//------------------------------// // Stinging the Scorpion // Story: Hive Versus Hive // by Impossible Numbers //------------------------------// Panting, Seabreeze finally emerged from the hole of a window and floated down to the base of the palace. Glancing up, he saw the last of the orange disappearing over the far hillocks. Oh my! How long was I down there? He silenced the thought at once and looked down, antennae glowing. Where the water fell down the side of the palace, it pooled into a small puddle before trickling down the bank and into the pond. That marked the cut-off between the eastern side and the western side. Below, one wall of the honey-coated palace gaped where a Rhinoceros Beetle had forced its way through, and now three of the creatures lined up along the puddle’s banks. Each had a Flutter Pony rider, the whipping grass poised over their bulging heads. Other Flutter Ponies gathered on the bark sleds behind them and fumbled with sparkling piles of mushroom caps, sparkling balls of fire, and sparkling balloons. Each balloon deflated, and when the tusks drew back, sparkling air rushed over them. “Is that for the gathering?” He pointed down, but it made no difference. Neither of the guards understood a word he was saying. On the opposite bank, the toadstool homes stood dark and empty. The block of honeycombs began to glow with the dimming light. He could see the heads of the Breezies, all slumped, none of them daring to look up. This time, guards encircled them, having no intention of falling for the same tricks twice. Nearby, a huddle closed in on three larvae and something else, which was wailing at the top of its lungs. Recognition stabbed at his heart. They have Saltshaker. My son! My SON! How dare they!? Finally, he picked out the face of Zephyrine, which was shining. Instincts yelled and stamped inside his head, but another part of him held up a warning hoof. It was chewing its lips and making him focus on the guards, on their waspish waists, and on the unmistakeable pouches strapped to them. Even from this distance, the fizzle of iron began gnawing at his brain. Nothing had freed him but the steel-trap jaws of the Cleaner Pillbugs, and they were nowhere to be seen. Besides, the guards wouldn’t fall for that trick again. There was no way he could hammer the Breezies out of the hardened honey before anyone tackled him. In any case, his two flanking watchers were flying almost on top of his own dainty wings. His butterfly physique would never compete with their waspish ones in a straight flight. Another groan came from the Rhinoceros Beetles. Whips cracked, but the beetles only shuffled on their tiny feet and groaned again. Sparkling gusts passed their faces, and they shook themselves down and groaned more loudly. Seabreeze’s eyes narrowed. During his time in the Big World, he’d been too impatient to stop himself shouting and yelling insults. He’d wanted to slap the other Breezies silly. He'd almost burned with it. Fire burned through him again, and he cupped his hooves to his mouth and shouted: “Hey! Zephyrine! It is me!” Her head jerked up with a start and wide eyes flashed towards him. Saltshaker’s wails stopped at once. “Seabreeze!” she yelled desperately. The other Breezies opened their eyes and tried to follow her gaze. “I am fine!” He drifted down towards the waterfall over the pond and then stopped, hovering an inch ahead of the cascade. “I remembered what you taught me about Hive Versus Hive! You gave me such great advice!” She simply beamed at him, her eyes shining. At least he thought so; he was too busy trying to stop his own from burning and blurring the world around him. Two jabs into his wings forced him to drift forwards. Neither guard landed, simply buzzing along in his wake. “I remembered the lesson,” he continued shouting, “about waiting to draw out your enemy’s weaknesses before striking! It was a good lesson!” Puzzled frowns met his words. He was but a yard away now, and the heads in the block of gold whispered amongst themselves. Feeling reckless, he risked a wink at her. Both eyes widened with shocked realization. “What are you doing?” Jingo Belle called. She was white in the face, and her eyes were rimmed with redness. “Shut up! You’ll make them angry!” Good. They deserve to be angered. Yet a smirk played on Zephyrine’s lips. She knows, he thought triumphantly. Could