "This is it, people. Whatever's out there, it knows we're coming. Safeties off, trigger bits up. Ready?" At the various acknowledgements of her orders, she nodded. "Alright. Ironside, on me."

The pair moved through the door together, breaking into the dull noon sunlight that bathed their former home. As they panned their weapons around the town centre, using their varied senses and E.F.S to prevent unwelcome surprises, they took it in with some distaste. Twenty years had not been kind to the little border town, even at first glance. Crimson sand covered everything, piled against the windward sides of buildings and laying like a windblown carpet throughout the streets, so thick in some places it formed small dunes.

While the squad moved into their positions, securing the area around the town hall, Damsel spared a moment to study the clouds above, her ears twitching. "We need to hurry."

"What's wrong?" Ironside glanced at her, talking past his trigger bit. Around them, the squad was moving towards the nearest buildings, their weapons aimed towards the red marks flickering in their vision.

"Look up."

The stallion did so, surveying the grey shroud that stretched as far as he could see. Great swathes of it drifted and swirled, particuarly over the not-so-distant Badlands. "Heavy cloud cover... never seen it this thick out here before... think the pegasi have an Equestria-wide storm planned?"

"Doubt it. Doesn't feel like rain, and watch the way they're moving... there's a sandstorm coming. A big one."

Ironside cocked an eyebrow at his partner. "Are you sure?"

Damsel nodded, still looking at the clouds. "Yes. Maybe an hour, if we're lucky." She turned from the sky to her partner and oldest friend. The riot helmets may have concealed most expressions and emotion, but he could tell she was uneasy. "We won't want to be in the open when it hits." Suddenly, she perked up, staring at one of the houses the team had entered. By the time the first shots could be heard from within, she'd already yelled "Weapons hot! Move!" and covered half the distance, Ironside close behind, and the rest the security team fast following suit, a wave of chitin and fur and armored barding rushing to the defense of one of their own.

There was no time to give the order to keep firing. There was no need. Every one of the barking, howling beasts that entered the security team's line of sight was gunned down without remorse, a fiery vengeance for their fallen squadmate.

Still, numbers began to tell. For every one of the beasts that fell, another charged forth to meet the same fate, and the barded fighters were slowly driven back towards the town hall. Smoking brass casings littered the path of their retreat, trampled beneath claw-tipped paws and buried by sand as the promised storm approached, showing itself with harsh winds and stinging grit.

Soon, the howls and roars of beast and gun were drowned out by the screaming wind, ponies and changelings closing ranks to fire at the indistinct shapes that rushed through the stinging, blinding sand. At a mental command from Damsel, the changelings, far more capable of fighting blind, covered their pony compatriots' retreat into the shelter offered by the building, following quickly as the sandstorm picked up in intensity. True to her nature, Damsel refused to enter until her people were safe.

Unfortunately, her weapons chose that moment to jam, fouled by the sand in the air.

One of the beasts lunged, emerging from the maelstrom like a fanged missile and striking with crushing force, crashing through the door atop its prey. Somehow, Damsel managed to get her forelegs up, protecting her throat and face from the beast's hungry fangs even as it dug its claws into her torso, tearing at her barding to get to the chitin and flesh beneath.

Her squad reacted instantly, their guns flaring to life and striking the furry beast down. Damsel struggled to stand, only to have another changeling push her down as the rest of the squad surrounded their fallen leader. One fired blindly through the open door before kicking it closed and jamming a chair beneath the handle, while the changeling who had kept Damsel from standing spat on her wounded foreleg, covering it with a thick green substance more often used for the construction of cocoons than the binding of wounds.

As the substance began to set, Damsel shoved her impromptu medic aside and stood on her remaining limbs, adrenaline still flowing strong in her veins. The squad had taken up position through-out the entry hall, some with their guns trained on doors and windows, others suspiciously watching the red-stained, furry shape of her attacker. All glanced towards her, and she both saw and felt some of the fear drain from them as she stood and moved, clearly better off than they had feared.

"Catch your breath, but stay on your guard." At her words, many of the group nodded. "Watch your Eyes Forward Sparkles. It feels like they're retreating, but don't take chances." This order given, she let the changeling responsible for setting her leg double-check the crude, organic bandage. Long minutes passed, the only sounds the howling of wind outside and the nervous shuffling of her troops, before she forced herself to her hooves once more and approached the corpse of her attacker.

Damsel's lip curled as she examined the bullet-riddle body. The large, clawed paws, so perfect for digging. The overly large canine teeth, suited for biting through changeling carapace. The dog-like features, wide eyes, stubby tails and rusty brown coats... she spat on it, hissing the common name for its hated kind. "Rock Hound."

Initial reconnaissance showed no sign of occupation by Equestrian or Zebra occupation, or of refugees.
No intelligent life present.

Minimal damage to town centre from either attacks or the elements, although further exploration was hampered by the appearance of a pack of Rock Hounds, predators native to the Badlands and unintelligent cousins to Equestrian Diamond Dogs.

Sadly, I must report that, during their initial attack, Officer Holly-

Damsel paused in her typing, stretching her resin-encased leg with a low hiss of pain before turning back to the terminal and resuming her report.

Sadly, I must report that, during their initial attack, Officer Holly was wounded. Officer Lorikeet was succesful in applying an emergency bandage of Changeling resin on the scene, and assisted Chief Ironside in transporting her to the infirmary. Reports from Medical indicate she will recover fully inside of a week, thanks to Officer Lorikeet's quick thinking.

No other notable injuries.

She paused again, this time to chip at part of the resin cast with her fangs so she could move her foreleg more freely.

The Rock Hound pack was driven back by the encroaching sandstorm, as was the security team. At present, two armed teams are stationed in the town hall and all security members remaining in the Hive have been instructed to remain alert for tunnelling attempts. However, Rock Hounds are primarily ambush predators (see attachment #1, Rock Hound Behaviour) and are unlikely to pose a major threat in direct combat with two or more armed individuals.

Recommend a sweep and clear mission following the abatement of the sandstorm to clear out remaining Rock Hounds. (see attachment #2, Teams/Equipment)

~ Security Chief Damsel

Damsel hit the send button and stretched, groaning in relief as her joints popped. She eyed her empty coffee mug for a moment, then rose with a sigh. She needed caffeine. Badly. After a moment's thought, she made a mental note to pick up some extra cups for her trip to Medical. She knew full well both Ironside and Lorikeet would still be there, keeping Holly company as she recovered.

Storm

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

STORM

The former town hall moaned, each board creaking, crying out as it was buffeted by the unceasing winds outside, a howling gale that had persisted for so long that some of the surface guard half-believed it would never end, or that the world outside had been lost, swallowed by some great beast of sand and fury. Not even light could pierce through the malestrom, leaving the innards of the building shrouded in a gloom broken only by lights borrowed from Maintenance, far below in the safety of the Stable.

Day and night were meaningless, caught in the centre of the storm. The darkness and isolation would have taken a toll on any of the surface-born of Equestria unfortunate to find themselves trapped in such a place. For the Stable's security team, however, the otherworldly noise and the lurking threat of Rock Hounds were far greater concerns than the long-familiar claustrophobia.

Lorikeet's hooves brought dull thuds from the old wooden floors as he continued his circuit of the building, barely audible over the ever-present howling outside. Quiet words were exchanged with each team member passed, all-clears and nothing-to-reports, the same as it had been for days. Still, he and the other changelings constantly probed and reached with their senses, feeling for any Rock Hounds hungry enough to venture into the raging storm in search of equine flesh, or cunning enough to dig below the sand and make for their underground home. Each member of the team had their Eyes Forward Sparkles on at all time, changeling and pony alike, and each watched carefully for any flicker of red that could betray an attacker.

There was nothing.

Lorikeet came to the entrance hall, where each of his circuits began and ended, and sent a brief, all too familiar report to the shift officer, far below in the Hive.

All clear. Nothing to report.

A response from the changeling on duty, consisting solely of confirmation of the report, and the hybrid resumed his circuit, a small twitch of his irridescent wings the only sign of his restlessness.

As always, there was nothing.

Holly stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the dull grey concrete, not sparing her pipbuck a glance to check the time. She knew it was late at night, could feel it in the stillness of the Stable around her, could hear it in the silence, the way the dimmed lights hummed quietly. It had been several days since the incident, since her first glimpse of the surface, and each member of the Security team had visited their wounded sister at least once.
Visiting hours were spent with friends and family, and she made sure to give Lorikeet a playful ribbing when he checked on her before each of his shifts, the lifelong friends brought closer by the near tragedy.

In the hours between visits, however, there was nothing.

She rolled onto her side, stretching her wings. A low hiss of pain, the motion pulling at her stitches, and her wings were retracted, covering the bandages and bare flesh of her side. One hoof reach towards the bare patch, her coat shaved to help remove the changeling resin, only to stop short with another hiss. The mare gave the line attached to her foreleg a glare, her gaze following it up to the stand beside her bed, where a healing potion was suspended, drip-feeding into her body. With a huff, she slumped back down, eyes turning once more to the ceiling and the cracks that traced its all too familiar surface, wishing sleep would come and cursing the bed rest required by her wound.

In the long hours of the night, there was nothing.

In a room that overlooked the atrium, the heart of the Hive, the Stable, two equines gazed through their window at the cavernous, claustrophobic chamber. Each level of their home connected to the great space, and each day found it filled with activity. Ponies and changelings alike traversed its walkways, while those who could fly would fill the air like so many birds, brightly colored wings buzzing and flapping as their owners engaged in play and work.

To know that the surface, their former home, was within reach, however, made the atrium opressive. Even that grand space had walls and a ceiling, distant though they may be. To the foals, the young mares and stallions, the ponies and changelings who had spent their entire lives knowing only the comfort and safety of Hive and Stable, it was impossible to believe that any place could be larger. There were those who remembered, though. Those who knew what lay above, and longed to return.

Together, Overmare and Regent watched the silent, still atrium, all but lost in the false twilight created by dimmed lights. Nothing moved. Nothing was said.

They knew what lay above. They feared what lay beyond their isolated home.

Each report reached them. Security, of the ongoing sandstorm. Medical, of the recovery of their wounded officer. Agriculture, Maintenance, Morale, Science.

And yet, with all the resources of the Stable at their disposal... nothing.

Not a single radio signal could be heard, from any source. Their own messages went without reply, lost in the interference and noise created by the storm above. Even the changelings could not reach beyond their home, their link limited without their Queen.

Hope remained, however. Hope that, somewhere, there were ponies who had survived. Hope that, somehow, the Queen was merely waiting for her children to return, to awaken her. Hope that there was something, anything, beyond their home, instead of the crushing nothing that threatened to consume them.

Overmare and Regent, pony and changeling, watched silently as two figures entered the atrium below, each clad in Security barding. A spark, then a flicker of light at the the larger's muzzle, followed by a conversation too quiet to be heard. The pair began to move towards the passage that lead to the cafeteria, only to pause as the smaller of the two said something to her companion before turning to look up at the window. Damsel nodded, the motion matched a moment later by Ironside, a silent greeting from the Security Chiefs to their Overmare and Regent, before the pair continued their late-night patrol, as much habit and ritual as duty.

Even as their most trusted liutenants went on their way, the leaders of the Stable turned to their own duties, a soft beep breaking the silence. A message waited on their terminals, and playing it brought smiles of relief to both their faces.

The storm was ending.

Return

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

RETURN

Ironside was the first through the door, in a repeat of their first expedition to the surface. Almost immediately, he was bogged down, hooves sinking into the loose sand left by the storm. A quick warning to those behind him, to watch their footing, and he returned his attention to the task ahead, watching the buildings carefully, fully aware of what lay within. This time, he was determined that none of his compatriots would be carried back to the Stable, that no pony or changeling blood would be spilled.

Close behind was Damsel, cast-bound leg pulled close to her body as she buzzed about, using her wings to make up for her impaired mobility. The wound had brought some concern, chiefly from Ironside, but the task her team faced was too important to allow such a minor thing to keep her from her duties. She came to a hover above her pony partner as their teams filed out, moving into positions to cover each other, some standing atop the deep dunes that had built up on the windward sides of the buildings.

A minute passed, the assorted equines watching the growing number of red marks in their vision with no small amount of trepidation, before Damsel spoke.

"They're using the dunes for cover. Watch for tunnelling and ambushes. Changelings, stay alert for hidden threats. Constant communication; we don't want any surprises like last time." At this, each of the team's faces hardened. Though their wounded sister was safe in the Stable, the memory of her attack was all too fresh in their minds.

Ironside briefly released his trigger bit. "Ground team, take it slow and careful. Watch each other, and don't take chances. This is our home, and we're taking it back." His words drew a short cheer from the team, and he nodded at his airborne partner.

Damsel waved her good foreleg. "Aerial team, on me. Follow the plan, cover the ground team, and don't let any of those mutts out alive. Move out!"

With a second cheer, the teams moved forwards, right behind their chiefs. Pegasi took to the air, the beating of their wings creating clouds of crimson sand that were swept aside by the stiff breeze that was all that remained of the storm's fury. Below, earth ponies and unicorns covered each other as the first buildings were breached and entered, changelings on both teams coordinating and turning it into an almost seamless operation.

Lorikeet's breathing was ragged and the bases of his wings burned, the hours of almost non-stop flight taking their toll on the Hive-born. In a brief moment of relative peace he stretched his aching jaw, the voices of his team-mates echoing through both the town and his mind as they approached the outer limits of the settlement. Their path was strewn with rust-furred bodies, some buried by collapsing dunes, others left slumped on floors or furniture in the abandoned structures, each a step towards reclaiming their surface home.

Now, though, the end was in sight. Only stragglers remained, stubbornly refusing to give up their territory to their natural prey, and even they were beginning to fall, desperation causing them to attack blindly, viciously, like the cornered animals they were.

With a shout, the hybrid dived, guns flaring to life in defense of one of his brothers. Even as his target went limp and hit the ground, his brother cried a warning of his own, causing the hybrid to juke to the side, barely avoiding the seeking claws of a leaping Rock Hound. The new attacker left a furrow in the soft sand as it fell, life leaking from its punctured body, but there was no time for thanks before they found themselves swept up in the final push.

The last echoes of gunfire died away. The town was littered with spent brass and canine bodies, almost buried by time and nature's wrath, but, as Damsel perched atop a partially collapsed building, she bared her teeth in a vicious grin. After twenty long years, after all the waiting and the violence of the past few days, they had returned. The town was theirs once more.

Slowly, the panting, sweating teams gathered, looking to their leader with wide, eager eyes, the adrenaline still strong in their veins and demanding release.

Damsel didn't disappoint. She threw her head back, giving a cry that rang to the clouds above, matched by her brothers and sisters, both pony and changeling, until all that could be heard was their roar of victory, echoing across the barren plains as though challenging the Badlands themselves.

The Hive was filled with cheers and laughter. Scant hours had passed since the news had been delivered, but already an enormous party had errupted in the atrium, streamers and decorations everywhere. Off to one side a pair of cream-coated mares, identical in every way, from the style of their orange manes to their shining green eyes, shared a joyous embrace.

"I can't believe it! We're finally going home!"

"Me either! It's a dream come true!"

Ginger Snap and Tagalong held each other tightly, tears flowing as they thought of the town that had become little more than a distant memory, but was now theirs once more.

"You're crying, silly filly!"

"Well, so are you!"

They held each other tighter, sharing the laughter and tears, until a small troop of fillies wearing the berets and sashes of Filly Scouts appeared from the crowd, saluting their troop leaders. Ginger Snap and Tagalong, leaders of the Hive's Filly Scouts and members of the Morale division, wiped each others faces and faced their charges with wide smiles, speaking in unison as they so often did. "Girls, you should be enjoying the party! What are you doing over here?"

The eldest scout, not quite a mare, stepped forwards. "We, um... we wanted to know... what's the surface like?"

The identical mares shared a look, their grins growing until it seemed like their heads would split in two. "Girls, you have so much to look forward to... we don't know where to begin!"

In the relative quiet of the dormitories, Ironside and Merry May shared their own embrace in the hall outside of their quarters. "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt." The mare whispered, refusing to let the tired stallion go. "After Holly got hurt, I almost didn't want you to go back up there..." Slowly, she pulled back, placing a tender kiss on his lips before smiling. "Come on. We'll get some coffee into you, then head to the party, alright?" As he nodded, she looked over his shoulder to where Damsel leaned against a wall, looking awkward and uncomfortable but too exhausted to hobble away and give the couple privacy. "You too, Damsel. You look dead on your hooves."

The changeling waved her resin-coated hoof, not quite supressing a yawn. "N-no, I'm... fine. I'll... see you there... just... let me rest a moment."

Merry May giggled and gave her weary husband a nudge before moving to Damsel's side and draping a warm wing over her back. "No buts. Now, come on." A light tug was enough to move her friend away from the wall, Ironside moving to the changeling's opposite side to support her.

Damsel yawned again. "Merry, d-don't... worry. I don't want to... impose."

The pegasus rolled her eyes, guiding her husband and friend to the door and the cozy quarters behind it. "Damsel, you're not imposing. You're practically family! Now get in there; everyone's celebrating tonight, and we're not gonna leave you alone. Right, honey?"

Ironside mumbled something incoherent, his eyes drooping, getting another eye roll from Merry May as the trio entered the living room, the sleepy changeling deposited on the couch to recuperate from the long day. "You just stay right there, okay? I'll be right back with the coffee. Honey, you can..." She paused, smirking as the stallion slumped beside his lightly dozing partner with a yawn of his own, "stay right there."

When Merry May came back, mugs of fresh coffee balanced on her back, she couldn't help but laugh. Ironside had passed out on the couch and was snoring away, while Damsel was lightly twitching beside him, chewing her partner's mane in her sleep and mumbling about wanting more spaghetti.

The pegasus shook her head and deposited the drinks on the table before hopping onto the couch herself, snuggling against her sleeping husband with a content smile.

"You should be resting." Lorikeet gave Holly a flat look, the still-bandaged mare grinning nervously as she stood in the starewell that linked Medical to the dormitories, her wings fluttering nervously.

"Um, the doc said I need some excercise?"

"Holly..."

The mare groaned, her ears drooping. "Fine, you got me. I'm headed to the party." Before her partner could say anything, she glared at him. "And you can't stop me! I've been stuck down there for days! I missed out on the mission, I'm not missing the party! If you try and stop me, I'll... I'll... I'll tell aunt Damsel you've been slacking off on paperwork!"

Lorikeet's eyes narrowed. "That's a lie, and you know it."

Holly started whining. "But Lory, I don't wanna stay in Medical! It's so boring! And I'm all alone down there most of the time!"

The hybrid nodded. "I know. That's why I was coming to get you."

"It's not like the doctors or nurses are good company, either! They just poke me and... what?" The mare stared at her partner, then stuck her hoof in her ear and wiggled it, sure she hadn't heard what she thought she had. "Did you just say... you were coming to get me?"

Lorikeet nodded. "That's right."

"YEAH!" Holly pumped her wings and took to the air, raising her hoof with a cheer... before thumping back to the ground with a yelp of pain. As she clutched her side, Lorikeet darted up beside her, letting her lean on him for support. "Owwie... owwie..."

"Maybe we should get you back to Medical..." The concern was evident in his voice, but she shook her head.

"No way... ow... it's not that bad."

"Holly-"

"Lory, I don't wanna spend tonight laying in bed, alone and bored." She gave him a pleading look. "I'll go crazy." The stallion sighed.

"The atrium is full, you know. Everyone will be bumping into you."

The mare grimaced. "Well, maybe I can find a spot that's not so bad. Or I could hover..." She spread her wings experimentally, only to squeak as pain shot through her side.

Lorikeet shook his head and started moving, slowly enough that his partner could keep up while leaning on him. "Come on, Holly."

"Where..." She sucked air through her teeth, still in pain. "Where are we going?"

"My quarters."

"What? Why?"

The young stallion kept his eyes straight ahead. "If I take you to the atrium, you'll be bumped around. I don't like seeing you in pain."

The mare gave him a quizzical look. "That's... nice. Why your place, though? Don't you wanna go to the party? I mean, just the two of us... that'd be pretty boring."

Lorikeet shook his head. "Today was... tiring. All I want is a rest."

"Oh." Holly went silent for a moment as they made their slow way down the corridoor. "So... no party?"

The hybrid shook his head. "No. If I cook dinner, will that make up for not taking you to the party? I haven't eaten yet, and I'm sure you could use a proper meal after what Medical serves."

Side-by-side, the pair walked on, Lorikeet's expression professional and unreadable, Holly's face not betraying too many of her thoughts. After a long minute, Holly smiled. "Yeah... I guess that makes up for it. You any good?"

Lorikeet gave a smile of his own. "I guess you'll have to find out."

Holly bumped her side against his playfully. "Yeah, I guess I will."

Quiet

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

QUIET

A new day arrived in the Stable, the same as it had for twenty long years before. Lights rose in brightness, from the dim twilight of the resting hours to something warmer, closer to the sun that shone on the world above.

Many of the inhabitants woke with a sense of peace, left over from the joyous celebrations of the night before, and an undercurrent of expectation for what the next few days would bring. For the Regent and Overmare, however, morning brought with it the sharp aroma of coffee and a stack of requests from the varied departments of the Stable.

The Overmare tapped at her terminal, slowly sipping the dark, life-giving liquid filling her mug as letters flickered into being on the screen. She glanced at her counterpart, who was mirroring her actions on her own terminal, with a raised eyebrow. "Tagalong and Ginger Snap are certainly eager to return to the surface. Three messages about it. Each."

"Indeed." The Regent replied quietly, taking a sip of her own coffee to clear the early-morning haze from her mind. "They aren't the only ones. Maintanence wants to start inspecting the town and drawing up plans to rebuild and Science is eager to get samples from the surrounding area."

"What does Security say about the situation? They're the only ones who have been up there, but their reports last night were somewhat short, and not particuarly clear on the town's viability." The Overmare watched her companion over the edge of her mug, and recieved a blink as the changeling touched the hivemind, reaching out to her kin.

"Most of the surface team are still resting; it seems yesterday was quite tiring for them." The Regent paused for a moment. "Sandy. The changelings who are awake say the town is... sandy."

"Sandy?" The Overmare gave her counterpart a flat look, not quite sure what to make of the report.

"Sandy." The Regent nodded, before turning her attention back to her terminal. "I'll have Damsel and Ironside give us their reports personally. Between them, perhaps we can do a little better than... sandy."

Deep within a warm, cozy nest of Stable-issue blankets, Holly groaned as the needs of her body forced her awake. One wing struggled free of the confining blankets, wiggling in the air to see if the outside of her nest was a bearable temperature, and it was slowly followed by a questing hoof.

Her hoof met the ground much quicker than she'd expected and, after a moment of probing the foreign surface, not quite as cold or hard as the usual Stable floors, she shoved the blankets enough to the side to let her see, after much blinking, just where she'd woken up.

The walls weren't quite flat, arching a little as they rose to meet the roof, giving the impression of a vaulted ceiling to the not-quite-square room. The floor was smooth, not feeling like tiles or concrete, but not slick either. The floor, walls and ceiling were covered in, or made from, a smooth, dark, mottled green substance. A couple of openings could be seen, large enough for a pony to walk through, with curtains obscuring whatever was beyond.

Here and there, evidence that she was still in the Stable stuck out. The Stable-issue bedding, for one, or the bits of furniture. A desk with a terminal, the screen dark and blank, sat against one wall. Against another, a generic dresser, plain blue-grey and boring, with no clue to its contents. A single light was set into the ceiling, but was turned mercifully low, casting a wan glow over everything.

It took a moment, as her bleary brain put the events of the previous night together with the room she was in, but realisation dawned. She was in Lorikeet's quarters. More importantly, she was in Lorikeet's bed, and in dire need of relief.

Holly yawned and shoved the rest of the blankets off before slipping from the low bed and into the surprisingly comfortable open air. Stretching brought a sharp gasp as the flesh around her still-healing injury moved, but she did her best to ignore the pain and stagger, still not fully awake, to the curtained doorway she hoped led to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, she emerged with relief evident on her face. The bathroom, at least, had been familiar, constructed the same way as her own and most of the other ones in the Stable. Unlike the bedroom she found herself back in.

Yawning again, the young pegasus mare gave the room a closer look, walking slowly around it. It struck her that she'd never actually been in Lorikeet's quarters before, and she found herself overcome with curiosity, wondering what secrets she could dig up about her long-time friend and occasional confidant. But first...

"Lory, you here? Hello?" A slight pause, as she waited for an answer. When none came, she grinned, looking for all the world like a cat who'd found an unattended bowl of cream.

