//------------------------------// // 25 - Manehatten // Story: Change: Queen of The Hive // by tom117z //------------------------------// Manehatten Rarity was gently holding onto the hyperventilating Soronis, stroking her mane, while Puellula had already passed out and was resting fitfully on the sofa. The older changeling was shaking violently, trying in vein to get her breathing under control before she also lost consciousness right alongside her younger sister. Rarity was doing her best, whispering comforts to the erratic mare, and slowly she began to take smaller more controlled breaths. This effort lasted for minutes before her breathing had any semblance of normality, and she was left exhausted by its end. Rarity carefully helped Soronis up onto another sofa, the still shaking changeling laying down with her eyes still open wide and her thoughts racing at a million miles an hour - thoughts inside a head which she was now in alone. “Hold on darling,” Rarity said, moving off into the kitchen. Soronis glanced at the unicorn as she went, and then laid on her back and stared deeply into the ceiling, her vision seeming to blur in and out. She couldn’t focus, it was just like it was so many years ago, back when she had lost everything. At least, almost everything. The changeling glanced towards her little sister, who seemed to be in distress even within the sanctity of her own dreams; Soronis hoped Princess Luna might take notice and ease them if it was at all possible. It was then that Rarity returned, a glass of water held in her magic. She gently assisted Soronis in sitting up before allowing her a sip, keeping it held within her own aura as she didn’t trust Soronis’ own magic in her present state. The water helped, giving back a tiny amount of the energy she had expended. What also helped was Rarity herself, the unicorn knew enough about changelings to keep memories of loved ones and anything else that brought such love based emotions to the surface. She stayed close enough that Rarity was freely allowing Soronis to tap into that love energy and consume it passively. Her efforts proved fruitful, and Soronis eventually found herself capable of speech once again. “T-thank you,” she muttered. “Anytime dear,” Rarity responded kindly. “Are you alright? What happened to you?” “It’s… it’s…” Soronis tried to form an explanation, some of the shaking returning. Eventually, it became too much and blurted it all out with pained cry. “It’s happening again! WHY!? We lost out home, our family and our lives. But we g-got it back. We got it back! Now, they’re gone! They’re all gone!” “P-please calm down!” Rarity stuttered, flustered. “Who’s gone? What has actually happened?” “The hive!” the distraught changeling shouted. “I can’t hear or feel any of them. The Queen… she severed us! It wasn’t a death, she cut us off on purpose! Why!?” “Cut you off? Why in Equestria would Twilight do that, she wouldn’t do something that… horrid for no good reason. I know her, she just wouldn’t.” “I know!” Soronis stressed. “I know that! But why!? What did…” Soronis stopped, a muffled cry emerging once again as she tried to keep her feeling under control. “Soronis? What is it?” “What if something happened to them?” Soronis whispered. “What if whatever got the other queens got her too?” “Twilight would never let that happen darling,” Rarity assured. “She’s too strong to let some ruffian defeat her.” Soronis scoffed. “Some ruffian? Do you think ‘some ruffian’ would be capable of any of this? Do you even have the slightest-” Soronis stopped herself there, taking in a deep breath and calming herself. “Sorry, I just… I don’t know how to deal with this. I can’t lose another home. I can’t fail Pue again.” Rarity gave her a small smile. “You’ve never failed her, Soronis. Never.” “But-” “Not buts. Now, I don’t know what’s going on but I’m going to find out. There are other changelings in the city, and if something happened to them they’ll know.” “It’s a big city; do you expect to run into one right away?” “If something has happened to them, emergency services will respond. Also, simply asking ponies around and about could yield results, if you ask in the right places.” Soronis gave a weak smile. “Good thing you’re an expert on this city.” “Oh pish, hardly darling. I only know what I hear.” “You love this city.” “It… does have a glamour about it. And the architecture, the… No, I have more pressing matters to worry about. I really need to be going, will you be alright if you stay and rest?” Soronis nodded. “Pue can’t exactly go anywhere, and I need to be here if she wakes.” Rarity smiled. “Very well then, I’ll try not to be too long. With those parting words, Rarity hastily departed from the hotel room. With what had just transpired and the possible threat to Queen Twilight, one of her