I used my magic to part the curtain a small amount, accidentally causing it to smoke from exposure. Letting it go, I instead peeked through the curtains by using my hoof.
There were four rows of seats, eight seats across. The Media were all impatiently sitting, writing on small pieces of paper in tiny booklets or conversing with other members of their group. There was a great deal of worry coming from them; worry about their jobs in the future. They were concerned they had to ask just the right questions or there would be a storm upon them from their superiors for wasting this opportunity. This troubled me in more ways than one. My emotional sense had been rapidly growing as soon as I had gained consciousness; I apparently knew not only a human's emotions, but the exact reasoning behind that emotion as well. If they were upset, as the human in the fourth row and seat furthest away from me was, then I knew it was because their seat was inadequate. As a drone, I knew only that the 'not-minotaur' were upset. I shook my head in remembrance, both at how far I had come in barely a week as well as for what I had become. I was a Proto-Queen now, tasked with the future of an entire hive on my ingrown crown. Generations of changelings would be hatched from my eggs; they would interact with the humans on the surface and it was up to me to show the way for how those interactions would play out.
I released my hold on the curtain, the fabric falling away. Agent K was speaking with another human in a similar uniform to theirs about how to present themself for this Question and Answering session, as they could not be seen in the 'public eye' for my own safety. Agent K's duty was my protection and exposing themself would open up a pathway towards myself. Rough, Timid and Soft waited nearby with a small 'TV Screen' that showed the podium just in front of the curtain I was now behind, small red text announcing that this was 'Live'. They waved to me with hopeful smiles, already having given me their best wishes.
"Queen Blue Sun?" A human asked. They were the one that Agent K had been speaking to. "Are you ready for the conference?"
I nodded, looking towards the small part in the curtain that swayed from a 'fan' nearby. "I am." I stated with finality, drawing a calming breath before exhaling.
"Just wait for me to introduce you. When you hear your name called, walk onto the stage and just behind the podium. There will be a small black microphone on a stand. Just speak near that device and it should pick up your voice to everyone in the room. Don't get too close, or-- actually, imagine it like someone's ear that you're speaking into." They clarified, interrupting themself.
"I wait for your signal." I replied with another nod of affirmation. They gave a polite bow and turned towards the stage, moving past the curtains with respectable calm given the immense impact this moment would have.
"Men and Women of the Media," The human began, "This is a very special occasion for humanity and by request of Queen Blue Sun herself, you have been granted access to speak with her about anything that you may have concerns about. Due to the unfamiliarity with alien biology, we ask that you silence all cell phones and turn off the flashes from your cameras. Video cameras will still be allowed, yet if you break any of the rules we have set in place, or Queen Blue Sun asks you to leave, you will be ejected from the room. This conference is being held for the entire planet, not just as an exclusive for your news station. This isn't going to be a frenzy for who gets the best scoop on TV, alright?"
There was quiet murmuring of acknowledgement from those seated, and the human continued.
"Behind these curtains is the first alien ever seen on planet Earth. You may have misconceptions about Roswell and little green men, as well as UFO's, but we can safely confirm now that there have never been aliens on planet Earth, that we've known about, until this past week. You were all given a pamphlet of acceptable topics to discuss, as well as how you should conduct yourselves during this Q and A session. Do not deviate from that instructional booklet, or you will be removed from the building. Are we clear?"
A louder round of engagement from those seated.
"Good. Without further delay," The human turned to point a flat hand at where I was peeking through the curtains, "I present: Queen Blue Sun."
I took another deep breath to calm myself before shoving my way through the heavy curtains to absolute silence. Walking to the podium, there was only the dampened sounds of my hoof falls on the soft carpeting to greet my ears. I found my place, the small 'Microphone' on a stand below my mouth, the podium itself ending midway towards my chest. I adjusted my stance to appear as slim as possible, facing forwards towards the double doors down the hallway made by the folding chairs that lead to it. I swept my gaze from one side of the room to the other, seeing humans of all shapes, sizes, colors and clothing choices. Some were round, others were sticks. Some were darker, others were lighter. Some were mixtures of both, and others were a happy blend of everything.