The first thing to fall victim to her curiosity was the dresser, the drawers opened one-by-one and shoved closed with a snort as they revealed nothing but neatly pressed Stable jumpsuits. "Boring!" Grumbling, Holly glanced at the bed, but discarded the idea. Most colts and fillies hid things under their beds, but Lorikeet's was a low platform, barely two hooves thick, made out of... whatever changelings made stuff out of. Dirt and resin, she supposed. At any rate, it wasn't just flush to the ground, it was attached to it, leaving no room for hiding contraband.

The mattress looked to be Stable standard, though, and not attached to the bed itself, but checking under it would've meant dealing with the tangle of blankets she'd abandoned, and the thought of tidying up made her muzzle scrunch. Instead, she turned her attention to the last remaining bit of furniture in the room: the desk and terminal.

One hoof booped the terminal's 'On' switch before moving to the neatly stacked books beside it, the screen flickering to life and starting up as the mare rummaged. "Huh." Holly lifted one of the books up to see it better, then snorted. "Stable Regulations. Lory, you are seriously the most boring flutterpony I know."

Unimpressed, she let the dog-eared book slip from her hoof and glanced at the one it had been sitting on. "Flitter, by..." She took the book up and turned it over a couple of times; it looked less worn and dog-eared than the first book, and had the stamp of the Stable library on the spine, right above the author's name. "By somepony whose name I can't pronounce. Wierd. Wonder what it's about."

Holly flipped it open to a random page and started to read, but a beep from the terminal caught her attention and the book was unceremoniously dumped back onto the desk. "Ooh, a message! I really shouldn't, but..." she drummed her hooves on the desk for the entire second it took to make up her mind. "but I really should." A quick tap of the keys, and she found herself looking at the waiting message with an eager grin... which slowly faded as she read.

"Holly,

Sorry I didn't wake you before going on-duty; I let Medical know where you were and they suggested I let you rest.

Good news: you'll be officially discharged today, and able to return to duty soon."

"Bleagh." Holly's muzzle scrunched up. It wasn't that she didn't like her job, it's just that she didn't have the same level of dedication her friend did.

"If you're reading this, you must be searching my quarters. I know what you're like. Please don't break anything."

Indignant, Holly puffed herself up, fluttering her wings. How could he say that? She hadn't broken anything in months!

"There is food in the icebox, in case you don't feel up to going to the cafeteria. Medical is expecting you for your final check-up before discharge; please clean up any mess you make before leaving and make the bed."

With a snort, Holly switched off the terminal and looked at the tangled mess she'd left on the bed. "Yeah... no."

Sticking her nose in the air, she trotted out of the room and into the living area. It was similar to the bedroom; big enough for one or two ponies (or changelings) to move around without getting in each other's way too much, and the walls, roof and floor were all made from resin as well. The biggest difference was that the room looked like it was meant to be lived in, instead of just slept and worked in.

Another low platform took up most of the space at one end, this one more of a curved bench than anything else, meant to seat two or three ponies or changelings in relative comfort. A pillow and some neatly folded blankets showed that Lorikeet had spent the night there. In front of it was a fairly standard coffee table, the sort found in almost all Stable quarters. Off to one side was a low counter, also made from Stable-standard materials, with a softly humming metal box beside it.

Holly made a beeline straight for the box, lifting the lid with a flick of her wing and shivering as the cold air inside washed over her face. "Brr." Quickly, she grabbed an apple in her teeth and batted the lid closed before jumping onto the bench and making herself at home. The pillow and blankets were quickly turned into a miniature nest for the pegasus, who rolled onto her back and scratched at her bandage covered side while munching her apple and letting her eyes roam around the room.

In her opinion, even though it was Lorikeet's living area, it was still pretty boring.

A couple of tin plates and glasses sat on the counter, leftover from the fruit salad Lory had put together for their meal the previous night. The coffee table had one of the old romance books that was passed around by the younger changeling mares and stallions sitting on it. For a moment, Holly thought about trying it herself, try to see what fascinated changelings so much they'd pass it around like... well, like a really popular book. She thought better of it, though, when she noticed a small indent in the wall, beside the bedroom door.

Throwing the core of her apple onto the counter for Lory to clean up later, she rolled back onto her hooves with only a small grunt of discomfort and moved to investigate the oddity. It turned out to be a sort of shelf, cast into the resin of the wall, but the contents baffled her. There was a small chunk of resin, smooth and oval shaped, glowing with a soft green light that made the larger object on the shelf seem more than a little creepy.

Behind the glowing piece of resin, a small statue stood. At first she thought it was a pony, but a closer look revealed it was a statue of a changeling. A very tall and slender changeling, but not rendered well enough to be identifiable, more a very vague and general representation. There were no real details, no eyes or mouth. The insect-like wings and holed limbs were a dead giveaway, though, as was the crooked horn.

"What are you?" Holly muttered as she peered at the thing. "I know this, they taught us about it in school. You're... you're... you're staring at me." She fluffed herself up, suddenly feeling like the eyeless idol was looking straight at her. "Stop it. I know exactly what you are, you're... a Queen! Hah, that's it! You're a Changeling Queen!" She raised to her hoof to point at the statue accusingly, having worked out what it represented. "And that means this-" she pointed at the glowing resin "-is a love crystal! So ,this whole thing is Lory's shrine to the Queen!.. I think. No, that's gotta be it." She raised her hoof into the air, striking a victorious pose, then realised what she'd been messing with. "Ooh..." Her ears drooped as she gave the statue a sheepish look. It seemed to be staring at her, passing judgement, gazing into her very soul with its blank, featureless face. "Um, sorry, I guess? I know changelings are kinda serious about this sort of thing, so, um, please don't get offended? If you're really listening, I mean." She bowed her head. "Please keep looking after Lory, and aunt Damsel, and all the other changelings. That's... I mean... um... thanks. And sorry! For, y'know, staring like that. Okay, um... gottagobye!"

Utterly creeped out, Holly dashed from the living area, almost getting tangled in the curtain as she fled from Lorikeet's quarters. Once out, though, she slumped against the wall and caught her breath. It took a few minutes, and she had to wave off a couple of changelings who stopped to check on her as they passed, but she calmed down enough to take in her surroundings.

She was in a straight hall, the walls, floor and ceiling all made from resin, just like Lory's quarters. Stable lights were set into the ceiling, while here and there were pipes or panels made from Stable parts. A number of curtain-covered openings led from the hall, a few with mats in front of them for hoof-wiping. She sighed, realising that she was in the changeling-built dorms, and that meant a whole extra staircase to get back to Medical.

With a glance at her Pipbuck to check the time, Holly set off. Partway down the hall, though, her skin started crawling and she sped up, desperately wishing she hadn't annoyed her friend's shrine. The whole thing gave her the heebies.

Ironside yawned, the internal rhythm his body had adopted after so long in Security forcing him to wake up at his usual time... despite not needing to be on duty for several more hours. He resolved to make the best of it and rest, since every part of his body still ached from the previous day.

Particuarly his jaw, for some reason. Whatever his head was laying on, it wasn't his pillow... and it was... chirping?

He cracked one bleary eye open and tilted his head to see what he'd fallen asleep on. It was black. That was all he could see until he blinked to clear his eyes, then he frowned as his situation became clear.

Damsel's back was pressed against his side, her head under his, still sound asleep. Each breath was accompanied by trilling or chirping, like she was snoring, or talking in her sleep. Her wings twitched from time to time, trapped between their bodies, and her injured foreleg was tucked tight against her chest in its resin cast.

There was also a warm weight on his back, and if he moved his head just a little... he could see Merry May, sprawled out over both him and Damsel, and staring at him intently. He blinked. "Morning."

Merry smiled and dipped her head, sharing a kiss with her husband, her expression softening. "Morning, honey. Comfy?"

Ironside nodded. "Yeah. What are you doing, though?"

Merry adopted an innocent look. "Oh, nothing. Just keeping my big, strong, tired stallion warm."

Ironside's eyebrow rose. "And Damsel?" The mare looked away without answering, causing Ironside to sigh. "Merry, please tell me this isn't what I think it is. Merry?" She didn't answer. Ironside frowned. "Merry, we talked about this. Damsel is my friend. I know she's hurt, and I know you don't like having an empty nest, but-"

Bristling, Merry whapped her husband with her wing. "It's not just that. I know she's your friend; she's my friend too! That's why I want this! Changeling or pony, she goes home to empty quarters every night. I want her in our herd, Ironside. I don't want her to be alone."

"Merry-" Ironside began, but he was cut off with another wing whap. Irritated, he tried again. "Merry, would you-" Another feathered slap. This time, he grabbed the offending wing in his magic. Merry tried to pull free, scowling. "Look, I'll... I'll talk to her about it. Okay?"

Merry fluffed herself up as he released her wing. "Fine. But if you don't, I will."

"When she's healed, though," Ironside warned. Merry just grunted and moved so she was covering both unicorn and changeling as much as she could, draping her wings over Damsel like a mother bird protecting her chick.

Ironside sighed and rested his head on his sleeping friend's neck, listening to her chirp and trill softly. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation. It was, in his opinion, wholly unnecesary and bound to be extremely awkward.

Damn it, Merry, he thought. You haven't been this bad since Holly moved out.

He decided he'd put it off for as long as he could... or as long as his mothering, nesting pegasus wife would let him.

Sand

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

SAND

As far as the eye could see, towards distant Equestria, thick clouds hung overhead. Above the reclaimed town, however, patchy sunlight broke through the post-storm cover, bringing a pleasant warmth to the swarming changelings as they took care of a grisly business.

"I thought changelings didn't kill," Hawkeye muttered to his changeling partner as they dragged a Rock Hound corpse to the edge of the town for disposal. One of the few ponies to volunteer for the clean-up, he'd had to force down bile at the aftermath of so much violence but, as the morning had gone on, he'd found it easier and easier to ignore just what he and the others were dealing with. A visit to the Stable therapist had been scheduled in advance for all the ponies involved, however, at the insistance of both Overmare and Regent.

As they dropped their burden on the pile and turned back for the town, Honeycut bared his fangs in disgust. "We don't kill things that can think or feel. Rock Hounds are worse than animals." They moved aside for another pair of changelings to buzz past, carrying yet another deceased beast, then continued on, climbing up a small dune that had once been a house and sliding down the other side. "They don't think or feel. They just kill and breed and kill more."

They stopped to peer into one of the buildings that hadn't been buried, Hawkeye ducking inside to get out of the sun, the warm rays almost foreign after so long. Honeycut spat before following his partner. "They catch you, they eat you. Pony, changeling, rat, buffalo, it doesn't matter. Those disgusting things'll go for anything that moves... and a few things that don't."

Hawkeye grimaced. "You make it sound like they're monsters."

Honeycut nodded, one holed hoof digging in the pocket of his barding. "They are. Teeth, claws and stink. That's all they are." He pulled out a flask and popped the cap, taking a swig before offering it to his pony partner. "Bunch'a dead dogs ain't no loss. Town's gonna reek for a while, though."

"If you say so." Hawkeye upended the flask, taking a long pull of the alcohol within before sealing it and tucking it into his own barding. Stepping towards the door, he sighed. "Back to it, then... get this done with, we can start digging the houses out."

The changeling followed, wincing and shielding his eyes with a hoof as the clouds parted for a moment, bathing the sand-covered town in the sun's full radiance. "Was the sun always this bright?"

"Be about summer, I'd say," came his pony pal's reply. "The Princess's just making sure everyone gets a bit of sun, that's all."

"Yeah, well, she could turn the damn thing down. I'm gonna go blind here."

Evening came, bringing with it a chill and the silver light of the moon, filtered through the tattered clouds above. Much of the town was still and quiet, save for a small group of changelings on the outskirts who moved busily around a roaring bonfire, tending to the flames.

Far below, in the Stable, Honeycut finished relaying Maintenance's report on the surface to the Regent and Overmare. "That's about the size of it, ma'ams. It'll take a few days to clear out all the sand and get a better idea, but the buildings we checked looked mostly intact. Nothing some resin won't fix."

The Overmare nodded with a small smile. "I see. That's some good news... what about the... remains of the... creatures?"

Honeycut frowned. "Dealt with, ma'am." Recieving a quirked eyebrow from the pony leader, he continued, though reluctantly. "Us changelings are taking care of it."

Before the Overmare could say anything else, the Regent interrupted. "Thank you for your report, Honeycut. You may return to your duties."

Honeycut bowed slightly and made his exit, the office door sliding closed behind him. The Overmare turned to her counterpart with a frown. "Is there something you'd like to tell me? How, exactly, are the remains being 'dealt with', and why was I not made aware of it?"

The Regent stood and approached the large window overlooking the atrium, her companion following to stand beside her. Pony and changeling stood, watching as a few equine forms moved about the grand space, heading to late shifts or the comforts of their quarters. One was thoughtful, the other awaiting an answer.

Several moments passed, before either of them spoke.

"Our ponies," the Regent began, not looking into the atrium, but watching her counterpart in the glass, "are not used to what was in our town. After what Security encountered, you know this."

The Overmare nodded. "That's why we had them speak to the counselor. Violence... even the aftermath... it's not for us."

At this, the Regent gave a nod of her own. "That is why I had our changelings remain on the surface when our ponies returned."

"To deal with the remains?" Another nod. "How?"

"Come morning, they'll be nothing but ash." The Regent had to give her friend credit. Her displeasure was visible only for a moment, before it was hidden behind a neutral, professional mask... that did nothing to hide her true feelings from the changeling.

"I see... you... burned the bodies?" The Regent nodded, drawing a frown from the Overmare. "Why?"

The Regent finally turned from the glass, to look directly at her counterpart. "Would you rather our people drag them into the desert and leave them to rot? It would only draw the hounds back to us." Disgust flashed across the Overmare's face as realisation set in, and the Regent nodded once more, her expression growing dark. "Correct. They eat their own dead. So many bodies... it would be irresistible for them."

The Overmare swallowed, looking slightly ill. "I see..."

The changeling stepped forwards, placing a holed hoof across her friend's withers. A reassuring smile was given, the effect not lessened by her fangs. "I apologise for not informing you, but you and our ponies... it isn't your work, or your way. The hounds are beasts, worse than animals... they would devour us all... and our changelings are far better at dealing with them. It won't hurt us like it would you."

The pony mare took a deep breath to steady herself, then gave her friend a shaky smile. "I trust you... and... thank you. For protecting our ponies. But you don't need to protect me. I am the Overmare, and our people mean just as much to me as they do you... and they rely on both of us. I won't shy away, no matter what it takes to look after our people."

The Regent pulled her friend close, embracing her. Actions said what words could not, and when they broke apart, each wore a warm smile born of trust and friendship. "For Hive and Stable, old friend." She raised her hoof, offering it to the mare before her.

Smiling, the Overmare met the mare's hoof with her own. "For Pony and Changeling."

Plans

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Plans

Celestia's sun was high over the town, casting her light down on Honeycut and Hawkeye as they shouted instructions to the repair crews, the changelings and ponies of Maintenance excavating their buried home from beneath two decades of windblown sand. Plans and maps littered the table in front of them, showing the layout of the town, and covered in pencil marks to show what had to be dug out first, what had already been dug out, and who was digging where.

Lifting his head from their work, Honeycut frowned and glared up at the sky, where few clouds remained to block out the sun. One foreleg came up, shielding his eyes from the light. "Damned sun... your Princess must be in a mood."

Beside him, Hawkeye looked to the sky as well, his eyes turned to distant Equestria, where great swathes of cloud brought the horizon far close than it should have been. "A storm that big, anypony'd be put off. We've been up here for two days now, and it hasn't thinned a bit."

Honeycut snorted, returning his gaze to the plans, his blue-in-blue eyes flicking across the pages as a stray gust of wind threatened to blow them away. Using his hoof to keep them in place, he muttered, "Wish the cloud pushers'd send some of those clouds out here. I think I'm sweating."

Pulling his flask from his barding and using it to weigh down the papers (after taking a swig), Hawkeye gave his partner a sidelong glance. "Changelings don't sweat."

Honeycut snorted again, before lifting his hoof hesitantly to see if the flask would keep the maps from being scattered. "If this keeps up, I'm gonna learn how. Don't care how gross you grass-munchers get when you're sweaty, if it helps me stay cool, it'll be worth it."

Hawkeye paused, watching a group trot past on their way to the edge of the town, saddle-buckets filled with sand to be disposed of. "Could always wait until Cookie's off-duty, hide out in the freezer."

With a short, bitter laugh, Honeycut shook his head. "Hah, no! Remember last time she caught us? She locked us in there for hours! That mare treats the kitchens like her own personal kingdom. The Princess of Pastries!"

Another laugh, this time from Hawkeye. "Don't let her hear you call her that. Besides, it wasn't that bad. Chilled apple pie's pretty good."

Honeycut shuddered, his wings buzzing in agitation. "Not that bad he says... you know what happens when changelings get too cold!" He grimaced, getting another laugh from his pony partner.

"At least you slept through it," Hawkeye remarked, drawing a scowl from the changeling.

"It wasn't sleeping," Honeycut stated flatly. "It was hibernation, and hibernation dreams are damned wierd." Another shudder ran through his body, and he looked to the distant clouds, his expression growing thoughtful. Beside him, Hawkeye followed his gaze.

Seconds ticked by before either spoke, Hawkeye breaking the silence. "You think they're okay back there? It's been twenty years... we should've heard something by now."

Honeycut shook his head. "Clouds like that, somepony's gotta be working overtime. If they're doing that, things must be fine."

Hawkeye turned to his partner, doubt showing in his eyes. "You think so?"

"Of course." Honeycut nodded, lips parting in a fanged grin. "You ponies are like cockroaches. Can't keep you down."

Scoffing, Hawkeye slugged the changeling's shoulder. "Who're you calling a cockroach, bug?" He managed a grin of his own, though, and Honeycut's grew.

"I'm calling you a cockroach, you fuzzy grass muncher."

"Overgrown grasshopper."

"Hairy nosed Sun worshipper."

The pair laughed together, shaking their heads before Honeycut gave a small smile. "The Regent and Overmare will sort things out. You'll see."

"You're right," Hawkeye replied, a reassured smile creeping onto his muzzle. "They'll do their job, Celestia's doing hers, and we should get back to ours. Have to get rid of all this sand."

"About that," Honeycut said, "I had an idea. How about we use it?"

"Use it? For what?" Hawkeye's skepticism was clear, especially to his changeling friend.

With a sly smirk, Honeycut simply said "A wall."

Deep within the Stable, the Regent trailed off mid-sentence, blinking owlishly at her counterpart, who quirked an eyebrow at her. "Is something wrong?"

The Regent shook her head, frowning. "Honeycut wants to build a wall."

"A... wall..." The Overmare frowned. "Dare I ask?"

"More a windbreak than a wall..." With a shake of her head, the Regent turned her attention to the papers on her desk. "I've reminded him that repairing our town is Maintenance's first priority, but if you'd like to hear his proposal in person..." She looked to her pony friend for confirmation and, seeing a nod, sent her message through the hivemind. "Very well. Now, shall we get back to the business at hoof?"

The Overmare nodded, checking her own papers. " The interference caused by the storm has ceased, but there is still no contact from Equestria. Radio is only picking up static and the Stable-Tec network is down." She frowned and took a deep breath, steadying her hooves before they could start to shake. "All indications are... are..."

"I know," the Regent interrupted, saving her friend from saying the words that would cement the situation in their minds, keeping her from smothering what hope remained. "We haven't had contact with the Queen, either. Our priority should be to send scout parties to re-establish contact with our homes. Would you agree?"

The Overmare took a deep breath and held it for several seconds, before letting it out slowly and nod. The eyes of pony and changeling met across the room, offering reassurance and strength. "Yes. Do you have any personnel in mind?"

The Regent tapped her hoof on her desk for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps, though I will leave the Equestrian team to you."

Nodding, the Overmare turned to her terminal. "And the Flutter Valley team is yours."

Chosen

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Chosen

The Overmare and Regent carefully examined the two equines standing in their office, giving no clue to the reason for the meeting. For their part, Damsel and Ironside remained at ease under the scrutiny, keeping any questions to themselves.

Beyond their Security barding, the pair had little in common. Ironside fairly towered over Damsel, a full head taller, with a stockier build than the decidedly average changeling. One had their mane cut short around their horn, though not enough to be mistaken for military, while the other's finned crest stood proud and straight. A thick coat stood in contrast to a glossy black shell, warming hair and protective chitin. Even their uniforms bore tell-tale signs of their wearer's differences, small though they have been. Wear and tear, wing slits, the distinctive shape of a love crystal or packet of smokes tucked into a pocket.

But appearances were deceiving. They were the public face of order and harmony in the Hive, and each was devoted to their home and people, regardless of species.

A minute passed without anything being said. Eventually, though, the Regent nodded, and the Overmare spoke, her tone even. "Ironside. Damsel. I'm afraid we have some... bad news. All attempts to contact the outside world have failed. Equestria is dark, as is the Crystal Empire."

The Regent took over. "The Queen remains silent." She paused, meeting Damsel's eyes for a moment, unsaid words passing between them. "Though, it is likely She, and our brethren, are still in hiding."

Damsel stood slightly straighter, her face not betraying anything. However, it was Ironside who replied. "Do we have a plan, ma'am?"

The Overmare blinked, then nodded. "Yes. We will be sending two teams to re-establish contact. Ironside, do you have any objections to leading the Equestrian team?" The unicorn shook his head. "Very well. The resources of the Stable are at your disposal; any personnel you feel would be suited for this task, they're yours."

"Who is heading the Flutter Valley team?" Damsel asked. The Overmare looked to her partner.

"You are," the Regent stated, to nobody's surprise. "Is that acceptable?" Damsel nodded. "Very well. Damsel, Ironside, choose your teams wisely. The fate of our people may depend on you."

The Security offices were much quieter than usual, the changelings and ponies on duty either patrolling the Stable or guarding the Maintenance teams excavating the town above... along with several off-duty members, who took the chance to enjoy the sunlight.

Only Damsel and Ironside were there, seated at the large briefing room table and going through files, maps and reports from the Science division. They worked in thoughtful silence, only muttering to one another in low tones as they went over everything known about the state of the outside world. It wasn't much.

"Science thinks Equestria might be irradiated," Ironside said softly. "Might be too dangerous to reach the core cities."

"What are you going to do?" Damsel asked, glancing up from her own reports.

Ironside paused to examine a map, then, after making a mark on it, pushed it towards Damsel. "Head for Appleloosa, maybe Dodge Junction." Damsel made a non-commital noise before pushing the map back. "Take a small team, ponies, couple of changelings, see how far we can get."

"If there are survivors?"

Ironside frowned, circling something on his map. "We help. It's the pony way."

Silence fell again, holding reign for several minutes before Ironside spoke again. "What about you?"

Damsel put down the report she was examining and blinked. "Head straight for Flutter Valley. Find the Queen. Wake Her up."

Ironside shook his head. "No, I mean... who are you taking? Anypony in mind?"

"No ponies." Frowning, Damsel pulled another map over and checked it against the one Ironside was examining. "There's a sietch there, in that canyon. A few hours out of your way, but it's shelter." As her partner double-checked it himself and made a small note, she shifted, stretching her resin-encased foreleg with a low groan. "Ponies have never seen our home, Ironside. They never will."

Ironside looked at her in suprise, one eyebrow raised. "Really?"

Damsel nodded, the reports temporarily set aside in favor of a short break. "Really." She stretched her leg again, her wings twitching. "Even your Princesses haven't." Pausing, the changeling chipped away at the resin on her foreleg with her fangs, exposing a patch of slightly lighter chitin, where the wound had healed over. She frowned at it, testing the surface with one fang.

When it became clear she wasn't going to continue, preoccupied with checking her almost-healed leg, Ironside took the chance to stretch himself. As his joints popped in relief after so long sitting, he asked "How did they meet, then? For the talks, I mean. I was just a colt back then, but I don't think your Queen would've been welcome in Canterlot."

Damsel chewed for a moment, mixing resin and saliva, before spitting a small glob onto her leg, using her muzzle to shape it against the existing cast, replacing what she'd chipped off. "Sietches, I suppose." She watched it dry before finally turning back to Ironside. "I was a fishermare then; I wouldn't know. Matters outside of the valley were for the Guard."

Ironside nodded. "I see." He reached out, hooking one hoof around a mug, almost lost among the papers, and lifting it up with a grimace. "Empty. Want..." Before he could even finish asking, Damsel had shoved her own mug across the table to him with an expectant look. He just rolled his eyes and stood, taking both mugs to the briefing room coffee pot, practically an honorary member of the Security team for its long years of faithful service. "You never answered my question." The pot of life-giving caffeine was taken in his aura, surrendering its sweet nectar to the two waiting mugs. "About who you're going to take with you, I mean."

