//------------------------------// // 58 - Hope // Story: Change: Queen of The Hive // by tom117z //------------------------------// “Celestia?” Twilight was staring out into the empty expanse around her, as unchanged as the chains which imprisoned her. But, for just a moment, she could have sworn that the space was just a little bit less empty. For just a moment, it was like she had been in another place. Somewhere outside the hive mind, somewhere in the waking world, where another presence was already waiting for her. And she had been standing there, back turned to the Changeling Queen. Princess Celestia had been right there, within hoofs reach and yet so very far away at the same time. The Princess had been sans her regalia, standing before an ornate golden mirror that Twilight knew stood within the Princess of the Sun’s private bedchamber. The room, however, hadn’t been complete. A wall stood behind the mirror, stretching on behind it and a few other furnishings. But after a point it just stopped, ceased to be in a manner not dissimilar to a filly’s doll house. The floor of the bedroom, along with the ceiling, had both been non-existent; the alicorn who had been gazing at the mirror had just been standing on nothing but the expanse of the hive mind. It was impossible. It had to be a hallucination of some kind. Twilight surmised she had finally snapped, her mind broken by what she had been subjugated too as of late. Yet, another part of her said otherwise. She felt defeated, tired and tormented. But not broken. Not yet. Still, the hallucination theory wasn’t out of the question. Yet, despite that possibility, Twilight ultimately decided it hadn’t mattered… She had been there. Back in Canterlot, alive and safe after her recent experience with the Empress. That in itself was a relief to Twilight, even more so to physically see her with untainted eyes. Or as physical as her eyes were deep within her own subconscious. She hadn’t been able to resist calling out to her, wishing nothing more than to be in her mentor’s embrace. She hadn’t expected much out of it beyond idle hopes, still believing it to be a mere image flashing before her weakened mind. Imagine her surprise when Princess Celestia reacted to her call. Her ears had stood on end, swivelling to track the sound. Twilight watched as Celestia caught sight of something in the mirror, and for a single second it felt as if eye contact had been ascertained. The Princess had spun on the spot, ready to confront who would sneak up on her within her own bedchambers. And then the image had vanished, never to reappear again. And so here the Changeling Queen was. Staring out into the empty expanse before her, as unchanged as the chains which imprisoned her. That had been no hallucination. She had felt Celestia’s presence, she had been right there! And now she was gone, and Twilight very much expected the Empress to come investigating the disturbance. But that never happened. Whatever that was, Empress Immortalis was left completely unaware, for whatever reason. For but a moment she had joined with Celestia in much the same way any changeling could and would with each other. Just like with the presence she felt at the First Hive, and just like when Daybreaker… Daybreaker has made contact with Twilight’s soul, breached the hive mind in search of her specifically. It was foiled by her own unwilling intervention in the waking world, but what if it hadn’t been quick enough? “You never left, did you?” Twilight concentrated with all her might and called out. Though not to any changeling; this was instead in search of the mind of a pony. But alas, much as she couldn’t communicate something to other changelings that the Empress did not desire, neither could she reach out to wherever part of Celestia’s mind might hide. It would appear as though Twilight could only wait for the Princess to come to her once more. And she would wait, and she would cling to this new hope like a lifeline. And, in the meantime, she was making rapid progress on her own little project, and would likely complete it by the end of the day. Images flashed in her mind. Places and faces unfamiliar to the Changeling Queen, and yet certainly more familiar to another notable figure. One by one, the various memories she had stolen unlocked their contents for her personal viewing. Canterlot Shining Armor trotted through the streets of upper Canterlot, nearly empty of other ponies as he had come to expect recently. The sky was taking on an orange tint; yet another day rapidly reaching its conclusion. The Crystal Prince had just come from meeting with Broad Sword and Vladimir, relaying to them what the returned alicorns had told him. They had everything in order, as he would expect of them, and he would see them later when their own duties were complete. But until then, Shining Armor had one more task to complete that day. A group of EUP ponies nodded to the Prince as they passed him by. Such patrols were another common sight in Canterlot, even if just thinking about that sounded wrong to Shining Armor. It had been some time since all the events around him began, and it still felt off. An occasional group of Royal Guard might be expected in the capital, but Shining Armor had not grown up in a Canterlot that required a constant EUP presence that grew tighter each passing moment. He had long decided he hated war. The cyan shield shimmered peacefully far above his head, his wife’s magical power giving it a needed boost. It was a relief to not be holding it up himself, to once more share the burden. It also gave him more time to think again, even if it came with the dread of facing them ever since Twilight had vanished. Not that he would turn back, not when his parents’ home was right there. They deserved a visit from their son, especially in such trying times. He was just glad that a few volunteers meant he wouldn’t be alone. “Thanks for coming,” Shining Armor said six individuals trotting, or bouncing, alongside him. “Really.” “Well you did ask, what else were we going to do silly?” Pinkie chirped in response. “It’s not like we had much else to do anyhow.” “Not helping, Pinks,” Rainbow Dash groaned. “I ever mention I hate waiting around?” “Only one hundred and fifty-eight and a half times,” Pinkie replied. “That half was when you got interrupted one time.” “Whatever. Just tell us how to win this already and we’ll do it.” “Can any of you hijack the largest changeling hive mind to ever exist?” Shining asked sarcastically. The answer was pretty self-explanatory. Even Rainbow had to accept that a sonic rainboom wouldn’t exactly solve the problem. “Ugh, I hate this.” “Only one hundred and fifty-nine and a half times.” Spike