closest and dearest of friends, the fashionista half expected to find Armageddon in the hallways outside. However, everything was perfectly normal as she descended the staircase and arrived in the lobby. The lavish entranceway was quiet, only a few of the current tenants were around, Canterlot nobility by the looks of them that were likely visiting on business. She had no time for their kind, so she proceeded from the bottom of the staircase towards the front doorway. “Miss Rarity,” the posh looking pony behind the check-in desk spoke out. “Where are you going in such a frazzled state? And where are those two darling little changeling you paraded around?” “I don’t ‘parade around’ anything?” Rarity stated through gritted teeth. “They are friends of mine, and they are dealing with some… things right now. Normally they would be with me, but today is different.” “No need to explain anything to me,” the pony said. “With your connection to royalty, both changeling and otherwise, any of us would want the world to know. Even if it means keeping them around.” “I… but…” Rarity puffed her cheeks, muttering: “Oh why must such fabulous locales be ruined by such rude individuals.” “What was that?” “Oh nothing,” Rarity sang. “Now I must really be going, ta ta!” Without giving the pony a chance to speak again, Rarity moved on out of the doors and into the street beyond. All the while her thoughts were filled with a mixture of deep worry for the changelings she was with, and trying to banish rather unladylike thoughts of punting the pony she had just spoken with through a window as if she were Rainbow Dash or Applejack. The Equestrian Hive The hive was in chaos. A full blown panic had emerged the moment the mass disconnection occurred. Carduus was trying his best to rally the guards, but doing so without a hive connection midst the confusion proved a futile effort. With all hive structure collapsed, and his home in uproar, he only had one last thing on his mind. He had to find his family. Limping his way out of the atrium was a battle, he could only imagine that the panic was how many of the drones around him and also reacted when Queen Crudelis perished, since most of them were former members of her hive. He could also recall the final moments of the Battle of Ponyville, or at least flashes as he drifted in and out of consciousness after taking the hit that crippled him. Crudelis’ drones, disconnected, fleeing in panic and fear. He now knew how it felt, and was using years of professionalism in as Captain of the Guard to combat it. He knew something had gone terribly wrong, that the contingent he had provided the Queen had failed to protect her. But at that moment all that mattered was Panacea and Iuvenes. And he knew where they should be, the place they had agreed to meet, if possible, in a hive wide disaster. Queen Twilight Sparkle’s throne room. He burst through the half open doors, and found what he was looking for. His wife and daughter weren’t the only ones who had the idea, and several more drones were looking around for answers. “Dad!” Iuvenes shouted, rushing up to him. “What’s happening? What’s going on!?” “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Twilight cut us off, something bad has happened to the Council.” “But… ALL the queens were there,” Panacea stated. “If… whatever is happening happened there…” “I know, but we can’t worry about that right now. The hive is in a panic, and I can’t rally the guard. We need to-” A scream drew their attention, and all in the throne room witnessed a male drone scamper into the throne room. “They’re attacking! There are-” The stallion tripped as green magic took hold of his back legs, dragging him backwards and into the air until he was muzzle to muzzle with a smirking figure. “Well well, what do we have here?” Queen Vulgaris asked, her glowing red eyes examining the changeling hungrily. “Drones, believing they can neglect their loyalties to their Empress?” Carduus blinked. “Empress?” “Our Empress, and our salvations.” “How did you find us?” Carduus demanded to know. “Oh please. You open your doors to the Equestrians, and don’t expect your location to be so easily revealed?” “Our location, yes. But a perception filter hides the entrances from whoever we do NOT want entering. Visitors have to be guided in!” “Yes, well… Queen Twilight was very helpful in that regard.” Carduus’ eyes widened. Vulgaris’ horn lit up, and soon the drone she held relaxed as his eyes turned from a bright blue to a dark ominous red. A fanatical grin formed on his face as he was released and took his place at Vulgaris’ side. “W-what is wrong with you!?” one of the other shell shocked drones shouted to Vulgaris’ victim. “He has been enlightened to the truth,” Vulgaris said almost dreamily. “As shall you all receive this gift.” Vulgaris’ horn lit up again, and the panic returned in force to the changeling drones. A dozen changelings all scrambled to rush past the Changeling Queen and out the only exit, all of them being immediately besieged by more of Vulgaris’ drones as they tried. Carduus didn’t need the hive mind to feel the presence of hundreds, if not thousands of drones invading the hive, using the chaos of Twilight’s departure from and decimation of the hive mind. They didn’t stand a chance. Carduus grabbed onto his wife and daughter, holding them close as he tapped into all the magic her could muster and formed a portal around all three of them. As they sank beneath the floor he saw all of the changeling that had been inside the throne room now turn towards them, a red glow in all their eyes. They emerged several hallways away, Carduus almost collapsing before his family took his weight and kept him steady. “You shouldn’t be using magic like that!” Panacea stressed with worry. “Not as you are!” “Neither of you know the spell,” Carduus pointed out. “It was the only way we made it out of that.” “You cannot escape your responsibilities!” a new voice raged. All three froze as they saw Vulgaris’ daughter, Princess Imperious, arrived with two drones at her sides. “We run?” Iuvenes asked. “I can’t…” Carduus painfully admitted. “Damn these old wounds.” “The male’s state is unfortunate but him I know him as Carduus, former Captain of the Royal Guard and veteran of the Battle of Ponyville. His experience will be a great addition to our forces,” Imperious stated. “Take them.” The two drones began to close in on the family, Panacea and Iuvenes charging their horns in preparation for a likely futile defence. Luckily, they would never be given the opportunity. Princess Imperious shouted in pain as she found a sword plunged into the joint connecting one of her forelegs to her torso, severing the bone. As the blade was retracted the severely injured and bleeding princess opened her wings and shot down the corridor to safety. Her two guards turned from the family towards the new drone, taking in the red armour signifying him as being a guard of the recently deceased Queen Draco. They attempted to slay this new drone, the first of Imperious’ striking forwards only for the new drone to dodge and roll over and across the attacking changeling’s back. The new drone’s sword followed shortly after, held in his magic, and took his attacker’s head. The second of Imperious’ guards fell to a well-aimed spell. “Come on,” the drone beckoned Carduus’ family. “They’re everywhere, escape is impossible. Your family needs to hide until they leave.” “They’ll leave?” Panacea questioned. “They’re taking their victims from this place, I overheard one of them mention it,” the drone explained. “Now come, follow me!” Carduus figured they really didn’t have much of a choice. Manehatten It was late at night when Rarity finally returned to the hotel room, she was visibly disheartened. Bags were under her eyes, and her mane was even more unkempt than it was before, which only further soured her mood. “Rarity?” Soronis called out, the changeling having been comforting her now awake but despondent sister. “You’re back?” Puellula said. “What happened?” “Where to begin,” Rarity said with a sigh. “I found some more changelings from your hive, but they were no better off. Police, and even some EUP City Guard forces stationed here, were at the scene. Even some ambulance carriages were there.” “Ambulances?” “They were also disconnected, and suffered as much as you,” Rarity explained. “I don’t like where this is going darling, but it is nowhere good I know that much.” “I’m tired…” Puellula muttered. “Yes, we are still leaving in the morning, so we best be off to bed,” Rarity stated. “We can finish packing before we leave. We all need our rest after today’s events. The changeling gave no objections, slowly sauntering off to a much needed slumber. Rarity followed close behind, heading into her own room and shutting the door behind her. As she got into her bed, she had little trouble finally drifting off to sleep. Her slumber was surprisingly restful, if any bad dreams came to haunt her that night she didn’t remember them by the morning. Or at least, the dawn of the afternoon. Rarity had ended up sleeping in far past she normally would, Soronis and Puellula doing the same. The fashionista might have overslept even more, if it wasn’t for the sudden burst of green flames suddenly causing her to sit upright as a scroll fell onto the sheets. She stared at the object a few moments, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Realising it must be from Spike, she hastily fought off her drowsiness and opened it up. It contained only two words, and Rarity couldn’t help but gasp in shock as she said them aloud. “Stay there!?”