It has been a couple of days since the Timberwolf incident. The Young Queen spent most of the first day bathing in the rejuvenating waters of her new chamber, and just like her drones said, it was really worth it. Aside from the nasty bite in her back, most of her injuries were adjust gone, and her wings had begun to grow back.
The next day, she returned to her newly acquired job with Twilight Sparkle, slowly building her reputation and wealth towards her ultimate prize, the comfy chair!
However, not all things have really returned to normal. Much to Derpy’s displeasure, the Young Queen bombarded her with questions as some unexpected things began to happen in her body;
Derpy, why does the hivemind feel so strongly vivid all of a sudden? Is it normal?
Derpy, I'm beginning to feel some strong headaches, is there a way for me to tone the hivemind down?
Ugh, why am I having some weird cravings out of sudden?!
Uhm, Derpy? The soft chitin in my underbelly is expanding over my barrel… Am I okay?
Ugh, for Mother’s sake, now I'm getting nauseated. What in Tartarus is wrong with me?!
Sorry about that… I don't know why I got so moody, I'm probably tired. I'm going to sleep early today, good night, Derpy.
Now it was the third day after the incident. Derpy woke up around six in the morning, her disguise already in place. After spending years living undercover, she got accustomed to never letting it drop, even during sleep. Today, much to her relief, the Young Queen was sleeping in. Don't get her wrong, she loved to be back in a hivemind, but the constant barrage of questions and whining was really distracting recently…
She dropped her disguise for a few seconds, buzzing her sore wings and letting a few sparks off her horn. After the extreme flight three days ago, she really began to feel self-conscious about how tired she got. She was a locust changeling, flying like that shouldn’t make her tired at all!
I think I'll start doing some workout flying in the mornings…
She put up her disguise again, it was time to get out of bed and start the day. Yawning one last time to chase the sleepiness away, she threw up the covers and jumped out of bed. Paying a quick visit to the bathroom, Derpy brushed her teeth and freshened up a bit, since she took a bath before going to bed yesterday, she didn't need to take another one now.
From there, she left her room and crossed the corridor to Dinky’s room. Her room was much like Derpy’s; a small suite with light yellow wall paint and a beige carpet covering the floor. However, her room also had lots of dolls and plushies scattered all around, the remainder of yesterday's meet up Dinky had with a few friends.
Dinky lay in her single bed, buried under a mountain of pillows. Derpy walked carefully towards her, crossing the toy filled room like it was a minefield. She removed the top pillow with her wings to reveal the sleeping face of Dinky underneath. She giggled at her daughter’s expression, sleeping with an open mouth while hugging her pillow, a pool of drool forming besides her.
Derpy kissed the filly’s forehead, causing her to shift to the side. “Wakey wakey, my sleepy bed bug! It's almost time for school!” she chanted. Dinky loved to sleep all day, earning her ‘Bed Bug’ nickname.
“Just five more minutes…” the filly pleaded, still half asleep.
“Nu-hum, I want you to clear your room before you go to school, and you wouldn't want to be late for the pre-nightmare night party with Miss Cheerilee and your friends, right? Come on now, I'll prepare your breakfast in the meantime,” Derpy insisted, nudging Dinky with her muzzle.
“Humm, okay…” she groaned, rubbing her eyes, sitting up.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Derpy kissed her one more time before going down to the kitchen.
With practiced dexterity, Derpy quickly gathered all the ingredients she needed from her fridge and started to make some hay waffles. She mixed the hay, eggs and milk in a bowl with her wings while preheating the stove.
Fetching a plate from the cabinet on the wall next to her, she placed four steamy waffles on it and smeared them with a lot of maple syrup, Dinky’s favorite. She placed the food on the dining table near a glass of fresh apple juice. Derpy could hear the clip clop of tiny hooves running down the stairs, their movement being guided by an empty stomach.
“Remember what I told you about running on the stairs, sweetie, you might trip and hurt yourself,” Derpy reminded her, taking a seat at the dining table.
“Sorry!” the little filly apologized, slowing down her pace. “I finished cleaning up my room, Mom,” she continued, climbing on the chair in front of her waffles.
“Thank you, dear. Now, have you decided what Nightmare Night costume you’ll be wearing tomorrow night?”
“Hum, I was thinking, since you like to call me bed bug, maybe I should go with some scary bug monster costume tomorrow!” the filly announced with pride, her mouth dripping with syrup.
“But what about your princess dress you used last Nightmare Night? That looked great on you,” Derpy argued.
“I checked it yesterday, it’s too tight, I’m a grown up filly now, you know! Besides, I wanted to use something scary!” Dinky claimed, raising her hooves in a threatening manner.
“Hehe, alright then, I think I might have an idea of what you may like…” Derpy teased her, laughing at her cute antics.
“Can you help me with my costume, Mommy?” Dinky asked with big, puppy eyes.
“Sure, we can work on it after you’re back from your party at school.”