I have asked for a better partner? “I’m just glad you’re safe.” She twitched her antennae towards him. “There’s iron about. Be careful.” “I think everybody should be careful!” he said cheerfully. Every guard around them twitched nervously. They were used to chatter among prisoners, but not when it was this upbeat. Stingers slid out of abdomens. Three of the grounded ones reached a leg into their pouches. Before reaching the honeycomb, he turned to the guard flanking his right. “I am very sorry about this,” he said to the guard’s blank stare. And then he grabbed their heads and pulled. Seabreeze vaulted over the two of them before the splashes of black powder went anywhere near him. He ignored the two screams and hit the ground at once, reaching back and crumpling his wings to stop the drag. Both back legs flailed in a sad mockery of a run, but it was better than flying. Angry buzzing closed in. With a leap, he was right in front of the beetle’s long horn. Improvising, its rider cracked the whip. Seabreeze pushed the horn up, heard the whip snap against the solid black cone, and scurried around its head and came up right next to its piggy black eye. Three guards were on top of him. One had black powder on its claws. Fizzing lights popped in his vision. Not daring himself to think about what he was doing, Seabreeze backed into the beast’s face and then ducked and leaped aside just as the guard threw the iron dust. And missed. An almighty roar shook him from head to toe. Powder poured from the beetle’s eye. The offending Flutter Pony lowered its leg, screeched, and flew backwards, and the horn swung again to knock the other two into the puddle. Seabreeze heard the splash. He spread his wings, flapped, and rose over the domed black sheen to the rider on top. Screaming, the rider flexed the grass blade, but not quickly enough. The whip cracked off the beast’s wingcase. By then, Seabreeze had rolled down the curve on the other side, and he bounced on the grass. One of the lessons he’d learned from Zephyrine was how to use an opponent’s pieces against them. To make sure, he turned and hit the beast on the rump with a swipe. Best to get the full advantage. Roaring, thundering, flailing its gigantic horns, the Rhinoceros Beetle ran into the side of its neighbour. Knocked aside, the next beetle swung its oversized head and rapped against the horns of the third beetle. Seabreeze rounded on the sparkling balls of fire. All the riders whipped and yelled at their charges, but immediately, the thrown flames rushed around the backs of the beetles, and suddenly they weren’t in control anymore. It wasn’t even the fire; the rush of sparkles cut through their senses worse than iron through a Breezie. Three groaning mouths exploded with noise. All the riders yelped and tumbled off their domed backs. Then the front legs of the rearing creatures landed with a thunderous crash. Seabreeze dropped the next fireball and scurried after the beginnings of the stampede. Water rushed away from the stamping beasts. Flutter Ponies that had been chasing a rogue Breezie found their way blocked by a wall of roaring, thundering, horn-flailing beetles. Some shot up out of range. The rest were too slow; they tumbled across the ground or splashed into the water. Zephyrine screamed something to the others, but Seabreeze could guess. Once the pool fell behind, he heard the crack. Golden fragments tumbled and dotted the ploughed ground. The beetles rammed into one of the toadstool stalks. There was a sound like the crackle of a redwood giving way, and then the house groaned and fell out of sight. Seabreeze’s heart sank. “My home! Not my home!” A noise snapped him back into reality. The three larvae squealed where the guards had left them. Seabreeze ignored the lot and snatched up Saltshaker, who was gawping after the black carapaces. On an impulse, he plucked one of the larvae from the ground. It took a moment to cradle it in his other forelimb; the thing squirmed and wriggled like a worm on a hook. “Time to go!” he yelled. From the palace, clouds of Flutter Ponies billowed out of every gap. An angry buzzing swelled to fill the air around him. “Seabreeze!” Gold cracked, and Zephyrine rose up from the front of the beetle stampede. “We need help!” Half-running, half-flapping, he hopped and glided over to the scattered remains of the