When her mug was set in front of her, Damsel grabbed it with both hooves, taking a swig and grimacing. "We really need tea in here." While she shook her head, Ironside rolled his eyes and sat back down himself, waiting for an answer. "Gah. Too bitter." The changeling sighed. "I want to take officer Lorrikeet."

"Any reason why?" Ironside asked over the rim of his mug. Damsel nodded.

"You know why changelings can't travel alone, don't you?"

"Because of isolation sickness, right?"

"That's right," Damsel confirmed. "Any changeling would do, but Lorrikeet... he's a... what does your daughter call him? A flutterpony?"

Ironside nodded. "Since they were foals. Merry says some of the younger foals are starting to use it, too. Sounds better than 'hybrid', at least."

Damsel shrugged. "In any case, he doesn't just feed on love, like a pure changeling does. He produces love that others can draw on."

"Ah, now I see." Ironside sat up straight, comprehension dawning. "You won't have to carry as many supplies if he goes with you, and if the changelings in the valley are still in hibernation-"

"-then a loving member of the Hive could be enough to wake them up." Damsel finished with a nod, the pair smirking at each other.

Ironside frowned when he realised that something didn't add up. "Wait, didn't you say ponies would never see Flutter Valley?"

Damsel gave him a cool look. "I did. Why?"

"Lorrikeet's part pony, that's why."

"I know. He's a changeling at heart, though... a part of the Hive, despite his coat. Besides," Damsel paused to drink the last of her coffee, the mug having been steadily emptied during the conversation, "it's strictly volunteer duty. If he turns it down, I have other choices." She set her mug on the table with a thud, her wings starting to buzz as the caffeine worked its way into her system. "Aah... I don't think he will, though."

"Hmph." Ironside finished his own mug and collected Damsel's, moving to refill them both. As he watched steam rising from the coffee , he took a deep breath. "By the way, Merry wanted me to ask you something." He turned his head just enough to see Damsel, who was pulling a folder over to herself, already back to work.

"Did you say something?" Damsel looked up from the papers, but Ironside just shook his head.

"Never mind. I guess it can wait."

Holly, now bandage free, was sprawled out on the low bench in Lorrikeet's quarters, taking up as much room as possible while she complained. "I can't believe everyone's going out! I mean, dad's going to Equestria to find the Princesses, and you're going with aunt Damsel to Flutter Valley!" She gave Lorrikeet, who was banished to the far end of the bench, a dirty look. "I get why dad won't take me, but aunt Damsel won't let me come with you guys! That's so not fair!"

Lorrikeet sighed and set the dog-eared romance novel back on the table, marking his page with a bent corner. "Holly, it isn't a game. Chief Damsel chose me specifically for the task. Out of all the changelings here, she chose me." He shuddered, staring down at the cover of his book. "I'm... I... The whole Hive knows I'm going to find the Queen... they're counting on me... OW!" He rubbed his side and glared at Holly. "That hurt."

Holly cocked her leg back for another kick and glared at him. "Well, don't be such a dork, then! You looked like you were about to pass out or something!"

With a flutter of his glittering wings, Lory slumped. "It's so much responsibility, Holly... I know it's forbidden, but I wish you could come. I've heard about the isolation sickness... I'm scared of what might happen if I'm alone. I've never been alone before."

With another kick, Holly snorted, ignoring Lory's grunt of pain. "Aunt Damsel won't leave you alone, you dummy. Besides, you'll get to meet the Queen! Worth it, right?" She grinned. Lory managed a half-hearted smile in return and nodded. "What do you think she's like, anyway? You think she likes flutterponies like you?" Holly delivered a third kick, this one much softer, to Lorrikeet's side.

Lory shook his head and looked across the room, to where a small statue and a softly glowing crystal sat in an alcove. "Everyone says She will... that I'm a changeling, even if I have a cutie mark, and that means I'm one of Her foals." He said softly. "My Queen..."

Holly watched her friend for a minute, then blew a raspberry. "You're too serious, Lory. You'd better lighten up, or aunt Damsel might leave you behind." When the hybrid frowned at her, Holly rolled her eyes. "Too. Serious. Look, you leave in a few days, right?" Lory nodded. "Well, we're gonna have fun! Dad's letting his team take the next couple of days off before they leave, and I bet aunt Damsel'll let you off too!"

Lory shook his head, visibly disturbed at the thought of shirking his duty. "I can't do that, Holly. Security is here to protect the Hive. It's our job."

"Bleagh." With yet another kick, this one hard enough to get a grunt of discomfort, Holly rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "Way too serious..." A few moments of silence, then "Lory, make me a promise, yeah?"

Surprised, Lory blinked at her. "What is it, Holly?"

With a small groan, Holly squirmed into a sitting position, to look Lory in the eye. "You and aunt Damsel'll find the Queen, and when you come back, you and me are gonna party proper pony style. I'll loosen you up if it kills you."

Lory just shook his head, a small smile creeping onto his muzzle. "No promises, Holly."

Holly scowled and slugged him on the shoulder. "Then I'll make my dad order you to. And I'll get aunt Damsel to make you do it, too! And stop laughing at me, you dork!"

Into The Black

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Into The Black

Damsel and Ironside stood together by the wall, out of the way of the party. It seemed like everyone in the Stable was crammed into the cafeteria, the crowd spilling out into the surrounding corridors. The cheering and laughter was deafening, hope spreading like wildfire from the announcement of the mission.

"Morale went all-out," Damsel observed, taking a sip from her cup of punch.

Ironside nodded. "They sure did. We're setting out tomorrow, so they wanted to give us a proper send-off." He sipped his own punch, looking at the crowd thoughtfully. "I heard Gingersnap and Tagalong talking; they've got something bigger planned for when we get back."

Damsel shrugged, her wings buzzing lightly. "We'll need to bring back good news, then..." The pair fell into silence, watching the party raging around them. After a minute, Ironside swallowed the last of his punch.

"Not gonna be much time tomorrow..." He said. Damsel grunted in response, preoccupied with watching the crowd. "Look, Damsel, Merry... she..." Ironside sighed and shook his head, deciding to just get it over with. "She wants you in our herd." Damsel blinked, her ear twitching to aim at her partner, but kept her eyes on the crowd. "She's getting broody... her nest is empty, Holly is all grown up and has her own place... and... well, Merry doesn't like you living alone. You're practically family already..." He paused, watching the changeling for a reaction. She stayed passive, her face betraying none of her thoughts. "You don't have to say anything now. Just, keep in it mind. Give her an answer when you get back."

Ironside settled down, wishing he hadn't finished his punch, just so he'd have something to do in the suddenly uncomfortable silence between himself and his partner.

"Might be nice," Damsel mused, surprising Ironside but still not looking at him, "Having someone to come home to, I mean. Merry's a good mare... you're not so bad yourself..." The corner of her muzzle curled upwards in a small smile as her eyes flicked to the side, glancing at her partner for a moment before returning to the crowd. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

Ironside relaxed and nodded with a small smile of his own, the pair going back to watching the party but shuffling slightly closer together.

Holly laughed as she grabbed her friend's hoof, dragging him into the crowd, lured out by the pounding music that filled the cafeteria. "C'mon, Lory! Let's dance!"

Lorikeet half-heartedly tried to resist, but didn't do anything more than slow the pegasus down as she dragged him deeper into the crush. "Holly, I thought we were waiting until I got back for the party!"

"We are, but there's one now, too!" Holly laughed again and snapped her wings open, taking to the air, where pegasi and changelings were busy dancing. Since she still had a firm grasp on Lory's hoof, though, the flutterpony was yanked up with her and flailed around for a moment before spreading his own wings to regain his balance.

"Holly," Lory said as he fluttered in place, his large wings beating slowly, "I don't... know... how to... dance..." He trailed off, watching his oldest friend flailing around, a look of pure glee on her face even as she turned the immediate airspace around them into a no-fly zone with her terrible dancing.

"Did you say something?!" Holly called out as she did a small loop-de-loop around Lory, coming to a halt in front of him and upside down, her mane a dangling mess and a broad grin on her face.

Lory just sighed and shook his head before moving closer to Holly, trying to corral her and keep the number of injuries from her dancing to a minimum.

Dawn approached, the party having ended hours before. Despite the early hour, the Hive was still alive with the bustle of activity. Equipment needed to be checked, farewells needed to be said.

Much of the activity was centered in the Security offices, the Equestrian team going over their final preperations under Ironside's watchful eye, but Lorrikeet was headed in a different direction, following the corridors and halls towards the Maintenance stalls, guided by the Regent's presence in the hivemind.

His saddlebags were filled with everything he could think to bring, love crystal and food nestled beside bandages and canteens, and he'd taken care to mark every landmark he could on his Pipbuck.

It didn't take long for him to reach his goal, and he paused to get his bearings. The Maintenance stalls were dull, with monotonous grey walls for the most part, broken up by resin reinforcing and the occasional scorch mark or grease stain, but after a moment (and asking through the hivemind) he moved on, quickly finding the right door and stepping through. He blinked in suprise as the door hissed closed behind him.

"Ma'ams." Lory stood at attention. Both Chief Damsel and the Regent were waiting for him, with one of the changeling Maintenance personnel, and Damsel was... naked? Her security barding lay on a nearby table, along with her Pipbuck and saddlebags. Lorikeet didn't know what to think. "You wanted to see me?"

The Regent nodded. "That's right. Officer Lorikeet, are you aware of the importance of your mission?" Damsel remained silent, watching impassively.

Lorikeet tried to stand even straighter. "Yes, ma'am."

The Regent nodded again. "Then you understand that this isn't a mission for Security."

"Ma'am?" Suprised, Lorikeet blinked.

The Regent eyed him carefully. "First, your Pipbuck. Honeycut, remove it." As the changeling moved in, Lorikeet raised his foreleg so the technician could get to it easier.

"Um, ma'am, won't I need my Pipbuck?" Lorikeet asked, curious.

"No." The Regent shook her head. "As I said, this isn't a mission for Security. Any connection to the Stable is to be minimal, and your Pipbuck tracks your movements." She gave the young flutterpony a stern look. "We cannot allow anyone to know the location of Flutter Valley. Do you understand?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Lory would have saluted, if it wasn't for the technician working on his foreleg.

"Good." The Regent nodded, a pleased smile making its way onto her muzzle. "You are being placed under the command of Queen's Guard Damsel."

"Queen's... Guard...?" Lorikeet felt his knees go weak, barely registering the low click and sudden feeling of lightness as his Pipbuck was removed. He looked at Damsel, the changeling he'd only known as his Chief, now revealed to be one of the Queen's Guard, the protectors of Hive and Queen. "Ma'am.. you're..."

"She is." The Regent nodded again. "Damsel, are you prepared?"

"Almost, ma'am." Damsel reached into her saddlebag, bringing out a helmet quite unlike the Security riot helmets. It was dark blue, glossy, the finish almost shell-like, utterly alien to pony design. She lowered the helmet onto her head slowly, fitting her horn and ears through holes in it, her finned crest standing proud through a slot in the back. When it was secure, she saluted. "Queen's Guard Damsel, awaiting orders, Captain."

Lorikeet gaped, his jaw falling open in shock. "C-Captain? Ma'am, Regent, ma'am, you're the Captain of the Queen's Guard?!"

"That's right." The Regent nodded, giving an amused smile. "You think our Queen would trust our survival to any other? I serve Her, as She wills. By Her word am I Regent, and by Her word do I guard Her sons and daughters."

Lory saluted, fast, wincing when his hoof struck his forehead. "Ma'am, it's an honor, ma'am! I had no idea, or I-"

"At ease, Lorikeet." The Regent's smile grew slightly as she interrupted the babbling flutterpony, Lorikeet shutting up instantly. From the side, Damsel and Honeycut shared a look and smirked. "This is my first act as Queen's Captain in some years... and perhaps the most important I've ever taken. Damsel. Lorrikeet. You are to reach Flutter Valley, locate the Queen, and awaken Her. Let nothing stop you. Is that understood?"

"Ma'a, yes ma'am!"

"By your word, Captain."

Together, Damsel and Lorikeet saluted. The Regent nodded. "Good."

Everyone who could cram themselves into the atrium did, gathered around the small stage to see off the away teams.

The Equestrian and Flutter Valley teams stood beside each other as both Regent and Overmare gave their speech to the crowd. The Equestrian team, two changelings and four ponies, headed by Ironside, had left their Stable barding behind, choosing comfortable, protective barding, the kind worn by frontiersponies, instead. The carried only light weapons, sidearms and batons, to fend off whatever wildlife they might encounter on the road to Appleoosa, following the maps on their Pipbucks. The Flutter Valley team, consisting only of Damsel and Lorikeet, had packed much lighter. Simple hooded cloaks to protect from the sun, their saddlebags filled mainly with canteens and love crystals, proper food a secondary concern for the pair. Neither wore barding, Stable or otherwise, and their forelegs were bare of Pipbucks. Lorrikeet hadn't admitted it out loud, but it felt strange not wearing his Pipbuck, and the fur on his leg where it usually sat was a different shade and length to the rest, something that bothered him more than it should have.

"-and now, let's hear it for our brave people!" The Overmare finished her speech and stepped back as the crowd errupted into applause.

The two teams, smiling confidently, left the stage, descending into the crowd for their final farewells before leaving.

Holly darted up, hugging first her father, then her aunt, and finally Lorikeet, squeezing him until he squeaked. "You guys come back quick!" She demanded. "You got it?"

While Holly squeezed the life out of Lory, Merry trotted up and pulled both Ironside and Damsel into a winghug. "Ooh, I can't bear to see you go! Both of you, hurry back. And Damsel, dear," Merry smiled at the changeling, "we need to talk when you get back."

Ironside and Damsel shared a knowing look as they were pulled into a smothering hug by the broody pegasus.

"This is it." Ironside said, looking into the distance. Beside him, Damsel nodded. The pair and their teams stood at the edge of the town, a low wall of resin and sand slowly taking form behind them. Patchy clouds let harsh sunlight through, bathing everything in golden light. "Be safe."

"I will," Damsel replied, before spreading her wings and buzzing them, Lorrikeet spreading his own wings being her. "You, too." With one final look backwards, both changeling and flutterpony took to the air, their wings carrying them away from their home and into the desert, to where no pony would dare to tread.

Ironside sighed, and turned to his team. "Okay, people. Let's head out." The small herd started moving, headed for Equestria, the far-off land shrouded by clouds.

Beneath them, in the Hive, Overmare and Regent shared a hopeful smile. The future seemed bright.

Journey

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Journey

Equestria was dark, even in the late afternoon. Thick clouds hung overheard, reaching from horizon to horizon and casting everything into a permanent twilight. Beneath the foreboding sky, a collection of equines trudged onwards through the desert, their home a full day behind them.

"I don't like this," one of the pegasi muttered, looking up at the sky and shifting uncomfortably, her wings rustling. "Clouds shouldn't look like that... not over Equestria..."

At the head of the herd, Ironside glanced up, then back at the pegasus who'd spoken. "It's been a long time since any of us have seen proper clouds, Grace. Looks like a storm from what I remember."

The pegasus, Grace, shook her head and fluffed her wings out, looking up nervously again. "A Weather Pegasus never forgets, Chief. That storm when we came up should've cleared the skies all the way to Dodge Junction, but it's like the closer we get to Equestria, the more clouds there are."

Ironside frowned and slowed, bringing the herd to a halt. "You're sure?"

Grace nodded. "Sure as Celestia's Sun shines, chief."

"Alright." Still frowing, Ironside checked his Pipbuck. "There's a sietch about two hours away. We'll head there, get some rest and start again tomorrow. Grace, think you can get us some sunlight when we get there?"

Looking confident at the thought of returning to her old job, Grace nodded again. "I'll do my best, chief."

"Good to hear." Ironside tossed his mane and looked over his team. "Let's go, people." With that, he turned and started walking again, the herd quickly following, eager to reach Equestria, but wary of the almost forgotten world had become. As they traveled, their hoofprints cutting a trail across the sands, Ironside found his mind wandering towards his prospective herdmate and her flutterpony companion, wondering where they were and if they were making better progress.

Lorikeet's muscles ached. The Hiveborn flutterpony had never been one for constant flying, not when there were places to land, rest or walk all through the Hive. Damsel never would have admitted to it, but she, too, was feeling the strain, the Guardsmare not as young as she'd been the last time she'd made the journey. Shared determination and the reassuring presence of one another in the otherwise silent hivemind drove them onwards, though, and a full day of flight had taken them far from their Hive.

Featureless dunes and drifts were all around them, pierced by the occasional rocky outcropping or dark rift in the landscape. Even from their high position, the pair could feel the heat rising from the sands, the relentless mid-day sun covered by less and less clouds as they ventured further and further from Equestria. It was an intimidating place, and only the first barrier they would have to breach to find Flutter Valley.

A query through the hivemind, Lory requesting a short break as they passed over a large ravine, the overhanging rocks throwing the depths into shadow, tempting him with their promise of relief from Celestia's burning gaze. Damsel replied, first to deny the request and then, when Lorikeet asked why, to tell him to stay close. Together, they dived towards the jagged crack in the earth, flitting mere feet above it.

Suddenly, Lorikeet understood, the dive bringing the ravine into his range. He sensed something, a group of somethings, all of them hungry, and the dive had caught their attention. Flutterpony and changeling rose again as the first howls of the rock hound pack echoed out, the pair quickly returning to their previous height for safety and to keep the hounds from following them.

A silent conversation passed between the two, Lorikeet acknowledging his mistake and Damsel reassuring him that, with just an hour's flight, they would be somewhere safe, a place to rest and wait out the worst of the day's heat. They just had to bear it for a little longer.

Ironside and his team milled around at the base of the cliff, a short outcropping of stone that jutted up from the sand, waiting for Grace to return from her scouting flight. They were all wary, the first time most had left the safety of their Stable in two decades, and for some, the furthest they'd ever been from the hidden shelter in their lives. One of the changelings, stationed atop the cliff on watch, let out a cry, alerting the team that Grace was returning.

They all watched the pegasus, circling as she descended, stumbling slightly as she landed, the team moving to check on her.

"Report." Ironside said, before taking a step back from the mare, his muzzle wrinkling. She had the harsh smell of ozone and was shaking slightly, drawing the attention of the changeling medic. "Are you alright?"

Grace saluted, coughing once. "I'm fine, chief." She coughed again and fluffed out her feathers, her plumage almost crackling with electrical charge. "Just a bit shocked by all the clouds. Didn't expect them to be that thick." A pained smirk crossed her face before falling. "Sir, those clouds are wild. I couldn't do a thing with them before they closed over again..." At the medic's prompting, Grace spread her wings, little pops and crackles filling the air as her feathers sparked against each other, static arcing between them. Her ears drooped. "It's like a sea up there, chief. Clouds as far as I could see. No sign of other pegasi."

"Alright." Ironside nodded to the mare. "You did your best." Grace saluted again as he turned to the rest of the team. "We're staying here tonight." He motioned the changeling who'd been on watch over, lowering his voice slightly. "Damsel said there was a sietch hear. Can you find it?"

The changeling chittered and saluted before darting over to the base of the cliff and buzzing around for a few moments before calling out an affirmative and vanishing from sight, then reappearing a moment later. The rest of the team followed, Grace having checked out as fine, and soon began to vanish into an almost invisible gap in the cliffside.

Pipbuck lights were activated as they filed in, Ironside bringing up the rear and pausing at the entrance. He gave it a critical look and stepped back outside before whickering appreciatively. If he hadn't known where it was, if he'd looked at it from any other angle, it would have looked like a solid wall of stone. Even knowing it was there, it just looked like a shallow crack, not even deep enough to hide a single pony. With a single look back, at the desert which was vanishing into dark nothingness as the moonless night fell, he snorted and trotted back into the hidden shelter.

It was impossible to get lost, the tight walls guiding him down a single, crooked path. A minute's walk, much of it sloping gently downwards, and he emerged into a small chamber that bore the hallmarks of changeling construction. Every piece of stone was smoothed, turning every surface into a place to rest, with alcoves set into the walls for sleeping. There was little resin to be seen, only small patches stuck to the walls, the changelings quickly touching their horns to the hard material and charging them with magic, bathing everything in the soft green glow that they all recognized from the changeling built tunnels of the Stable.

Small holes could be seen in the ceiling, airshafts that led to the surface and were doubtless hidden from prying eyes. Futher back, the soft dripping of water could be heard from through a dark opening, a hidden waterpit, the airshafts gathering condensation and moisture from the air, every drop left to drip into the pool for drinking. Ironside had been briefed on the sietches, on the ways the desert-travelling changelings had found to survive, but hearing about it and seeing it were two different things.

With a small smile, he joined the rest of his team, preparing their evening meal. They'd made enough progress for the day, and it was time to rest.

Damsel fluttered her wings, stretching in the cool air of the sietch, before topping off her reserves from a love crystal. Tucking the diminished, though not empty, crystal, back into her bag, she stood and nodded to Lorikeet, who was finishing his own meal. "Are you ready to go?"

Lorikeet nodded, swallowing his last mouthful of ration bar and mimicked Damsel's actions with his own love crystal, though taking far less than the pure changeling had. "I'm ready, ma'am."

The two walked in silence, returning to the surface and emerging from the comforting confines into darkness, Luna's moon just beginning its journey overhead. High on the canyon wall, where their shelter was hidden, they paused a moment, stretching one final time, and Lorikeet spoke. "Ma'am, how do you know where the sietches are?"

Damsel groaned as she stretched out her foreleg, before blinking at the young hiveborn. "The sietches are our gathering places, Lorikeet. They are where we rest, where we retreat in times of trouble. We made them to keep us safe when we left Flutter Valley, so that anyone who found them would believe that was where we truly lived." She grinned, baring her fangs. "Not many ever did find them, though. As for how I know where they are... I am a Queen's Guard, young flutterpony. I know everything," she teased.

Seeing the conflicted look on Lorikeet's face, how he was torn between believing her and his surety she was simply playing, Damsel took to the air, her wings buzzing. "Come. We'll travel at night and rest during the day." She bared her teeth in another grin, feeling alive beneath the moon. "It is much safer, and I have some sietch tales to tell you."

Lorikeet took to the air, joining Damsel eagerly. "Sietch tales, ma'am?"

Damsel nodded as she led the way, leaving the desert behind. "Yes, Lorikeet. Our legends, and our history. And the first is of the Sietch Maker, the Desert Mouse..."

The pair flew onwards, passing beyond the desert's edge and crossing into the Shattered Lands.

Meetings

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Meetings

The Equestrian team looked to each other nervously, soft clicking sounds filling the otherwise still and quiet desert noon air. They were still a week away from the nearest pony settlement, following the outdated maps available in the Stable, and almost a month from their home, but even so far away from the core cities the background radiation was high enough to be picked up by their Pipbucks.

Ironside stepped forwards, moving to stand in front of the herd before clearing his throat. "We all knew this might happen, though we hoped it wouldn't." He kept his head up, hiding any worries he might have had, remaining the strong leader as always. "The Science division predicted that the further into Equestria we go, the higher the radiation levels will be. It's unlikely we'll be able to reach the core, or even the outlying cities. However, radiation levels here are still safe, and we stand a good chance of reaching Appleloosa without harm. I won't order you to take the risk. We can turn back now, try again at a later date... or..." He looked over the gathered herd, the team he'd led from their home and through the desert, "...we can keep going until it's too dangerous to go any further. All in favor of continuing on to Appleloosa, raise your hoof."

The varied equines looked at each other, their eyes slowly filling with determination. They were ponies and changelings, on a mission to help whoever they could. One hoof raised, then another, and quickly each and every member of the team cast their vote to continue, to go on.

Ironside nodded, a thin smile creeping onto his muzzle. "All in favor of turning back, lower your hooves." His smile grew slightly when not a singly hoof fell. "Very well. Keep your packets of Radsafe ready. We're heading out."

With that, the stallion turned and set off, the herd falling into line behind him, each of them focused on doing what they could, on not abandoning their Equestrian kin... and steadfastly doing their best not to think about how few survivors there might be, lost in the growing radiation.

Damsel and Lorikeet flew, two discreet shadows in the night, their almost non-stop flight taking them much further from home than their counterparts in Equestria had traveled. Below them, far beyond where any pony had ever ventured, passed the deepest reaches of the Shattered Lands. Ravines and canyons crisscrossed the landscape, carving it into steep plateaus and gaping wounds in the earth, their depths untouched even by the brightest mid-day sun. It was like some titanic force had split the world open there, in an age beyond even the oldest dragon's memory, leaving the land a shattered, scorched maze, impenetrable and all but lifeless.

Overhead, painting everything with a soft, silvery glow, was the moon. So far from Equestria, the land was wild, the pony-land clouds having no power to stay and having been left well behind, until even the horizon behind them was clear and untouched except for a thin streak of greying during the day.