I cleared my throat and leaned forward to speak into the microphone, remembering the advice about it being an ear. "Well... here we are." I stated plainly. I had no idea what else to really say, but the atmosphere and apprehension in the room was so thick that it was making me sluggish. "You have questions, I assume?" I asked softly, trying to wake the group from their malaise.
They were still frozen.
"You." I abruptly pointed to a random human in the room, one operating a camera. "What is your question?"
"A-ah I'm just a camera man, man!" The human stuttered, their camera shaking. They wore a forward facing cap of some kind with a large Seven on it. They faced the device's attention upon me, attempting to hide behind the bulk of it.
"You must want to ask something, right?" I leaned forward to press the subject, "Something you've been wanting to know?"
The 'man' looked at me again, before noticing the interested looks of the other humans in the room that also wanted to know his question. Some of the other 'Camera Man, man's' were becoming hopeful that they would be able to ask a question as well.
"U-uh..." They bit their lip. "D-do... do alien's... you know... take a dump?"
My brain stopped working for a second as it was assaulted by a wave of profound disappointment. "Wh... what?" I slowly asked, leaning forward and swiveling my ears to hear better. "What did you ask, again?"
"N-nothing!" They blurted, backing away from the others in the group and whimpering quietly to themself. "It was nothing; ask someone else a question!"
The disapproval was powerful when directed at the 'man' in the corner, so I chose to distract the humans in the room by calling upon the one that was annoyed from their seat being so far back. "You, the dissatisfied one in the back, what is your question?"
They looked around at the other humans sitting near them, and I pointed to them again. They pointed to themselves, not believing I had chosen them and I nodded. They slowly stood while setting their notes aside and picked up a microphone. "W-well, um, Queen Blue Sun... I had a whole list of questions but now I'm more interested in something else. How did you know I was dissatisfied, and about what?"
I decided to go with the truthful route. "While the human that announced me was speaking to your group, I was peaking from behind the curtain. There was a great sense of unease coming from this room, though yours in particular was for a different reason. Would I be correct in assuming that your dissatisfaction arose from the placement of your seating being so far back that you believed you wouldn't have had the opportunity to ask a question in the first place?" I asked in as pleasant a tone as I could. Princess Celestia's voice was unsurprisingly perfect in that regard.
"Y-yes... that would be exactly right, Queen Blue Sun." They replied somewhat shakenly, their emotions battling between elation at having a crucial question answered that opened many doors of possibility and also the uncomfortable feeling of paranoia that their mind was being read. Perhaps it was, or perhaps I was becoming better at guessing intentions. I didn't know for certain. The human sat down, their question having been answered and emboldening the other Media in the room to raise their hands quietly.
I searched through the room, my gaze falling upon a thin human in a dress. "Yes, It is your turn to ask a question." I said while pointing at them.
"Hello, I'm Louis Avenue from the Nightly Moon; Have your species ever visited or observed Earth in the past?" The human asked quickly, their eagerness and prepared question giving me the impression they wanted as many questions answered as possible. Perhaps we were on a time limit?
"Not to my knowledge." I replied honestly. I seriously doubted that our hive even knew of Earth at all, let alone... other planets...
Louis sat down, and the hands went up again. I pointed to another up front, next to me. "You. Your question?"
They stood up but refrained from saying whom they were. "Queen Blue Sun, what are your plans for humanity?"
Huh? "My plans?" I asked in confusion.
"More specifically, do you intend to rule over humanity by force, or do you plan on--" They were asking, before being swiftly interrupted by Agents. The black suited humans rushed towards the Media human in question, nearly tackling them to the ground in their haste.
"You broke the rules, Channel Nine." An agent seriously warned, picking the Media human from the ground and leading them by force from the room.
"Ah... well." I slowly said, still somewhat surprised by the suddenness of what had just happened as the double doors slammed shut with an eerie quiet. Now the other reporters in the room were on edge, most of them seriously reconsidering their line of work and thinking very fondly of their families for some reason. "Next... question?" I asked with a bit of forced cheer.
A human in the back was the first to recover and raise their hand, so I called on them.