honeycomb. Breezies lay groaning and shaking themselves down on the ploughed-up ground. Only Zephyrine was awake and alert, floating over Piffle and trying to yank him up by the wings. “They got knocked around!” She was trying not to let her voice crack. “Seabreeze! Where have you been?” “I have rescued Saltshaker.” The baby in question reached over and patted the struggling larva on the head. “Head for the big hill! We need to hide out and come up with a plan!” Reflected in her wide eyes, the wall of Flutter Ponies eclipsed even the looming slope. “Are you crazy?” “I know how we can beat them!” he yelled over the buzzing. “We can drive them out for good! But you will have to trust me!” They didn’t even need to stare. As soon as their eyes met, the spark shot across. Both of them nodded. By the time the first of the guards landed an inch away, the two had already helped Hugglenut and Piffle onto their hooves and shaken them back into the land of the living. Seabreeze took a step away from them and flared his wings so fast they almost ripped. The nearest Flutter Ponies saw the Big Breezie. The first of the hive backed into those behind them. As a crowd was now forming, this meant that, at the end of the line of dominoes, someone yelped and fell back with a splash. Still more came buzzing over their heads, trying to surround him if not actually get close to him. “Stay back!” he yelled, holding up both Saltshaker and the larva. “I have one of your babies! Away with you!” No one understood the words, but they understood the tone. Those who were grounded froze where they stood. Even those still airborne hovered uncertainly. Seabreeze’s wings sparkled. A slight flame ran along the edges where he’d stashed the embers, and now his magic fuelled the ring of flickering lights. One Flutter Pony fought to the front. His mane was familiar; it had a slight gleam. Burningrose, thought Seabreeze angrily. Trying to make a traitor out of me! The translator yelled over the omnipresent buzz, “You are brave, but you cannot beat us all. If you harm that larva, then nothing stops us from capturing you again.” “Let me go, and the larva will be safe!” Seabreeze didn’t move when Zephyrine came forwards and took Saltshaker from him. That just left his one forelimb free, and he wasted no time scooping flames from his wing. “You are bluffing, Big Breezie. Even one such as you would not harm an innocent. That is too far from your true nature.” “So is fighting back!” Seabreeze raised his free limb, and the flames crackled closer to the larva’s wide eyes. It stared in fascination at the flickering glow. “What is my nature? Breezie, or Flutter Pony? Shall we find out?” Behind him, all the Breezies crowded round. Seabreeze waved a wing at them, forcing them to take a step backwards. Faintly, he heard Zephyrine whispering instructions to the lot of them. “You are hurting us, Big Breezie!” Burningrose nodded to his neighbour, who took a step forwards. At once, the flames rose up with a burst of sparkles. Every front-row Flutter Pony gasped and backed into those behind. Another splash followed. The fire of rage surged into Seabreeze’s brain, and his mind screamed: Bullies! Monsters! Tricksters! “You thought we were cowards who were not worth talking to! Maybe we are cowards, but we are still fey and we still have feelings and thoughts and minds of our own! That did not stop you from behaving like barbarians just because you did not like us! And only now do you want to treat us like friends instead of enemies!? How dare you! If that is your idea of respect, then you are right; I am Breezie, through-and-through, and I am a thousand times over proud of who I am!” Seabreeze flapped slightly. As one, the Breezies behind him copied his move. Perhaps out of awe or blind confusion, he had them entirely on his side, but already he could hear urgent whispers among the likes of Gusto and Piffle, who’d always been quick on the uptake. They would know he was bluffing. The wall of Flutter Ponies advanced. He could tell from their eyes that they weren’t going to try anything, but they kept a healthy yard from him all the same, never letting him stray any further than that yard from them. The ones overhead unsheathed their stings. “We honour those with a fighting spirit!” Burningrose’s voice trembled slightly. “You have the will and the drive to achieve