Lorikeet savored the cool night air, and the gentle light of the moon. It was much easier to fly through than the scorching daylight, with the sun that dazzled his Stable-born eyes and left him nearly blind or threatened to bleach his coat and burn his skin. He was thankful for Damsel's plan to travel at night, and for her willingness to spend that first cloudless night flying slowly, telling old fishermare's tales beneath the moon.

Damsel, too, took pleasure in the journey and the clear sky. The air was less stifling, cool against her carapace, smelling of dust and something... odd. Something familiar. Something that made her wings tingle. She slowed her pace, allowing Lorikeet to take his place beside her. "See anything ahead?" She asked with an enigmatic smile, gesturing with her now-healed foreleg.

Squinting into the distance, where a dark shape had slowly begun to rise during their flight, Lori shook his head. "No. Just... a mountain... and... clouds?" He turned to her, his expression curious. "Is Flutter Valley on the mountain, ma'am?"

Still smiling, Damsel shook her head. "Not on the mountain, no. You'll understand soon." Saying nothing more, she darted forwards again, leaving Lorikeet scrambling to catch up.

The Equestrian team had been travelling for days, taking daily doses of Radsafe as their Pipbucks ticked ever louder, gradually approaching dangerous levels.

It was early in the fourth day that Grace, the watch-pegasus circling above, dived suddenly. "Movement ahead!" she shouted, indicating a few degrees from their path, towards some rocky dunes. "One contact, a couple minutes away!" Grace came to a hover at the head of the group, in front of Ironside. "Too big to be a pony, Chief. Looked like a buffalo. There was one of their tents, too. Might be a camp."

"Good work, Grace." Ironside mulled the information over for a minute silently, before nodding. "They're not far off our path... we'll meet up with them. Grace," he addressed the pegasus scout, "keep an eye out. If you see anything else, let us know. Chatter," he turned to one of the changelings this time, "you're on full alert. Some of the buffalo tribes weren't happy about ponies being out here, and I want to know if there'll be trouble before it starts. Everyone else, eyes and ears open, and watch your EFS."

"Sir." The changeling, Chatter, saluted and perked up his ears, panning them around slowly. The other changelings in the group did the same, thought not as intently, instead focusing their energy on physically looking around and sharing their findings over the hivemind.

As Grace took off again, returning to her place in the sky, Ironside resumed the march, leading the group towards their first contact.

"That's... a big... mountain..." Lorikeet mumbled as, awestruck, he looked up from the sietch entrance. An enormous mountain stretched almost from horizon to horizon in the morning light, so large his mind couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing. It rose out of the broken landscape like a solitary titan, looming over everything even at such an extreme distance. The peak, if there even was one, was obscured by the thick, slowly swirling bank of dark, foreboding clouds that ringed it.

Damsel nodded, watching the young flutterpony's awed expression with a smile. "That it is, Lorikeet."

"Are... are we going over it? Is Flutter Valley on the other side?" Lori asked nervously, prying his eyes away from the sight before him. Damsel smirked.

"No, Lorikeet. We're not going over it... we're going through it." The changeling chuckled, seeing Lori's confusion grow. "I'll explain when we've rested. Come. We have a long flight ahead tonight, and a longer walk."

Teasingly refusing to answer Lorikeet's confused questions, Damsel led the way into the long-disused sietch, hidden within one of the dark canyons. She'd explain everything in due time, and she was enjoying teasing her companion, the nearness of their goal raising her mood considerably.

The Equestrian team paused a short distance from the buffalo camp, looking it over. A single buffalo sat, wrapped heavily in blankets, in front of a trail-worn tent, tending a low-burning fire and smoking a pipe. At a hesitant nod from Chatter, the changeling giving the all-clear, Ironside stepped forwards, approaching slowly, making himself obvious while the team remained where they were.

"Good afternoon," Ironside called out, eyeing the buffalo cautiously, his instincts screaming that something wasn't right. "We're travellers from the border, trying to get to Equestria. Can you... tell us anything... about the road ahead...?"

The buffalo turned, slowly, to face Ironside, and the stallion took a half-step back in shock and fear. "Go no further, traveler," the buffalo said in a pained, gravely voice, "these lands are poisoned." It took a drag from its pipe, blowing a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke into the air. "Bad spirits, angry spirits..." Milky, unseeing eyes stared in Ironside's direction, the stallion taking another step back. "They change you, make you rot..." It shook its head, a clump of matted, mangy hair falling free and exposing the rotting, discolored flesh beneath. "Rot like... like apples... apples... whole... whole town of... of apples..." Muttering to itself, seemingly forgetting about its visitors, the buffalo turned its face back to the fire.

Ironside backed up slowly, his expression tense as he returned to the herd. "Sir?" Grace asked hesitantly.

"Everyone, take another Radsafe," Ironside ordered, "we're leaving. We're going back. Now." He gave one final look over his shoulder as he herded his team, hurrying them back along their trail, leaving the unfortunate buffalo to its fate. "Celestia help us all..."

Edge of The World

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Edge of The World

It had taken almost an entire night's flight, but changeling and flutterpony finally stood at the foot of the mountain, where the upwelling of plateaus and outcroppings gave way to the sudden cliffs and sheer surfaces of the towering mountain. In what little light crept through the inky darkness, everything was shaded black and grey, a colossal inkscape painting.

Damsel dug her hooves into the harsh, dead soil and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath. The world there was wild. An untameable wind constantly howled through the canyons and ravines, echoing in a deafening, eerie cry. High above, dark clouds roiled off the mountain, hiding its true heights and promising a monstrous storm. Lightning flashed deep within the clouds, split-second bursts of light that were mirrored by glassy streaks in the stone below, confusing the eye with vivid flashes.

For Damsel, this was a place relegated to decades-old memory, a place that protected her and her kind. It was the final barrier, the final obstacle before she had truly returned to her homeland. It brought a fang-baring grin to her face.

Lorikeet, however, was Stableborn, and felt quite differently. A small part of his mind had never truly accepted that there was no ceiling above, or that the outside world was truly as endless as it seemed. The very idea of a place so much larger than the Hive frightened him in some deep way. Here, though, at the foot of the mountain that stretched from horizon to horizon, that reached higher than he could bring himself to imagine, he found himself believing they'd reached the wall at the end of the world.

The flutterpony tried to call out to his changeling leader, but his words were snatched away by the relentless wind that tore at his mane and stung his wings. Taking a deep breath of his own, he focused, crying out into the hivemind. "Ma'am, what is this place?!"

Damsel turned to him, her solid blue eyes alight with pleasure, wings pinned tightly to her back to keep them from the wind's claws. "The Roc's Wall, Lorikeet! Flutter Valley lies just a day beyond!"

Lorikeet squinted as a particuarly vicious gust sent spirals of dirt and dust whipping past him. "I've never seen anything like this! The sandstorm was nothing like this!"

"That's because the Roc is hunting!" Damsel's excited laughter echoed through their shared mind as she raised her hoof to point at the clouds, where the lightning cut violent rents through the swirling malestrom... and sometimes, for just a moment, sillhouetting something in the clouds above. Something far larger than it had any right to be. "Can you see it? The Maker's own beast!"

An unspeakable fear gripped Lorikeet's heart as, with agonizing slowness, the very tip of a feathered wing descended from the impossibly high clouds, trailing sparks and lines of lightning before vanishing once more into the chaotic squall. Speechless, he tried to imagine what monstrously large creature it could belong to, his limited experiences giving rise to images of a desert bird of impossible size, large enough to snatch his entire Hive from the earth in a single claw.

He snapped out of his shocked stupor when Damsel laughed again, the changeling unaware of his private thoughts. "It is a sign, Lorikeet! The Queen awaits! With me, my brother!" Abandoning her stoic, calm demeanor, Damsel took to the air, streaking into the relative quiet of the nearest ravine, pausing at its threshhold only long enough to be sure her companion was following.

The little Nest-Keepers had returned, It idly noted, keen eyes catching the tiny movements below even through the hunt-storm. This, It felt, was good. With a single slow, languid stroke of Its wings, It rose higher, turning Its fell gaze to the horizon in search of prey untouched by the poison winds.

Perhaps the Nest-Mother still lived. That, It felt, would be very good.

The Equestrian team was exhausted, having continued on through the remainder of the day and much of the night before finally reaching a sietch where their Pipbucks barely clicked at all, safe from the radiation outside.

As his team broke out their supplies and made camp, Ironside suppressed a shudder and looked towards the entrance, mentally composing his report on the expedition. Lost in his thoughts, he started when Grace spoke up from behind him. "Bit for your thoughts, Chief?" She sounded tired and, when Ironside turned, he noted that she, as well as the others, looked as weary as the pegasus sounded. "What happened back there? Was there a problem with that buffalo? Is that why we're headed back?"

Ironside sighed, pausing to look over his team. He hadn't explained the sudden retreat before leading them out, not wanting to risk his ponies and changelings any more than he already had with explanations at the time. Now, though, they were as safe as could be without pushing themselves beyond their limits, and he owed them answers.

"The buffalo is only part of it, Grace." Ironside shook his head, then addressed one of the changelings, "Chatter, did you get anything from the buffalo?"

Chatter, the watch changeling, perked up, looking thoughtful for a moment. "It felt... sick, sir." He grimaced. "Very sick... and tired..."

Ironside's head drooped slightly, before he raised it, looking his team in the eyes. "It was worse than that. They were... rotting... but they were still alive." He pretended not to notice the queasy looks that swept across the group at his words. "I'm not even sure if it was a bull or a cow. They were talking about bad spirits. We won't know for certain until I've reported to the Science Division, but I believe the radiation is responsible."

Most of the group immediately went for their packets of Radsafe and RadAway. Grace, though, delayed long enough to ask "Are we going home, Chief? We might still make it to Dodge Junction." She didn't look enthusiastic at the idea, though, and neither did the watching team members.

Clear relief flooded everyone's faces when Ironside shook his head with a serious expression. "No. As of now, we're done in Equestria. Our job is to get home safely. After that, it's up to the Overmare and Regent."

"I hear that, Chief." Grace managed a small, tired smile of relief, before turning to her own supplies and digging out the packet of chalky RadSafe tablets. Popping one into her mouth with a "bleagh" at the texture, she motioned Chatter over, the pair discussing what shape they thought the town would be in when they returned.

His team occupied, Ironside turned his attention back to the entrance, his mind turning to his prospective herdmate and her flutterpony companion. He hoped they were having more luck than he was.

Lorikeet wasn't sure how long they'd been underground, but it felt like an entire night at least. Damsel had led the way into a hidden tunnel, deep within a ravine at the foot of the mountain, following a path she alone knew, her excitement about the nearness of Fluttery Valley palpable.

Queens knew Lorikeet felt completely lost, not that he'd admit it. The endless hours spent walking in near-absolute blackness, lit only by a spare love crystal's weak glow and Damsel's lit horn, had left him disoriented, and he found himself focusing on Damsel's presence in the hivemind to keep himself grounded.

At least, he thought gratefully, the darkness and winding tunnel were similar to the deeper parts of the Hive. It was a small comfort, being underground again after so long under the open sky. His eyes had even adjusted to the dim lighting, letting him make out the smooth surfaces of the tunnel, sloping gently downward so subtly that, if he hadn't lived his entire life below ground, he might have missed it... even if he had only a vague sense of which way they'd come from.

So, it was understandable that, when they rounded a corner and found the tunnel ahead flooded with daylight, the pair were both blinded, blinking and rubbing their eyes frantically to try and regain their sight.

Slowly, though, they recovered and moved, blinking, into the light. When he could see again, Lorikeet's jaw dropped. "Is that..."

"Yes." Damsel nodded, smiling and buzzing her wings in pleasure. "The Rosedust Sea."

Spread out before them was a rippling sea of red, flowing in shifting tides driven by a gentle wind. A great cliff, the inside of the Roc's Wall, bordered what could only be described as an inland sea or maybe an enormous lake, forming a great wall that stretched impossibly high, higher than the clouds outside had hinted, leaving only a broad circle of clear blue sky above. Small, whispy clouds drifted about, some gathered against the cliffs like bunches of cotton caught on the stone. Small islands could be seen poking up from the red ocean, most bearing some form of greenery that stood out against the dark greys of the stone and the flowing shades of red.

But the largest island was what Damsel raised her hoof towards, her smile growing as she did so. An island much larger than their hometown, topped by great spires of stone that stretched upwards towards the circle of sky and wearing a crown of puffy white clouds around their heights. "That, Lorikeet," the changeling said, "is Flutter Valley."

Flutter Valley

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Flutter Valley

Damsel galloped forwards, throwing herself into the open air with a buzz of her wings. Behind her, Lorikeet scrambled to keep up, taken by surprise by his companion's sudden movement. Together, wings glittering in the sunlight, they began a slow spiral downwards, towards the nearest of the islands, the tunnel to the outside world nothing more than a small gap in the cliff wall that soon vanished from sight.

Lorikeet marvelled at the changes in Damsel's demeanor, the typically calm changeling practically alive with energy and excitement, broadcasting her joy at returning home to across the hivemind for anyone who might be listening. There was no response, none that the young flutterypony could hear, but it did nothing to dampen her enthusiasm.

During their long, slow descent, the sheer size of the hidden world began to dawn on Lorikeet. Whole minutes passed and it seemed they had barely begun to approach the nearest island in the sea of red, while the wall behind them remained as imposingly tall as ever, continuing on to each side and curving out over what he was beginning to realise was a massive distance, meeting on the far side and completely enclosing the inland sea.

The Roc's Wall was fittingly named.

Gradually, the ground grew near and Lorikeet began to notice something odd about the red surface. He turned his attention to it fully, now only half-listening to Damsel's calls as he scrutinised what lay below. He, like most of the Stable's inhabitants, had never seen a body of water larger than the pond in the orchard, and as such had nothing to draw on to compare the odd sea to.

Still, something about it bothered him. It wasn't moving like the waves in the orchard pond, or the ripples in the sietch wells. Great bands and streaks moved slowly across the surface, leaving trails of different shades in their wake. Trails that didn't spread out and settle like waves or ripples, but remained as they grew still, like strokes in an enormous painting.

Another minute passed, the pair descending further towards the nearest island before Lorikeet gave up and, darting closer to Damsel, called out to her. "Ma'am, the Rosedust Sea... what is it?"

Damsel paused in her calls to glance towards her companion and, with an enigmatic smile, say "It's exactly what it sounds like, Lorikeet," before pressing her wings flat against her back and diving quickly downwards. Yet again, Lorikeet was left behind for a moment before closing his own, larger, wings as tight to his body as possible in pursuit.

The young flutterpony wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was starting to find his companion's newly playful and teasing behaviour quite bothersome.

"It's not water," Lorikeet stated in surprise as he ran his hoof through the deep red stuff in front of him,"it's sand."

Damsel nodded with a small smile. "Sand and silt, Lorikeet." She lowered her own hoof into the fine sand and lifted it, letting the grains fall in a shower that sparkled, glassy particles catching the afternoon light as they fell.

Lorikeet drew circles with the tip of his hoof, watching them slowly be swallowed by the sand again, then paused. "I get it now."

"Hmm?" Damsel hummed, having moved a few steps away, stepping from the beach and into the 'sea' properly, her hooves sinking into the fine sand.

"What you said before. I get it." Blinking, Lorikeet raised his head to watch his companion as she swished her hooves, letting the sand move through the holes in her legs with a faint look of delight. "It's not just the Rosedust sea, it's the rose dust sea. Because of the red sand... right?"

"Mmhmm..." Damsel just hummed again, letting her approval of Lorikeet's deduction be felt through the hivemind as she began to scoop up hoofulls of sand and rub them against her chitin, particuarly her formerly wounded forleg. "That's right, Lorikeet," she affirmed with a nod, "but it's also named after the First Queen, Queen Rosedust." She paused in her ministrations to glance at him. "Although," she continued with a thoughtful tone, "She may have been named after the sea... hmm..." Another pause, this time to smile slightly. "The Queen will know for sure. When we find Her, you can ask, my little flutterpony."

Bemused, Lorikeet watched Damsel rubbing the sand against her shell and thought about what she'd said before closing his eyes and reaching out to the hivemind, searching, feeling looking for anyone else who may have been in the area. There was nothing there, just tantalising echoes that vanished as he grasped for them, and the sense that there was something there, if only he could find it.. "Ma'am, are you sure the Queen is here? I can't hear anything at all, and..." He opened his eyes again and saw, with some surprise, that Damsel had begun rolling around in the sand, a look of pleasure clear on her face as she wriggled around on her back. "Ma'am... what are you doing?"

Damsel didn't even look up in response to the question, continuing her squirming for a few moments before rolling to her hooves and flicking her wings open, buzzing them with a sigh of contentment. Finally, she looked to Lorikeet, sand falling in small streams from the gaps in her carapace and the hole in her legs. "All of us who go beyond the Wall bathe ourselves in the sea before returning to the valley proper. It leaves us purified, cleans us of everything from the world outside, ready to return to our home and our Queen." She paused, a small smile growing as she examined her formerly wounded leg, the limb now glossy and smooth. "The sand here is also quite good for your shell, Lorikeet."

"Ma'am, I have a coat," Lorikeet deadpanned.

Damsel just shrugged as she continued examining her newly cleaned shell. "At least clean your hooves, brother." She gave him a cheeky smirk. "It wouldn't do to meet the Queen with dirt in your steps, would it?"

"I suppose not, ma'am..." With a sigh, Lorikeet stepped forwards himself, off the more stable beach and into the looser sand his companion had bathed in. He immediately felt his hooves sink a couple of inches and fought the urge to spread his wings in response, instead reluctantly shuffling his hooves in the fine substance. After a few moments, and finding the sand much finer and less coarse than he'd expected, he hesitantly scooped some up with on hoof and rubbed it on his leg, just above his hoof. Much to his surprise, it didn't cling to his coat or clump together. It didn't even leave the gritty feeling he'd expected. Soon, he too was rolling around in the sand, kicking up clouds of dust as he scrubbed the remains of their journey away.

Feeling oddly renewed, he got his hooves under himself again and shook the loose sand from his coat before giving Damsel a sheepish smile.

"Feel better?" Damsel asked, a knowing look on her face. Lorikeet simply nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." He moved back onto the beach, shaking once more to get the last of the fine sand free before pausing to examine his coat. It wasn't as shiny or clean as shampoo could make it, but the worst of the dirt and grime from their journey had come loose, scrubbed away by the fine, almost glassy sand. "Will we reach the valley tonight?"

"No. We're staying here for the night." Damsel shook her head, causing Lorikeet to look up at her in surprise.

"No?" Lorikeet gestured over the greenery of the island they were on, at the towering, mountainous island that he'd been told held Flutter Valley. "But ma'am, we're so close! We could be there in an hour!" His confusion was plain to see as he questioned the decision. "I thought finding the Queen was our priority..."

Damsel just shook her head again. "Be at ease, brother, and follow me." Turning, she waited just long enough for Lorikeet to catch up, before heading up the beach and into the center of the island. Around them, what could only be described as a small jungle rose up from the rich soil. so different from the bare, rocky beach. Thick, lush plant life was everywhere, vine-draped trees with broad leaves and fan-like bushes, roots snaking deep into the surprisingly fertile soil. Insects buzzed and chirped from out of sight, or rustled through the decaying leaf-litter on the ground. Odd-looking lizards, the largest not more than two hooves in length, chased each other about, launching themselves into the air and gliding between trees on brightly-colored flaps of skin before vanishing into the canopy. Small pools of water could be seen, bubbling up from between the rocks, supply the precious liquid to the surface creatures and plants.

They walked in silence for several minutes, Damsel with her eyes half-closed in contemplation, Lorikeet looking everywhere in surprise at the amount of life on the small island, before they emerged once more onto a beach. Damsel raised her hoof and pointed. "Flutter Valley is right there. It doesn't seem so far away, does it?"

Lorikeet looked where she was pointing and shook his head. "No, ma'am." Indeed, their destination seemed well within reach, a mass of joined mountains rising into the sky, their bases thick with what he assumed to be a jungle like the one they were in.

Damsel chuckled. "Your eyes betray you, Lorikeet." At the flutterpony's confused look, she continued. "We're still hours away. Look closer, you can tell."

"It looks so close, though..." Lorikeet mumbled as he squinted, wishing he had the eyesight of a pegasus so he could see what Damsel meant. There was a beach, a narrow strip of grey stone and sand that ran from the red sea to the cliffs at the base of the mountains... there was the jungle, growing atop the cliffs... small pockets of greenery could be seen growing from the sides of the mountains, although the distance made them little more than blotches of color.

His eyes went wide as he realised how far the island would have to be for the jungle to be so featureless, and how large the island and its mountainous crown would have to be for it to seem so close.

Damsel laughed at the awestruck expression on Lorikeet's face. "As I said, your eyes betray you." She gave the stunned flutterpony a warm smile. "It's getting late. We will depart tomorrow morning, but for now, we should eat." With that, she turned and trotted towards the nearest bundle of plants, once more leaving Lorikeet to catch up.

"We-we could still make it, ma'am," Lorikeet stuttered, still bewildered by the scale of the mountain and, by extension, the sheer size of the sea. His mind refused to even think about the size of the Roc's Wall. "If we leave soon-"

"Then we'll still be flying when night falls," Damsel interrupted as she took several large palm fronds and inspected them, "and we'll never reach the valley if that happens." She paused and looked up from her work. giving her helmet a tap. "I was a fishermare before the Queen chose me for Her Guard, Lorikeet. I know the hazards of the sands better than most." Turning away from the flutterpony, she continued her work, deftly manipulating the fronds with her magic.

"What do you mean, ma'am?" Lorikeet looked out over the almost still sands, broken only by slowly moving streaks. "It looks so... peaceful... and I can't feel anything out there..."

"Here, take this." Lorikeet didn't have time to speak before the end of a palm frond was shoved in his mouth, Damsel taking him by surprise.
"I'm going to teach you my art, brother. Do as I say, and you may be a fishercolt yourself some day." She smiled, before taking the other end of the broad leaf in her own mouth, letting Lorikeet see that she'd woven several leaves together into a small net.

Lorikeet repeated his question over the hivemind, but Damsel just urged him to be patient, that she'd explain her unwillingness to fly over the sands at night once they'd eaten, and it would make more sense then.

Instead, the pair took to the air and flew a short distance from the beach, the crude net held in their teeth. Damsel showed her young companion how to fly in tandem so the net wouldn't come apart or tangle, Lorikeet slowly growing in confidence as they practiced diving, skimming the surface of the sea before rising again.

All the while, Damsel watched the moving sands carefully, decades-old skills rusty but still reminding her of what to look for.

There.

A thought was all the signal needed, Damsel broadcasting her move before she made it, diving towards an upwelling of sand with Lorikeet a her side. The pair skimmed the surface of the sea, their net sinking into it and sliding easily through the loose sand. They rose again, trailing sand and heading for the beach again as something moved in the net.

Setting the net on a rocky outcropping on the beach, Lorikeet got a good look at what they'd caught as Damsel stuck her hoof into the net with a look of delight. The things in it squirmed at her touch, most of them twice the length of her hoof at least, with tiny black eyes stuck on pointed heads and long, fat bodies that ended in small fins. Dozens of long, feather-like legs stuck out from the mottled brown-and-red bodies, wriggling like feelers, helplessly trying to move the things along. Their sides were lined with odd, raised streaks in muted reds, greens and blues. They didn't look like something that a self-respecting flutterpony had any business eating.

Lorikeet could only look at them with a sense of mild repulsion as Damsel sorted through the catch. "Ma'am... what are they?"

"Krill, Lorikeet!" Damsel answered happily as she scooped up a particuarly fat one and sniffed it. "Sand krill, much better than rock krill. Larger, better meat, not bitter or tough at all." The krill was set aside, and another quickly joined it. "A good catch for your first try," she added, sniffing at a smaller specimen before tossing it over her shoulder and into the sea. Lorikeet watched it go, shuddering slightly as the long, feathery limbs scooped at the sand, quickly burying it out of sight before the small lump, all that remained to show where it was, began to move away from the beach and vanished entirely in moments.

"What," he asked hesitantly, "are we doing to do with them? Ma'am?"

"Eat them, of course," came Damsel's reply, caught up as she was in sorting the catch. Some, the largest, were set to one side, while others joined the first in being returned to the sand. She paused for a moment, looking wistfully towards Flutter Valley. "The kitchens made the best krill stew..." She shook her head and returned to the net.

"Eat... them...?" Lorikeet swallowed nervously. He wasn't looking forward to trying to eat the things, looking as they did like overgrown bugs.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Damsel paused again, looking sidelong at Lorikeet. "They're fine raw, but we should save some for when we get to the valley." She smiled and got a far-off look in her eyes. "Fishermare's stew... fresh vegetables from the jungle, freshly caught sand krill, sometimes spices from the Pony Lands..." Blinking, she shook her head and motioned her companion over. "Lorikeet, come. Help me sort them, and I'll tell you how I became a Queen's Guard."