Suddenly, the filly gasped in shock. She was so distracted that she was late for her party! She downed her apple juice in one big gulp and stuffed her mouth with as much waffles as she could fit in. She jumped down the chair and ran to the front door. “Thanks, Mom, gotta go!”
Rolling her eyes and smiling, Derpy proceeded to wash the dishes and finish her chores at home, her mind wondering how cute Dinky would look like if she was a changeling larva. She couldn’t help herself, she simply had to make that happen!
After finishing the dishes and putting her washed clothes to dry, Derpy put on a fitness outfit and took off for her newly added workout session. She flew around town for a few minutes, purposely beating her wings harder than she needed to so she could build up her stamina.
Deciding to take a quick break, she landed in front of Sugarcube Corner to buy her own breakfast. The bakery was mostly empty this early in the morning, most ponies that shopped here at these hours tend to have their orders place the previous day so they only had to pick it up, but others, like Derpy, were frequent customers, so their goods were already waiting for them.
From behind the counter, a pink earth pony with pink, curly mane carried a tray of cupcakes from the kitchen, a huge smile forming on her face when she saw Derpy.
“Hi Pinkie, glad to see you’re back! How was your trip to your parent’s farm?” Derpy asked, leaning on the counter.
Pinkie placed her tray on a balcony and greeted the pegasus mare. “It was super fun! I even convinced my sisters to decorate the farm for Nightmare Night!”
“That’s great news.” Derpy smiled, sympathetically. “Do you have any muffins?”
“Of course I have, silly! Four muffins coming right up!” The pink pony laughed, bouncing to the kitchen to fetch Derpy’s order.
“A-actually Pinkie, make it two, please,” Derpy asked her with great level of difficulty.
“Only two?” Pinkie skidded into a halt. Her eyes went wide like she had heard the most profane thing ever. “Are you feeling okay?”
A deep blush took hold of Derpy’s face. “I-I’m trying to lose some weight… I’m getting too tired too easily, and m-my rump is too big…”
Pinkie knew all too well how hard it was to keep in shape, the fact that she had such a sweet tooth and that she worked in a bakery didn’t make things easier, but she would never take away her goodies, never!
“Pff, that’s nonsense! You don’t need to take your muffins out! I’ll bake you some diet muffins tomorrow so don’t go losing your faith in them, you hear me?!” the crazy pink mare proposed, hoofing her a bag with the two muffins.
“O-okay, thanks, Pie.” Derpy picked up the bag with her mouth and took off again.
She landed on a cloud just above the town square, eating her two muffins like they were her last. From up there, she could see that most of the preparations for Nightmare Night were already done, only the game and food booths were still missing, but those were usually installed early in the day of the festival.
After she finished her breakfast, she flew back home, took a quick bath, and put on her mailmare uniform, time to go to work.
The rest of the day was very uneventful, too uneventful to be more precise. Derpy expected the Young Queen to bombard her with questions once more, but alas, she never did. She would ask her hivemates if the Queen was alright from time to time, but everytime she asked, the only thing they had to tell her was; “She’s still sleeping.”
The sun was just above the horizon, slowly making space for the moon and the stars. Derpy had already picked Dinky from school and they had spent about one hour in the living room floor, making her costume. But the Young Queen was still sleeping…
Something wasn’t right…
“Mom? Mommy!” Dinky cried, waving her hooves in front of her mother.
“W-what? Oh, sorry, Dinky,” Derpy replied, shaking her head vigorously.
“Is everything okay? You were dozing off?” the filly asked, worried about her mom.
“I was just… thinking about something, don’t worry about it,” Derpy dismissed.
“Okay… Can you pass me the grey paint please?” Dinky asked, pointing to a can of spray.
“Here it is…”
Suddenly, a rather unregal shriek echoed through the hivemind, ‘AHHH!’
Derpy shot up straight, her ears turning in the hive’s direction. It was the Young Queen, something must have happened!
“I-I’m sorry, Dinky, I forgot to do… something, in the office. I’ll finish your costume when I get back home, alright?” she apologized, quickly gathering everything up and placing it on the living room’s table.
Derpy arrived at the hive a few minutes later, panting hard due to the exertion. When inside, it was almost like a glimpse into chaos itself. The drones zoomed in and out of the chambers, gathering everything they could find and piling it up at the Queen’s room.
“What’s happening?” she asked a passing gatherer.
“T-the Queen is…” she started to say, but was interrupted by the Young Queen bursting out of her room. Her belly hung low from her barrel, the frail chitin coverage stretched to its limits, almost completely see through. Inside her belly, dozens and dozens of glowing dots pulsated in synchrony like a heartbeat.
“You’re expecting eggs!” Derpy cheered in joy, it has been years since she last had the opportunity to watch over her old hive’s eggs, one of her favorite activities.
The Young Queen wasn’t as excited though, panic and anxiety clearly painted on her face. “H-H-How could this happen?! I didn’t even…” she derailed, making a lewd gesture with her hooves, causing Derpy to giggle.
“You don’t need too, every Changeling Queen lays her eggs eventually, with a mate or not,” Derpy explained, patting the distressed changeling on the back.