"Is it coincidental that you seem to be a Pegasus and Unicorn combined?" Their higher voice inquired.
I could lie and say that it was, but... if I was going to establish a permanent hive on Earth, and I was, then I was going to need honesty to be at the forefront of my relationship with the humans. I had been honest with Rough, Soft and Timid and it had gotten me this far. Lying at this point would only be detrimental to my efforts of securing a future home for my changelings... whenever my body decided to be ready for that task, that is.
"It is not a coincidence." I stated carefully. "I have the ability to change my appearance at will, and I chose this form to present myself in a light that wouldn't seem overtly hostile or intimidating for our first meeting. Where I come from, many species and cultures exist in close proximity to another. I have been told that you are the only intelligent species on your planet by a few representatives of your... Nobility?" I turned towards the curtain. "Would it be Nobility, Royalty or something else?"
Timid poked their head from the curtain quickly. "It's Government!" They blurted before quickly disappearing from the wall of fabric.
"Thank you!" I called to Timid, turning back towards the Media. "That was my... um..." I turned back to the curtain to find that Timid was already waiting for me.
"We're friends, Blue. That's what Humans call people they like to spend time with." They explained, vanishing once more.
"Right... they are my friend. I have been on Earth barely a week and already I have seen a very caring, considerate and welcoming...eh, species." I finished lamely, though I felt I could do better. "Let me explain before I take up any of your questions," I interrupted as several hands had come up. When they rested once more, I explained. "When I came to your world, I was very weak; injured, even. I was starving, I had no idea where I even was, as difficult as it seems you have a time believing that." Their emotions told me everything. "I can sense it, you know. Your emotions." Now they were becoming uneasy, great. "Nevermind. Ask me a question and I will answer."
The first hand that raised was pointed to. "What do you mean you didn't know where you were?" They asked.
"There... was an accident. Something went wrong that wasn't supposed to and I was struck by a very large wall of... energy. Through some mechanism unknown, it transported me to this 'Earth' and in the middle of a wheat field as a painful meteorite. The humans behind this curtain, whom I have come to know as Soft, Rough and Timid, all nursed me back into health. They have also posted 'videos' of our adventures together online, though most will be... unflattering of me, to say the least."
If I was going to play the honesty card, I might as well go all out.
"So that video of a dancing alien... that was really you?" Another human asked to the left of the one I had just called on.
"Yes... that was me, performing the Caramell Dansen." I replied with an embarrassed smile that was joined by either amusement or a new wave of suspicion.
"So that was your 'true' form, correct?" A different human asked.
"I was still recovering from my injuries, so yes, that was my true form." I answered honestly.
"Would you be willing to show that form to us now?"
I looked behind myself to the curtain for guidance and found no one. Looking back to the group I noted their expectations were a mixture of highs and lows...
"Yes. I do warn you, however, you might not react well to what you see. For my people, I would be considered... well, we don't really apply aesthetic value to our original forms, but you... Just get ready, alright?" I replied with a bit of annoyance, unable to find the correct wording.
I took a few steps away from the podium to move to the side. I looked across the room and found that all cameras were pointed at me, with a few Media moving backwards a bit. "No time to rest when there's tunnels to dig, right?" I whispered to myself, hoping that this would be the right move.
The blue-teal flames started at my silver adorned hooves, crawling dramatically upwards as it revealed my carapace and chitin plated holed hooves. Confusion and wonder were the most prevalent emotions, some of that being mixed with outright fear directed at the holes in my legs. Odd.
From there, the flames had grown over my flank and chest, revealing my armored torso and flanks along with the glowing gems of my body. My tail flowed near the floor after it had the disguised version burned away. Moving past my neck, I noticed that my real wings had caused one of the camera humans to faint into a heap of equipment. Continuing, my neck quickly gave way to the rest of my head, the flames zipping past my eyes and ending with a flick at the tip of my holed horn. I stood very still, not wanting to startle any of the humans as they collected themselves.
A human cheered, grabbing the camera that was on the floor to point it at their own face in delight. "Okay, First reporter to get a hold of themselves, Live on CNN, calling it right now: Aliens are freaking AWESOME!"