Lorikeet struggled with the decision for a moment, torn between his dislike of the wriggling things and his desire to hear how Damsel had risen to such an enviable position. Inevitably, the chance to hear another story won out, and he approached, settling beside the nest and hesitantly reaching a hoof in.

With a nod, Damsel cleared her throat. "I was a little younger than you are now, brother, and just a humble fishermare." She paused and pointed at one the squirming krill. "Take that one out, throw it away. It's too small." Lorikeet did so, tossing it towards the sand with a shudder and a grimace. Its legs had touched the frog of his hoof. "My partner at the time, Leppy, had gotten her hooves on some small nets from the pony lands." Damsel let out a chuckle. "Oh Leppy... my friend... she wanted to be the best fishermare she could..." She shook her head with a small, sad smile. "Leppy was learning to take the role of lead fishermare when I left the valley." She shook her head again. "Ah... where was I?"

"The nets, ma'am," Lorikeet supplied as he tossed another small krill away. He was getting used to touching them, and the thought of that was oddly unsettling.

"Right, right," Damsel continued. "The nets. Leppy wanted to see how many krill we could bring in with a net each, instead of our shared one. Word got out, and the rest of our team took it as an excuse to make our day more exciting." She chuckled. "I believe that the going bet was a half apple..." She shook her head again and continued sorting absent-mindedly. "Leppy took one half of the beach, I took the other." She cast a sidelong look at her flutterpony partner. "Would you like to know what swims in this sea, Lorikeet?"

"Yes, ma'am." Lorikeet nodded, glad to finally be learning what was so dangerous about the seemingly peaceful sands.

"Sand krill, mostly," Damsel said, holding one of the larger specimens up before setting it with the others. "Rock krill, in some places. Smaller than sand krill, not nearly as nice to eat and not worth the trouble to weed them out from the rocky areas they prefer. The most dangerous things, though..." She paused, noting how intently Lorikeet was listening now, "are the eels."

"Eels?" Lorikeet parroted.

Damsel nodded, although she couldn't stop herself from grimacing. "Eels." She paused again. "I believe the Equestrians have something similar... quarray eels, perhaps..." She shook her head. "Like a snake, but longer than a changeling is tall, with a mouthful of teeth as long as my horn... and those are the young ones." Her eyes narrowed and she half-turned to glare at the sea. "Completely mindless, always hungry... they'll try to feed on anything that comes near... they stay in the deep sands for the most part, following the krill swarms, but sometimes one makes its way closer to the shore."

Baring her fangs, Damsel returned to sorting the catch, picking up the slack for the fascinated Lorikeet. " That day, Leppy and I were in luck. A large krill swarm was passing, just a trot from the shoreline. That's why Leppy thought we should try her new nets. We'd made a few passes already, bringing back a respectable catch each, when I thought I saw an offshoot swarm forming closer to shore." She shook her head and snorted. "I didn't realise what I had until I'd dragged it out of the sand. An eel. Just a young one, mind, not much longer than me, but it fought like a cornered pony." She turned again and hissed at the sand, the memories of the day coming back quickly. "I never realised how hard their hides were... I chipped a tooth biting it. Had to dash it against the rocks, and it just wouldn't die." She shook herself, her displeasure clear. "It almost got hold of my leg at one point. If it had..." A deep shudder ran through her body at the thought. "I brought it down, though. It took a while, but I did it... and when I looked up... there She was." Sighing, Damsel poked idly at the remaining krill in the net. "The Queen Herself." A proud smile crossed her muzzle. "Queen Chrysalis... and Captain Gossamer... they'd heard that someone had caught an eel and come to see if we help... the look on their faces when they saw that I, just an apprentice fishermare, had managed to bring it in by myself..."

Lorikeet waited for Damsel to continue, entranced by the story and how proudly the changeling was holding herself. After a minute, though, it was clear she was lost in her recollections, so Lorikeet cleared his throat. "Is that when you were chosen for the Guard, ma'am?"

"Huh? Oh." Damsel shook her head and smiled sheepishly. "No, not then. The Captain asked me at the feast that night." She chuckled. "The kitchen prepared the eel, and I presented it to our Queen." A faraway look crept into her eyes and she sighed again. "Eels are so rarely caught... so hard to take safely... they're a privilege and a treat." Another chuckle. "The Queen took the first bite, offered the second to our Captain, and the third... the third was offered to me, and a position in the Guard."

"Wow," Lorikeet breathed. "And that's really how you became a Guard, ma'am?"

Shrugging, Damsel returned to sorting the last few krill with a small smile. "No Guard is chosen without good reason, brother. We all earn our place, and we all perform our duties with everything we have, though only the Queen knows why she chooses who she chooses sometimes." The last of the small krill was thrown back into the sea, vanishing into the sand without a trace, and the pair was left with only a few each. Damsel smirked and lifted one in her hoof. "Do you know how to eat a sand krill, brother?" When the flutterpony shook his head, Damsel's smirk grew. "You're in for a treat, then. First, take it in your hoof... that's right, just like that. Now, bite the head off." With a crunch and a tear, Damsel's fangs stopped the thing's wriggling before swallowing the head whole. "Well?" She gave Lorikeet an expectant look.

Swallowing nervously, Lorikeet eyed the thing on his hoof, not at all sure about what he was about to. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, brought the krill up to his muzzle, and bit down. It was crunchy, like a crisp apple, but with a meaty texture that he couldn't decide if he liked or not. Hesitantly, he chewed, his flat pony's teeth having some trouble at first. It wasn't bad, he thought. Just... different.

When he opened his eyes, he found Damsel smiling at him. "Well done. Now, we can get it ready to eat." She held up her decapitated krill, showing him how to remove the legs easily, and how to grab the tail in his teeth and tear it free, taking the inedible guts with it before tossing the mess towards the jungle. The pair repeated their action with most of the catch, leaving a small number of krill intact, set aside to take into the valley.

It didn't take long before they were all prepared, and Damsel held one out. "To a succesful journey, brother, and the waiting Queen."

"To the waiting Queen, ma'am." Lorikeet, seeing her intent, held up a krill of his own and bumped it against hers. He watched her bite into the creature's underbelly and copied her actions until he'd eaten all of the tender meat inside. Holding up the remains, he asked "Ma'am, what do I do with this?"

Damsel paused in sucking the last of the meat from her own krill. "Eat it, of course. Waste nothing." Demonstrating, she sucked the entire krill into her mouth and started to chew. With a shrug, Lorikeet did the same, grimacing as he bit into something that burst and filled his mouth with an oddly tangy liquid.

He didn't notice Damsel spitting something out and grinning slyly.

Lorikeet held a hoof over his mouth as he let out a small belch. "Ooh... those were tastier than I'd expected..."

Damsel nodded. "Oh, yes. They're even better when the kitchens prepare them properly." She watched Lorikeet out of the corner of her eye, smirking slightly and doing her best to hide her anticipation from the flutterpony.

Around them, the evening was falling, turning quickly to night, and they idly watched the small jungle lizards scavenging from their scraps. As the world grew darker, Damsel spoke up. "The krill are the reason it's so dangerous to fly over the sands at night, you know."

"Oh?" Lorikeet blinked in surprise. "But... they don't look dangerous..."

Damsel shook her head. "No, not themselves, but it's so easy to get lost because of them. Look, it's starting." She pointed out over the dark sands.

"I don't see anything, ma'am," Lorikeet replied. "What am I meant... to... see..." He trailed off and his jaw started to drop. "Wow."

The sea was coming alight, great bands of dazzling colors starting to glow in the darkness and sweeping across the sands. Reds, greens and blues painted in great strokes, moving slowly through the darkness, with sudden bursts of faster-moving yellow errupting for moments and cutting swathes through the slower streaks.

"The krill have a special liquid in their bodies that makes them glow," Damsel explained. "Trying to fly at night, it's easy to be disoriented, especially without the Queen to guide us back to the valley. They're aways moving, so it's difficult to place yourself..." She paused and grinned, this time openly. "It's also quite spicy." As Lorikeet blinked in confusion, she pointed at her fangs. Her plain, white fangs. "The glowing teeth suit you, brother."

"What?" Confused, Lorikeet bared his teeth and held his hoof up to them, realising there was a faint, multi-colored glow coming from his mouth. "But, you... your mouth isn't... glowing..." He looked where she was pointing, at the faintly glowing spot on the rocks where they'd cleaned and prepared the krill. He frowned as Damsel began to chuckle.

"Your face, brother! Priceless!" She laughed, broadcasting her amusement to him. "Oh, don't look so serious! It's an old fishermare's joke, we always do it to the new changelings on the team!"

Lorikeet managed to hold his frown for a few more moments before giving in and joining Damsel in laughing. It wasn't mean-spirited, and it was funny. Kinda.

Soon, though, their laughter died down, and they watched the rippling sea of light in companionable silence until tiredness overtook them.
The pair retreated to the jungle, bedding down beside one of the small pools of water that bubbled up from below the surface. Sleep came to them both quickly that night.

Sleep. Rest. Wait. We wait. We dream. Dream with us.

Dream with us.

Lorikeet yawned, barely able to open his eyes or form a clear thought through the haze in his mind. He forced himself to wake up enough to find his saddlebag and pull it over, feebly dragging out a half-empty love crystal and draining it slightly, needing the boost of energy to fight through the unusual lethargy that had overtaken him.

He sat there for several minutes, the morning moving on without him as he tried to put his mind in order. He couldn't remember his dreams from the night before, just voices, whispers and a warm, inviting presence that called to him to just sleep...

With a shake, he turned his bleary eyes to his companion, surprise slowly making itself known to his foggy mind. Damsel was curled up and still fast asleep, looking as comfortable as if she'd spent the night on the softest bed in the Hive, not even waking up for the lizard that was sunning itself in the morning light on her face.

"Ma'am..." Lorikeet stuggled to say, shaking himself to try and clear his mind a little. "Ma'am, you need to... to wake up..." He yawned, almost falling asleep on his hooves, then shook his head. It didn't help much, so he braced himself and slapped himself. "OW!" Now wide-awake and rubbing his sore face, he reached out and started shaking his companion. "Ma'am... ma'am! MA'AM! Wake up!"

"Hrrmmph..." Damsel weakly swatted at her tormentor, but he didn't stop. The lizard had scuttled away already, but the changeling just refused to wake up. Taking a deep breath, Lorikeet muttered a preemptive apology and raised his hoof.

One hard smack later, the jungle ringing with the sound of hoof on chitin, Damsel was sitting bolt-upright and rubbing her sore cheek, her eyes wide with shock. "What-who? Lorikeet? What's happening?"

"You... you wouldn't wake up..." Lorikeet managed before yawning again. "I think... I think something's wrong..."

"N-no..." Damsel yawned as well, covering her mouth with a hoof. "I remember... I remember voices..."

Lorikeet nodded and shook his entire body, forcing himself to his hooves. "There were voices... in my dream..."

Damsel stood as well, though more unsteadily than the flutterpony. "It was... it was the Hive..." She mumbled, her eyelids drooping. "They... they're in hibernation..." A smile crept across her sleepy face. "They're there, brother... the Queen... the Hive... they're just sleeping... we need... we need to wake them up... that's all..." She stared blankly into the distance, to where Flutter Valley lay hidden, not moving from her spot.

Struggling to stay awake, Lorikeet grabbed a canteen from their supplies and upended it over Damsel's head, leaving the changeling spluttering and finally aware of what was going on. "L-Lorikeet!"

"S-sorry... ma'am... but you... you weren't..." The flutterpony shook his head again, drawing a huff from Damsel.

"The Queen is in hibernation, Lorikeet," she stated simply, buzzing her wings and shaking the water from her carapace. "I heard Her, calling for me to rest with Her... with the hive..." A determined look entered her eyes. "We need to get to them and wake them up."

"O-of course, ma'am..." Lorikeet couldn't stop himself from yawning, and Damsel frowned at him.

"Wake yourself up, brother... and refill the canteens..." She stifled a yawn of her own, quickly checking the discolored patch of chitin on her foreleg. "I'm going down to the beach... a good scrubbing should wake me up... meet me when you're done."

"Y-yes, ma'am," Lorikeet acknowledged with a shaky salute. Damsel just murmered a quiet reply before making her unsteady way away from their campsite, leaving her flutterpony companion to stare stupidly at the now-empty canteen in his hoof. After a minute, he remember what he was meant to be doing and dunked the canteen in the small pool beside their camp then, in an effort to wake himself up, dunked his head as well. He surfaced againt with a gasp, the surprisingly warm water matting his mane and coat and going a long way towards waking him up. At the very least, he was awake enough to finish filling the canteens and check their bags, noting that the krill were still alive and not eaten by lizards during the night.

He took his time getting everything squared away, still feeling lethargic from the Queen's sleeping influence, before settling Damsels pack beside his own on his back and making his own way through the jungle, towards the beach and the drowsy-feeling changeling there.

Barely a few steps from the camp, however, a scream pierced the air, pain and alarm flooding the hivemind.

Lorikeet burst from the jungle in a panic, fluttering with all the speed he could manage, eyes wide as he searched for the source of the distress, finding it quickly.

Damsel was thrashing around in the sand, screeching harshly and biting at the long, writhing nightmare of teeth and hunger that had attached itself to her foreleg, its muscular body whipping back and forth as it tried to drag the changeling back into the sand.

Frantic, Lorikeet charged forwards slamming his hooves into the thing's head, then again, as hard as he could. From his strikes and Damsel's bites, the pair quickly drove it off, the eel letting go with a wet hiss and slithering back into the sand, its prey proving too troublesome to be worth eating. Free, Damsel slumped to the ground, her whole body shaking.

"M-ma'am! Your leg!" Lorikeet cried out, rushing to her side and frantically searching his pack for medical supplies. Damsel just kept shaking, not saying a word. She was going into shock, Lorikeet could feel it, and it made him hurry as much as he could. "D-don't worry... I can fix this... I can... I can..." He swallowed nervously as he pulled her wounded leg away from her body and got a good look at it. "I can't fix this..." His stomach turned. The chitin was cracked and torn, missing entirely in places, exposing things that should never have been exposed. "No." He steeled himself. "I can do this. Ma'am, I'm... I'm going to have to clean your leg... it... it's going to hurt..."

"D-do it," Damsel hissed, her voice filled with pain. "J-just... do it..."

Taking a deep breath, Lorikeet readied their supplies of potions and bandages, hoping it would be enough.

"How is it, ma'am?" Lorikeet asked. Bits of removed chitin littered the small clearing they'd made camp in, spattered with blood. Lizards had already started to creep from the underbrush and scavenge, drawn by the smell.

"Hurts," Damsel hissed, her eyes glazed with pain. "Eels... Queen damn them..."

Lorikeet didn't answer at first, occupied with checking his work on her wounded leg. Most of their potions and bandages had gone into stopping the bleeding, the remainder of the bandages being used a base for the resin he'd coughed up. He hoped he wouldn't have to redo it, his resin glands were empty, aching slightly from being drained so completely. It was the best he could do, however, he didn't have much confidence in it. The potions had done very little beyond stopping the bleeding, the eel's bite apparently dangerous even beyond the initial wound. He had the disturbing thought that it may have been venemous, but he wasn't sure. "Ma'am, we need to get you to a proper healer..."

"Valley..." Damsel forced her aching body to stand, her companion moving to her side and supporting her. "Healers... in... the valley..."

"You're in no condition to fly that far, ma'am!" Lorikeet's protests went ignored, Damsel staggering forwards and forcing him to move with her.

"No... choice..." she panted. "Fly... or... die..."

Reluctantly, Lorikeet nodded. "Very well, ma'am..." Quietly, he prayed to the Queen that they could reach the valley before Damsel's condition grew worse.

It would be a long flight.

Damsel was shaking when she landed, barely able to stand without Lorikeet's help, panting and grimacing. Her entire body felt like it was burning, and even a quickly drunk healing potion from their decreased supplies did little to help. Speaking was difficult, all communication spoken through the hivemind, her directions terse as she pointed Lorikeet towards a tunnel in the nearest cliff-face, one marked by a clearly carved archway.

The pair made their way slowly into the darkness, leaving the afternoon light behind them.

The tunnel was longer than expected, taking several long minutes to pass through. But, it wasn't as dark as had been expected. Ivy grew wild on the insides, flower bulbs hanging from it, rich with some strange, dimly glowing nectar. It made the path easy to follow, at least.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up, and Lorikeet felt his breath catch as he looked around, taking the chance to let Damsel rest for a moment.

All around them, Flutter Valley was revealed. A series of canyons and ravines crossing one another, with homes and paths carved into the living rock. Glowbud ivy grew in wild curtains, draping everything in an ethereal light that seemed almost unreal. Carved statues and reliefs depicted changelings of the past, while countless centuries of work turned simple paths into works of art lined with delicate-seeming arches and elegant pillars. There were few truly enclosed places, everything open and airy, with the closest thing to a door being the occasional cloth curtain that had remained intact or hadn't fallen in the two decades since anyone had walked the silent streets.

Lorikeet could only marvel at it, even as Damsel recovered enough to urge him onwards, towards where she said the Queen's Throne was. Resin had been used sparingly, if at all, not a trace of the dark substance on any of the walls or carvings. The streets were worn smooth by the passage of countless hooves, countless changelings walking through the courtyards and gardens that filled the hidden valley. Plants grew everywhere, a riot of life and color, filling the air with a heady, soothing perfume. Pools of water bubbled up from hidden depths in some places, surrounded by benches and ledges for lounging on, always with a humid mist of steam around them.

If only circumstances were better, Lorikeet would have loved to simply explore and take it all in. As it was, however, all the streets and houses were empty, the only signs of life the cries of creatures in the jungle far above and Damsel's laboured breathing, a constant reminder of the need to hurry.

The walk seemed agonisingly long, stretching for far longer than it should have before they arrived in a large, open plaza, with an enormous stone flower in the center, petals spread open as though it was meant to be stepped on. Damsel drew in a hissing, pained breath as she look around. "The... Sunstone... it... should be here..."

Lorikeet's eyes went wide. "The Sunstone is real?!"

"Y-yes... our Queen... She took it back... from the Sun..." Damsel managed a slight grin before wincing, her wounded leg held tightly to her barrel. "The ponies... never knew... They thought we attacked... for love... Didn't know... what... they had..." She staggered and shook her head. "Tired... so tired... need to rest..."

"Don't fall asleep, ma'am," Lorikeet urged, bumping his head against her shoulder. "The Queen must have the Sunstone... we'll wake Her up, and ask Her if we can see it..."

"Yes..." Damsel shook her head again, more slowly this time, but she took a sluggish step forward, towards what seemed to be a large room, seperated from the plaza by pillars carved to resemble dancing changeling queens. Lorikeet was right by her side, urging her onwards and keeping her steady. "The Queen... our Queen... the Sunstone would... would have kept Her strong... kept us strong... as we slept... so tired..." She murmured, her eyes drooping as she led the way across the room, past a broad bench surrounded by musty pillows, and towards another archway.

"Tell me about the Queen, ma'am," Lorikeet pleaded as they walked, moving through the arch and onto a narrow staircase that descended into the earth. "What is She like?"

A sleepy smile grew across Damsel's fanged muzzle. "So... so beautiful... and kind... and cunning... She defeated the Sun... fooled them all..." She blinked slowly and looked at Lorikeet, her faithful companion. "Flutterpony... I think She'll like you... call you Hers... not Her changeling... Her flutterpony..." She looked ahead. "Oh... the Queen... the hive... they're in there..."

Lorikeet looked ahead. They'd come to the end of the staircase and found themselves in a short hall, just a trot's length from another archway, this one carved to look like a pair of Queens guarding the way. Behind them, though, was what drew his attention. A wall. An entire wall made from resin. Even from that short distance, he could see it was thick, too thick to get through. Beside him, Damsel took a hesitant step forwards, stumbling.

"So... tired... need to sleep... need to... need to rest..." She pulled away from Lorikeet, almost asleep on her hooves, not registering his pleas or atempts to stop her, to keep her awake as she curled up beside the resin wall, her back pressed to it.

Lorikeet could only look on helplessly as she fell into a deep sleep, called by the siren-song of the hive and dreaming Queen.

"Ma'am? Ma'am! MA'AM!"

We sleep. We rest. We wait. We dream.

Dream with us.

Dreamers

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Dreamers

Rest with us.

Lorikeet's heart raced. "Ma'am!"

Sleep with us.

"Ma'am, please, wake up!" Damsel didn't stir, even when he started shaking her.

Wait with us.

Pleading, the young flutterpony continued shaking his changeling companion, calling across the hivemind to anyone who might be awake

Dream with us.

The only answer was his own echo in the near-silence... and the whispering voices, barely there on the edge of perception.

We wait.

Calling to him.

We rest.

Drawing Damsel into a deeper sleep and beckoning him to join her.

We sleep.

To join the Hive.

We dream.

"M-ma'am..." Lorikeet was tired... so tired...

Dream with us.

He shook his head, trying to clear the fog that was filling his mind and focus.

Dream with us.

The Hive was just beyond the resin wall, the sleeping Queen so close he could feel her influence pressing down on him, warm and inviting, reminding him of his favorite blanket from his foalhood.

Dream with us.

All he had to do was get to them... wake them up... and everything would be right...

Dream with us.

Unsteady, he scraped one hoof against the smooth resin, barely scuffing the resilient surface. It was magically hardened, impossible to get through without a working horn of his own, the tingle in his hoof hinting at the strength of the magic woven into it.

Dream with us.

Fighting to stay awake, he nudged his partner, desperate to wake her, even a little. It was no use though, she was lost to the dreaming Hive, taking all hope of using her magic to pierce the thick wall and awaken the Queen.

Dream with us.

It was hard to think... he had to get away, had to put some distance between himself and the Hive... had to get to where he couldn't hear them...

Rest with us.

Lorikeet eyed Damsel's curled-up form, the mare deep in peaceful slumber. He couldn't leave without her, wouldn't leave without her.

Dream with us.

As gently as he could, he set her on his back, wincing at every unintentional jostle and bump, whispering apologies that he knew she couldn't hear. He minded her wounded leg, checking the hasty resin cast and praying to the Queens it would hold.

Wait with us.

The changeling as secure as she could be, draped across his back, he took a deep breath and forced his hooves to move, determined to leave the place before he, too, was lured to rest by the Hive's call.

Dream with us.

Flutter Valley passed by almost un-noticed, the flutterpony focused on putting one hoof in front of the other, refusing to stop moving. He had to move. Had to leave. The tunnel was so close... he could see it, the dimly lit passage his only hope. Just a few more steps... he had to make it, had to return to the Hive... to the Stable...

Child.

He stumbled at the sudden change, the hivemind's chorus falling silent as a new voice rung out across it. Something pressed against his mind, a strong presence, yet gentle, almost loving as it washed through him, halting his advance. Images sprang to mind, his briefing and journey from the Hive replaying itself to the odd presence.

Poison. Such poison. Such hate.

His legs trembled at the thought that, somehow, he'd disappointed that voice, that regal, motherly voice. It hurt him deeply, like disappointing a parent.

Flutterpony. My flutterpony. Be strong.

Relief flooded through him as the voice sounded its approval of him.

I dream. We dream. We wait. Be strong. Go. Go, My flutterpony.

Strength filled him, his mind focused once more on his task, the voice urging him onwards. One step, then another, his hooves carrying him forwards, towards the tunnel that led to the outside. As he entered, he heard the voice speak one last time.

We wait. We dream. Heal the poison, My Guards. Heal and return.

Determination blossoming in his chest, Lorikeet entered the tunnel, silence falling all around him as the hivemind drifted into dreamless slumber.

Deep within the earth, in the Hall of Queens, a single head rose from the massed piles of slumbering bodies. Slitted eyes opened blearily, scanning the many still forms, lit only by a gently glowing stone at the centre of the room. Seeing nothing amiss, Chrysalis lay her head back down once more, a single thought crossing her mind before hibernation claimed her once more.

I dreamt of a flutterpony... how odd...

Homeward

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Homeward

Ironside paused mid-step and looked up at the cloud-filled sky, his expression growing dark. Something wasn't right, a cold shudder crawling up his spine, warning him of... something. The changelings picked up on his sudden change of mood and, through silent agreement, the changeling nearest to him slowed to a stop as well.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Chatter asked, the rest of the herd coming to a slow, uneasy rest around them, eager to be on their way. Equestria, and the poison within, was only a few days behind them, a dark shadow looming over them all.

