//------------------------------// // 6 - Fate of the Hive // Story: Behind a Shifting Mask // by Oddling //------------------------------// Chrysalis gave a slow regal nod to her Changelings. Antennae, Steel Carapace, and Tender then glanced at each other again before Steel stepped up to the very edge of the table and locked Silver Skies in a glare. “We know that you were asked to come here on our Queen’s behalf. You are here to negotiate a treaty with us. As to why the three of us were called here… I would assume it would be because of something you want. So, since we all are quite pressed for time, do us the favor of cutting this short and getting to your point,” Steel said pointedly, his voice deep with a slight hiss. Silver Skies calmly nodded his head. “Very well, Commander Steel Carapace. I requested your presence to discuss your opinions on the state of your Hive. I’m well aware of her highness’ point of view, but I value yours as well, seeing as she has placed a lot of trust in your three,” he said and passed a sweeping gaze over the three Changelings. “I will start with the most pressing matter. You are all aware of the potential extinction of your race, correct?” Antennae nodded while Steel snorted in the affirmative. Tender, however deflated slightly and sighed. “Yes… we know of it,” she said softly, a look of defeat… or rather utter sadness seeping through her features. Silver Skies nodded, resisting the urge to offer sympathy to Tender. “Then that brings me to my first question. Aside from Chrysalis, are there any other ways for Changelings to increase their population?” he asked. All eyes drifted to Antennae. She sighed and rolled her eyes subtly. “There are no other ways… not anymore. We once had a few young Princesses, but they lost their fertility around three weeks after the loss we suffered in the Canterlot invasion. Since then, our Queen has been the only one to produce offspring. But she stopped roughly two years ago, after we lost our home Hive and Thorax took over the new Changelings,” she spoke, her voice surprisingly silky. Silver cocked a brow at that. “New Changelings?” he asked. Steel snorted. “What? You mean to tell us you didn’t know about that?” he asked gruffly. Silver simply shook his head and frowned. “I only knew about your invasion of Canterlot. I had heard a few rumors of some few other Changeling ponynapping attempts, but none of them were recorded in any documentation. I knew nothing more than that until Queen Chrysalis informed me of it earlier,” he explained. Steel snorted dismissively and was met with a half glare from Antennae. “Steel, you didn’t even know about the plan until after our Queen returned from being imprisoned,” she chided. Whether it was playful or just to satisfy some other feeling was difficult to tell. Steel went to return her little jab when Silver’s horn lit up and the air popped above his head. “Enough! You two can resume your bickering later,” Silver said calmly, then continued in a more sympathetic tone, “but right now I need information. I don’t know how any of you might feel about it, but knowing that your kind may be gone in just a few generations is painful for me. So tell me about these new Changelings please.” Steel let out a low series of clicking sounds from his throat, but otherwise remained quiet as Antennae proceeded to inform Silver Skies of the events of their last attempt to take over Equestria. They had infiltrated Canterlot, the Crystal Empire and Ponyville and succeeded in ponynapping all four Alicorns, Prince Shining Armor, the Elements of Harmony bearers – as well as the pesky little dragon that could send messages directly to Princess Celestia. Antennae went on to tell him how they had finally gotten to the point of being victorious once more, but the plan had failed due to the most unexpected group they could have ever suspected. Discord, the Lord of Chaos and two other unicorns - a stage performer called Trixy, and Twilight Sparkle’s student Starlight Glimmer. The three of them had managed to team up with Thorax, a Changeling that had left the Hive and befriended the ponies of the Crystal Empire. In the end, Starlight Glimmer had told Thorax to give all of his love, the love he had been given by all of his friends, to their Queen. In doing so, by giving his love away freely, it triggered something in Thorax and it transformed him into a new kind of Changeling – one filled with love and stripped of their normal appearance. These new Changelings were vibrantly colored and no longer suffered from the holes in their legs. It was as if they had taken one step closer to being what they used to be, but still held onto their insect-like nature. Silver nodded, absorbing that substantial bit of information and glanced to Chrysalis briefly. That is very interesting. It begs the question though… why would that have happened to the other Changelings, but not to Chrysalis? It’s obvious that she gives her love to her Changelings. But maybe there’s something else entirely to it… maybe it has to do with the feeling behind giving. I’ll have to discuss this with Chrysalis later, he thought. He then turned his full attention back to Antennae. “Thank you for informing me of those events. It was very enlightening and may be useful in learning a way to restore the Hive’s fertility. Which brings me to another question. Do