//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 – Nightmare // Story: A Nation of Love // by Ultra-the-HedgeToaster //------------------------------// This chapter is available as a "synthesized" audio book: > [click here] - no background music > [click here] - with ambient music loop > [overview of all chapters] . . None could tell how exactly it had happened. Barely any-ling even had known about her beyond the abstract, let alone that she still existed, hidden away in a dark corner of some old research-facility. She had broken free of her chrysalis, leaving destruction in her wake, spreading hatred and despair. Within just a week, she had taken out several major love- and womb-factories, grinding love-production to a standstill. The military was caught unprepared, not anticipating an attack from within. The Queen herself tried to stop her, but had to be evacuated after nearly getting killed. Rumors spread that the Queen might have to undergo rebirth. The hive-mind was overwhelmed by the ensuing mass-panic, rendering all but short-range ling-to-ling communication impossible. She didn't strike the cities directly. She didn't need to – infrastructure had already collapsed. For the first time in well over a century, the changelings of Omnifaria knew hunger. . ~ . The six changelings slowly trotted deeper into the ruins of the love-factory. Once brightly lit in fractals of green, infrared, and ultraviolet, the factory had gone dark. Only their horn-light revealed the path ahead... and the ghastly sight that greeted them. Every single pod had been ripped open and emptied. Gaping wounds in the hard-resin walls had long-since bled out, hardened ooze and other fluids splattered across the floor. Dim chromatophore displays that had once proudly shown the status of energy-flow were frozen on their final, jumbled warning message requesting immediate maintenance that would never come. The factory was dead. Murdered. One of the six fell to her knees, crying. They all stopped, for a moment. Finding the one responsible wasn't difficult – just follow the hate. Thoughtful Curiosity looked up at the monster. It didn't seem to notice them. She swallowed. “We... we have come to s-stop you!” She spoke out loud. Silence. That had sounded better in her head. The monster dispassionately spared their little group a glance, then went back to cradling one of the love-batteries. That one glance alone froze Thoughtful solid. In that moment, Thoughtful Curiosity felt, like they were intruding on some important task, and how dare they take up its time with their own little unimportant problems. They were small. They were insignificant. The Nightmare could kill them all with a thought. But why bother? They didn't matter. As long as they didn't annoy her. They should just turn around and leave. “NO!” Thoughtful Curiosity broadcasted. No, they couldn't just leave! Not after coming this far! “Omnifaria depends on us!” The thought had come from another. It was all Thoughtful needed to remember that she wasn't alone. That this wasn't about her. This was about everyling! This was about saving Omnifaria! A quick burst of reassurance shared between the group gave her courage to speak further. “We will stop you – with these artifacts!” All six of them stood up straight – even Gentle Caring's fear diminished slightly – and Thoughtful vocalized loud and with purpose: “Faithful Bravery, a guard willing to lay down her life for her pod-mates without a moment's thought represents the aspect of… Loyalty!” The echo of her voice fractured across the hard-resin walls, giving it an otherworldly quality. “Laevigata, a hard-working drone who refused to betray her principles even at a great personal price represents the –“ The monster roared. The fresh wave of even stronger hatred made Thoughtful Curiosity physically recoil. The pony-monster hissed and chattered angrily in a language Thoughtful could not understand. One hoof raised to point at them – no, at the artifacts around their necks. More chattering in its strange dead language. Its horn blazed. Then Thoughtful was suddenly on the ground, pressing against the hard resin of the factory-floor, unable to move. The telekinetic field was too strong. Thoughtful Curiosity could not so much as move a single muscle. The monster growled. This time, she could have sworn she recognized, from her literature studies, the Equestrian word for “insect”. The utter disgust and loathing that accompanied the word was enough for her to guess the beast's meaning. With dawning dread, she realized that the field was tightening, slowly exerting pressure on her chitin. Her mouth filled with the taste of ichor. She had been so foolish... To hope the artifacts from pony-history could stop the monster, somehow? How had she even expected them to work for them, when they were made by ponies? All she had accomplished was to get herself killed – worse yet, to drag the others down with her. From around her, she could feel her hive-mates' fear and dismay. “I'm sorry, I failed you all...” But then she felt something different. Defiance. And, strangely enough, a form of love. She managed to turn her head just enough to see the others. Faithful Bravery gave her a cocky grin. The guard had ichor running from her mouth, but didn't seem to care she was about to be squashed. Laevigata was simply too stubborn to act afraid – she just glared defiantly at the monster, showing it that changelings weren't cowed so easily. Gentle Caring was scared, yet despite this, she didn't close her eyes to the world, but chose to look at those around her. Even now, as it was crushing her with its magic, her only feelings for the pony-creature were those of pity and sorrow. Reassurance radiated what little love she had left at her companions still, and Thoughtful's heart went out to the drone who had already given them so much when she had had so little. Boundless Cheer's unwavering positivity brushed against her thoughts, filling Thoughtful Curiosity with confidence, and she made sure to return the emotion in kind. Thoughtful Curiosity considered each of the five changelings who had grown so close to her. Even in the face of the monster that had wreaked havoc on all Omnifaria, even in the face of blind rage and indiscriminate hatred, even facing imminent death – they all held to each other. No words needed to be spoken. Changelings didn't need to communicate verbally. Thoughtful thought of each of her hive-mates. Her friends. They reciprocated. And together, they were one. Thoughtful had no word for the emotion that filled her, them, and the air around them in a burst of unimaginable magical potential. Perhaps it was kinship, camaraderie, love, and yes, friendship of course, but amplified to an unrecognizable degree by the Elements. Nightmare Cadence did not even raise a shield. The taste of utter disbelief and shock was so strong, that, for a moment, it even tainted the all-encompassing emotion from the Elements. There was a flash of color. Then the nightmare was over. . ~~~ . Cadence jerked upright in bed. “Oh Shiny, I had the most horrible nightmare...” Her husband gently pressed a hoof on her cheek. “Don't worry about it, my love. It was only a bad dream.” With slow, careful hoof-movements, Shining Armor expertly massaged her back. Cadence let out a sigh of contentment. Her Shiny knew exactly how to hit all the right pressure points. Already, the details of the dream were starting to fade. Something about monsters stealing away her Shiny? “Come now, Caddy, you don't want to miss breakfast with your aunts?” . With an impish smile Celestia levitated the entire cake off the table, sneaking it past Luna right over the alicorn's head. However, just as Celestia was about to take a bite from the pastry, a midnight-blue aura snatched it away in mid-air, and instead of tasting the delicious chocolaty goodness, an admonishing wing brushed over her face. “Think of thy diet, sister dearest.” Luna pointed at the bowls of vegetables and fruit arranged on the table. Celestia pouted. She said something to Luna. A piece of cake hit the side of Celestia's head, splattering all over her face. “Captain Armor, protect your princess!” Princess Celestia ordered, readying several carrot- and apple-projectiles. One of the carrots hit Cadence. For a moment, everypony paused. Then Cadence grinned, and picked up a stack of pancakes. It landed right on Celestia's horn, skewering the pancakes, and dripping honey all over the princess' face. A watermelon cannon-ball was shot back in response, splattering harmlessly against Shining Armor's shield. The chaos was in full swing. Cadence giggled. She was among family. She was happy. She was practically radiating love. Cadence never noticed the wavering outlines of two changelings standing off to the side. Gentle Caring smiled sadly. “Thank you for showing me, my Queen.” . . . . . .