greatness, yes! You’ve proven it again. Why waste your time helping Breezies who only want to sleepwalk through life? They are no good to anyone. They won’t help us achieve greatness, so we must take it for ourselves.” Far behind him, he could hear the ripping of vegetation as the distant beetles stampeded towards the horizon. Zephyrine reached forwards and placed a hoof on his shoulder. It was getting darker. Already, the orange had faded to a dull green sheen, and the Flutter Ponies were squinting. All eyes were on the flame. All Flutter Pony eyes. Seabreeze was careful not to let the sheer glow of the enchanted, sparkling fire enter his field of view. Despite the scents tickling his nose and the textures of the night rubbing against his antennae and wings, if he could keep his night vision as well then he would have that one extra advantage. Just a little longer… In his hoof, the flame crackled on. The warmth ran through his forelimb. If only he could hold on… It was taking all his effort just to keep his delicate wings as far back from it as possible, and the embers on those now went out. In his grip, the larva was gnashing its tusks out of fear and rage. On the horizon, the dull green sheen faded into dark blue. Stars twinkled overhead. “There are many Flutter Ponies surrounding you,” said Burningrose from somewhere in front of him; only the gleam of his mane kept him from disappearing completely. “As soon as one bumps into you, more will find you and take you. Not one of you can flee.” “I hope you weren’t just winging it,” whispered Zephyrine in his ear. “Close your eyes and trust me,” he whispered back. Now, closing his eyes, he could sense the contours of the world: every flick of an antenna appeared inside his tactile map of the world near him. He could almost see the bodies creeping closer to the cooling flames. No whisper of Flutter Pony instructions escaped his ears, though not one word of it made sense to him either. To his shock, he felt the air shift and Gusto stepped forwards. She was vibrating worse than Jingo Belle, but when she spoke, each word trembled with fury. In his forelimb, the larva stiffened and hissed at her voice. “There are RULES,” she yelled. “How DARE you come in here and violate CENTURIES of rule! You little TRAITORS! You upstart CROOKS! When the other species find out what CRIMES you’ve done, there WILL be a RECKONING!” “Get back, Gusto!” Another shift of the air told him Piffle had stepped forwards. The old Breezie snatched at the youngster’s wings, but she was already marching towards the frontline, leaving a trailing haze of anger in her wake. “You will ALL be tried for TRESPASSING! KIDNAPPING! BREAKING the PEACE! THREATENING innocent creatures! THEFT! PROFANING the enchanted VAULTS! No crime will go UNPUNISHED!” “Gusto!” Even with part of himself cheering her on, Seabreeze's mind flooded with horror. “What are you doing? Get back!” “She’s mad,” groaned Piffle into his hooves. “You cannot escape,” said Burningrose. He spoke fiercely, perhaps prodded into it out of sheer outraged defensiveness. “We commit no crimes. The old rules are swept away. Surrender now, and we can still resolve this peacefully. If you resist us, then negotiations are over. For good.” Seabreeze’s heart cracked and began sinking. What has gotten into Gusto? No! What has gotten into me? Already this was starting to go wrong. He could sense the rising change around the circle as Gusto stood trembling with fury. He could sense the Flutter Ponies' keen interest in her. Here was a new target, and she did not have a hostage tucked under a leg. A few heads rose and sank, nailing him and then nailing Gusto. Basic reasoning and logic crept through their minds. The question was: Was he going to give up his only hostage for one Breezie? Worse, the Breezies behind him crept forwards in a half-hearted decision to stand with her. As she was already within grabbing distance, the whole lot would be swarmed the instant they blinked. Seabreeze shook his head fiercely. No! We cannot become like them! We must not let anger control us! “Keep back!” Zephyrine hissed at them. Except for Piffle, they all stopped at once. Piffle peered through the gloom at the translator for a moment. Then he opened his mouth and spoke. Flutter Ponies gasped around the circle. Those who’d been crawling towards Gusto froze in the act. Even over