any of you have a theory in remedying that problem? Anything at all to produce more hatchlings?” Antennae shrugged and shook her head. “We’ve tried the obvious. Filling up on all the love we could ever hold, experimenting with different emotions to see if one works better than another… we’ve even tried using some of the fertility drugs that you ponies use. None of them worked. The only other options that we have left are all magic based, and we Changelings don’t have the same kind of magic that you ponies do. Which is why we’ve tried to take over your country – to gain access to ponies, willing or enslaved, to help us find answers to that last option.” “I see,” said Silver, “in other words, Equestrian magic is one of your last options,” he mused and then sighed gently. “It’s not a lot to work with, but with what I have gained thus far our expert mages may be able to find something useful. I think we should spend some time, later on, to further discuss the finer points of this topic. For now,” Silver Skies said and turned his gaze back to Queen Chrysalis, “I think we should discuss another subject of relevance; how best to expose the rest of your Hive to this plight.” Chrysalis turned toward Silver and gravely shook her head. “I do not believe they should know. Telling them may upset the balance of my Hive… unless you have something more to offer to prevent a mass panic.” “I Agree,” Said Steel Carapace, “Informing the rest of the Hive of such a situation could send them into a panic induced rampage. Changelings are easily influenced by their surroundings, so if enough of them lose their composure, it would have the same effect as if you were to throw a match into a dry wheat field.” Antennae simply shook her head. “You have a point, but I believe that we should tell them. Keeping the Hive in the dark until it is too late would result in just as much turmoil, if not more,” she said calmly. Silver Skies nodded. “Indeed. Should they learn of this problem on their own, it could add in emotions of anger and feelings of being betrayed. They’ll eventually come to know how you kept this hidden from them, and that would give them reason and incentive to abandon their loyalties.” Steel Carapace swiftly moved and thumped his hooves down on the edge of the table, his glare ramped up to highly annoyed. “And should they abandon their loyalties they would be punished!” he said firmly. “Which means nothing to any sentient being when they know they will soon die,” Silver responded calmly. “If every Changeling of this Hive were as dedicated as you, then you would have nothing to fear. Sadly, your fellow drones are not free of fear and uncertainty. Even Changelings can show such emotions when presented with the unknown. What this all boils down to is how we approach this.” Steel snorted derisively, narrowing his eyes as he continued to glare at Silver Skies. “What do you mean ‘we’?” he asked sternly. “You are not a part of this Hive, so you have no say in the matter!” “And that is where you are mistaken,” Silver instantly replied. “I became involved in your Hive the moment I accepted my mission. If I am to become uninvolved, then that will need to be said by Queen Chrysalis, herself. But this is beside the point. I did not call you here to determine what I am to your Hive. I am here to help you find ways to save it.” “But we are at a stalemate now.” Silver sighed gently. “Of the five of us in this room, we have two who stand for telling the rest of the Hive about this important matter, while two are against it.” Steel Carapace looked like he wanted to say something more, but his eyes suddenly darted to his Queen and he held his tongue. Antennae and Steel then followed Silver’s example and looked to the last member of the impromptu council who had not voiced their opinion. Tender simply sat there, a small smile on her face and her eyes closed. “Tender,” Chrysalis said gently, “What are your thoughts on this? You would know the nature of our Hive better than any of us, since you raised many of them from the time I laid their eggs.” Tender’s faded eyes slowly crept open and her smile widened a pinch more as she looked at her Queen. Then her gaze calmly shifted over to look at Silver. “I think we should follow the pony’s lead. He may not be one of us, but he has a good head on his shoulders. I can also feel how strongly he wishes to help us, though he tries to hide it from the rest of you. I vote for telling the Hive of our plight, but I want things to be done as the young unicorn sees fit. I’m certain that his methods would be the most beneficial for the good of the Hive.” Chrysalis nodded and allowed a tiny smile of her own to show through. Antennae nodded in agreement… but Steel still had something more to say. He grunted and dropped back down to stand on the floor. “Tender… just tell me one thing. Is it truly wise to put the fate of our Hive in his hooves? I know you’re blind, but he is a pony and he is an outsider.” Silver’s ears twitched and he tilted his head at hearing that. Tender simply smiled kindly and nodded her head softly. “It would be the wisest choice. He’s a lot like me. The young stallion can see things from a different point of view than what others can. If you were paying enough attention, you’d have noticed how he actually kept you from deviating into another tirade. He saw how