“But I’m too young to be a mother! It’s barely been weeks since I hatched myself!” the Queen countered.
“Well, your body says otherwise…” Derpy pointed to her swollen belly. “Don’t worry, this is wonderful news! Come, let’s get you in the Hatchery, there you can rest and lay your eggs without having to worry to transport them later.”
The Young Queen was escorted to the Hatchery by the entire hive, like she was the most precious thing in Equestria. And at that moment, she was. Once there, the workers and gatherers build a simple bed made of half-hardened slime. Comfortable and malleable, perfect for egg laying.
“Good luck!” Derpy wished as she closed the chamber’s door to give her Queen some privacy.
“W-what do you mean good…” Was the only thing she managed to say before being left alone in the Hatchery.
The following minutes were the most intense exercise the hive ever experienced. The Queen, nervous and afraid, spat a torrent of questions, requests, and commands over the hivemind in an attempt to get her mind out of that horrifying situation.
Should I lay them in the water?
I don’t think so…
Is it too hot in here? Or maybe too cold?
Quick, someling find a book about maternity!
There’s probably nothing about changelings there…
The eggs are pulsating faster, is this normal?!
Bring back the Timberwolves! It’s way less terrifying than this!
“Is she going to be okay?” A gatherer asked Derpy, worried about her Queen.
“Don’t worry, I think the most frightening part has passed. Well, at least if she’s not laying the entire Egg Cluster…”
AHHH MY BELLY IS FALLING OFF!
“Yeah… it was the Egg Cluster…”
A couple of more minutes have passed, though it felt like an eternity. The drones laid scattered along the hive, waiting patiently for their Queen to return. A wave of worry and doubt could be picked up on the hivemind as the drones thought about what comes next.
“Now that she has her own children, will she replace us?”
“Don’t be a fool! She would never do that!”
“But… we’re not her children, we were just sent by mother Elysia to help here…”
“But we don’t know where mother’s hive is… will she just cast us out to save love for her young?”
These doubts worried Derpy, so she reached for the crowd to soothe them. ‘Brothers, sisters, throughout all the years I spent living with my Dinky, I found out that there’s nothing more powerful than the love of a mother for her children. Even if the children aren’t directly hers, she will embrace them and protect them. I know for a fact that you can expect nothing less of our Young Queen.’
Her speech seemed to quiet down most of the worries, but some of them still lingered.
“H-how can you be sure? You have just recently been assimilated into the hivemind…” A warrior near her asked.
“Call it ‘mother’s intuition’.” Derpy replied, smiling.
The conversation was cut short by a powerful surge rippling through the hivemind, the impact was so strong that it even disrupted it’s broadcast for a few seconds. Soon after things finally calmed down, an immense happiness filled the emptiness left by the interruption, feeding into every single changeling in the hive, stronger than any love they collected over these few days.
The whole hive was silent. Everyling slowly approached the door to the Hatchery. Peeking inside, they saw the tired form of the Young Queen, tears of joy ran down her cheeks as she held a big, glowing Egg Cluster in her embrace.
My children, come in and meet your siblings.
The Egg Cluster was resting on its place in the Hatchery, the whole hivemind celebrated the birth of their new younglings, the new generation of changelings that would help the Hive to develop and grow, help the family, to grow.
The Queen rested on her sofa back in the hidden room at the library, her barrel significantly slimmer now that her chitinous membrane slowly began to regrow. Derpy sat right next to her.
“You did a great job back there.” Derpy complemented her.
“I was scared to death…” The queen confessed, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.
“All of us were, it’s a very special occasion after all…” Derpy was interrupted by a bright flash that came from the Young Queen’s crown. It melded itself into the Queen’s head, melting and sculpting itself into a completely new crown, now part of her body.
“What was that?” She asked, confused, trying to find a reflective surface to see her crown.
“I’ve seen this before! A Queen or Arch Queen would gift her crown to its heir, and when they reached full maturity, the crown would fuse with their bodies, becoming their own crown. The laying of your first eggs must have triggered its transformation!” Derpy explained. “Hehe, I guess I can’t call you the ‘Young Queen’ anymore huh?”
“Maybe I should be the one calling you Queen, you know way more stuff then I do!” The Queen joked, as they both went into laughter.
Looking over the window, Derpy noticed how dark it was getting. She got up and went for the door. “I’m sorry my Queen, but I need to return to Dinky. I need to finish her Nightmare Night costume for tomorrow…”
But then, an idea came to her mind. “Hey, why don’t you and you drones celebrate Nightmare Night with us? It would be a great way to celebrate your official maturity! You could even go undisguised!” and then another idea ran over the other. “Oh, oh, better yet, why don’t you turn the hive into a Nightmare Night attraction? It’s the perfect place to set a scary maze, ponies would love it!”
Derpy’s excitement was contagious and the Queen really considerer these options. “Yeah, that might be fun, and my drones deserve the break. I’ll think about it.”
“Alright, See you later!”