Ironside shook his head, the momentary feeling passing as quickly as it had come. "No, it's... it's nothing." He straightened up and looked around at the gathered herd. "Let's keep moving. I know you all want to get home as much as I do, and we won't get there by standing around like this."

He put aside the odd sensation quickly, ignoring Chatter's glances back at him as they resumed their march. It was nothing, he told himself. Just a stray breeze giving him a chill.

Around them, the desert sands were still and lifeless, as they had been all day.

Lorikeet felt his muscles burn, his wings beacons of agony as he flew towards daylight, and the soft breeze that greeted his face when he emerged was a welcome relief from the still air of the tunnels and canyons below.

The young flutterpony almost collapsed onto the safety of the outcropping, panting, his coat crusted with sweat. He stopped himself, though, mindful of his passenger, being sure to set her down safely before laying down himself.

Damsel slept on peacefully, not even stirring, blissfully unaware of the world around her.

Lorikeet fumbled for his canteen, taking a slow, hesitant sip as he looked around. It had taken almost three days to get this far; two in flight from Flutter Valley, one of partial rest and far more walking in the dark tunnels beneath the Roc's Wall, but now... now, with some pride, he felt as though the hardest part was over.

He closed his eyes as another breeze washed over the plateau, a tiny remnant of the storm that had raged mere days ago. Even the thick clouds ringing the mountain range had all but dispersed, only patchy, thin streaks of white and gray in the wide, blue expanse, the few clouds that remained tinted silver by the light of the sun above, casting her light down on the world below.

With another sip of his water, careful to pace himself, Lorikeet opened his eyes again, marvelling at the change from the storm-battered landscape to the oddly peaceful place it had become. The countless plateaus and outcroppings were all oddly formed, rising towards the towering wall as though it had erupted from the living rock below, breaching the earth like one of the great beasts of far-off seas, the ones told of in foal's tales.

He was surprised to see that much of the rock seemed almost melted, as if it had once-upon-a-time run like water, a detail lost on him during his first passing of the place. Less surprising was how bleak it all seemed, nothing but greys as far as the eye could see, though he wondered at the source of those oddly-gleaming streaks in the rock.

Putting it from his mind, he turned to his dreaming partner and nosed her foreleg, checking the chitin covering it. It seemed to be holding, and there was no blood to be seen, a great relief to his worried mind. He eyed the sky again, the blue expanse and the shining sun, momentarily thinking over his options before coming to a decision. The sun was hot, and moving during the day would sap his energy. He would follow Damsel's plan, the one that had seem them there safely, and move at night.

For now, though, he gathered the sleeping changeling up and moved to the edge of the plateau, preparing to dive into the canyons beside it. A cool place to sleep the day away would be welcome.

Always, the final command of his Queen rang through his mind.

Heal the poison, and return.

An entire week had passed since the Equestrian team had begun their trek back, and spirits were high. They'd long passed into lands where their Pipbucks declared the radiation levels completely safe once more, and they were making good time retracing their former path.

Gathered in one of the now-familiar sietches, one they'd last been in less than a month before, they laughed and joked, kept warm through the night by a campfire they'd scrounged enough fuel for. Even Ironside had shaken off the odd feeling that something was wrong, the warmth of the fire chasing away the nameless shadows on his mind.

Outside, two figures stretched their legs, tasked with the night's first watch. The pegasus of the pair, Grace, nudged her changeling companion. "So, Chatter, any idea what's up with the Chief? He keeps getting this funny look."

Chatter shook his head, a look of slight confusion crossing his face. "No... I think he's worried, but I don't understand why."

Shrugging, Grace flapped her wings. "He'll be 'right. He's the Chief, after all." She got a distant look in her eyes. "Might just be that buffalo... he saw it up close and all..." She shuddered at the thought, then jumped slightly at the touch of a hoof on her withers.

"You may be right," Chatter said with a smile that, somehow, managed to be reassuring and kind despite his fangs, "but it seems our Captain is not the only one who may need someone to speak to."

"I... I don't want to talk about it... not right now..." Grace shook her head, then smiled at the changeling. "But... maybe later, yeah?"

Chatter nodded and slowly removed his hoof from the pegasus. "Yes. Whenever you wish."

It was at least a week, maybe a few days more. Lorikeet couldn't tell anymore. He was exhausted, so worn out he could barely think straight. Waking was difficult, his dreams haunted by the calls to rest that echoed softly from Damsel's sleeping mind, and the long nights of non-stop flight left him aching no matter how he slept.

He moved by rote memory, focused on doing the needed things. Touch a love crystal to Damsel's horn, watch it dim as she fed through bodily reflex. Prepare and eat his own meal. Water himself and Damsel. Check her cast. Prepare for the night's flight. Try to ignore the crushing silence of the world around him without another presence in the hivemind.

Always, the final command of his Queen rang through his mind, driving him onwards.

Heal the poison and return.

Grace swooped down, surprise and confusion plain on her face as she delivered her report. "It... it looks like a wall, Chief. They built a wall."

Ironside frowned, then called for some binoculars to confirm the report with his own eyes. "That's a wall, alright. I guess Maintenance went through with it after all." He passed the binoculars back to their owner, then turned to address the squad with a smile on his face. "It's been a long couple of months, but if we hurry we'll be home by nightfall." He paused. "Unless you all want to make camp here for the night?" He asked, barely holding back a smirk at the chorus of calls to keep moving. "Then I guess when we should get a move on, then. Chatter!" The changeling snapped to attention instantly. "As soon as we're in range, let the Regent know we're back."

"Sir." Chatter nodded, his ears perking up and tilting towards the distant town, eager to regain contact with the Hive.

"Right, let's go! Forward, march!" With Ironside's call, the herd set off, marching gladly towards their home. As they approached, fliers took to the air above the town, a welcoming flight to guide the travelers into the repaired town. The returning ponies and changelings looked around, happily surprised by how many buildings had been restored in their absence and how many of their fellows had moved back to the surface. Most surprising, though, was the wall, stretching almost half-way around the town, a windbreak made of stone and resin, still shiny and green where sand hadn't yet been mixed with the final covering.

Far less surprising, but far more welcome, was the group of loved ones and family waiting at the Hive's entrance to greet them. The changelings there would later complain of feeling bloated and stuffed, much to the amusement of their pony compatriots.

Heal the poison and return.

It was the only thing keeping Lorikeet going.

Heal the poison and return.

It was the only thing he could think of, a mantra he repeated to himself over and over again, sometimes speaking it to break the pressing, crushing silence that haunted the edges of his mind.

Heal the poison and return.

Everything else was muscle memory. Every movement was done automatically, the days and miles passing by without truly registering.

Heal the poison and return.

Wake up. Feed Damsel. Feed himself. Get ready to fly.

Heal the poison and return.

No. He missed something. That was it, check the cast.

Heal the poison and return.

It was wrong. The chitin shouldn't have looked like that.

Heal the poison and return.

He had to hurry.

Heal the poison and return.

In the depths of the Hive, Regent and Overmare studied the reports brought back by the Equestrian team.

The Overmare sighed and turned away from her terminal, looking to her counterpart. "We need to know more... we need to know if there's anyone left..."

The Regent shook her head, her eyes focused on her own terminal. "I concur, but not right now. We can't risk our people, not if these findings are accurate. If Ironside is right about that buffalo..." She trailed off, lost in thought.

Disheartened, the Overmare stood and left her desk, moving to look out the window and into the atrium. Her gaze found the crowd below, a welcome home party that had sprung into existence mere minutes after the last scout had been cleared by Medical. "Could we send a team to the Crystal Empire? They may not have been attacked, and they're even further from Equestria than we are. There's no way the radiation would have reached them."

Another head shake from the Regent. "It would take months to get there, at the very least. Any team we send would have to move around the irradiated areas, and we just don't know the extent of the damage." Sighing, she stood and moved to stand beside her friend, the pair watching the party below, where an exhuberant pegasus had practically cleared the airspace with what might charitably be called dancing... or she'd had itching powder put in her barding. Neither leader was quite sure which.

"I know," the Overmare said softly. "Do you think Damsel found your Queen?"

The Regent hesitated, just for a moment. "No," she admitted. "If our Queen had awoken, we would know."

"Oh..." For a few moments, the Overmare was silent. "We just have to wait until they get back, then." She glanced at her companion. "What do you say we put off any decision until their report?"

A simple nod was the Regent's answer, and the pair returned to watching the party below, keeping their minds from wandering to dark places and thoughts.

There was still hope.

Heal the poison and return.

"I think I see something..."

Ignore the pain. Don't fly. Don't try. Just walk.

"Yeah... I don't think it's a Rock Hound... looks like... a pony?"

One hoof in front of the other. Close now. So close.

"Wait, is that..."

Keep moving.

"It... it's Lorikeet! And... is that Chief Damsel?!"

There's voices now. Almost there. No more silence... no more silence...

"Someone grab him! We need Medical, now!"

"Stay still, son. It's alright... someone get a stretcher!"

"Careful, careful! Oh, by the Queen, her leg!"

"Lory?! Lory, is that you?!"

"Double time, get the Chief to the Hive, now!"

"C'mon, Lory! Speak to me!"

"Heal the poison and return."

"What? Lory! LORY! SOMEONE HELP! H-HE'S NOT MOVING!"

"WE NEED ANOTHER STRETCHER, NOW!"

Report

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Report

The door barely had time to close before the Overmare spoke up, addressing the mare in Medical barding. "Well?" Beside her, the Regent watched expectantly, her ears perked forwards and attentive. "How are they?"

The Medical mare consulted her clipboard for a moment, flinching slightly as the Regent pulled it away impatiently to see it for herself. With a small scowl at the changeling leader's impatience, the mare began her report. "Chief Damsel's leg was badly injured. Judging from the lacerations and punctures, something was chewing on her, though I don't know what." She watched as the leaders both nodded, examing the clipboard together as they listened. "Officer Lorikeet's quick thinking in applying a resin cast kept the initial wounds from becoming more severe or contaminated at the time, although the bite appears to have had... secondary effects. Both chitin and soft tissue around the intitial wounds were completely dead, and most of the injured leg showed signs of decay." She paused for a moment, noting the frowns crossing the Regent and Overmare's faces as they reached that part of the report. "We believe that the initial bite may have been venemous."

Frowning, the Regen looked up from the report. "Will Damsel recover?"

The Medical mare cleared her throat before replying. "Unfortunately, the damage was too severe. We were forced to amputate almost the entire leg to save Chief Damsel's life." She paused again, putting a small smile on to try and reassure her leaders. "However, we're confident she will recover fully and be able to live her life to the fullest, barring some adjustment to her new... circumstances." Her smile slipped slightly. "It may be some time before she wakes up, though." Noting the questioning glances from both Regent and Overmare, she continued. "When they were brought in, Chief Damsel was in hibernation. From what we can gather from Chief Damsel's whispers in the hivemind, she entered hibernation due to proximity to the Queen. I believe this saved her life, slowing her metabolism to the point that the venom's effect was greatly reduced."

A thoughtful look crossed the Overmare's face. "Changelings don't always hibernate for long, though. The Hivemind can wake them up. Honeycut down in Maintenance went into hibernation after the freezer incident, if I recall."

With a snort, the Regent shook her head and pointed to the clipboard. "Normally, that would be true. But they've got Damsel in an isolated cocoon while she heals."

"An isolated cocoon?" The Overmare examined the indicated part of the report herself. "Is that really necessary?"

Frowning, the Regent nodded. "Yes, it is. From what the Medical changelings reported, it seems Damsel was called to rest by the Queen Herself. If she wasn't isolated from the Hivemind, that call would spread to the rest of us, and we'd all enter hibernation."

"I see..." The Overmare nodded, looking pensive. "But we know the Queen is still alive now, at least..."

A small smile appeared on the Regent's muzzle at this piece of good news. "Yes..." The smile faded slightly as she continued reading the report, flipping to the final few pages. "Unfortunately, of the two, only Lorikeet is in any condition to speak, and if this is accurate..." She trailed off, giving the Medical mare a questioning look.

The Medical mare cleared her throat and frowned. "It is, ma'am. I'm afraid Officer Lorikeet is..."

"C'mon, Lori." Holly cooed softly, rubbing her longtime friend and partner's side with her hoof. "Just speak to me... say something, anything."

Lorikeet, for his part, showed no sign of acknowledging the mare sitting beside him on the Medical cot. He just stared blankly across the room, at the dull green cocoon set into an alcove, his eyes locked on the barely visible form floating within.

After a few minutes, he blinked and slowly turned his head, his eyes focusing on the pegasus beside him. Holly felt a spark of hope form inside her, the first time her friend had noticed anyone but the cocooned Damsel since returning. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, confusion clear in his eyes as he struggled to speak.

"C'mon," Holly coaxed, "I'm here. You're safe, so's aunt Damsel."

"We... need.... we need to..." Lorikeet blinked again, visibly struggling to break out of the haze filling his mind. "We need... to... heal... heal the poison... and... return..." His eyes dulled as he focused on the cocoon again, Holly shaking her head and sighing.

"Say something else, Lori."

The Medical mare shook her head as she continued her summary of the flutterpony colt's condition. "That's all Officer Lorikeet has said so far. 'Heal the poison and return.' He doesn't acknowledge or interact with anyone, but he retains enough motor skills and awareness to care for himself and Chief Damsel. We attempted to remove him from the room where Chief Damsel's cocoon is, but with the distress and confusion it caused him it was deemed less harmful to let him remain and watch over her."

Both the Regent and Overmare were paying close attention now, ignoring the report on the clipboard for the more detailed report they were being given. The Overmare noted that her counterpart had a thoughtful look on her face.

The Medical mare continued. "Officer Holly is observing Officer Lorikeet right now, but after consulting with our Medical changelings, we believe that Officer Lorikeet is suffering from-"

"Isolation sickness," the Regent interrupted, frowning. "Ensure Officer Lorikeet isn't left alone. Keep at least one changeling or flutterpony in the room, maintain a constant hivemind presence around him at all times. His parents, his partner, anyone who is close to him, have them spend as much time as possible near him. He needs as much love as possible." When the Medical mare opened her mouth to speak, the Regent scowled. "Dismissed."

Taking the hint, the Medical mare nodded, retrieved her clipboard, and departed, the door hissing closed behind her.

The Overmare watched her counterpart for a moment, the changeling leader moving to her habitual spot beside the window overlooking the atrium, staring out at the hustle and bustle silently. To the Overmare, though, her body language was clear. The slight, agitated buzzing of her wings, the way she shifted her weight from one hind leg to the other, all the little tells learned from their long friendship... the Regent was worried. Very worried.

Pony joined changeling at the window, not speaking, both just watching those under their protection through the window.

After several minutes, the Regent spoke up, her voice low. "Changelings should never be left alone. We can be distant, but never, ever alone. Not for long. There's a story, passed down from Captain to Captain, about a changeling who was seperated from the hive centuries ago." She paused. "The story is a long one, too long to tell in its entirety, so I will be brief. A member of Her Guard was believed lost in battle. Though their body was never found, their voice had gone silent in the hivemind, as sure a sign of their passing as any. Almost a year later, our scouts in Mustangia heard of a strange pony who had been stealing from outlying farms, fleeing when confronted and always moving, never raiding the same place twice. The description matched a changeling, but all of our kind in that area were accounted for. The Queen at the time tasked the scouts with finding this strange maybe-changeling, and they did."

The Regent paused again, shuddering. "It was the missing Guard. Wounded, broken, deaf to the Queen's voice. So long alone, without even a single other changeling to communicate with, had sent him half mad. He was following the last orders he'd recieved, to flee, to escape and survive, with almost singleminded devotion."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "He recovered eventually, but it took years, and apparently he was never the same. Always quiet, barely communicating even through the hivemind, needing constant direction and guidance to function." The thought of that happening to one of the changelings she was tasked to protect and guide horrified her, her entire body shaking.

The Overmare moved, gently pressing her side against the Regent's. "And that's Isolation Sickness?" A shudder and a nod were the only response she got. "Do... do you think that... Lorikeet may fare better? He is a flutterpony, not a pure changeling... he wasn't alone for as long... and he was with Damsel..."

Shaking her head, the Regent opened her eyes again and leaned into her pony companion. "We can only hope, my friend. We can only hope..."

Broken

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Broken

The Medical bay was quiet and still, nothing moving in the late-night darkness. What little light was there came from an alcove, concealed lamps dimly illuminating the cocoon set into it and tinting the room a soft shade of green. Two forms could be faintly seen in the dark, one floating and barely visible in the cocoon, the other close by and watching intently. Aside from an occasional flutter of wings, neither moved.

With a yawn, Holly slapped the door control, sending it out of the way with a low hiss before trotting through and into the dark room. Quickly spying what she'd made the trip for, she approached, holding back another yawn as she did so. "Lori, it's been a week. You can't keep doing this... your parents are worried about you." Slowly, she sidled up beside the still and silent flutterpony, following his gaze. "Aunt Damsel's fine," she said softly, trying to reassure her quiet friend, "the Regent said so. We just need to give her time, that's all."

Holly waited for a moment, hoping for an answer, then sighed. "C'mon, just say something, Lori... anything... please?" When no response came, she sighed again and leaned against Lorikeet's side, flapping one wing out to rest on his back. "The other changelings, they say you're still in there, just... sleeping. Kinda." She watched him quietly, keen for any sign of acknowledgement. "You know, my parents said you just need someone to stay by your side all the time... I could do that... maybe... you're my best friend, after all." She paused, then shook her head. "I'm... I'm your best friend too, right? If I did that, you'd wake up and be yourself again, right? I want the old Lori back. Alicorns help me, I'd love to even hear you quoting the rulebook at me again..." She fell silent, her words fading into the quiet of the night, resting her head against the neck of her partner, her wing draped over his withers.

Long minutes passed before either of them stirred, Holly snapped from her light doze by the sudden movement of her living pillow. "H-Holly...?" Lorikeet stammered, his gaze unfocused and confused as her turned to examine the mare leaning on him. "What... where... where am I?"

"It's okay," Holly soothed, rubbing her neck against his in a very equine show of affection, barely keeping her voice low and resisting the urge to hug the flutterpony in her growing excitement. "You're safe Lori. You're back in the Stable, nice and safe."

Lori blinked sleepily a few times, soothed by the warm presence against him and the pleasant roil of comforting emotions coming from her. "Oh... I... I made it..." He started, ears splaying back and eyes going wide as something caught in the fogged mess of his mind. "Chief Damsel, she-"

"Shhh.... shhh..." Holly tugged him close with her wing, doing her best to keep him calm. "Aunt Damsel's fine, see? You got her back in time." Slowly, she raised her hoof, drawing Lorikeet's attention to the sleeping, cocooned form in front of them, feeling the flutterpony pressed against her side relax at the sight. "You did good, Lori. You did good..."

"Oh..." Lorikeet stared blankly at the cocoon for a moment, then turned back to his partner. "I... I'm tired, Holly... so tired..."

"I know you are," Holly said as she climbed slowly to her hooves, tugging Lori along with her wing. "C'mon, let's get you back to bed, huh? You can come back here tomorrow if you want." She was a little disheartened by how easily she managed to pull her sedate friend along, gently guiding him towards the exit, keeping him close and tight to her side with her wing. "You keep coming down here in the middle of the night... maybe you shouldn't be back in your parent's quarters... or alone..." A smile crossed her muzzle as a possible solution to the late-night wanderings came to her. "We'll go to your room, huh? I'll stay with you, keep you company. Sound good?"

The only response was a slow, lethargic nod, but at least he'd responded that time. Right?

Pegasus and flutterpony left the Medical bay, the only sounds in the empty hall the clopping of their hooves and murmured reassuarances., leaving stillness and silence in their wake. Soon after their passing, a shadowy figure appeared, slipping through the the dimly lit hall and into the recently vacated bay, moving slowly to the place the pair had been sitting only minutes before.

"Hey Damsel," the figure spoke, laying one hoof on the gently glowing cocoon, the soft lighting revealing Ironside's face as he addressed the sleeping changeling within. "All's clear tonight, not much going on. Only pony wandering is my girl, and she's looking after Lorikeet." He chuckled softly. "I don't think she knows I was listening at the door. You know, they make a good pair..." he sighed and shook his head. "She's the only one who's gotten anything out of him except 'Heal the poison and return'. " Shaking his head, he scratched his short-cropped mane and glanced to the side, checking the clipboard on the wall beside the cocoon alcove. "Regent says you'll be fine, just need to wake up. Docs say that clever little flutterpony saved your life, you know." He smiled. "Talked it over with the Overmare and the Regent, he'll be getting a medal for what he did. Maybe something more, but the Regent said you've gotta wake up first, wouldn't tell me about it until she got your thoughts on it." His low chuckle echoed throught the room, fading as quickly as it came. "You hurry up and wake up, Damsel. I don't know if you've noticed, but Merry's been down here every other day. She's waiting for you... and I am, too." His smile slipped away as he focused on the barely visible stump where a leg had once been. "There's a place for you in our herd, just like we talked about. We'll get you back on your hooves in no time..."

Ironside fell silent, just watching the still, dreaming form of his longterm companion and, to both him and his wife, their herdmate, even if she hadn't formally accepted yet.

Eventually, he stood, giving his body a shake and sighing. "Night patrol's not the same on my own." With one final, lingering look back at the cocoon, he left, the door hissing closed behind him and returning the room to darkness and silence.

Morning

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Morning

The cafeteria was crowded and noisy, warm with the heat of gathered bodies and fragrant with the scents of assorted foods. Changeling and pony alike chatted happily, some ending their shifts after the long night, others taking their morning meals before turning to start their duties. One thing was the same, no matter who or why, though; they all ate in good cheer and better company.

One table in particular was drawing a bit of attention, though less than it had the first time the show had occured. "C'mon, Lory, open wide!" Holly raised a spoonful of steaming oatmeal, prodding her companion's lips with it. "Here comes the airship!"

"Holly, I-GMMPH!" Eyes widening in surprise, Lorikeet found his objections cut off by a heaping serving of too-hot and too-cinammony oatmeal being shoved into his mouth. Ignoring the chuckles of their other meal mates, he chewed almost automatically and swallowed with some distaste. Raising one hoof, he warded off another spoonful, coughing a bit as he did so. "Holly, I can feed myself..."

For her part, Holly just shook her head. "Oh no you can't." She eyed her partner and poked his side with a wing. "I promised your parents I'd take care of you, and that's what I'm gonna do! Just look at you!" She gestured at the flutterpony beside her, at the dark circles under his eyes, the lackluster shine of his wings, the rough appearance of his coat and how thin he was. "You're not eating or sleeping enough at all! And don't give me any excuses, you keep waking up in the middle of the night, and that keeps waking me up, and I need my beauty sleep!" She scowled at him, but her glare quickly softened. "C'mon, Lory. You're getting better, but it hasn't been that long... please eat? For me?"

Grudgingly, lorikeet opened his mouth again, not to object but to take in another spoonful, grimacing slightly at the excessive amount of cinammon his partner had heaped onto their morning meal, but relishing the warmth that spread through him when Holly smiled.

Holly was just happy he was focusing on her properly now. She hadn't had to keep him from drifting off all day, and he only muttered about Aunt Damsel in his sleep sometimes. He'd even stopped sleepwalking, too. One day at a time, she was getting her Lorikeet back, not that almost-stranger that'd come in from the wastes.
...
And she enjoyed spoon-feeding him, even though he could actually do it himself now. It was cute how he pouted at being treated like a foal.

Across the cafeteria, a small group sat and watched, smiling, as Holly and Lorikeet were treated to good-natured ribbing and teasing from the rest of their table, all junior Security members preparing for their morning shifts, all eager to help the only one of their number to have made the journey to either race's homeland recover and readjust to the safety of the Hive.

"You know, they really are quite cute together," Merry said with a twinkle in her eye. Beside her, Ironside nodded.

"He's a good colt," He stated, nursing his morning coffee and trying to chase away the bleariness of a long night shift. "I know I should have been worried about our little girl moving in with a boy, but Lorikeet... he's a good colt."

Snuggling up against her mate's side, and nursing her own cup of steaming tea, Merry tore her eyes away from her daughter... and the colt who she was so very, very close to. With a smile that only a plotting mother could have, Merry addressed the pegasus and changeling sitting across the table from her. "Don't you think your son and my daughter are cute together?"

Across the cafeteria, Holly fluffed herself up and Lorikeet's wings buzzed as feelings of dread inexplicably crawled up their spines.

High above the Hive, teams of changelings and ponies worked, some clearing the last of the built-up sand from former homes, others checking once-buried structures for any damage. A small group was gathered around a drawing board, going over the finishing touches to the large wind-break that now surrounded almost the entire town.

"We'll need some ribbing here, here and here," Honeycut remarked, pointing out spots on the rough-drawn map, "and some more here. We want the wall to stand up to any storm, and Queen help us if we have to dig out the town again."