the buzzing, the old Breezie’s hissing and spitting cut cleanly through the air. “What is he saying?” hissed Seabreeze, trying to stop the larva from flipping itself out of his grip. Milktears began to sob. Piffle cut himself off at once. “It’s an ancient song. Don’t ask me the details. Just leave me behind and go.” “No!” said Seabreeze. “I will need you after we get out of here. I need a translator.” “You’ve run out of ideas, bluff boy,” he snapped back. “We’re going to be stuck unless I can scare them into not following us.” “Listen! I already have that figured out.” “I know you, Seabreeze. And when are you going to do it, then? Never, and they won’t wait all night! We have an advantage in the dark, and they know it, but they have the muscle and they won’t stop until we’re down. We're stuck now! Seabreeze, you’re a fool!” “No, I am not! Everyone,” said Seabreeze loudly while the old Breezie continued to hiss and spit at the surrounding wall of faces, “we will scatter in a moment. Then I want you to meet up at the Place Where They Meet. Do you understand?” At first, puzzled mutterings met these words, but then the Breezies whispered their assent. Thank goodness, he thought. The flames crackled on his free hoof and almost went out. At this, the larva twisted round and gnashed its teeth and tusks trying to bite him. Then Gusto completely went over the edge. In one move, she shot forwards and grabbed at Burningrose’s front legs. “You’re our PRISONER –” The Flutter Ponies jerked out of their collective nightmare. She yelped under the wall rushing inwards. Immediately, she was lost to the mass of bodies piling up. Seabreeze swung round and, ignoring Piffle’s shouts, threw the flames as hard as he could at the fallen toadstool’s window. “Flee!” he yelled. Flapping hard, he vaulted over the fallen stalk as the window exploded with flaming glass, and a bubbling mass of Springtails burst out of it. Flutter Ponies fumbled to seize his wings, and he spun around and flashed his antennae so brightly that the two nearest him squealed and covered their eyes. He could feel the wall of bodies rush in, and then the bulbous Springtails cannoned into them. The hissing and spitting and the occasional sproing soon fell far behind. Zephyrine flapped next to him, and they zipped and spiralled and rose and ducked through the forest of toadstool trunks and tiny trees. Once, a beetle blundered past and they had to arc over it, not even realizing they’d been followed until the three luckless Flutter Ponies went “oof” and ricocheted off the black armour. “This is insane!” hissed Zephyrine in the darkness. Somewhere around her legs, Saltshaker wailed. “Hush now, dinkums. ‘oo’s gonna be good for dere mommy-wommy?” “Give him this.” Seabreeze thrust the squealing larva into her, and she yelped trying not to drop anything. “And thank goodness you are a sloppy cleaner. I told you those Springtails multiply like crazy, and I was right! My idea would never have worked if you had done your job.” “Uh, thanks? I guess?” Zephyrine struggled not to drop either load, but now the baby was settling down and the larva was sniffing him suspiciously. “Play nice now,” she added, her voice on the edge of sanity. “No loud noises, eh?” “I have a plan,” he whispered, though by now the buzzing and shouting and screaming had fallen far behind in the darkness. “Oh good,” she said weakly. The larva bubbled. “I’m… glad you said that.” “Do not worry. I will explain when we get there. No one is going to invade my home and get away with it. But hush! Let us just be quiet for now.” “Seabreeze!” She said it almost as a gasp. “What has gotten into you? This isn’t just your bad temper anymore. Did something happen in there?” He did not answer for the longest while, and the flames that had buoyed him up were dwindling. Eventually he said, “I think I made a terrible mistake. Am I a Breezie or a Flutter Pony?” “What!? Breezie, of course, you daftie! Seabreeze, what is going on?” Yet all he could do was shake his head. He shushed her until she stopped asking. The smells of confusion and resentment wafted from her, but in any case, words flashed through his mind as replies, and none of them seemed remotely right. Besides, somewhere in his chest was the gnawing worm of doubt. Soon, there were no more noises behind them. The darkness and the silence followed in their wake.