much you distrust him, but he held his composure, even though the act alone was what really set you off because you don’t like overconfidence. What you overlooked was the simple fact that this stallion has a gift and is earnest in offering his services for our benefit,” she said and chuckled lightly. Steel simply deflated and bowed his head slightly. “Yes… you are right about that. I just don’t know how he can manage to stay so unfazed. It just made me assume that he was acting cocky,” the battle hardened drone admitted. “Yes, well,” Chrysalis began matter-of-factly, “Silver Skies isn’t like your average pony, Steel Carapace. Due to an event in his past, his mind automatically sets his mental state into that of complete calm. Now that you’ve been made aware of this fact, I think it’s time we came to a consensus,” she said and passed her gaze over all present. “We now have a vote of three to two. How shall we proceed?” she asked and looked to Silver Skies. Silver nodded. “I shall take what I have learned back with me and begin to write up a few plans and three speeches. I will return with them and ask you all your opinions on them. Once we reach a proper agreement with one of them, we can bring this issue, and our solutions, to the attention of the Hive.” “Meanwhile, it would be best if Commander Steel Carapace and Miss Antennae coordinate a few plans to counter the possibility of a widespread panic. Just in case my methods lack what is needed for your Changelings. I believe I know how to properly address them, but I cannot guarantee complete success since I’ve only just started to learn about your culture,” Silver finished. “Well,” Antennae spoke confidently, “I already approve of your method. I’ll help you iron out any kinks that come up when you return.” Steel Carapace sighed through his nose, but nodded his own agreement. Chrysalis nodded and turned her attention to the pony diplomat. “Then we have out first agreement. If we are done here, I believe there are a few more things I’d like to discuss with you, Silver Skies… in private,” she said calmly. Silver returned her nod, with all due respect. “Of course, your highness.” Chrysalis then glanced at her three Changelings and they all nodded in unison before turning to leave. Once Chrysalis and Silver were alone, and the entrance resealed, the Changeling Queen turned toward him and arced a brow with a slight smirk. “So, Silver Skies, what are your thoughts?” she asked casually. Silver offered a small, kind smile as he regarded the Changeling Queen. “That was most beneficial. I can see why you value them. With their help, we should be able to get your Hive moving on a path to a healthier continued existence very soon. It was also a lot to take in, regarding your history as well as how there are new Changelings that I will need to meet with. This will also keep me busy for the next few days, but when I return I will have a few plans for us all to go over.” Chrysalis hummed softly and her gaze drifted to the middle of the table. She sat there quietly for a few moments before she spoke again. “Do you really think that things will turn out fine?” she asked gently, in a tone that almost did not belong from one so confident as she. Silver Skies eyed her calmly, taking in every detail and assessing just how honest he should be with her. In his experience, when one asked such a question, in that sad and nearly defeated way, they were expecting to be told a lie – or to at least be told the truth with the added benefit of the doubt. He gently sighed and closed his eyes. “To be frank, I don’t know. There is very little that I know of your kind, Chrysalis,” he said gently. Silver then opened his eyes and met the gaze of the slightly saddened Chrysalis, with a growing smile of reassurance and confidence. “But… from what I have seen and learned, I believe that you and your Changelings have a chance. You are strong willed, and have been through ordeals that would have broken others. Even if you think you have merely been putting on a mask for others, it still takes strength to act out that role. I have faith that your race will make it out of this,” he said and his confidence melted into one of gentle comfort, “and I also believe that you can find a way to make your heart whole once more. Your children gain their strength from you. If they can be whole once more, so can you.” Chrysalis stared at Silver for a long time. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker within her eyes that had not been there before… hope had been lit within her. She turned away from Silver. “For your sake, I hope that you are right. If not, I hold you personally responsible for consoling me in the future,” she said boldly. Then a small smile graced her features. “But thank you for your reassurance. It’s a pleasant feeling when somepony has faith in good fortunes.” Without missing a beat, the Changeling Queen strode toward the exit and called back, “Come along, Silver Skies. There is another matter that needs to be addressed. Follow me.” Silver quickly fell in beside the Queen. As he came up to her side, he stole a brief glance at her and noticed that she had a confident smile on her face. Atta girl, he thought. That’s the face of the leader that your Changelings need to see. Even if I’m wrong, I will still do everything in my power to help save your kind.