Beside him, Hawkeye hummed, looking over the map before eyeing the wall. Weeks of work had turned it into a formidable structure, at least twice as tall as the town hall, looking for all the world like a cliff of dark stone if it wasn't for the curved, almost organic nature of it. Curved, sweeping struts fairly grew from the ground to merge with the both the inner and outer sides of the wall, where ribbed projections spread out to further reinforce the structure.

With a shudder, Hawkeye was reminded uncannily of the anatomical pony skeleton that hung in one of the Stable's classrooms. Specifically, the wings and ribcage and how, from the inside, it might very well look something like most changeling construction, be it a hallway, common room, or the very wall on which they now worked.

Suppressing the eerie sensation, he realised something was missing from both the construction and the plans. "There's nowhere for flyers to land up there." Taking up a pencil, he sketched out some additions to the structure. "Think we can add something like this?"

After a moment of studying, Honeycut nodded. "We can just enlarge some of the ribbing, pull it out far enough for a pegasus to land on." He paused for a moment, considering the plans. "Maybe add some actual watch stations, just in case."

Suddenly, every changeling in the area perked up, an action that was repeated all through the Hive.

Ironside and Merry skidded to a halt, followed closely by both Holly and Lorikeet, in response to the sudden call through the Hivemind, the ponies of the group alerted by nearby changelings. They all approached cautiously, staying clear of the bustling Medical staff, fighting their natural equine urges to help one of their number in distress.

"Is she alright?" Merry demanded, hopping from hoof-to-hoof, her wings flapping frantically as her gaze switched from the flustered nurse to what she could see of Damsel's coccoon through the controlled chaos of the Medical bay.

"Uh, I, yes, yes. Chief Damsel is... is fine..." The nurse, a fairly young flutterpony, stammered. "I, um, I'm sorry about the alert, but... but I wasn't trained on what do in this situation and I panicked!" She got the last part out in a rush, her face bright red. After a few breaths and a whispered 'it's fine, don't worry' from one of the more experienced staff, the nurse calmed down enough to continue. "Chief Damsel is... she... she's waking up!" She blurted out, just as the first loud crack sounded through the room.

The Medical bay became a whirlwind of activity, machines pulled free of the coccoon or disabled, towels and cloths held at the ready (and quickly surrended to the gathered family members when Merry May glared at the doctors), and everyone waited with baited breath.

Another crack, this one louder.

The sight of a sharp horn piercing the flexible shell of the cocoon, accompanied by a sound like a jelly-filled toaster pastry being torn in two as it jerked and pulled.

Finally, a damp, gunk-covered changeling falling free, not even coming close to the ground before every magic-capable equine in the room caught her, holding her in place just long enough for the towel-wielding herd to attack.

As gel was mopped from her shell, the changeling raised her head, staring through bleary, tired eyes. Her ears twitched slightly at the sounds of reassurances of her wellbeing, aimed at both her and the equines tending to her. Hooves twitched in response to tests, doctors poking and prodding everything they could reach through the huddle of bodies, leaving her with an odd sense that something was wrong.

"You're finally back," a familiar voice drew her focus, Ironside smiling as his partner blinked at him sleepily. "Welcome home, Damsel." He pulled her into a hug, and was quickly joined by the rest of his family, Holly pulling Lorrikeet with her. "Welcome home."

Stumped

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Stumped

As medical ponies bustled around, doing their best to work through the small herd surrounding their patient, Damsel stared dumbly at where her leg used to be. Her hibernation-slowed mind hadn't quite put the pieces together yet, only a vague sense that something was wrong, that what she was seeing wasn't quite right.

One ear twitched, listening to the familiar voices around her as she raised and lowered the stump where she was sure she'd had a leg just a short while ago... hadn't she?

Slowly, gradually, as she instinctually drank in the love pouring from the ponies chatting, laughing and crying around her, Damsel's mind sparked towards full wakefulness, placing names to faces and voices and reinforcing the idea that something was definitely missing. Memories crept to the forefront... a long journey... a companion... something important being so close, but just out of reach...

After what seemed like an eternity, everything seemed to snap into focus. The whispering of voices in the back of Damsel's mind suddenly sounded like a roaring crowd, her connection to the hive almost deafening after so long in near silence. One voice in particular stood out, faint as it may have been compared to the full-blooded members of the hive, noteable for being her only contact for so long. Coughing, trying to work saliva into her dry mouth, she raised her head as much as she could with a broody pegasus mare latched onto her neck, Damsel made eye contact with the source of the voice in the hivemind. "Are we..." She coughed again, wincing as unused vocal cords protested with every word, turning her voice husky and rough. "Are we home?"

At the raspy question, Lorikeet simply nodded. It was Merry May who answered properly, redoubling her grip on the changeling with both hooves and wings, much to the frustration of a nurse wielding a stethoscope. "Yes, Damsel. You're home. You're finally home..."

Elsewhere in the Hive, news of the Security Chief's recovery was spreading quickly, mostly from the relieved conversations of the Security division. One changeling in particular, in her office overlooking the atrium, was relaying the reports of the Medical changelings to her pony counterpart with no small amount of relief.

The Medical staff had finally pried the herd from their patient, literally in Merry May's case, and gotten Damsel situated on one of the beds where she could be properly checked out. The beleagured changeling suffered through the indignity of being poked, prodded, pushed and pulled as the doctors and nurses inspected every inch of her, testing the full range of motion for her remaining limbs.

"I lost my leg," Damsel repeated for the fourth time, looking down at the stump where her leg had been, her tattered ears pulled back and confusion clear on her face. She waggled what remained of her leg, the entire lower half simply gone as, despite being fully awake, she just couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. The was meant to be a leg there, a leg with chitin on it, holes in the middle and a hoof at the end. Not... nothing. By the Queen, she could still feel it! So why wasn't it there anymore?

Just like they had the last three times, one of the doctors spoke up, their voice gentle and calming, trying to keep their patient from getting worked up. "Yes, you did. You got hurt and we couldn't save it; we've already talked about this, remember?"

Turning to face the doctor, Damsel almost toppled as she tried to put weight on a leg that wasn't there anymore, Merry May almost bowling a poor nurse over in her haste to get onto the bed and offer support, her pegasus instincts driving her to protect her potential herdmate. For their part, the Medical staff just rolled their eyes, already used to the overprotective mare getting in the way of their examination, while the rest of the herd chuckled and did their best to stay out of the way, but near enough that Damsel would be able to find them just by turning a little.

"But I can still feel it... it aches..." Damsel waved her hoof to prove her point... and stared blankly at the space where the hoof should have been, ears flat against her skull with concern. She continued to stare as Merry took the stump in her fetlock and made soft, soothing noises.

The doctor blinked in surprise, this was new. At least, it hadn't been mentioned the last few times. "Erm, I believe that would be phantom limb pain." They paused and, with a sigh, shook their head. "Chief Damsel, I... we," they clarified, "are all very sorry for your loss." Their gaze softened. "We'll do everything we can to help you, we promise."

Only half-listening, distracted by Merry's soft, calming noises, Damsel went back to staring at the empty space where a part of her body should have been.

The Medical staff had finished their work hours ago, their patient had been fed, watered and checked over in every concievable way and found perfectly healthy... or as healthy as could be expected. Since then, though, they'd basically left Damsel to the care of the herd, ordering bed rest, plenty of food and as much love as they could cram into the changeling. She was still confined to the Medical bay, but that didn't stop the group from giving her a proper welcome home.

With Damsel's awakening, Lorikeet had perked up, and the pair had started telling the story of their journey, ending with the wild storm, the giant beast they'd just glimpsed within the clouds, and their venturing into the maze of tunnels leading to Flutter Valley. Holly, finally hearing more than the vague descriptions she'd pried from Lorikeet since their return, had found herself a flutterpony to squeeze in excitement.

Time passes, though, and night had quickly approached, the lights outside of the Medical bay dimming as evening set in, and the herd found themselves being shooed out by the night shift, much to their collective disappointment, but not before a round of crushing, caring hugs were exchanged.

As they were being herded out, Ironside turned to look over his shoulder, a mischevous grin on his muzzle. "Hey, Damsel, want to hear a joke?" He waited until he had the changeling's attention, his partner looking past the nurse tucking her tightly into the bed with a curious look on her dark face. "What do you call a Security pony with no legs?" Damsel raised on eyebrow questioningly. "Baton!" Ironside laughed, and there was a chorus of groans from the rest of the herd. As he was chased out by one of the nurses, he felt relieved. Damsel had smiled, he'd seen it, and seeing it had made him realise how much he'd missed it. It was even worth the wing-slap he got from Merry for making such a bad joke.

Left alone in the near-darkness, Damsel shuffled around under the blanket, raising her leg to stare at her stump. Her smile faded slowly as she looked on, still not entirely sure she wasn't dreaming.

As the Hive around her went to sleep, she muttered softly to herself. "I lost my leg..."

Awake

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Awake

"Easy, easy now," the nurse said softly, keeping near enough to her patient to offer support if needed, but otherwise remaining hooves-off to better observe the wounded changeling's recovery. "Just like before, one more trip across the room, and we'll be done for today."

Damsel took another shaky step, hopping her remaining front leg forwards a few inches, biting back on the mounting frustration as her hind legs took normal-sized steps. She'd been moving under her own power for several days now, but all the encouragement in the world wasn't enough to help when she'd been reduced to hobbling along just a few inches at a time, feeling helpless and useless.

Her nurse kept up the encouragement as, one tiny, unsteady step at a time, Damsel inched her way across the almost-empty room she'd practically lived in since waking from her hibernation. It was exhausting in every way, Damsel's unused muscles still aching after so long at rest, her mind frazzled from having to concentrate on every step so she didn't fall over... and the constant, throbbing ache where her leg simply wasn't anymore.

Growing increasingly frustrated with her own slow progress, Damsel buzzed her wings, trying to support herself enough to take a full step for once and actually succeeding... until her momentum carried her forwards just a bit too far and she took another step to try and catch herself... a step with her missing leg. "GAH!"

The nurse darted in, catching the changeling before face could meet floor... again. "It's alright, I've got you." She steadied the changeling, helping her stand and checking her over. Trained hooves touched, poked and prodded, noting every shiver that ran through the Damsel's form and every tremble of her limbs. With a frown, the Medical Mare started to move slowly forwards, guiding Damsel back towards her bed, using her own body to keep the changeling upright. "I think that's quite enough for today. We can't have you wearing yourself out, but don't worry," with a smile, the nurse lifted Damsel onto her cot, even fluffing the pillow, "you'll be getting around on your own soon enough."

Damsel just groaned, sagging down onto the bed, worn out from the day's excercises and upset at her own weakness. She barely reacted as the nurse started inspecting her stump, chatting quietly the whole time, a constant outpouring of positive emotions soothing her patient's body, if not her mind.

Soon, soft snores sounded, the nurse smiling slightly as she pulled the covers over Damsel's sleeping form. She hadn't even had the chance to tell the changeling about her surprise... but, when she thought about it, breaking that particular bit of good news might be best left to a very specific pony... or ponies.

Ironside and Merry May snuggled close on the couch in their quarters, enjoying their peace at the end of the day. The remains of their evening meal lay on the table beside their unfinished paperwork, ignored for the chance to spend a quiet moment together discussing their plans.

"We should ask her tomorrow," Merry insisted, "Medical says she'll be strong enough to come home next week, and I want her to have a proper home, not those empty quarters." She fluffed her wings for emphasis, but didn't release her husband from the full-body, hoof-and-wing hug.

Ironside shook his head and yawned. "Merry, we can't rush this." He rubbed the mare's back with a hoof, kneading between her wings and getting a soft coo in response. "At least wait until maintenance finishes up her new leg." Seeing Merry frown at the thought of waiting any longer, he pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry..." he yawned again, burying his face in Merry's mane to hide his knowing grin, "I get the feeling Damsel'll say yes."

Merry fluffed herself up again, this time with a happy smile at the thought of having her new herdmate there to look after. The broody pegasus entertained herself with thoughts of having a full nest again for a few minutes, before realising that Ironside had fallen asleep on top of her. Rolling her eyes and supressing a smirk, she shuffled around so that they were both laying comfortably on the couch.

She could wait... for a little while.

"Heal the poison, and return." The Regent recited the phrase, peering thoughtfully through the window at the atrium beyond, her face reflected in the glass. "Damsel's report backs up Officer Lorikeet's." She noted her pony counterpart approaching in the reflection, bringing a mug of precious tea. She took the steaming, fragrant offering with a nod. "Our Queen's instructions are to heal the poison, and then return to Fluttery Valley." A frown made its way to her lips, her dark eyes narrowing in thought. "The poison..." she repeated. "What could our Queen be talking about?"

Beside the Regent, the Overmare sipped at her own tea, her thoughts mirroring those of the changeling beside her. "The radiation, perhaps?" Came the pony leader's suggestion.

"No." The Regent shook her head, her frown growing. "Neither Damsel nor Lorikeet reported any signs of megaspell detonation on their way to Fluttery Valley, and even if we had some way of cleansing the land Equestria is simply far too vast..."

Silence reigned for a few minutes, broken only by thoughtful sips of slowly cooling tea. "Perhaps..." The Overmare murmered softly.

"Perhaps?" The Regent repeated, quirking an eyebrow at her counterpart.

"Perhaps your Queen already told us what the poison is," the Overmare suggested, turning to look at their terminals. Another quirked eyebrow was the the Regent's only response for a moment, before she understood.

"I think you might be right, my friend," the changeling said with a smile, raising her mug in acknowledgement, before leading her pony partner to their desks and tapping away at the keys with one hoof.

In the quiet office, in the depths of the darkened Stable, an audio file was played for only the second time since its recording.

"If you are hearing this message, it means Omega-Level Threat Protocols have been enacted, and your Hive has been sealed."

Homecoming

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Homecoming

Today was The Day, a fact which hadn't escaped the two equines who practically scampered out of the Maintenance stalls with a large package in hoof. It had taken more than a few cookies in bribes, and they still had to put the finishing touches on the surprise themselves, but everything had been arranged.

After all, Morale was their purpose, and that meant smiles. And what was in the package would be sure to get some smiles... even if getting the super secret surprise to stay a super secret had cost them an entire box of one of their namesake treats.

Today was The Day, Ironside mused as he stood off to one side, trying to avoid getting caught up in the frenzied flurry that had consumed his living room at the hooves of two positively perky pegasi. Furniture had been moved around, food had been brought in from the cafeteria, and one bewildered flutterpony had been conscripted into helping clean and decorate.

For his part, Ironside just inched as slowly as possible around the outside of the room, trying to make it from the bedroom door to the exit without drawing attention to himself. Mares were attracted to movement, and pretty pegasus ponies in particular could spot a sneaking stallion if he wasn't careful.

Slowly, carefully, pretending not to see Lorikeet's pleading look as Holly shoved a feather duster into the beleagured colt's hooves, Ironside managed to reach the closed door. Wincing, he braced himself for the worst and slapped the control, the door hissing out of the way... and somehow not attracting any attention. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ironside trotted out into the hallway, confident he was home-free... until a set of teeth grabbed his tail and hauled him back inside, Merry May refusing her husbands protests of having to start his patrol soon.

After all, today was The Day, and patrols could be handled by other ponies.

Today was The Day. Or so Damsel had been told. The doctors and nurses had given their all clear, she could finally hobble along without falling every few steps, and she was more than ready to leave the Medical bay. Not that she wasn't grateful for all their help, but after so long in so few rooms even the strongest-willed changeling needed a change... and sleeping in a real bed again would be a welcome change indeed.

All that was needed was for Ironside to collect her after his patrol, since the doctors hadn't quite cleared her for active duty yet, or even for roaming the Hive unaccompanied.

Which led to the question of exactly why Tagalong and Gingersnap were there, saluting the Security officer and presenting her with a well-wrapped box... and barely hiding their twinned expressions of anticipation.

Wary of what the two had cooked up, half-expecting some sugar-and-love filled concotion that could only loosely be called "cookies" as a get-well present, Damsel hesitantly took the box and opened it.

Her look of surprise was only matched be the glee of the twins who'd worked so hard on the gift.

When Ironside finally arrived to escort his old partner from her temporary home, he was completely surprised. But, with a smile and an approving nod, he took his place by Damsel's side, the pair started the not-so-long walk through familiar halls, quietly chatting as they went.

It was Time. Merry May's ear twitched as Lorikeet nodded, the gathered group taking a deep breath as the door hissed open.

"SURPRISE!" Damsel felt her tattered ears blown backwards by the force of the shout that greeted her as she stepped through the door, fully knowing there was a someone waiting beyond but not expecting this. The changeling looked around, her eyes wide with surprise at the impromptu party. A large banner hung on one wall, declaring 'Welcome Home', while a small feast practically buried the table in the middle of the room. Merry May was practically doing cartwheels of joy in the air, while Holly really was doing cartwheels. Though, that might have been from sugar as much as joy. Lorikeet, looking exhausted, was doing his best to salute and pray that nobody would notice the maid's cap Holly had stuck on him at some point.

Ironside just trotted in beside his partner with a knowing grin, nudging Damsel's shoulder as he went. "Welcome home, Damsel." His smile grew as he looked down. "Merry and me, we have a surprise for you, but maybe we should get the the other surprise out of the way first, yeah?"

"Yes," Damsel replied with a smile of her own, before walking into the room properly. Unaided. Clop. Clop. Clunk. Clop.

There was a moment of silence as the three fliers stared, confirming what their ears told them. Holly was the first to put it into words. "You've got a new leg!" She shrieked in delight, diving in for a closer look and crashing into her mother, who had tried the same thing. While the two featherbrains fought it out and tried to get untangled, Ironside led the way to the couch and snacks, much to Damsel's relief.

Damsel pulled herself onto the plush surface with a relieve sigh, extending her new foreleg onto the table, glad to take the weight off her hooves... and stump. A hint of concern and guilt caught her attention and she turned to see Lorikeet staring at the new appendage unhappily. "Officer Lorikeet", Damsel called out, making the young flutterpony snap to attention. She met his eyes for a long moment before simply nodding, a burst of reassurance and gratitude sent to her companion. "Well done, Lorikeet. Thank you."

The party was a great success, Merry May and Holly gladly bringing Damsel up to date on everything that had happened in the Stable, the three adults teasing Holly and Lorikeet about their new living arrangements, and everyone poking and prodding the changeling's new limb.

Eventually, though, the group was tired out. Holly and Lorikeet said their goodbyes, the latter almost dozing off on his hooves as Holly guided him back to their shared quarters. Damsel found herself squished between Merry and Ironside, just waiting and watching her new hoof moving.

It wasn't long before Merry spoke up, but much longer than Ironside or Damsel had expected. "Damsel," Merry began, her wings fluttering nervously, "Ironside and I have been talking and, well..."

Damsel rolled her eyes, genuinely surprised it had taken so long for the subject to come up. "Merry, I'd love to join your herd."

Merry's ears went back in surprise, then she glared at her husband. "You told her, didn't you?"

"We may have talked about it on the way back from Medical," Ironside stated with a shrug and a teasing grin. Merry glared at him some more, then snorted, throwing her forelegs and wings around Damsel protectively.

The broody pegasus nuzzled her new herd member. "Welcome home, Damsel. Welcome home."

Basking in the emotions coming from her old friends... no, her herd, now, Damsel stared at the dark metal, rubber and Maintenance Magic that had replaced her foreleg, and allowed herself a content smile. She really was home.

Warmth

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Warmth

The rooms were, oddly, both too large, and too small, Damsel reflected as she looked around one last time.

Hiveward quarters always tended to be smaller than their Stableward equivalents, though not by much. The difference mostly came from the changeling tendency to create curved structures, giving the places they built a cozy, homey feeling that suited the insectoid equines quite nicely. Quite a difference from the sharper angles Stable construction used, allowing for more floorspace and room to move, something that was known to ease the minds of the fuzzier equine inhabitants during long periods of confinement... such as one or two decades underground.

Damsel mused over this as she finished packing... or tried to, as Merry May took charge and bustled about in that way only a broody pegasus really could, directing Ironside and recieving more than a few distracted "Yes, Dear"'s in response from the beleagured stallion.

It really was too small, the changeling decided, for a pony herd. A changeling pair would have been quite at home, even a small changeling family. Perhaps, at a stretch, a pony and changeling pairing. It may have lacked the traditional pony-style bed, or even the low platforms that some quarters had, but there was something to be said for curling up in one of the larger alcoves formed into the curving walls, and if the previous night had taught her anything, Damsel understood all too well the draw of sharing those cozy nooks with a warm, soft pony... or two.

But, for all the apparent smallness of the quarters, Damsel found herself looking at the two small boxes before her with an odd feeling welling up inside. Two small boxes, barely large enough to cover the "table" in the living room. Two small boxes that seemed to almost get lost inside the suddenly cavernous quarters. Two small boxes for almost a lifetime's worth of posessions.

Everything Damsel owned was packed into those two small boxes. Well-packed, she'd admit, by the proud and eager Merry May. But still... her whole life fit into such a small space. The odd feeling welled up again, a sense of disquiet that rolled around inside her, a kind of restlesness that made her hooves itch... even, she realised as she went to pack the last, and most important thing with her own hooves, her new hoof.

Carefully, appreciating the rubber sole that Maintenance had fashioned for her prosthetic leg, Damsel wrapped the small, resin figure in a cloth, before placing it with the rest of her posessions.

With a final look around, a final sweep with Ironside and Merry to be sure nothing was missed, Damsel departed from her former quarters for the last time. Now, she had a new home, one much larger, but somehow smaller, and thinking of her destination and her new herd shoved aside the odd feelings that had been welling up and replaced them all with a growing sense of warmth, bolstered by a flighty, bubbly happiness on one side and a steady, solid contenment on the other.

Lorikeet was confused. It was something he'd almost, but not quite, gotten used to, ever since returning from the outside world, and something he'd felt less and less as time went by.

But sometimes, something would jump out at the young flutterpony and make him hesitate for a moment or two as his mind tried to make sense of it.

This time, it was finding his copy of the Stable Regulations. It was clearly his, it had his bookmarks in it, and his notes still scrawled in the margins from when he was studying to join Security. It wasn't so much finding his book that had him feeling out-of-sorts, or even where he'd found it, half-buried under dirty barding on the nightstand.

What had left him bewildered was the room where he'd found it. The last time he'd seen it was before he'd even left the Hive, and it was safely tucked away in his quarters. Now, though... now it was on a nightstand. Under a mare's barding. In quarters that definitely weren't his, because they belonged to Holly.

Lorikeet wracked his brain, surely he'd seen the book the last time he'd been in his quarters... hadn't he? Moving almost on autopilot, he continued his cleaning, straightening things as he moved around the room.

The book had definitely been there, he remembered seeing it.

Dirty barding, some for a mare, some for a stallion, all with wing slits and Security markings, were shaken out and placed in a hamper.

It was right where he left it, with his other manuals beside his terminal.

The bed was made, the blankets tucked in neatly and the two-ponies-worth pile of pillows fluffed.

How long ago was that?

Long, warm winter socks brought a blush and averted eyes as they joined the barding in the hamper.

Definitely before he'd left with Damsel. But since? He tried to remember the last time he'd spent the night in his own quarters, or even visited them.

Stray feathers were swept up and deposited in a neat pile. Holly would decide what to do with them later. He half-hoped they'd go to making pillows... pegasus feathers made good bedding and Holly was quite soft to rest his head on, after all.

With a start and a snort, Lorikeet looked around as he came to a sudden realisation, asking himself a question that seemed both very important, and not important at all. "How long have I been living here?"

A few minutes later, the door hissed open, Holly's happy presence breaking him out of his muddled thoughts, the perky pegasus prancing in with a plate of fruit on her back, the produce clearly purloined from the kitchens. "Breakfast!" The cheery mare practically sang as she slid the plate down one wing and onto the table, before she turned to rummage in the icebox... the icebox that Lorikeet also recognised. Shaking his head with a smile, he left his cleaning behind, confusing thoughts and sudden revelations banished by his partner's presence, and replaced by a warm sense of belonging.

Far above both Stable and Hive, Honeycut and Hawkeye watched the town as it slowly came to life in the late morning light. All around them, ponies and changelings were slowly repopulating the surface, though many of them still called the undergound their home. For many of them, particuarly the generations born in the Stable or too young to remember the surface at all, the vast world above was strange and just a little unsettling. Most nights tended to see the town all but abandoned, the seemingly endless darkness filling those unlucky enough to be above ground with a deep, primal fear that gnawed deep in their equine souls.

Because of that, any Security personnel stationed topside were kept on short shifts, patrolling quickly after dark before returning to the relative comfort of the town hall, where true safety was just a staircase away.