decided to move things back on topic. “But seriously, why wouldn’t I have come? For me they’re family too.” “I know Spike,” Shining responded. “And I… haven’t really spoken with them much since everything happened. They were pretty upset, Mum especially.” “Parents can be like that,” Applejack stated. “One of the few memories I have of my folks is of me getting lost in our orchard, and my Ma and Pa damn near uprooting the thing to try and find me again. That… wasn’t long before they left.” “They sound like loving parents,” Fluttershy noted. “I wish I could have met them.” “Yeah. Ya’ll would have liked them, and they you I reckon.” “On to mildly less depressing topics,” Rarity interrupted. “How are the princesses, Shining Armor?” “They were bruised, but fine overall,” Shining Armor informed them. “Last I saw of them they went to go and rest. They’ve had a tough few days.” “They and just about every other pony in Equestria,” Rainbow muttered under her breath. Shining Armor stopped, the group having arrived at his childhood home. He stared at the silent front door for a moment, before his gaze shifted down onto the doorstep where Chrysalis had left Twilight all those years ago. It was that very spot where Shining Armor had first met his younger sister, having been awoken by his father and taken down to meet the lavender furred foal held in his mother’s hooves. That was so very long ago. “You know, in all these years I don’t think we’ve ever actually been here,” Applejack commented, whistling at the size of the home. “Twi didn’t do too bad for herself, did she? Neither did you, your highness.” “Well, our family was of a minor nobility before becoming royalty,” Shining Armor pointed out. “But yeah, it wasn’t half bad. Plenty of memories in this house.” Shining Armor took another step forward and knocked firmly on the door, then taking a step backwards and simply waiting for the response. A slight hustle and bustle could be heard inside if one strained their ears, the sound rapidly approaching the home’s front entrance. And then it opened up. “Huh?” was the first thing that came out of Twilight Velvet’s mouth, before she stopped at the sight of her son. “Oh, Shining Armor? W-what are you doing here?” “I need an excuse to visit now?” he asked innocently. “Oh, you should be worrying about more than your old mare you silly colt,” Twilight Velvet half-scolded with a clip around the stallion’s ear, before she noticed he wasn’t alone. “Oh! You brought guests! And… they’re Twily’s friends…” “Hey Velvet,” Spike sheepishly greeted with a wave. “Oh, Spike!” the older mare happily greeted back in turn, examining the dragon. “My my, you’ve grown!” “I wasn’t that much smaller the last time you saw me.” “Oh, but I can tell the difference,” Velvet rebutted. “I always can.” “Twilight, what is it?” Night Light called out as he too exited the house, also stopping at seeing their guests. “Ah, I see. Shining, son, how are you?” “Good. A sore ear,” Shining replied, twitching said ear. Night Light chuckled. “But of course.” “Well, are you all going to stay out in the cold?” Velvet asked incredulously. “Come on in, we’ll make room!” The older couple led the group of six ponies and one dragon inside the home. Night Light led them on into the living room while Twilight Velvet headed straight towards the kitchen.” “Tea? Coffee?” she called back at the group. After a few declines and affirmatives, she got to work boiling the kettle. Meanwhile, the others all found some place to sit themselves down in the living room. It was quite packed, a couple of them sitting on the floor while leaving a space for Velvet next to her husband. It wasn’t long before Velvet herself returned with a few cups of tea held in her magical aura and being given out to those who accepted her offer. She then took the remaining seat, and waited to see who would break the silence first. “So, this is the household where Queen Twilight Sparkle and Prince Shining Armor were raised,” Rarity stated. “Might I say darlings, it is a lovely home you have here.” Velvet chuckled. “Why thank you Rarity, that is most kind.” “Why I remember one Hearth’s Warming, in this very room, Shining and Twilight just reading a new Daring Do novel together by the tree,” Night Light added. “We took pictures of course.” “Is there… any word, by the way?” Velvet asked, daring to hope. “About Twilight?” Shining Armor grimaced. “…No. There’s been no change.” His mother looked downcast. “I see, I had expected as much. Oh my poor filly, what must she be going through?” “She’ll make it,” Night Light determined. “She always does. You will all find a way.” “Oh, I do hope so,” Fluttershy agreed. “Everything that’s happened… it’s terrible!” “But don’t mind us, you all lost your home,” Velvet pointed out. “Ponyville… We heard all about it.” “We all got out OK,” Applejack assured her. “…Most of us anyhow.” “Shining,” Spike spoke up. “Speaking of Ponyville, you know what’s happening soon…” “Yeah, I know,” the stallion responded grimly. “Oh? What’s this?” Velvet asked cautiously. “Things have been… escalating where the war in concerned,” Shining admitted. “And things aren’t going well.” “Honey, I’m sure you’re doing your best.” “It’s not about doing our best,” Spike refuted. “What he means is that a changeling swarm is going to attack the city in a few days, and the EUP is still reorganising.” Shining Armor’s parents glanced at each other. “Which means…?” “Things are about to become messy,” Shining replied simply. “When it does, I want you to head straight for Canterlot Castle. The shield will hold for some time, and hopefully the EUP will be able to organise a counter before it falls.” “And if they don’t arrive in time?” “…Everything will be fine.” Night Light gave him a deadpan look. “Son, you know when adults tell you everything will be fine but in reality things won’t?” Shining sighed. “Yeah, I know. You did it to us as kids, it won’t work on you.” “But we’ll believe you anyway,” Velvet interrupted. “Because our foals always find a way.” Shining Armor smiled. “Yeah. I suppose we do.” Velvet got up from her seat, approaching the eldest of her two children and taking him into a gently embrace. “Yes, you do.” She then released him, a more light-hearted smile on her face. “But enough of that,” she announced to the entire gathered ensemble. “Which of you fillies want to see Shining and Twilight’s baby photo albums?” Five faces immediately sparked with mischievous interest. Another far scalier face just looked on at the suddenly red-faced stallion with sympathy. “Of course,” Shining Armor groaned to himself. “Of course…” Suffice to say he would not mention that event to the captains when he met them later that evening.