During the day, though, ponies and changelings alike would often wander up from the comforting depths to bask in what little sunlight made it through the ever-present clouds and stretch their legs properly. A few tentative gardens had even sprung up, though no-one had really resettled into any of the abandoned houses in any permanent fashion.

Two decades away had dulled most ponies' and changelings' eagerness to return to their former abodes, after all.

It was this minor hustle and bustle that Hawkeye watched as he sipped from a flask. "Warm day today," he stated simply, offering the flask to his companion.

Honeycut nodded his agreement as he took a sip himself. "Eeyup. Warm day indeed."

Clunk

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Clunk

Clunk.

The Overmare's ear twitched at the tell-tale sound of a full mug of tea being set onto her desk. With a weary, muttered thanks, she pulled it over and all but shoved her muzzle into the cloud of fragrant steam rising from it. The pony leader took a long, slow breath, letting the scent clear away some of the lingering fog, glad for the break from the veritable mountain of paperwork, forms and reports littering the office.

Looking equally as tired, the Regent sipped at her own mug, eyeing the assorted piles of paper almost burying the two desks. Seperate from all the other paperwork, both desks had a single, identical stack of reports on them, though neither really needed to read them at this point, as both the reports themselves and the relevant information from the Science division were all but burned into their minds... much like the Science reports were burning themselves into the terminal screens.

With a sigh, the changeling leader flicked off both terminals, the letters and numbers fading slowly from sight. Even as the heads of the Hive, neither Regent nor Overmare were immune to being scolded by Maintenance for wearing out equipment.

"I think," the Regent began after several long, quiet minutes filled only with the sounds of slurping, "that there's only one real conclusion here."

"Mmmphm..." The Overmare nodded her agreement as she nursed a slightly scalded tongue, the life-giving tea hotter than she'd expected, but quite necessary at this point.

The Regent paused for another sip, trying to keep her sleep-deprived thoughts on track. A glance at the top-most report helped things move along. "We must heal the poison, as the Queen directed." She paused again, staring into the distance and idly sipping at the precious source of caffeine in her mug.

For her part, the Overmare nodded again, sleep-deprived mind slow to reach any kind of conclusion, but getting there eventually. "But not the radiation." The statement was made with as much confidence as the barely-awake mare could muster, bolstered by a glance at the notes they'd taken earlier that night... or was it day?

After a few moments, and a glance at the notes to refresh her own memory, the Regent gave her own nod. "Exactly." She nodded again, and so did the Overmare. "Not the radiation. We need to heal..." The changeling paused in what might have been an attempt to build dramatic tension, but was probably an attempt not to fall asleep facedown in her mug. Which was now empty. "We need to heal the real poison..." Why was her mug empty?

"Hate!" The Overmare unsteadily raised her own mug to emphasise the word, and was a little confused by how there was no sloshing of tea in it. Tea was meant to slosh. "We need to heal the hate..."

"Exactly!" The Regent proclaimed proudly, if rather unsteadily. "The Queen Herself told us that hate is a poison! She told us to heal the poison! We will... we will..."

Clunk. Clunk.

Two equines slumped over, empty mugs rolling away as their owners started to snore.

The door hissed open.

Two near-identical equine faces popped around into the opening, followed by near-identical bodies, each carrying enough bedding to cocoon their respective leaders into cosy bundles of restfulness. Then, their work done, the pair trotted proudly, but quietly, from the office, leaving behind two snug-as-a-bug leaders and a plate of their namesake treats.

They might have felt a little guilt at slipping sleeping aids into the tea, but having the Overmare and Regent working for two days straight was bad for Morale, and for the pair of young saboteurs, Morale was no laughing matter.

Clunk.

Merry May's ear twitched, tracking two sets of hoofsteps around the room. Her head would have made for a better tracker, but it was currently buried under a mess of warm, happy-smelling blankets. One set of steps, heavy, solid, reassuring, but definitely slow and in need of coffee. The other, quicker and lighter, but punctuated by a heavier, more dull-sounding thud. More of a clunk, really. A low murmur of conversation between the two. They were good sounds. Familiar sounds. Happy sounds. Reassuring sounds that tickled the primitive pegasus parts of her hindbrain and said 'The Nest is Safe'.

Merry found her body growing warm, the scents and sounds of her herd's quarters, her Nest, stirring her instincts and sending Protective Pegasus Plans scurrying through her sleepy, happy brain.

Warm, strong and fuzzy was first, muzzle questing into the nest of blankets and pillows, searching for something soft to kiss and being rewarded for the effort.

Cool, tough and sharp was next, fierce fangs finding a messy mane to groom, part of the morning ritual they'd all developed.

The first was captured by a set of forelegs and pulled to a pillowy fate, the second found itself ensnared by a pair of fluffy wings and drawn in for a well-deserved, and very filling, breakfast.

As freshly-donned barding was pulled away and discarded by the insistently affectionate pegasus, Ironside and Damsel had a quite a few similar thoughts running through their heads. The one thing neither thought of, or even particuarly cared about at that moment, was that they were going to be very late for their morning patrol.

Holly took a deep breath and, slowly, opened her eyes. It wasn't that bad. Honest. The outcropping on the wall surrounding the surface town was the highest she'd ever been, sure, and maybe the sunlight that made it through clouds stung her eyes a bit, but she was completely fine. Honest!

She absolutely, positively, wasn't freaking out. Nope. Not at all.

The young pegasus looked over the edge of the smooth perching ledge, down at the town below, fully aware of her partner beside her. Lorikeet kept one hoof on Holly's back as she looked straight down, reassuring her while doing his best not to look down. Or up. He fully admitted that, like many of the ponies raised in the Stable, he suffered from vertigo on the surface, even after his long journey into the outside world. Or maybe because of it. The doctors weren't entirely sure which, but they assured him he was getting better.

The horizon wasn't so bad. If he focused on something, he could pretend it was just a really funny looking, out-of-focus wall.

Up and down gave him trouble, though. Mostly up.

Not like Holly, who took another deep breath, her barrel swelling under her partner's hoof, and looked up, straight at the sky. Down was fine, honest. It was just a bit higher than the top level of the Atrium. Even up was okay! It was just a really high ceiling! Really, really, high. With no rock above it. Just nothing up there. At all.

Lorikeet rubbed his partner as she started to poof up, soothing the not-panicking pegasus as she took another deep breath and closed her eyes. Down was done. Up was done. Next was... out.

Holly braced herself and opened her eyes again, looking out over the wall and into the endless void of the horizon that had no walls or stalls it just went on and on and on and-

The pretty pegasus realised she wan't as fine as she'd thought. She also realised she wasn't atop the wall anymore, instead having been moved to a lower platform. She gave Lorikeet a sheepish grin, suddenly glad he'd thought ahead... even if the same thing had happened every time they'd gone topside.

Still, Holly felt much better with reassuring stone at her back, and the wall on all sides blocking her eyes from seeing the Forever. It was almost like being in the Atrium... just bigger. She closed her eyes again, taking slow, deep, calming breaths, just like the doctors had taught her, Lorikeet, and all the other young ponies, both flutter and fluffy.

The town was safe. She couldn't fall into the sky. The walls weren't as far away as they looked. Nothing was going to try to eat her. Everything was perfectly safe.

Holly was startled from her thoughts by something being set down beside her. Opening her eyes, she saw that Lorikeet had pulled out a picnic basket and was filling a battered tin mug with what smelled like applejuice. Her nose told her that he'd already poured her one, and that's what had been put beside her. Giving her partner a sincere and thankful smile, and getting a reassuring one in return, she moved to grab the mug.
...
Only for her hoof to knock it over, the mug rolling towards the edge of the platform as they both watched, oddly fascinated as it teetered on the brink before vanishing.

Blushing, Holly ruffled her feathers and gave Lorikeet a sheepish grin. "Oops." From far below, there was the sounds of cursing as somepony was treated to a sudden shower of juice.

As Holly's blush deepened, Lorikeet rolled his eyes and passed her his mug instead, a long-suffering smile crossing his face.

Their hooves met and Lorikeet felt his own face grow warm as they lingered there, momentarily forgetting both the mug they were holding and the one they'd just lost. Two sets of wings twitched, one iridescent and sparkly, the other soft and fluffy, trying to cool their owners bodies as the weak sunlight did its best to warm them.

Clunk.

From far below, the sounds of cursing, renewed by the dropped mug rejoining its lost contents, set them both giggling, the odd momentary awkwardness all-but forgotten as they continued their picnic in the soft warmth of the spring sunlight.

Nerves

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Nerves

Ironside was only half-paying attention to the paperwork covering his desk, much more interested in what his partner, his herdmate, was talking about. And coffee, a fresh, steaming mug of which was set on top of some particuarly dull forms by Damsel as she finished speaking. "For what it's worth, I think it's a great idea," The unicorn stated as he lifted the battered, stained old mug to take a sip that left his mouth only slightly scalded, before signing the form-turned-coaster and hoping nobody would notice the marks left by the mug.

Damsel sighed and sipped her own steaming brew with a small grimace. "I shouldn't have even mentioned it." Shaking her head, the changeling stared into the depths of her mug, as time-worn as its partner, and added more sugar.

"Then why did you?" Ironside asked, watching as the sip-and-sugar cycle repeated again. Then again.

With a grumble, Damsel frowned and continued adding sugar to her drink. "I don't know." Staring at the now half-empty sugar bowl, she pushed it across the desk to her herdmate, who accepted it and took a much more reasonable single scoop as the changeling started rummaging through her desk for something. "It's not something we should really be talking about. It's just that... ah!" Distracted from her explanation, Damsel pulled a tin from the depths of a drawer and popped it open. A cookie was produced, then quickly crumbled and stirred into her steaming coffee, filling the Security office with a scent of ginger that had the rest of the security team's noses twitching.

Ironside just watched and waited, one eyebrow slowly climbing as a second and third cookie met the same fate as the first.

With a sip of her ginger-and-sugar sludge, Damsel let out a pleased sigh and finally relaxed into her chair, cradling the mug between her front hooves for warmth. The fact only one hoof was actually able to feel the mug barely registered in her mind at this point. After a few moments, and a few more sips that had Ironside's eyebrow vanishing into his mane, Damsel continued, despite staring distractedly into her mug of muck. "He's proven himself," she said quietly, as Ironside listened on but said nothing. "I talked it over with the Regent... with the Captain," the changeling corrected herself, "and, well... we felt it was time, even if it's not the way it should be done..."

"Damsel," Ironside interrupted as he left his seat, to take the distracted changeling into a hug, "I get it." He tightened his grip, stroking his herdmate's head as she leaned into him, still looking pensively into her mug. "You're going against tradition, shush," with an affectionate squeeze, he stilled Damsel's protest of putting such a huge issue into such small terms, "but you said it yourself, he's proved himself." He felt Damsel relax against him, at least enough to sip the stomach-churning concoction in her mug. "Do what you think is best for now, and maybe you can do it properly soon." He squeezed the changeling one last time before letting go with a smile.

Damsel smiled back as they parted."Yeah... you're right." Now relaxed and ready to face the morning's paperwork, she set to it, crushing another cookie into her coffee in hopes the ginger would settle her stomach as much as her partner had settled her nerves.

The rest of the Security team studiously pretended to ignore their affectionate bosses and went about their own work, noses occasionally twitching at the scent radiating from that poor mug.

Holly bumped her shoulder against Lorikeet's as they approached the Stable entrance, only to be bumped right back. The pair smiled at each other, much more at ease without open sky or horizon pressing down on them, looming over them. Every step down that long staircase from the surface had been a relief, and if they'd kept closer together than they really needed to... well, nobody would think to mention it.

Both flutterpony and pegasus relaxed when they crossed the threshold, passing through the doorway that was now open far more than it was closed and greeting the Maintenance crew who was working there. It soothed their minds, the familiar sounds and smells, voices and hoofsteps echoing down passageways and halls, signs of life living the way that, in some deep part of them, they felt that it should.

As they made their way through the welcome closeness and crowds, their wings fluttered against one another, bodies still holding the last warmth of the late afternoon sun they'd left above.

Ginger Snap and Tagalong were hardly nervous mares, something well-known across Hive and Stable. Driven, certainly. Stubborn, without a doubt. Bull-headed, as some would put it, when it came to their duties as part of Morale.

So, it was no surprise to either Overmare or Regent when the pair faced their scolding with heads held high and a distinct air of sorry-not-sorry, both calling their actions necessary when told to explain themselves. Morale meant Smiles, after all, and a well-rested pony was a smiling pony. They even had a copy of the Stable Regulations (Morale Edition, of course), with the relevant passages about overwork, adequate rest, and the effects of stressed leadership on happiness in the general population all conveniently outlined.

Both Overmare and Regent managed to keep their faces stern at this, despite the warring expressions of amusement, exasperation and frustration that fought to be seen. That several hoof-written sheets had fallen from the book, offering glimpses of notes on birthdays, anniversaries and recipes before being hastily reinserted into the overstuffed, and much repaired, book just made it harder.

Finally, shaking their heads, Regent and Overmare dismissed the sneaky, treacherous, irrepressibly cheerful and well-meaning Morale Mares, unable to bring themselves to punish the young pair with more than a telling-off.

Returning to their desks, neither Regent nor Overmare were surprised to find a small plate of fresh cookies had appeared beside each of their terminals. With a sigh and a shared glance that seemed to say 'we should have guessed', the pair settled in for a few hours work. Only a few hours, mind. They didn't particuarly want to draw the attention of Morale again.

The cookies were tasty, though. As expected.

Author's Notes:

Different versions of the Stable Regulations exist, depending on department. Typically, the differences are minor, with small adendums and maybe an extra section or two.

The Morale Edition is half again as long, said to have been heavily edited (if not outright authored) by Pinkie Pie herself, and includes sections such as Mr & Mrs Cake's Cakes, Pies for Parties, Cheese Sandwich: A Delicacy, a short essay of when it's appropriate to use tinsel vs streamers vs garlands, and what is essentially a small textbook covering the calculations to determine ratios of food, decorations, dancing and private spaces to number and type of guests based on event type and theme.

It also includes an entire blank section just for important dates, another for notes on Stable dwellers (for the more personal Morale touch) and a third just for recipes.

It's basically the Pocket Ref for Party Ponies.

Tagalong and Gingersnap's personal copy is roughly twice as big as the standard Morale Edition, and may or may not be a localised time/space distortion from the sheer amount of added pages and notes.

Purpose

View Online

PROJECT HIVE

Purpose

Life in the Stable was rarely quiet, but never silent.

There was always the bustle of activity, chattering voices carrying down hallways and filling the open spaces, ponies and changelings alike calling out to each other throughout the day. Maintenance and Morale did most of their work in the daylight hours, adding to the chorus with laughter, cheers, occasional cursing and the sounds of tools. The cafeteria was always busy, almost as busy as the atrium, but filled with the inviting smells and sounds of cooking food. Freshly baked goods steamed as they were taken from the oven, while hay, harvested and dried by the Agricultural division, was fried into mouthwatering strips.

Daytime was a time of purpose and work in the Stable, warmed by false sunlight and given a cool breeze by hidden fans.

Night brought softer voices and muffled hoofsteps, as Security's late shifts made their rounds and Maintenance took to their less urgent tasks. Most slept, their days done. Others found themselves awake, kept from sleep for some reaon or another. The Agricultural division often did most of their work when the lights dimmed, the Hive filled with false moonlight, turning sprays of water from the sprinklers into showers of silver. Crops were checked and tended, fertiliser spread, and a few late harvests brought in. Even the cafeteria still showed some life, a small number of ponies and changelings preparing for both the next day's meals and nourishment for those who shared their nocturnal schedule. Others remained awake in their own homes, or the homes of others, enjoying the privacy and quiet offered by the late hours.

Night, too, was a time of purpose, accompanied by the soft buzz of dimmed lights and the gentle hum of fans. Even if the purpose was rather more private than some would like to admit.

Through a window, the Overmare watched the sparse comings-and-goings of her Stable, the few ponies and changelings crossing the atrium at such a late hour. She was, for the first time in a long time, in the office alone, with nothing more than a teapot for company, the old vessel steaming away silently beside a pair of well-worn, and decidedly empty, mugs. The absence of her changeling partner weighed on her mind, more out of curiosity than concern.

Oh, the Overmare certainly knew why the Regent was absent. They'd discussed the night's plans well ahead of time, what it meant and what would happen. Certainly, the pony leader understood what was to happen, and why it had to be so private. She even knew it would be finished soon, and that her changeling counterpart would return with little delay.

Hopefully, the Overmare thought as she eyed the teapot, the Regent would be back before the tea got cold. Reheated tea was unpleasant, but far worse was the thought of drinking hot tea alone.

Holly grumbled, flapping her wings in a lazy attempt to move, but ultimately gave up and remained where she was, flopped on the couch in her parent's quarters. The pegasus was feeling quite put out, not least because her mother had corralled her with promises of a family dinner, only to take the poor, beleagured young pegasus prisoner!

Okay, even Holly had to admit that was an exaggeration. Kinda. She still made a point of ignoring her parents, though. This was an important night, and here she was, expected to just stay with her parents and help make dinner, instead of being out there with her best friend!

With a deep sigh, and pointedly refusing to look at where Ironside and Merry May were busy cooking something that smelled amazing, Holly rolled over on the couch to stare at the ceiling, annoyed at having nothing to do.

She wondered how Lorrikeet was doing without her.

The town was quiet. Not the quiet of the Stable and Hive, that comforting near-silence broken by muffled sounds of life, of the herd and the swarm all around, but an unnerving quiet. It was the quiet of an open space, of unpredictable wind instead of steady fans and ventilation, of strange insects and animals crying out rather than the familiar voices of so many changelings and ponies.

Empty buildings were barely visible in the darkness, the former residents still abandoning them with the setting of the sun, choosing the comforting closeness underground over the oppressive, smothering darkness above. The great wall, reassuring during the daylight hours, was nothing more than inky blackness in the distance, seeming to hold up a circle of dark, unyielding grey. Here and there, tiny slivers of silver could almost be seen, patches where the clouds were thinned, just for a moment or two.

In the middle of the town, flickering torches and gently glowing crystals fought back the night, casting shadows from a small group of gathered figures.

Lorikeet swallowed nervously, trying to focus on the familiar, though even that was strange. Changelings he'd known his entire life, from all parts of Stable and Hive, who'd never given hint to the truth of their lives, their purpose. There, a mare from Morale. A stallion from Agriculture. Another from Science. In all, there were fewer of these chosen ones than he'd expected, the group barely a quarter the size of Security, but there were far more than he'd thought to ever meet.

They were the Queen's guard, their faces almost hidden in the shadows cast by their dark helmets, each familiar face watching him in stern silence, not revealing the eager anticipation each felt, or the pride and encouragement that would have gone unnoticed by a pure-blooded pony.

Lorikeet, however, was a flutterpony, and he drank deeply as the Queens Guard shared with him, soothing his nerves and helping to keep his head high. He could do this.

Slowly, one changeling broke away from the rest, approaching Lorikeet. He snapped to attention, his wings glittering in the soft light, his coat a patch of soft darkness compared the the shining shadows of the Guard. All those differences, those little things, meant nothing. Not here, and not now.

The Regent, no, the Queen's Captain, eyed the young flutterpony for a long moment, then nodded. "We," she began, her stern voice clear and strong, seeming to echo even in the sound-devouring night, "are the Queen's Guard. We serve by Her will, and obey Her word." A pause, as the helmet-clad leader looked to each of those around her. "We are the chosen sons and daughters, given purpose by the Queen Herself, to defend Her and Her Hive. Each of us has earned our place, shown our worth to our Queen and all Queens before." Another pause, pride swelling in her chest as each of the Guard stood taller, no doubt remembering their own night of joining. "Though our Queen is not with us this night, another may yet be brought into our ranks. Step forth, Lorikeet, and state your deeds, that we may know your worth."

With a deep breath, Lorikeet steeled himself and stepped into the circle of flickering light. He could do this. Carefully, refusing to let his voice waver, he spoke as he had practiced, reciting his deeds, the acts that had brought him to this point, the things that he had been told made him worthy. "I am Lorikeet, son of our Queen. I am blooded, for I have slain the rock hounds which would feast upon my kin, my brothers and sisters. I have passed beyond the Roc's Wall, from the lands beyond to our ancient home. My wings have carried me above the Rosedust Sea and to Flutter Valley itself." Here, he paused for a breath, praying to the Queen Herself his voice would hold strong as his eyes flicked to one changeling, more distinct than the others. A nod reassured him, encouraged him to continue. "My sister lives through my actions. I have tended her wounds and carried her to our kin." Slowly, he lowered his head in a bow. "These are my deeds, and this is my worth."

Silence hung heavy in the night air as Lorikeet remained like that, head bowed and waiting, under the stern gaze of the Captain. Finally, she spoke once more. "We have heard your deeds, brother." Slowly, she looked around the circle. "Who here would stand beside you, our brother, and call you to our Queen's service? Who here would stand before Her, and speak of your worth?"

One heartbeat, then another. A single hoof stepped forwards, joined quickly by its opposite, rubber scuffing the sand as Damsel approached and bowed to her Captain. "I, Damsel of the Queen's Guard, would call our brother to serve. Before our Queen, I would testify to his worth." She raised her head high, voice ringing with determination. "I live through my brother's actions, have seen his journey, and have heard the Queen claim him as Her Own." She looked around, into the approving eyes of her kin. The ritual was old, and though the specifics had changed through the many long years, some things remained the same. "Should any challenge this, I shall stand against them myself."

There was silence. Long minutes passed, an ancient part of the ritual that had never, not once in memory or myth, been taken up. Who would challenge the Queen's will? It was unthinkable. Even now, though the Queen was not present, Her will was clear. Yet tradition was tradition, and it must have been said.

Gradually, the Captain stepped forwards once more, nodding to Damsel. "His deeds are known, your words are heard, and his worth is judged. Lorikeet, son of our Queen, brother of us all, raise your head, and be known as Her Chosen Guard."

Slowly, Lorikeet raised his head once more, abandoning his bow and standing at attention. If his nervousness showed, none would ever speak of it.

Beside him, Damsel moved to remove her helmet, offering it to the young flutterpony with a bow of her own. Suddenly breathless, Lorikeet extended shaking hooves, gingerly taking the piece of armor from his mentor. The weight surprised him, lighter than he had expected, but heavy in some indescribable way.

Slowly, carefully, he placed the helmet, his helmet, over his head, murmuring a soft thanks as Damsel helped fit first his ears and then his mane through the slits. As it settled into place, Lorikeet stood just a little taller.

The Captain looked him over approvingly as Damsel moved to her side. The air seemed to fill with excitement and joy, emotions radiating from the gathered Guard. "We welcome you, Brother Lorikeet of the Queen's Guard."

At this, cheers and whoops split the night, the veterans fighting to be the first to welcome their newest brother, the overwhelmed flutterpony weathering the jostles, hugs and wither-slapping with no small amount of gratitude and pleasure.

A pony, flutter or fluffy, may have a cutie mark. But for the first time, Lorikeet truly felt like he understood his purpose.

Author's Notes:

So busy with IRL projects!

Only a year between updates this time! I'm not that bad of a person, it seems.

So, a big development in the story, but probably not that big of a surprise.
Yes, Damsel's still a member of the Queen's Guard. She just passed down her helmet, that's all.

New helmets are only made at the Queen's command, and only in Flutter Valley. Tradition and all that. A new helmet is only made if a new Guard is chosen and there are none to pass down, which is quite uncommon. Traditionally, a Guard will keep their helmet until they die, even if they can no longer actively serve their role. A Guard's Helmet may be hundred of years old and repaired countless times, but it will still be the same helmet as when it was first made.

The Queen's Guard are essentially living legends. They're changeling heroes, accomplishing great deeds and chosen by the Queen Herself. They are, above all, loyal and steadfast to the Queen and Hive, even beyond the loyalty of other changelings. They take on any danger, stand strong until the last breath, fight until their kin are safe.

Some say that a Guard's helmet is, in some way, magical. That those who wore it live on somehow, giving strength to those Chosen and guiding them. Actually trying to prove it one way or the other would be very rude, though, so it remains just a story.

Would any canon changelings be Queen's Guards? Well, I think Pharynx would definitely be a Queen's Guard. Is he one in Hive canon? Yes. He remained in Flutter Valley and is in hibernation with the others.

Fallout: Equestria - Project HIVE

by Cascadejackal

Survival

Surface

Storm

Return

Quiet

Sand

Plans

Chosen

Into The Black

Journey

Meetings

Edge of The World

Flutter Valley

Dreamers

Homeward

Report

Broken

Morning

Stumped

Awake

Homecoming

Warmth

Clunk

Nerves

Purpose